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culloty82
08/02/2012, 7:38 PM
Barring some dramatic development on Monday, it now looks certain that at least four clubs will have no first-team football until at least August (GUST having an actual team now through the under-19s), so could there be any temporary solution to their predicament? The three other A Championship clubs have returned to junior football for now, but Limerick, Rovers, UCD, Harps, Derry and Bohemians all took the division seriously in the past, and if ten clubs took an interest, you would have the bones of a division, as legendz has suggested in the past. The major difference to the A Championship would be that participation would be participation would be voluntary, and the number of clubs interested would dictate whether it would be national or regional, but it would fill the gap until the FAI changes its mind on an eight-team division. Failing that, they should be guaranteed participation in the FAI and League Cups.

kerrysock
08/02/2012, 7:57 PM
Its pretty simple to answer this one I'm afraid: Nothing is going to happen. The a-championship i.e. the concept of a 3rd tier has been completely abandoned by the FAI and is not going to be continued. Lots of senior clubs were giving out about how much of a financial burden it was to have to field an a-championship team. In my view the FAI have made the right decision here due to this fact.

The recession has unfortunately hit domestic football hard!, The FAI are rightfully trying to protect current senior clubs who are feeling the financial strain as well as smaller clubs such as Dynamos and Ramblers from going out of existence altogether!

1dynamos
08/02/2012, 10:18 PM
Protecting clubs not giving players the platform.....how does this protect clubs/players? Players progressive development halted FACT?

Walk in the players shoes for a moment. 7 years with club commitments plus Kerry team & ETP every week over the 7 years resuting in over 300 additional sessions with varying journey of 30 - 60 miles ever week either early Sunday morning or Monday nights. Outside of international commitments and remember a lot of Dynamos players played for Ireland whilst they were members of Kingdom Boys. I feel for the parents who made this happen for their kids, like all parents wanting to give the best chance to their sons where now?

legendz
08/02/2012, 11:27 PM
If there is to ever be a third tier again, it'll have to be driven by the clubs. A groups of clubs will have to get together and lobby the FAI to recognise a league. Not something I can see happening for this year but these clubs that have missed out should discuss it and see if maybe the likes of Castlebar and Tullamore might take interest.

kerrysock
09/02/2012, 2:26 PM
legendz, that is wishful thinking...the a championship, 3rd tier or whatever you want to call it is dead in the water.

A victim of the recession Im afraid!

Where will clubs like Ramblers and Dynamos go from here? - munster senior league or local junior league?

citybone
09/02/2012, 11:05 PM
Munster Senior League is a glorified Cork League and Mainly around the city. It would make sense for Tralee and Cobh to join this league as it is the next step down but im unsure would Tralee be bothered only Kerry team in a Cork league it would be different if Killarney Celtic, Clonmel, Tramore Athletic and other big junior Munster based teams joined also but i cant see it happening without the FAI pushing it (which may be a better idea than pushing a 3rd tier)

culloty82
10/02/2012, 8:44 AM
legendz, that is wishful thinking...the a championship, 3rd tier or whatever you want to call it is dead in the water.

A victim of the recession Im afraid!

Where will clubs like Ramblers and Dynamos go from here? - munster senior league or local junior league?

I'd imagine Ramblers would go into the MSL, as it would be their local league, but can't imagine Dynamos going back after their experiences last time, so they're likely to stick to the KDL.

legendz
10/02/2012, 9:57 AM
I'm glad it was citybone who made the point of the MSL being a glorified Cork league. With the A Championship being dead in the water, surely work should take place in setting up provincial leagues being fed into from district leagues?


legendz, that is wishful thinking...the a championship, 3rd tier or whatever you want to call it is dead in the water.

A victim of the recession Im afraid!

Where will clubs like Ramblers and Dynamos go from here? - munster senior league or local junior league?

I accept it is wishful thinking. It doesn't mean it should not be come an ambition for football in this country though. The A Championship is dead. Moving forward though, over the next few years the FAI should keep communication open with clubs to the possibility of creating a league in the future but it'll have to be more club driven. All league grew out of a start somewhere, it's a blank canvas at present.

citybone
10/02/2012, 2:06 PM
I'm glad it was citybone who made the point of the MSL being a glorified Cork league. With the A Championship being dead in the water, surely work should take place in setting up provincial leagues being fed into from district leagues?
.

Thats a better way of doing it rather than the current format. If the KDL, West Cork League, West Waterford/East Cork league, Waterford and District league, Tipp southern and district league, North Tipp league, Limerick Desmond, Limerick District league and Clare league winners could take part in the Munster Senior League Premier division with the 9 best in the current MSL and have a 18 team premier division for a year at least (if some of the non Cork clubs want to go back to their own Junior league after a year for financial or performance related reasons then so be it) but its worth a try. Longest travelling would be for Clare and Waterford District clubs. with North tipp, KDL and west Cork league teams also having a good bit of travelling
South Tipp and West waterford/East Cork league should be well up for it, wouldn't cost them a fortune travelling wise.

culloty82
10/02/2012, 2:24 PM
That would look to be the way forward in terms of linking up the leagues - presumably you would have four provincial leagues with the champions playing off, and the winners automatically replacing the bottom two First Division teams. If the system ever became established, the eventual final logical step would be mergers into Northern and Southern Intermediate Leagues.

legendz
10/02/2012, 3:56 PM
Will the powers that be be open to that though. It's a story of big fish in their small ponds. Will those running the Munster and Leinster leagues be open to relinquishing some power. The view by many on the main forum is that they would not.

kerrysock
11/02/2012, 10:07 AM
Will the powers that be be open to that though. It's a story of big fish in their small ponds. Will those running the Munster and Leinster leagues be open to relinquishing some power. The view by many on the main forum is that they would not.
Not a chance!, third tier is over and nothing clubs can do about it!


Back to Kerry League for dynamos! It will be the best move for the club.
They need to knock Killarney Celtic off their perch as the kingpins of kerry soccer. Thats the battle the club should be aiming for now.

peadar1987
11/02/2012, 1:36 PM
Will the powers that be be open to that though. It's a story of big fish in their small ponds. Will those running the Munster and Leinster leagues be open to relinquishing some power. The view by many on the main forum is that they would not.

I doubt they would be to be honest.

It's the constant problem with Irish football. The domestic game would be miles further down the road if the clubs were all pulling in the same direction, but instead you get clubs and individuals placing petty squabbles, and Big Fish, Small Pond syndrome over the overall good of the clubs, and the game.

Ideally you'd have, under the auspices of the FAI, two top divisions, then probably five regionalised divisions below that, one for each of the provinces, and a separate one for Dublin, due to the population density. Clear and rigorously enforced licensing criteria for all of those divisions. Below that, fully regionalised leagues, so your KDL, Dublin District Leagues, Mayo League, etc. There definitely has to be an intermediate standard for clubs who aren't ready for senior football though. The A Championship was deeply flawed, but I think a lower standard with more relaxed licensing criteria, regionalised to reduce costs, would probably achieve its objectives.

The devil, however, is in the details. You'd have to structure everything so that everyone could benefit from it, and it wouldn't just be funneling money from senior to junior clubs, or senior clubs hoovering up all the best players.

nigel-harps1954
11/02/2012, 7:14 PM
I've said it over and over again, but I believe the FAI should work closely with the Ulster, Munster, and Leinster Senior Leagues while also creating a Connacht Senior League. All these leagues should feed into the First Division. Would act as a regionalised 3rd tier of Irish football. But as long as we live, I don't think it will happen.

kerrysock
11/02/2012, 8:28 PM
I've said it over and over again, but I believe the FAI should work closely with the Ulster, Munster, and Leinster Senior Leagues while also creating a Connacht Senior League. All these leagues should feed into the First Division. Would act as a regionalised 3rd tier of Irish football. But as long as we live, I don't think it will happen.Agree completely with this...however clubs still need to be vetted to ensure LOI entry is financially viable...

peadar1987
11/02/2012, 9:29 PM
I've said it over and over again, but I believe the FAI should work closely with the Ulster, Munster, and Leinster Senior Leagues while also creating a Connacht Senior League. All these leagues should feed into the First Division. Would act as a regionalised 3rd tier of Irish football. But as long as we live, I don't think it will happen.

"I would rather be first in a small Iberian village than second in Rome" - Julius Caesar.

Plenty of junior clubs like to think they're Julius Caesar, and that, along with a not altogether unjustified mistrust in the FAI, is the primary reason we probably will never see such a structure.

citybone
11/02/2012, 11:16 PM
Not a chance!, third tier is over and nothing clubs can do about it!

Back to Kerry League for dynamos! It will be the best move for the club.
They need to knock Killarney Celtic off their perch as the kingpins of kerry soccer. Thats the battle the club should be aiming for now.
Small mind mentality! Although there was ambition in the club for a number of years.


I've said it over and over again, but I believe the FAI should work closely with the Ulster, Munster, and Leinster Senior Leagues while also creating a Connacht Senior League. All these leagues should feed into the First Division. Would act as a regionalised 3rd tier of Irish football. But as long as we live, I don't think it will happen.
Exactly, no room for a step between first division and provincial leagues. Another thing you are leaving out which i made reference to above is that the Munster senior League is a glorified league and clubs from all over Munster should be invited, Such as Tralee Dynamo's Possible Killearney Celtic, Clonmel Town, Dungarven, Ennis, etc.

kerrysock
11/02/2012, 11:40 PM
Small mind mentality! Although there was ambition in the club for a number of years.
The reality is the money isnt there...its realistically the best option for Tralee Dynamos in my view!



Exactly, no room for a step between first division and provincial leagues. Another thing you are leaving out which i made reference to above is that the Munster senior League is a glorified league and clubs from all over Munster should be invited, Such as Tralee Dynamo's Possible Killearney Celtic, Clonmel Town, Dungarven, Ennis, etc.
Completely agree here - it is effectively a Cork only league. Dynamos tried this league before and my advise would be to stay away from it (unless clubs from other counties get involved of course!)

nigel-harps1954
12/02/2012, 4:07 AM
Sure the Ulster senior league is completely a Donegal league.

legendz
14/02/2012, 11:30 PM
I accept comments regards wishful thinking for a third tier but the idea should not be dead in the water. What ever happened to lobbying. Looking back on the A Championship, having so many reserve teams there to make up the numbers wasn't going to capture the imaginations of the public. I'd like a regionalised third tier but the clubs aren't there.

GUST
Cobh
Tralee
Carlow
Castlebar
Tullamore

If the 6 clubs above were in a national division, I think the distance obstacle wouldn't be that great. Over 3 series they'd have 15 games, more than the 14 of the last A Championship. Castlebar and Tullamore would have to be entice back.

Now this is seen as wishful thinking as said but it's not totally unrealistic. Build a stadium and the people will come. Build a league and the teams will come. A solution has to be found to the current mess. While maybe not this year or next, there should be a plan in principle for a third tier. Why not a Second Division below the First Division, play-off between last in division one and winner of division 2.

If there was a division two of:
GUST
Cobh
Tralee
Carlow
Castlebar
Tullamore

Gavin said recently if more clubs had been brought into division one, they'd have brought down the standard. Well I say at least give teams a chance on the field of play.

If a third tier is reinstated, the FAI can always stipulate if an area has teams already they can't include more. For example if a Louth club wanted to join a third tier, the FAI would probably decline on the grounds that there's two clubs in the region already.

Wishful thinking I accept but it should be a goal for the league to have a third tier.

FlapjackJoe
15/02/2012, 9:29 AM
I think because of the general financial situation of the teams in the league, it won't be viable to have a Premier Division, First Division, Second Division, etc.

I think it would be a better idea to have a regionalised First Division. Increase the Premier League to 16 teams and have a First Division split into regions below that. Premier Division teams can enter their reserve teams into this league - there were 16 teams in the A Championship last season (plus 4 of the current First Division teams), so that means there can be 2 groups of 10 at this level.

The licensing criteria for this First Division must be relaxed down to current A Championship levels. If there are more interest in this over time, additional groups can be added, so all teams meeting the licensing criteria can be accommodated.

legendz
15/02/2012, 1:29 PM
If there was a national division of:
GUST
Cobh
Tralee
Carlow
Castlebar
Tullamore

Would the financial side be much different to that encountered in the A Championship. In terms of travel Castlebar is a bit of a journey from Tralee and Cobh but manageable. If a third tier was not propped up by reserve teams, it could stand on it's own feet and become a firm part of the league. Leagues are built on rivalries. There's no rivalry with reserve teams.

kerrysock
15/02/2012, 11:23 PM
I think because of the general financial situation of the teams in the league, it won't be viable to have a Premier Division, First Division, Second Division, etc.

I think it would be a better idea to have a regionalised First Division. Increase the Premier League to 16 teams and have a First Division split into regions below that. Premier Division teams can enter their reserve teams into this league - there were 16 teams in the A Championship last season (plus 4 of the current First Division teams), so that means there can be 2 groups of 10 at this level.

The licensing criteria for this First Division must be relaxed down to current A Championship levels. If there are more interest in this over time, additional groups can be added, so all teams meeting the licensing criteria can be accommodated.
I think the complete opposite!

I seriously think the FAI are doing Dynamos and Cobh a favour by not awarding them a license. The finances simply are not good enough. In terms of the 3rd tier, it does not make sense at the moment with the steep recession we are experiencing. In essence economics has prevailed here. When the going is good, the league expanded with new teams added. The going is bad now and hence the league is contracted. The FAI are trying to keep the whole show on the road and that starts by keeping the LOI small and compact where the participating teams are as financially sound as possible. The licensing laws should be tougher if anything - not weaker.

kerrysock
15/02/2012, 11:29 PM
If there was a national division of:
GUST
Cobh
Tralee
Carlow
Castlebar
Tullamore

Would the financial side be much different to that encountered in the A Championship. In terms of travel Castlebar is a bit of a journey from Tralee and Cobh but manageable. If a third tier was not propped up by reserve teams, it could stand on it's own feet and become a firm part of the league. Leagues are built on rivalries. There's no rivalry with reserve teams.

A league with 6 teams - are you having a laugh? 8 teams in the first division is bad enough and you want a 6 team 3rd tier. I can see where you are coming from i.e. that the clubs listed will benefit but the FAI and joe public would have no interest in a 3rd tier 6 tem league in my view!

Also, with the reserve teams out of the picture the standard would drop substantially in my view. No non-reserve team ever won (or even came close to winning) the a-championship during its existence!

legendz
15/02/2012, 11:44 PM
6 is far from ideal but as I said somewhere else, build a league and the teams will come. It has to start somewhere? Dynamos only played 14 games last year. 6 teams over 3 series is 15 games or 4 series 20 games. The U19 league is getting by ok as it is with a similar number.

My point is that the teams listed would benefit. I think Joe Public from the area of the clubs mentioned might have more interest in it than a league propped up by reserve teams in my view. No rivalry of note every really built up in the A Championship due to the majority being reserve teams. If the 6 above were battling to win a division with the winner getting a shot through a play-off, a rivalry would start the build. I fully accept where you are coming from but I believe a division as mentioned standing on it own feet could prove attractive to one or two more teams.

Gavin recently had comment that Cobh and Tralee would've brought down the standard of the First Division. With a promotion/relegation play-off, teams would at least have a chance on the field of play while also having to match necessary licencing of it.

It's a shame as I say to be left with this wishful thinking. The dream and hope all winter was League of Ireland football would've been coming to the Kingdom next month. Unfortunately and very disappointingly it has not come to be on this occasion. Personally I'd love to be going to watch Dynamos in the division of 6 I mentioned but clearly that's just me.

FlapjackJoe
16/02/2012, 1:23 PM
No non-reserve team ever won (or even came close to winning) the a-championship during its existence!

Salthill Devon won their group in 2009 and lost 1-0 to Shamrock Rovers 'A' in the 97th minute of the play-off final.

legendz
16/02/2012, 1:39 PM
Cobh at least qualified for a promotion/relegation play-off which Salthill won fair and square to retain their first division status. Such a system should be brought back.

peadar1987
17/02/2012, 5:31 PM
Regardless of the exact format of it, I think it is important to have some sort of official gateway league from junior to senior football. Going from playing a team just down the road, paid for by members' subscriptions, to playing in a national league where you could be in Wexford one week and Ballybofey the next is too big a step for most potential clubs to jump in one go. If there was a more gradual way of making the transition, in some sort of regional league, I think we'd see teams like Castlebar, etc. building a decent fanbase, and being truly ready for a crack at surviving in the first division.

legendz
17/02/2012, 10:37 PM
That's it in a nutshell peadar. That's all we want, an official gateway so we or any club can work towards the first division. It's an awful pity it's gone from realism in the A Championship to wishful thinking. With different seasons and the complex dynamics of different powers in provincial leagues, a third tier where certain criteria has to be met is the only option.

kerrysock
18/02/2012, 8:37 AM
Personally I'd love to be going to watch Dynamos in the division of 6 I mentioned but clearly that's just me.
I think you are in the minority there legendz, the a championship attendances were very poor with a larger number of teams - it would be worse with 6 in my view. Also, the omission of 2nd string teams like the likes of Shamrock Rovers etc would have a detrimental effect. You argue that Joe Public would have more interest if reserve teams were omitted - I completely disagree. One of the main reasons people attended games was to see the likes of Rovers and other LOI reserve team players.

The a-championship was a great idea there is no denying that, but finances talk and the LOI have rightfully recognised that. A 3rd tier will not be seen for a long time.

I think Dynamos would be way better served if they fell back into Kerry now and start challenging for domestic honours, while also investing heavily in infrastructure. Dynamos have fallen behind other Kerry clubs in terms of facilities, they need to remedy this and start a movement for a possible Kerry LOI team in conjunction with other junior Kerry clubs. Dynamos cannot survive in the LOI by themselves - and LOI not granting them a license has confirmed this in my view.

kerrysock
18/02/2012, 8:44 AM
That's it in a nutshell peadar. That's all we want, an official gateway so we or any club can work towards the first division. It's an awful pity it's gone from realism in the A Championship to wishful thinking. With different seasons and the complex dynamics of different powers in provincial leagues, a third tier where certain criteria has to be met is the only option.
I think a "gateway" from junior football to senior football is a good idea but unless the sufficient finances are behind a junior club, it pretty much will fail. Dynamos are a great club. I think they need to rebuild the club now from the ground up again - and that starts by re-entering the KDL and investing in facilities. I'd really like to see that happen. Domestic Kerry soccer has suffered in my view since Dynamos left. It would be great to see Dynamos compete with other clubs like Killarney Celtic and St Brendans Park for league titles and cups!

legendz
18/02/2012, 2:44 PM
I suppose we have different visions of what we want for the game. You're more into the KDL scene than I am. When the A Championship opened up the opportunity for a Kerry club, Dynamos were right to go for it.

Regards being in the minority, I accept that could be the case but the A Championship as a division never captured the publics imagination and so many reserve teams being involved was a factor. Yhe U19 southern league has shown a division can be run with 6 clubs. It's not ideal but it is a starting point. The hope would be that two more clubs would join as the the league would gain more status and become established.

On one level I'm disappointed Dynamos didn't get in because I won't be going to game but more importantly Kerry needs a club in the LoI to be the focal point for the development of the game within the county.

Maybe ideally clubs would work together to get a club formed to represent the county but if that's not possible, Dynamos are right to take it on to be that club.

legendz
18/04/2012, 2:52 PM
I'm not going to dilute the First Division thread with talks of how small the division is etc.

Comments so far range from:
Still can't get over how small this division is. Christ it feels like only last week we were playing Harps at home.
Agree that the First Division is in a bit of a state with only eight teams. I know Limerick have been getting decent numbers (relatively speaking), but sounds like every other club is struggling to break 400-500. Going over the same opposiion so soon isn't going to help that.

RE: What happens next?

I can only hope having seen the division in practice, the FAI will be more determined for more clubs to be involved.

Mr A
18/04/2012, 3:09 PM
Or get rid of a few and have one big league might possibly be their thinking.

NeverFeltBetter
19/04/2012, 1:43 AM
Or get rid of a few and have one big league might possibly be their thinking.

I would suspect this as well. Limerick and Longford would make the cut and would be competitive as it stands. I would have said Waterford as well at the start of the season, but they seem to be undergoing a real slump at the moment, maybe it’s just temporary. The likes of Wexford, Athlone and Finn Harps could also be part of a single division with just a bit more improvement/investment/consistency.

But, can't say the same for the Galway clubs, unfortunately. Mervue looked like they were gradually on the up over their few seasons in the LoI, but have just gone backwards over the last two months, while Salthill have never looked competitive.

Speaking theoretically and on the sole basis of the season so far, I'd put in Limerick, Longford, Wexford (Because they play nice-to-watch football) and Harps (Because they seem like battlers and I think they'll only improve this season).

I wouldn't put it past the FAI to just lump them all in and make a 20 team league if they do choose to go for a single division format.

legendz
19/04/2012, 12:34 PM
Is there a need for an expanded Premier? It's gone from 12 teams - 3 series to 10 teams - 4 series back to 12 teams - 3 series. While 3 series might not seem ideal, there's a healthy look about the Premier this season and it's competitive, it has history of this format and it seems to be bedding in well.

With the Premier seemingly ok, the focus should be on the first division. If there's no second division, why no re-name it? It should be set in stone that the LoI will consist of 24 clubs max. The race can be on by clubs to take the 4 vacant spots and leave it at that until such a time as additional tiers are an option.

kerrysock
19/04/2012, 4:24 PM
I can only hope having seen the division in practice, the FAI will be more determined for more clubs to be involved.
You keep missing the point here legendz, if clubs are able from a financial perspective to join the league the FAI will facilitate them. Dynamos simply did not and will not have the finances for such a venture., so were not left into the league as a consequence.

We cannot have the league becoming a bit of a joke, standards have to be met...simple as that! In my view the licencing structure held up very well this year. Also, from a financial perspective getting rid of the A championship was the right move. The interest simply wasn't there from clubs and supporters.

I would support a 1 division league to be honest and that is yet what we may see as there are a few teams in the current division 1 (and possibly even the premier) that are struggling too

Mr A
19/04/2012, 4:51 PM
Getting rid of the A Championship was a retrograde step. Yes it cost a bit but hey- just cut that from your first team player budget. It shouldn't impact your competitiveness as everyone in the premier had to do it while in the first it was voluntary.

And licensing is a joke unfortunately. One year it's OK to miss the deadline, other years it's not. It has failed to prevent clubs from running up massive debt, folding, then starting again- surely the key objective of any licensing project. There are good aspects to it, but overall it's been poor.

legendz
19/04/2012, 10:34 PM
You keep missing the point here legendz, if clubs are able from a financial perspective to join the league the FAI will facilitate them. Dynamos simply did not and will not have the finances for such a venture., so were not left into the league as a consequence.

We cannot have the league becoming a bit of a joke, standards have to be met...simple as that! In my view the licencing structure held up very well this year. Also, from a financial perspective getting rid of the A championship was the right move. The interest simply wasn't there from clubs and supporters.

I would support a 1 division league to be honest and that is yet what we may see as there are a few teams in the current division 1 (and possibly even the premier) that are struggling too

I'm aware of financial perspective but weren't Tralee or Cobh to be included if one of the 8 failed to make the grade? Where's the financial perspective with that?


I agree 100% standards have to be met. The FAI at the same time have a responsibility to develop the game in the country. Even if it's not achievable at this time, they should have a goal to get more clubs nationwide part of a regional league with the aim of developing and promoting the game in those areas. It's said clubs don't want to be part of the LoI but I'm not convinced by that. If a structure were right regards finances, travel and distance, the environment could be created for 3 regional leagues north-west, east and south-west. Take the south-west: Kerry, Clare, Tipperary and other areas. If the FAI were to work with clubs from populated areas in these regions, a league could be formed with two from Kerry, two from Tipperary, one from Clare, Cobh then from Cork and possibly two more clubs from populated areas in the south-west. This could similarly be done in the east as well around Carlow, Offaly, Kilkenny, Kildare etc. In a lot of eyes this will seem fanciful but if efforts are not made as present, it will be that. The AIL in rugby has problems but at least they have regional leagues linked to higher levels. With intermediate/junior leagues on the season they are and the whole way those league are run with people having power etc. and big fish in their pond, I wouldn't go down the road of mentioned pyramids. Getting 3, or even 4, regional leagues set-up with a set number of clubs from certain areas involved should not be beyond the bounds of possibility.


It's said the A Championship did not work but 8 first team clubs took part over the 4 seasons. An environment has to be created where clubs can join a regional league without being much of a financial burden on the clubs. There naturally then has to be a link to the top.




I don't see why you'd support a single division league. Some have rightly questioned what the bottom clubs in the first division will have to play for this year? Is that wanted in the Premier, clubs struggling indefinitely at the bottom. Even with only 8 clubs, the first division is still a decent test of clubs before one or two join the top tier.

NeverFeltBetter
29/08/2012, 2:26 AM
I'm bumping this thread just to ask if anyone has heard or knows of any club - Tralee, Cobh, Carlow, etc - who is considering an application for the LOI next season (or would be capable of doing so). A lot of discussion going on right now about the future of the league, I'm just interested to know about any possibilities of expansion, however slight.

culloty82
29/08/2012, 12:10 PM
Can't see any of the three applying as things stand at present - Tralee are focusing on improving Cahermoneen for now, and it wouldn't seem to pay for either Carlow or Cobh at the minute either. The only scenario where I could imagine any of them entering would be the idea in the format thread whereby you'd have a regionalised First Division, and therefore they'd be playing Salthill, Mervue, Wexford et cetera regularly. The only question as things stand is what will happen with the Galway clubs next year.