2009 A Championship

[gufc2000]

Do you have a link because I never saw anything saying that and just had a quick check there too.
Sorry not on the UCD forum, its in this thread on page 2. I knew I had came across it somewhere but I just couldn't remember where. Anyways are ye not entering now or whats the story?

[pineapple stu]

Do you have a link because I never saw anything saying that and just had a quick check there too.
I'm 99% sure we are. Any post would probably have come from me. We're reigning champions and treat the underage stuff probably more seriously than any other club in the league.

[HarpoJoyce]

I'm 99% sure we are. Any post would probably have come from me. We're reigning champions and treat the underage stuff probably more seriously than any other club in the league.

Do you supply UCD's underage players with Carlsberg?

[pineapple stu]

No. We're not allowed advertise beer to youngsters any more.

[sadloserkid]

Would be surprised to see Kilkenny on board in the short-term. Think they were burned more badly than is let on by their exit last around and will concentrate on the underage team for a while yet. That was very much the vibe from their camp last year.

Also why would the two smaller Galway teams be shown the door? Ludicrous statement for anybody to make. There's hardly a list of clubs clamouring to take part in the A League as is.

Celtictiger I appreciate that you're coming from a basically good place but you have to realise that there are criteria other than population to be factored in when making up these fantastical new league structures?

[gufc2000]

Alright sadloser at least you didnt rip on me thanks, people learn from mistakes!
Anyway ive done a bit of thinking and ive decided to go with a 10 team premier league,12 teams division north and south,1 promotion spot for each league,my selection of teams would be the same as chimpster on page 4.
i reckon this way is sustainable,thoughts?
Though i do worry for that potential geography imbalance.

The 7 new clubs i would bring through to go with the current 27 (22+tralee,mervue,salthill,tullamore and carlow)
Castlebar,Clonmel,Mullingar,Kilkenny,Fanad,Portlao ise,and Carrick United.

Seem fair? i put carrick in because they are from munster which i reckon needs more clubs

Ya a regionalised First Division is the only way forward. The current graveyard that it is has just descended into meaningless games for the last two rounds for the bottom 3 or 4 clubs. However I would look into the possibility of having 12 teams in the Premier as 10 just seems too few

[WexCar]

12 teams division north and south,1 promotion spot for each league,


instead of 1 automatic promotion spot for each league how about a play off system, maybe the top 3 in each division play off, those who finish top get a bye to the P/O final with 2nd & 3rd placed teams in semi-final. this system would help the better teams get promoted in the case of 1 league being stronger than the other.

[WexCar]

no, have two finals so two teams get promoted


2nd north v 3rd south -- winner plays 1st north -- winner promoted

3rd north v 2nd south -- winner plays 1st south -- winner promoted

[DmanDmythDledge]

Sorry not on the UCD forum, its in this thread on page 2. I knew I had came across it somewhere but I just couldn't remember where. Anyways are ye not entering now or whats the story?
That post is nothing but an assumption. If we get enough players I'd say we will enter but we don't have enough for a senior team at the moment, let alone a reserve team as well.

[HarpoJoyce]

That post is nothing but an assumption. If we get enough players I'd say we will enter but we don't have enough for a senior team at the moment, let alone a reserve team as well.

That's how I see UCD's situation at the moment aswell

[pineapple stu]

It is an assumption, yes. But we had 24 players the first night of training, and are looking for more. It's the club's stated intention to have an A Team next year, and I'd be looking for reasons why we won't have one rather than why we will have one.

[ShnaeGuevara715]

I hate to indulge in this "fantasy league" crap but; the league of ireland has come under FAI control. Is there any progress in the provincial leagues coming under the league pyramid? Or would that just be absurd?

[pineapple stu]

It can't realistically happen while the leagues have different seasons.

[hoop4life]

anyone have any idea when fixtures are coming out for this season?

[TheBoss]

You will have to wait till May at least for those fixtures.

[hoop4life]

You will have to wait till May at least for those fixtures.

is it not starting in april?

[gufc2000]

is it not starting in april?
Ya its starting in April

[TheBoss]

The Shield starts in April and the League will be late May/early June.

[gufc2000]

Is Gavin Dykes still manager of Castlebar Celtic?

[hoop4life]

Is Gavin Dykes still manager of Castlebar Celtic?

no, he left last june.
declan kilkelly (he managed the celtic u18s that won the fai youth cup in 2007) is now manager.

[Martinho II]

Is Gavin Dykes still manager of Castlebar Celtic?


is gavin dykes involved in football any more??

[hoop4life]

is gavin dykes involved in football any more??

i heard that he was playing with merville in sligo/leitrim league. not sure about that though

[gufc2000]

Are Wexford Youths entering an A-team? They should because it would really bring on the great young players they have at their disposal

[gufc2000]

Just please people 1 more time and i wont do it anymore!



At the moment we have a 2 tier system involving 22 clubs.The Fai are in control and i think they should stay in control after 2011.
At the moment we have a Summer season,i think its better than Winter for the time being anyway.
We have a mix of full time and part time clubs and of course we're not ready for a full time Premier League but i think in time we can be.
The financial situations of the 2008 seasons has slowed down the off the pitch developments of our league.
So hopefully,during 2009,2010 and 2011 the league will be sustaining itself and money wont just be used on wages but off the pitch things like Facilities,Marketing,Youth Structures and Community Links.
There is no doubt the standard of play is good but can only get better with improved infrastructure.
The Fai are in control and i think they should stay in control after 2011.

So what i think is,that in 2012 we switch to a winter season and by then hopefully a sustainable professional premier league.
The Fai to remain in control after 2011 .
A change of League structure,
Premier League with 10 clubs that are all full time and financially sound.High profile sponsor and good tv coverage, maybe 1 live game a week?
2 Regional Leagues north and south both comprising of 12 clubs each Semi Professional mix of full time and part time clubs (possibly)
A play off system for Promotion/Relegation between the Premier and Regional leagues.

And this is me being optimistic.

I know when i first joined this forum i was being quite ignorant about this kind of thing but i've learned a lot since then!

And i'd also like to say that i wont post this kind of thing again as this is now my official optimistic proposals and i wanted to get it off my chest so sorry if it bothers you perhaps being a little off topic even though we've been discussing league structures before.

So,there you go.

The day there is a full-time club in the First Division (apart from Fingal) is the day an LOI team wins the Champo League. Its just not sustainable, crowds aren't there to support it, and neither is the TV coverage and sponsors.

But I do agree merging the A-League and Div. 1 into two regionalised leagues, as this is viable, due to increased local derbies and less travelling involved

[citybone]

So what i think is,that in 2012 we switch to a winter season and by then hopefully a sustainable professional premier league.
The Fai to remain in control after 2011 .
A change of League structure,
Premier League with 10 clubs that are all full time and financially sound.High profile sponsor and good tv coverage, maybe 1 live game a week?
2 Regional Leagues north and south both comprising of 12 clubs each Semi Professional mix of full time and part time clubs (possibly)
A play off system for Promotion/Relegation between the Premier and Regional leagues.
So,there you go.
i cant see any real benefit in playing winter, football, while there are many benefits to playing summer soccer.

i don't agree with any of this like you cant force clubs to go pro in the prem division.
i think a 12 team split prem division would be good. like top 6 should be capable of being pro.the rest of a prem would be capable of being semi pro.

have another 12 team split 1st division and mostly being amateur but maybe a few of the top clubs being semi pro have a a championship below in a similar manner to their way it is at the moment.

[pineapple stu]

For the sevety-first time, you can't just split Premier Division clubs off as full-time. Clubs should go full-time if the money is available to do so, not based on what division they're in. In addition, cosmetic changes such as you've continuously proposed have occurred throughout the league's history and have all failed to give the bright new dawn you hope for. You've learned nothing, it seems.

[pineapple stu]

And pineapplestu,there are 5 full time clubs in the Premier at the moment,if things improve financially during the next 3 years,a 10 team premier league all full time is possible.
Have you seen the state of the country at present? Things ain't going to improve if sponsorship and gates start going down. Also, at least one of those full-time teams can't afford it. 10 full time teams isn't possible now, and nothing'll happen in th enext three years to make it possible.

[Darkglasses]

Are Wexford Youths entering an A-team? They should because it would really bring on the great young players they have at their disposal

I'm not sure we really have the numbers...A great number of our talented young players are on the first team as well as underage! Also, it might be a cost too much to run an A-team as well? I haven't a clue how much running a club in the A Championship would cost..

[gufc2000]

I'm not sure we really have the numbers...A great number of our talented young players are on the first team as well as underage! Also, it might be a cost too much to run an A-team as well? I haven't a clue how much running a club in the A Championship would cost..

E5000 entry fee anyways. But the groups are regionalised so ye'd be playing Cork and the Dublin clubs mostly

[citybone]

E5000 entry fee anyways. But the groups are regionalised so ye'd be playing Cork and the Dublin clubs mostly

i think tullamore and limerick aswell, yee have a bus & driver for transport and yee own your own facilities for training, shouldn't cost much as they would also be ametuer, yee would need to expand yere squad alright at min 25 players between 1st team and a championship with underage players as back up.
would prob cost the same as a club in the lsl in terms of traveling. fuel money would be the main cost really.

[Sam_Heggy]

At the moment the 'A' Champlooks like this:

Bohemians A
Cork A
Derry A
Dundalk A
St Pats A
Drogheda A
Galway A
Shamrock Rovers A
Sligo A
Bray A
UCD A

Kildare County/Cobh
Tralee
Salthill
FC Carlow
Tullamore
Castlebar (i think)

Still potential add ons (Kilkenny? Portlaoise?)
Will any First Division sides apart from UCD be entering an A-team?

Harps will be entering an A Team also.

[sadloserkid]

i think tullamore and limerick aswell,

Limerick not entering A Championship this year.

[gufc2000]

'A' Championship line up looks like this so far:

Bohemians
Bray
Cork
Drogheda
Dundalk
Derry
Galway
Sligo
St Pats
Shamrock Rovers
Cobh
Finn Harps
Salthill
Tullamore
Castlebar
Tralee
Carlow

That's a total of 17 teams. There will hardly be anymore will there?

[hoop4life]

'A' Championship line up looks like this so far:

Bohemians
Bray
Cork
Drogheda
Dundalk
Derry
Galway
Sligo
St Pats
Shamrock Rovers
Cobh
Finn Harps
Salthill
Tullamore
Castlebar
Tralee

That's a total of 16 teams. There will hardly be anymore will there?

are ucd not entering?

[DmanDmythDledge]

are ucd not entering?
Nobody really has a clue at the moment. With the amount of players we have currently it is looking unlikely.

[gufc2000]

are ucd not entering?

I'd say now that the FAI have 16 teams they'll be satisfied enough. If the Leagues are to be regionalised I'd say it will go along the lines of something like this:

Group 1
Castlebar
Finn Harps
Derry
Sligo
Dundalk
Salthill
Galway
Drogheda

Group 2
Cobh
Cork
Bohemians
St Pats
Shamrock Rovers
Bray
Tralee
Tullamore
FC Carlow

[gufc2000]

You forgot Carlow man! :eek:

My bad! I knew I made a mistake. I've edited it now. Thats 17 teams, even though Cobh could be dropping in to the MSL yet

[DmanDmythDledge]

I'd say now that the FAI have 16 teams they'll be satisfied enough.
I'd be highly surprised if they stopped anyone entering a reserve team if they wish.

[gufc2000]

I'd be highly surprised if they stopped anyone entering a reserve team if they wish.

Are there any more 1st Div clubs interested? Apart from UCD, would there be anyone else? Fingal or Shels maybe, but I don't see Monaghan or Mervue or Athlone throwing there names forward, and I wouldn't expect it off them in all fairness either

[Martinho II]

how many games was played in the a championship last year??

[holidaysong]

Here (http://www.loi.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=183&Itemid=172) is a link to the tables and results. Each team played 14 games with UCD and Bohemians having an extra one (the final).

[Martinho II]

it will be some come down for the cobh fans.. dont know if thats right at all

[Battery Rover]

but I don't see Monaghan or Mervue or Athlone throwing there names forward,

Personally I don't think an A team is the way forward for our club.

We will have a team in the Under 19 league this season as will everyone else. We already have an Under 17 team playing DDSL Major Division 1 and I would hope that maybe in the near future we could set up an Under 15 team to play in the DDSL as well to bring the best of the midlands through into LOI Football without them having to go to Dublin teams for the high standard of competition in that league.

[gufc2000]

Personally I don't think an A team is the way forward for our club.

We will have a team in the Under 19 league this season as will everyone else. We already have an Under 17 team playing DDSL Major Division 1 and I would hope that maybe in the near future we could set up an Under 15 team to play in the DDSL as well to bring the best of the midlands through into LOI Football without them having to go to Dublin teams for the high standard of competition in that league.

Agreed. There should be just Premier Reserve teams in it. But if big clubs outside the top ten with big squads (Fingal, Shels, UCD, Wexford) then they should be allowed too

[bellavistaman]

it will be some come down for the cobh fans.. dont know if thats right at all

indeed :(

[pineapple stu]

Nobody really has a clue at the moment. With the amount of players we have currently it is looking unlikely.
We have 28 players signed and will be fielding an A team.

[gufc2000]

UCD in now, making it 18 teams now and presumably two groups of 9 teams with a total of 16 games. Has there been official word yet as to when the 'A' League proper is starting?

[pineapple stu]

Only rumours of an April start that I've heard.

[pcplod]

Unfortunatly it may still go back to 17 teams as Cobhs futre is still unclear.:(

But we live in hope. :D

[hoop4life]

Unfortunatly it may still go back to 17 teams as Cobhs futre is still unclear.:(

But we live in hope. :D

i heard that portloaise were very interested in entering. could they make up the numbers if cobh pull out or would the likes of shels or limerick or fingal have the numbers for an a league side. they are all big clubs who aspire to be in the premier so could they enter a side??