2017 Fixtures

[Brusher]

Any word on the Athlone Town situation ? The silence has been very worrying.

[total hoofball]

I'm already looking forward to the expanded 12 team Premier Division in 2021 after the last two failed attempts at a 10 team division lasted for 3 seasons

[Neish]

For those sating it may improve the first division, I have a question

Did it improve the first the division the last couple of times they tried this?

I don't remember any significant improvement

I also ask how to the smaller and regional clubs improve with the money, big games, tv exposure etc all concentrated with the 10 Premier team

[total hoofball]

For those sating it may improve the first division, I have a question

Did it improve the first the division the last couple of times they tried this?

I don't remember any significant improvement


Definitely no improvement previously, but it may improve the division marginally this time round. Not for good reasons though, at least the last two occasions the First Division, was well.... First Division standard, now in 2016 most of the top Intermediate & Junior sides are of higher standard than the horrifying crap on show in Ireland's so-called second tier.

What's going to happen now we're adding two Premier Division clubs and many Premier Division standard players unavoidably to the worst First Division ever with awful football, awful attendances and poor commercial opportunities, that is not progression and is not improving anything for anybody. It's dragging two clubs and some decent part-time standard footballers into the gutter of the First Division, any improvement will be very marginal and the lack of money in the First Division will just drag two clubs unnecessarily downward.

Domestic football in this country needs a proper pyramid system and this is another 3 years whatever wasted on the re-arranging to the same failed LOI structure for the sake of absolutely nothing.

[Dodge]

For those sating it may improve the first division, I have a question

Did it improve the first the division the last couple of times they tried this?

I don't remember any significant improvement

I also ask how to the smaller and regional clubs improve with the money, big games, tv exposure etc all concentrated with the 10 Premier team

There's a higher percentage of Dublin clubs in the first division than the premier. Not sure why you bring regional into it when Dundalk and Cork have dominated the past 3 years

Anyway the biggest difference between the first division now and the last time is that it's going from 8 to 10. An 8 team league is an abomination

I don't think it really matters one way or the other for the Premier Division whether it's 10 or 12. Can see pros and cons for both but it's just tinkering

I am enjoying people losing the ref here though

[bluewhitearmy]

There's a higher percentage of Dublin clubs in the first division than the premier. Not sure why you bring regional into it when Dundalk and Cork have dominated the past 3 years

Anyway the biggest difference between the first division now and the last time is that it's going from 8 to 10. An 8 team league is an abomination

I don't think it really matters one way or the other for the Premier Division whether it's 10 or 12. Can see pros and cons for both but it's just tinkering

I am enjoying people losing the ref here though

This is my main reasoning behind it improving the first 8 is a farce.

I am praying they don't implement this ridiculous split in the league thing from Conroy though.

[brendy_éire]

Fixtures are out at 1 o'clock today.

[sbgawa]

Fixtures are out at 1 o'clock today.

Its like Christmas morning .....
Please Santa give me bohs for first home match

[patrickccfc]

Hoping for limerick away..

[nigel-harps1954]

Harps v Cork
Bohs v Derry
Galway v Drogheda
Pats v Bray
Limerick v Sligo

[sbgawa]

Its like Christmas morning .....
Please Santa give me bohs for first home match


Thanks Santa ...First home match Boh's : ))

[sbgawa]

Harps v Cork
Bohs v Derry
Galway v Drogheda
Pats v Bray
Limerick v Sligo


Did you forget about us ??
Dundalk v Rovers

[brendy_éire]

Some we're going with a mixture of Friday and Sunday matches then. Bit unusual.

[nigel-harps1954]

Did you forget about us ??
Dundalk v Rovers

That game doesn't count.


Interesting few things to note. Derry play Sundays at 2:30pm until April, and then Fridays at 7:45pm until July where they switch back to Sundays at 2:30pm.

FAI Cup first round is in August. 1st Round: w/e 13th August. 2nd Round: w/e 27th Aug. Quarter: w/e 10th September. 3 rounds of the cup within a month and the league cup final a week later. Ridiculous bit of planning just to please junior/intermediate clubs in winter seasons.

Still two sets of midweek fixtures.

Summer break still lasts two weeks from 3rd-15th June.

[holidaysong]

A round of fixtures on St. Patrick's day March 17th. I assume most clubs will move these?

I can't remember ever being at a game on St. Patrick's day before, there ever been games on this day?

[harps1954]

Summer break still lasts two weeks from 3rd-15th June.

It's just the one weekend without games though (10th June). Games on 2nd June and 16th June, so in theory it's just a one week break. Last year it was two full weekends without a game.

[Lim till i die]

Hoping for limerick away..

Close Enough. :D

I'm liking our first three fixtures nine points at the end of those will send a message out

[pineapple stu]

Three down, one up confirmed too.

[ForzaHoop]

That is DAFT ! ! !

[Mr A]

So it seems the PCA are calling the shots now..


Following a proposal from the Premier Clubs Alliance (PCA), the Board of the Football Association of Ireland has ratified the SSE Airtricity League switching to a 10-team, two division structure from the 2018 season.

So who voted and which way? If the vote was 5-5, did both Limerick and Drogheda later vote for the ten team premier to carry the vote? And how can it possibly be fair to exclude D1 clubs from voting on a new structure?

And with the new season not far away and most clubs with plans in place- the landscape is changed radically.

Regardless of people's views on what the structure should be, this whole thing absolutely stinks.

[Philosophizer]

Yea the fact that D1 clubs weren't involved in discussions is mad.

The Sun says that Prem div clubs were "broadly in favour" of the restructure.

I'd love to know how this will affect prize money. Previously the 11th and 12th placed teams in the prem received 17k each (http://leagueofireland.ie/index.php/2016/03/03/prize-money-breakdown-released-for-league-of-ireland-clubs/). Will that money now be moved to the 1st Div??

[centre mid]

Very odd to change the structure with a few weeks to go before season kicks off. Although in keeping with how the FAI have administered the league generally.

[blueblood]

So it seems the PCA are calling the shots now..



So who voted and which way? If the vote was 5-5, did both Limerick and Drogheda later vote for the ten team premier to carry the vote? And how can it possibly be fair to exclude D1 clubs from voting on a new structure?

And with the new season not far away and most clubs with plans in place- the landscape is changed radically.

Regardless of people's views on what the structure should be, this whole thing absolutely stinks.

Surely to god either Longford/Wexford or Limerick/Drogheda had a say in this too, I doubt 6 or 7 clubs want only 10 teams but you'd never know.

[Mr A]

What I heard was Limerick and Drogheda were to be consulted. So either both voted for, or one did and the other abstained. This all needs to be made clear. Quite why the PCA get to choose at all is beyond me.

[Jofspring]

What I heard was Limerick and Drogheda were to be consulted. So either both voted for, or one did and the other abstained. This all needs to be made clear. Quite why the PCA get to choose at all is beyond me.

We need confidential transparency.

[NeverFeltBetter]

This effects all 20 clubs. Obviously I hope Limerick had a say, but if you're in the LOI you shouldn't be waiting to hear what the Premier clubs are recommending, whether you're Cabinteely or Wexford.

A ten team league isn't going to destroy the league by any means, but it won't make it better by any means either. The First Division will obviously benefit, and I won't begrudge any club in that mess of a tier the opportunity to make a bit more money with more games and potentially higher profile opposition.

But none of this goes anywhere close to solving the fundamental problem that the FAI won't even acknowledge in their reports, namely that we have reached a point where the League of Ireland is an unattractive prospect to every viable club that exists outside of it, and nothing is going to be done to rectify this. With this alteration, the FAI are signaling that they don't think this is an avenue even worth considering anymore.

Looking at the last two weeks briefly: Galway/Limerick and Harps/Bohs. Could be two very important games for those clubs with three going down.

[Charlie Darwin]

So it seems the PCA are calling the shots now..
You know as well as the rest of us that the FAI call the shots. The statement is worded so the FAI can deflect the blame when the inevitable backlash comes.

[Martinho II]

Any word on the Athlone Town situation ? The silence has been very worrying.

seen somethin in one of the papers that Athlone Town are now up to date along with I think Waterford in what was owed last season. Doenst say though which Athlone Town will be though?

[placid casual]

Are dundalk gonna have that $hithole of a ground upgraded before we visit for the 1st game in the season, or are they too busy giving their money away to the likes of kilduff & rogers with new contracts?

[Mr A]

You know as well as the rest of us that the FAI call the shots. The statement is worded so the FAI can deflect the blame when the inevitable backlash comes.

Yeah, seems like maybe a classic divide and conquer move. The PCA need to come out and make their position and the details of the vote 100% clear or their credibility is gone. I always thought it was stupid and indeed a bit suspicious that an organisation was set up that represented only some clubs.

The majority of clubs do not want this change and they need to speak with one voice to oppose it.

[Yossarian]

Are dundalk gonna have that $hithole of a ground upgraded before we visit for the 1st game in the season, or are they too busy giving their money away to the likes of kilduff & rogers with new contracts?

We're gonna keep it $hite especially for you.

[osarusan]

Truly pathetic that teams were getting budgets and squads together not knowing until now if 10th is a safe place or a relegation problem.

F**king laughable.

[gormacha]

Truly pathetic that teams are getting budgets and squads together not knowing if 10th is a safe place or a relegation problem.


I thought that was a done deal? Bottom three relegated?

I was going to post a long diatribe on this, but can't summon the energy. I'm burnt out from the years of this kind of tinkering and find it hard to get angry any more.

But, what i would say, briefly, is that:

* The incompetence of the FAI still amazes, even after all these years.

* Three down out of twelve is ridiculous. A quarter of the division? I don't see why the transition, were it to be done at all, couldn't be done over two seasons.

* One up will make a bleak division even bleaker.

* The PCA is a divisive organisation.

Wow. I bored myself even more than I was already. Didn't think that was possible. Junior football more and more attractive these days.

[osarusan]

I thought that was a done deal? Bottom three relegated?


Yeah that wasn't clear, but I mean it was unknown until a couple of days ago.

[sbgawa]

To be fair it wasn't unknown to the club's they voted for it and they hardly thought the fai were going to go against them.

[nigel-harps1954]

To be fair it wasn't unknown to some of the club's they voted for it and they hardly thought the fai were going to go against them.

Fixed.

[gormacha]

Yeah that wasn't clear, but I mean it was unknown until a couple of days ago.

Ah yes, I see what you meant. My bad.

Waterford with new investors, and still the FAI managed to suck the joy out of football for me. Again.

[sbgawa]

Fixed.

I'm not in favour of it but come on the dogs in the street have known about this for weeks.

[Mr A]

It seems to have been in doubt right up until today. A lot of clubs very annoyed indeed about this.

[Lim till i die]

It doesn't matter whether some of the clubs are annoyed or not. They won't do a single solitary thing about it.

And what's more if there had been an open vote where jd had made his preference known beforehand it would probably have passed unanimously.

The notion that all clubs in the league should have an equal say in the running of the league is laughable aswell

[oriel]

Are dundalk gonna have that $hithole of a ground upgraded before we visit for the 1st game in the season

New pitch should be in by then, but very unlikely any other ground redevelopments will that early. The curry chips are still decent, they'll warm you up.

[sbgawa]

New pitch should be in by then, but very unlikely any other ground redevelopments will that early. The curry chips are still decent, they'll warm you up.

Not as good as the ones in Cork according to a VERY expensive review of the curry chips around the league prepared by a world renowned brand expert

[Ezeikial]

New pitch should be in by then, but very unlikely any other ground redevelopments will that early. The curry chips are still decent, they'll warm you up.


Miserable folk don't tend to be warmed up too easily. It will be fun to watch the Hoops pre-season bubble of optimism get deflated

[ger121]

We're gonna keep it $hite especially for you.

By you, I presume you mean you, the away supporter who pays good money to stand/sit in one of the worst away sections in the League.

[placid casual]

Miserable folk don't tend to be warmed up too easily. It will be fun to watch the Hoops pre-season bubble of optimism get deflated
On the flip side if that will be fun to see the emotional hari kiri amongst dalk fans if Rovers actually win- both wrong BTW, as any sound mind knows one game doesn't make a season..

[ToberonaTornado]

By you, I presume you mean you, the away supporter who pays good money to stand/sit in one of the worst away sections in the League.

Give us a minute after a very busy season to draw up plans and seek planning permission.Some posts here remindi me that maybe the brown that is the banter sites on FB are better than this joint.****ing Dalyer bought and sold ten times and you give us ****!!

[sbgawa]

Fair point.
Will be great to see the plans when they come.
Nice cosy covered seated area for the away fans with access to the half time food. And if you can persuade the council to give you a bar licence (pretend you might be hosting a rugly match or two) even better

[ger121]

Give us a minute after a very busy season to draw up plans and seek planning permission.Some posts here remindi me that maybe the brown that is the banter sites on FB are better than this joint.****ing Dalyer bought and sold ten times and you give us ****!!

I am giving you, as in Dundalk FC **** for your appalling away section, which even pre dispute with Matthews you did nothing with. If and when it improves you get kudos. Until then, reminders that it is substandard.

[oriel]

You might be waiting for a bit in terms of structural improvements lads, the new pitch is the absolute priority.

Going for 4-in-a-row will be next, then ground redevelopments will probably kick in gradually over the next year or so, plenty of time to get that sorted, and there is a long list of items to look at. We'll keep you updated Ger.

[outspoken]

You might be waiting for a bit in terms of structural improvements lads, the new pitch is the absolute priority.

Going for 4-in-a-row will be next, then ground redevelopments will probably kick in gradually over the next year or so, plenty of time to get that sorted, and there is a long list of items to look at. We'll keep you updated Ger.

Only way Oriel can be improved properly is the main stand is built the length of the pitch that side of the ground, redevelop the shed the far side and put a small shed behind the far goals for away supporters.