Where might new clubs come from?

[sadloserkid]

But how likely is that when you've got university in your name and if you were playing at the campus ?

A bit easier in Maynooth than UCD have it you'd imagine/hope as they'd be the only show in town so to speak?

[pineapple stu]

It'd probably depend how much local interest they could tap up, and the merger with the local club can only help in that regard. How much will it help though? I can't imagine they'd be breaking any First Division records, for sure. but yeah, as slk says, I don't see it being directly comparable to the UCD situation.

If they could join the league with a bit of momentum behind them - winning the LSL and getting promotion - that would be another help towards getting some sort of local backing. But of course we don't do that...

[oldfan]

And the Maynooth town ground isn't even in the town. It's a bit outside the town, a 25-30 min walk from the main street.
Not as far as Longford or Wexford!

[sadloserkid]

Buckley Park was no lazy stroll from the centre of Kilkenny either.

[Kingdom]

And the Maynooth town ground isn't even in the town. It's a bit outside the town, a 25-30 min walk from the main street.

Is their ground the Maynooth schoolboys ground on the far side of the Motorway? if so, feck.

[Kingdom]

Good example alright. Magic-ing up a club isn't the solution.
I see Kildare are at U17 level. At least that is a reasonable way to build.
Is the League Cup to resume? At the very least, Kerry, Cavan-Monaghan, Carlow-Kilkenny and Kildare should have a representative side in that, as Kerry League have done in the past.

Kildare's representative side is quite decent at schoolboy level, and there is absolutely savage work done for a long time in Newbridge and Athy, while Naas have a really good setup. There are some top coaches at those clubs, with a couple of ex-LoI legends involved.
Newbridge is an ideal football town for a League of Ireland club. Station Road was a superb setup for it's time.

[Kingdom]

I remember Kildare County had a tidy little ground, was it in the middle of nowhere?
Maybe they were denied a license based on the way it would compromise Klub Kildare? (A truly terrible name)
If a LOI club needs 5 youth teams and a stadium, I can't see anyway Kildare or any county could build a team without clubs collaborating

Station Road was as perfect a location for a football ground as you could want. 10 min walk to the centre of town. Literally at the train station on the line to the capital and the majority of teams in Ireland (just about), and on the two loop roads around the town. perfect.

[Nesta99]

Station Road was as perfect a location for a football ground as you could want. 10 min walk to the centre of town. Literally at the train station on the line to the capital and the majority of teams in Ireland (just about), and on the two loop roads around the town. perfect.

Sounds just like Oriel Park, perfect;)

[Philosophizer]

Is their ground the Maynooth schoolboys ground on the far side of the Motorway? if so, feck.
Yep, that's the one.

[culloty82]

Interesting piece in this week's Kerryman - mentions that the Kerry District League recently took over the admin of the underage LoI teams from the Kerry Schoolboys' League, and its chairman Seán O'Keeffe states "our ultimate aim down the line is to have a senior team in the League of Ireland. While it may be a few years before we will be in a position to try and play League of Ireland football at senior level, it is attainable, and that will be our goal going into the future."

[GUFCghost]

https://westernpeople.ie/2021/03/12/is-mayo-ready-to-take-a-giant-leap-into-league-of-ireland/
A similar piece concerning Mayo

[Stav]

Maynooth is too close to Dublin and adding another Dublin team is not the answer.Maybe some clubs would follow the Cabinteely/Bray move. Longford and Athlone merge to have a real competitive club in the Longford Westmeath area. Kildare look towards Newbridge to try and avail of Naas support but also tie in with football in Laois.
Wexford and Kilkenny another option.
To get a competitive country team it will not survive just based on a local town and local support. The leagues are more difficult and expensive to play in and if Premier is the goal then funding and support are key.

[nigel-harps1954]

I'm not sure if that post is serious Stav, I really hope it isn't.

[EatYerGreens]

Maynooth is too close to Dublin and adding another Dublin team is not the answer.Maybe some clubs would follow the Cabinteely/Bray move. Longford and Athlone merge to have a real competitive club in the Longford Westmeath area. Kildare look towards Newbridge to try and avail of Naas support but also tie in with football in Laois.
Wexford and Kilkenny another option.
To get a competitive country team it will not survive just based on a local town and local support. The leagues are more difficult and expensive to play in and if Premier is the goal then funding and support are key.

I've always thought Bohs and Rovers should merge to form a Super Dub Superclub. The Shamrock Gypsies. Play in green, black and red out of the Aviva. Honestly - I'm stunned this hasn't happened already.

[pineapple stu]

I'll tell you what - if we all merged, we'd be guaranteed CL football every year.

[SeanDrog]

I'll tell you what - if we all merged, we'd be guaranteed CL football every year.

Nah we would probably break some rule and have ourselves relegated ;)

[Longfordian]

The FAI, or someone giving a presentation on their behalf, was floating the idea of mergers such as between Longford and Athlone at the time they were taking over the league. Predictably went down like a fart in a spacesuit then too.

[D24Saint]

The FAI, or someone giving a presentation on their behalf, was floating the idea of mergers such as between Longford and Athlone at the time they were taking over the league. Predictably went down like a fart in a spacesuit then too.

Anyone that knows anything about football would realise the futility of floating such ideas.

[GUFCghost]

Merging could be an option for junior clubs who don't yet have any significant fan bases, but it would be a very difficult sell for most established league of Ireland clubs.
Still, it's happened elsewhere in Europe

[Charlie Darwin]

Merging could be an option for junior clubs who don't yet have any significant fan bases, but it would be a very difficult sell for most established league of Ireland clubs.
Still, it's happened elsewhere in Europe
Well it's happened slightly closer to home too.

[sbgawa]

Cabo and Bray merger was made easier by the fact that Cabo have literally no fans other than friends and relatives of the players and the "merged" entity is playing as Bray Wanderers at under age as well as senior level.
There is a bit of discontent within Cabo as everyone thought the senior team would play as Bray and the underage LOI teams as Cabo but all LOI teams are playing as Bray so tbh its more like Bray took over Cabo LOI or the guys who owned the Cabo LOI franchise bought Bray and dropped the Cabo LOI franchise.

Either way it doesn't really matter as Cabo as a LOI team never made sense.

[Neish]

Cabo and Bray merger was made easier by the fact that Cabo have literally no fans other than friends and relatives of the players and the "merged" entity is playing as Bray Wanderers at under age as well as senior level.
There is a bit of discontent within Cabo as everyone thought the senior team would play as Bray and the underage LOI teams as Cabo but all LOI teams are playing as Bray so tbh its more like Bray took over Cabo LOI or the guys who owned the Cabo LOI franchise bought Bray and dropped the Cabo LOI franchise.

Either way it doesn't really matter as Cabo as a LOI team never made sense.

You mean The Democratic People's Republic of Bray took over cabo