All-Ireland League Thread

[Straightstory]

Political unification is starting to look like a question of when, not if. So it just remains to be seen if football is ahead or behind that eventuality. But it will happen at some stage for both football and politics.
Really? Tell that to the Loyalist rioters who've been causing mayhem recently. A united Ireland and British withdrawal will mark a return to war back in the North. (On what scale it's difficult to know - but enough to make and all Ireland league an impossibility). Constantly amazed about how people underestimate Loyalists' hostility to a united Ireland.

[pineapple stu]

Maybe they just see it as a way for smaller and medium level leagues to get more competitive, and generate more revenue.

Rumors were around the place that UEFA was set to announce support for merging of leagues on Monday, 19th. But obviously, other stuff took precedent.


If they're looking to run a continental league with more than 100 clubs then it's in uefa's interest that there some semblance of competitiveness, and an element of unpredictability. Merging leagues, and raising standards, would be one way of doing that. Who knows, long term this could become a pyramid structure to the continental league.

And an all Island league here would be an 'easy win' for them, for what in the grand scheme of things is crumbs from the table
This all sounds lovely, but I don't think it's at all likely. UEFA have never shown any inclination to get actively involved with national leagues - rightly so, I think. Why would they start meddling with 55 national associations? It can only get messy.

I think the LoI and IL are so far down the radar that they'd be altogether the wrong leagues to be backing if you want to see how the idea would pan out. Are UEFA "underwriting" the proposed BeNe league for example?

I'd say it's more likely that the "underwriting" comment is some sort of fudge of reality - the £10m is funds already provided to national associations by UEFA for example, and over x years it's going to be used to invest in this project. Something truth-twisting like that. But while I think it's a more likely explanation than UEFA getting actively involved, I still don't think it's likely. (Those funds would go to the national FAs - are they investing in this?)

[CraftyToePoke]

Really? Tell that to the Loyalist rioters who've been causing mayhem recently. A united Ireland and British withdrawal will mark a return to war back in the North. (On what scale it's difficult to know - but enough to make and all Ireland league an impossibility). Constantly amazed about how people underestimate Loyalists' hostility to a united Ireland.

No no no, you're all wrong about this, it would not.

They'd start blowing chunks of our bit to bits as a separatist movement. Entirely different thing :)

[Straightstory]

Presumably you mean 'our bit' being the South. You're right.

[Kiki Balboa]

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-celtic-premier-league-villa-20440388?fbclid=IwAR3Wc4HoyRjuOFGAVMCHNiocCf-j38o7F7LudUr4h7gkR_HG6te40ZOoo5Y

Not directly related to All-Ireland league... But I read it as an indicator of a push by UEFA to integrate leagues.

[EatYerGreens]

Really? Tell that to the Loyalist rioters who've been causing mayhem recently. A united Ireland and British withdrawal will mark a return to war back in the North. (On what scale it's difficult to know - but enough to make and all Ireland league an impossibility). Constantly amazed about how people underestimate Loyalists' hostility to a united Ireland.

Constantly amazed by how people think a few thousand knuckle-draggers are going to stop the tide of history and the inevitable march of demographic and political change.

Mayhem? A few dozen kids kicking off in an isolated handful of places for a few nights. Hardly the return of 1972.

Every time loyalists protest and riot about something it involves less people, lasts shorter, and has less impact than the time before. That is demonstrably true. There is an inevitability around change in the north now post-Brexit, and recent polls show that the majority of people north and south think that too.

[EatYerGreens]

No no no, you're all wrong about this, it would not.

They'd start blowing chunks of our bit to bits as a separatist movement. Entirely different thing :)

There will be no separatist movement. That ship sailed in the 1970s. Where would be their capital: Larne ?

[sbgawa]

Ive always thought the best solution to the North was to do a "hong Kong" on it.
The Brits announce they are leaving in 2121 and we get on with it.
Everyone has time to get used to it and the eejits on both sides now will be long gone.

Not sure who are the bigger gob****es up there Sinn Fein and their knuckle draggers or the DUP and theirs.

[Dalymountrower]

Ive always thought the best solution to the North was to do a "hong Kong" on it.
The Brits announce they are leaving in 2121 and we get on with it.
Everyone has time to get used to it and the eejits on both sides now will be long gone.

Not sure who are the bigger gob****es up there Sinn Fein and their knuckle draggers or the DUP and theirs.

Gob****ery isn't exclusive to the north!
Increasingly marginalised loyalists are going to be a problem irrespective of the ultimate constitutional settlement.
The impact of the DUP screwing up Brexit and Theresa May's all UK deal has dealt them a fatal blow among middle class protestants/ small u unionists.A deal will ultimately be done with clear constitutional ties to a new Ireland and a continued semi detached arrangement with UK, the DUP will be a right wing rump by the time that happens.Sinn Fein are smart enough to re invent and to occupy the left leaning space in both parts of the Island The other side of the.political equation will be FG and old style official unionism/ forelock tugging , pretty much the profile of their Redmondite origins.
As for football unity , more teams , a bit of north/ south spicey rivalry.Can't wait.

[EalingGreen]

Constantly amazed by how people think a few thousand knuckle-draggers are going to stop the tide of history and the inevitable march of demographic and political change.

Mayhem? A few dozen kids kicking off in an isolated handful of places for a few nights. Hardly the return of 1972.

Every time loyalists protest and riot about something it involves less people, lasts shorter, and has less impact than the time before. That is demonstrably true. There is an inevitability around change in the north now post-Brexit, and recent polls show that the majority of people north and south think that too.


Gob****ery isn't exclusive to the north!
Increasingly marginalised loyalists are going to be a problem irrespective of the ultimate constitutional settlement.
The impact of the DUP screwing up Brexit and Theresa May's all UK deal has dealt them a fatal blow among middle class protestants/ small u unionists.A deal will ultimately be done with clear constitutional ties to a new Ireland and a continued semi detached arrangement with UK, the DUP will be a right wing rump by the time that happens.Sinn Fein are smart enough to re invent and to occupy the left leaning space in both parts of the Island The other side of the.political equation will be FG and old style official unionism/ forelock tugging , pretty much the profile of their Redmondite origins.
As for football unity , more teams , a bit of north/ south spicey rivalry.Can't wait.
There doesn't have to be a United Ireland for there to be an All-Ireland League.

But the more people drag this sort of s h i t e up in the context of an AIL, the further we move away from it, rather than closer.

P.S. The biggest proponents of an AIL in NI are Linfield - think on that.

[Charlie Darwin]

Yeah I would have thought a UI and the all-Ireland league are mutually exclusive. Although, to be fair, Nutsy is probably part of why Linfield are so keen on it. And Cliftonville, unless I'm mistaken, were the most reluctant despite being nominally the nationalist club.

[Kiki Balboa]

The football culture is the same both sides of the border really. Both niche, strong community and locally focussed leagues. There is a lot of great football people North and South.


Talk of a United Ireland is just a wedge that would divide the football fans on the island.

[ToberonaTornado]

The football culture is the same both sides of the border really. Both niche, strong community and locally focussed leagues. There is a lot of great football people North and South.


Talk of a United Ireland is just a wedge that would divide the football fans on the island.

"Niche" in a way that the game in the North is mostly supported by the Unionist Community? Don't kid yourself into believing it's any other way.

[Dalymountrower]

The football culture is the same both sides of the border really. Both niche, strong community and locally focussed leagues. There is a lot of great football people North and South.


Talk of a United Ireland is just a wedge that would divide the football fans on the island.

Ffs "talk: of a united Ireland isn't a "wedge", it is a legitimate aspiration backed by internationally recognised treaty. Do you really believe that not talking about a united ireland makes it any less real an issue.? Is talking about a British identity any less of wedge?
Of course not, both valid,both legitimate both meriting parity of esteem The unionists I know and socialise with through family connection in the north have more respect for you if you are honest about your views

As stated by TT above, association football at senior level in the north is disproportionately the interest of a niche of the unionist community, even in places like Newry and Dungannon.There are few other areas of finding common interest with that community other than through football ( maybe motorsport being the other one).
So at a human level a cross border league/ competition would add to a bit of better mutual understanding, irrespective of the inevitable constitutional settlement.

[sadloserkid]

Trying to dismiss the significance of politics, identity and all that goes with it to both sides of the community up there so that our pretty terrible football league might become a bit less terrible is actually quite low.

[Mr_Parker]

Yeah I would have thought a UI and the all-Ireland league are mutually exclusive. Although, to be fair, Nutsy is probably part of why Linfield are so keen on it. And Cliftonville, unless I'm mistaken, were the most reluctant despite being nominally the nationalist club.

You are mistaken. Cliftonville have never offered a position regarding an AIL, nor is the club a nationalist one.

[Charlie Darwin]

You are mistaken. Cliftonville have never offered a position regarding an AIL, nor is the club a nationalist one.
I said nominally for a reason.

And Gerard Lawlor has offered a position that the AIL is unrealistic, which seems fairly official.

[EatYerGreens]

You are mistaken. Cliftonville have never offered a position regarding an AIL, nor is the club a nationalist one.

You're breakdancing on the head of a pin there Mr P. Your fans booed and jeered their way through God Save the Queen the last time you played a Cup Final. And your players bowed their heads in protest too. We can argue the toss over whether the club is nationalist or not. But that event shows that is isn't either unionist or non-aligned either. Cliftonvile's support comes from a staunchly nationalist background. The tricolour can be seen on display by your fans at most games. And when I went I made it up to one of your recent European games, the fans sang a song a number of times which had a line about the IRA in it.

You're not a nationalist club in the same way that Linfield isn't a unionist one.

[Kiki Balboa]

Ffs "talk: of a united Ireland isn't a "wedge", it is a legitimate aspiration backed by internationally recognised treaty. Do you really believe that not talking about a united ireland makes it any less real an issue.? Is talking about a British identity any less of wedge?
Of course not, both valid,both legitimate both meriting parity of esteem The unionists I know and socialise with through family connection in the north have more respect for you if you are honest about your views

As stated by TT above, association football at senior level in the north is disproportionately the interest of a niche of the unionist community, even in places like Newry and Dungannon.There are few other areas of finding common interest with that community other than through football ( maybe motorsport being the other one).
So at a human level a cross border league/ competition would add to a bit of better mutual understanding, irrespective of the inevitable constitutional settlement.

Its 100 percent a wedge issue in the context of an All-Ireland football league. If you want an All-Ireland league, talk of an United Ireland will just make most of the football fanbase up North go against it.

[EatYerGreens]

There doesn't have to be a United Ireland for there to be an All-Ireland League.

But the more people drag this sort of s h i t e up in the context of an AIL, the further we move away from it, rather than closer.

P.S. The biggest proponents of an AIL in NI are Linfield - think on that.

Of course there doesn't need to be a UI to have an AIL. But Kiki Balboa said in Post 749 that UEFA was possibly the only route that would ever deliver a unified league on the island. I merely pointed out that political unification would do that too, and is looking increasingly likely at the moment. Which are statements of the obvious really. There's no way the island would be unified politically and still decide to run 2 separate leagues.

As you would know better than any of us EG, politics seeps into everything in the north. It would be extremely naïve to think that people up there haven't already considered what the perceived political implications of an AIL could be from their point of view. So this is no doubt all already priced in to people's views about an AIL in the north. And even if it wasn't - it would be fanciful to think that foot.ie was so influential that a few gobsh'ites like us discussing the obvious connection between political and footballing unification would see the whole AIL project scuppered.

[EalingGreen]

The football culture is the same both sides of the border really. Both niche, strong community and locally focussed leagues. There is a lot of great football people North and South.


Talk of a United Ireland is just a wedge that would divide the football fans on the island.
Spot on!

[EalingGreen]

"Niche" in a way that the game in the North is mostly supported by the Unionist Community? Don't kid yourself into believing it's any other way.
Rugby in NI is almost exclusively the preserve of the Unionist community.

Doesn't stop them trooping off to the AVIVA, Soldiers Song, Tricolour and all.

Just because you may be unable to separate Sport and Politics, it doesn't mean everyone else is stuck with the same mindset. (Or do I mean "set mind"?)

[EalingGreen]

Yeah I would have thought a UI and the all-Ireland league are mutually exclusive. Although, to be fair, Nutsy is probably part of why Linfield are so keen on it.
Fenlon is very popular at Linfield, no doubt, but he wouldn't have a great deal of influence over something like that, certainly not the final word.

As a Members-owned club, Linfield are very sensitive to the feelings of their fans, meaning the Board would not be pushing for an AIL were it unpopular with them.

[EalingGreen]

Ffs "talk: of a united Ireland isn't a "wedge", it is a legitimate aspiration backed by internationally recognised treaty. Do you really believe that not talking about a united ireland makes it any less real an issue.? Is talking about a British identity any less of wedge?
Of course not, both valid,both legitimate both meriting parity of esteem The unionists I know and socialise with through family connection in the north have more respect for you if you are honest about your views

The more you bring (your) politics into football, the more you antagonise people who may hold a different view.



As stated by TT above, association football at senior level in the north is disproportionately the interest of a niche of the unionist community, even in places like Newry and Dungannon.There are few other areas of finding common interest with that community other than through football ( maybe motorsport being the other one).
So at a human level a cross border league/ competition would add to a bit of better mutual understanding, irrespective of the inevitable constitutional settlement.
A common interest in football is not the same as a common interest in politics. In fact, the two are usually mutually antagonistic.

[EatYerGreens]

Fenlon is very popular at Linfield, no doubt, but he wouldn't have a great deal of influence over something like that, certainly not the final word.

As a Members-owned club, Linfield are very sensitive to the feelings of their fans, meaning the Board would not be pushing for an AIL were it unpopular with them.

Have Linfield done anything to garner the view of their fans on it though ? It's not unusual for boardrooms and fanbases to not be on the same page.

[EalingGreen]

As you would know better than any of us EG, politics seeps into everything in the north. It would be extremely naïve to think that people up there haven't already considered what the perceived political implications of an AIL could be from their point of view. So this is no doubt all already priced in to people's views about an AIL in the north.
People in NI have the ability to "park" their politics when it is advisable/necessary to do so, most notably eg in a mixed workplace.

It also includes considering the merits/demerits of an AIL.



And even if it wasn't - it would be fanciful to think that foot.ie was so influential that a few gobsh'ites like us discussing the obvious connection between political and footballing unification would see the whole AIL project scuppered.
What makes you think other posters on this site are interested in your politics?

Why are you so determined to bring them up on this thread?

[EalingGreen]

Have Linfield done anything to garner the view of their fans on it though ? It's not unusual for boardrooms and fanbases to not be on the same page.
Jeez, I feel unclean speaking up for that lot(!), but I am quite sure that the Board wouildn't proceed with somewthing so potentially (stress) sensitive if they thought it would be unpopular.

Remember, they have plenty of previous experience on this front with the Unite the Union Champions Cup and the Setanta, and before that the Tyler Cup and Blaxnit Cup, the last two of which were staged when things were far more tense politically than now.

Remember, they don't just consider themselves the biggest club in NI, but the biggest club in Ireland, full-stop.

More importantly, if there's money to be had from it...

[Dalymountrower]

The more you bring (your) politics into football, the more you antagonise people who may hold a different view.

I made clearly separate points about politics ( the unstoppable momentum towards a new constitutional settlement), and football ( the desirability of a cross border competition which would be good for football and have the added value of hopefully improving relationships between niche groups who normally don`t meet together ). Both those points may or not meet in a venn diagram.


A common interest in football is not the same as a common interest in politics. In fact, the two are usually mutually antagonistic.

Of course not, an AIL or cross border competition should be about as politically charged as football clubs with a big PUL supporting brexit loving support base striving for european qualification: prize money for the club, good away trips for the fans.

A common interest in being good neighbours with a common interest in football and respecting and recognising the validity of the others identity ( political and/or cultural) is a by product of sporting links, and if a a cross border competition results in getting some southerners to actually visit the north for something other than shopping and the Titanic, all the better.

[Straightstory]

Constantly amazed by how people think a few thousand knuckle-draggers are going to stop the tide of history and the inevitable march of demographic and political change.

Mayhem? A few dozen kids kicking off in an isolated handful of places for a few nights. Hardly the return of 1972.

Every time loyalists protest and riot about something it involves less people, lasts shorter, and has less impact than the time before. That is demonstrably true. There is an inevitability around change in the north now post-Brexit, and recent polls show that the majority of people north and south think that too.

Yeah? They had little concern to riot about recently, but they still caused trouble - and yes, there weren't many of them. The announcement of a British withdrawal would mean trouble on an infinitely greater scale. I think if the majority in the north vote for a United Ireland, then a United Ireland there should be. However, many Unionists won't go quietly into a United Ireland. (After all, Republicans/Sinn Fein/The IRA never accepted the legitimacy of the Unionist Majority). There will be a bloody conflict and anyone who thinks otherwise is naive in the extreme.

[EatYerGreens]

What makes you think other posters on this site are interested in your politics?

Why are you so determined to bring them up on this thread?

It's not about my politics to state that :

1) UEFA isn't the only way that a single league on the island would be possible.

2) That political unification would obviously also lead to football joining together.

3) That polls suggest that the majority of people north and south think that political unification will happen within the next generation (and thereby football unification too).

The above are statements of facts, not politics. If you're not happy with them, you're barking at the moon. Have a go at your fellow kinsfolk in the north for daring to have a view you disagree with.

[EatYerGreens]

Yeah? They had little concern to riot about recently, but they still caused trouble - and yes, there weren't many of them. The announcement of a British withdrawal would mean trouble on an infinitely greater scale. I think if the majority in the north vote for a United Ireland, then a United Ireland there should be. However, many Unionists won't go quietly into a United Ireland. (After all, Republicans/Sinn Fein/The IRA never accepted the legitimacy of the Unionist Majority). There will be a bloody conflict and anyone who thinks otherwise is naive in the extreme.

You obviously haven't been listening to unionists and loyalists in the north if you think they think they had little to riot about recently. They believe that the UK has bene broken, and they're now in an economic united Ireland.

The days of ANY side using violence in the north to promote or stop things should be long over. I'd agree that some form of violence would be inevitable, but I think it would be containable and not last beyond the short-term to any great extent. What would loyalists be fighting for once London left ? It's also important to note that both NI and the south were born in violence 100 years ago, and that didn't stop either happening.

[placid casual]

Without wishing to stray balls deep into a politica discussion on the subject, but I've always felt that Britain views NI the sane way it views the malvinas(falklands) or gibraltar.
On the flip side I can't say for sure that people/politicians in the South of Ireland are really that interested in acquiring/unifying the North.
My own uneducated guess would be for Northern Ireland to just become independent of all outside interference just like one of the former Yugoslavia nations.

[sbgawa]

Without wishing to stray balls deep into a politica discussion on the subject, but I've always felt that Britain views NI the sane way it views the malvinas(falklands) or gibraltar.
On the flip side I can't say for sure that people/politicians in the South of Ireland are really that interested in acquiring/unifying the North.
My own uneducated guess would be for Northern Ireland to just become independent of all outside interference just like one of the former Yugoslavia nations.

They tried that independence lark for 50 years and the Unionists gerrymandered the election process to keep large numbers of Catholics homeless and unemployed not to mention denying many of them a vote at all.
Not sure the Nationalists would see independence as a solution

[EalingGreen]

It's not about my politics to state that :

1) UEFA isn't the only way that a single league on the island would be possible.

2) That political unification would obviously also lead to football joining together.

3) That polls suggest that the majority of people north and south think that political unification will happen within the next generation (and thereby football unification too).

The above are statements of facts, not politics. If you're not happy with them, you're barking at the moon. Have a go at your fellow kinsfolk in the north for daring to have a view you disagree with.
It appears that UEFA may be willing to drop their previous opposition to cross-border leagues, which opens up the clear possibility of an AIL on this island, and very soon at that.

I had thought that this was what we were discussing.

The fact that you believe that there may also at some stage in the future be a major change in the political settlement in Ireland is all very well, but the consequences of any such change would extend into much more important aspects of all our lives than mere football.

So why don't you take this extraneous stuff to the Football Section of a Political site, rather than polluting a Football site with politics?

[EatYerGreens]

It appears that UEFA may be willing to drop their previous opposition to cross-border leagues, which opens up the clear possibility of an AIL on this island, and very soon at that.

I had thought that this was what we were discussing.

The fact that you believe that there may also at some stage in the future be a major change in the political settlement in Ireland is all very well, but the consequences of any such change would extend into much more important aspects of all our lives than mere football.

So why don't you take this extraneous stuff to the Football Section of a Political site, rather than polluting a Football site with politics?

I repeat again, this is the point where this whole sub-discussion arose from :


If it goes ahead (i.e. UEFA supporting cross-border leagues), it really would be the best (and possibly only) opportunity to implement a full integrated league system within Ireland.

UEFA clearly ISN'T the only route to getting a single integrated league system on the island. Politics would also be another route for that - as I've outlined a number of times now. So it therefore isn't extraneous to raise it - particularly in the context of the above point which originated the discussion.

I appreciate that you personally don't want this point clarified or discussed, but that's not your call. And it appears that a number of others do want it discussed. So if you don't like it, don't read it.

[Kiki Balboa]

https://twitter.com/SeanKellyMEP/status/1438915237307207681?s=19&fbclid=IwAR1xNSNf0k30000VHZZbc21xHnreLJYpR6yfEcOY2 rn-seTcL8nUbEE00Pg

Irish MEP supports an All-Ireland league.

[EatYerGreens]

The lastest 'Ulster Says No' missive from the IFA:

All-Ireland league proposals would be rejected by Irish Football Association - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk (https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/all-ireland-league-proposals-would-be-rejected-by-irish-football-association-41026529.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=BT:DailyNews&hConversionEventId=AQEAAZQF2gAmdjQwMDAwMDE3Yy1mOWZ iLWNkMTAtODZiOS0zOWMyNjg4Yjg5ZmTaACRjYjlkZTRiMi0xM jRlLTQzMzYtMDAwMC0wMjFlZjNhMGJjYznaACRjMjBhNzY4NS0 yNTljLTQyNDMtOGEwZi02MzQwOTJiNzU3ZGQhcwL8chICv4aId x6vEYCIJxVCLTq6z9DeZweuK0XAcg)

[Poor Student]

The lastest 'Ulster Says No' missive from the IFA:

All-Ireland league proposals would be rejected by Irish Football Association - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk (https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/all-ireland-league-proposals-would-be-rejected-by-irish-football-association-41026529.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=BT:DailyNews&hConversionEventId=AQEAAZQF2gAmdjQwMDAwMDE3Yy1mOWZ iLWNkMTAtODZiOS0zOWMyNjg4Yjg5ZmTaACRjYjlkZTRiMi0xM jRlLTQzMzYtMDAwMC0wMjFlZjNhMGJjYznaACRjMjBhNzY4NS0 yNTljLTQyNDMtOGEwZi02MzQwOTJiNzU3ZGQhcwL8chICv4aId x6vEYCIJxVCLTq6z9DeZweuK0XAcg)

The new IFA President apparently thinks referring to Northern Ireland as small is "slightly pejorative". He'd better get onto the Our Wee Country crowd.

[Kiki Balboa]

The lastest 'Ulster Says No' missive from the IFA:

All-Ireland league proposals would be rejected by Irish Football Association - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk (https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/all-ireland-league-proposals-would-be-rejected-by-irish-football-association-41026529.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=BT:DailyNews&hConversionEventId=AQEAAZQF2gAmdjQwMDAwMDE3Yy1mOWZ iLWNkMTAtODZiOS0zOWMyNjg4Yjg5ZmTaACRjYjlkZTRiMi0xM jRlLTQzMzYtMDAwMC0wMjFlZjNhMGJjYznaACRjMjBhNzY4NS0 yNTljLTQyNDMtOGEwZi02MzQwOTJiNzU3ZGQhcwL8chICv4aId x6vEYCIJxVCLTq6z9DeZweuK0XAcg)

I find it amusing/ frustrating that the people he name checks in the article all come from a strong League of Ireland background and none from the Irish league, (Kenny Shields, Baraclough and Michael O'Neill).

[D24Saint]

I have to admit my enthusiasm for an all Ireland league have waned considerably over the years. I think the security would be headache for clubs for a start. I just not sure the hassle and logistics would bear fruit for out club’s financially. I think initially there would be big interest in an all Ireland league but I reckon that would wane after a year or two.

[Straightstory]

Regarding Irish League opposition, maybe LOI clubs could join (or in the case of Shels and Bohemian FC, re-join) the Irish League?

[sbgawa]

I have to admit my enthusiasm for an all Ireland league have waned considerably over the years. I think the security would be headache for clubs for a start. I just not sure the hassle and logistics would bear fruit for out club’s financially. I think initially there would be big interest in an all Ireland league but I reckon that would wane after a year or two.

I'm probably of the same vein but the money if it became one of these "hands across the border" type government deals could be immeasurably more than we are getting now which might make us think twice.
On the other hand given it will probably just mean 5k a week for Pat Hoooban/ A.N .Others at Pats/DFC/Bohs/Rovers maybe the clubs wont benefit that much.......
I'm getting old..er and more cynical

[Nesta99]

Simple solution, money is only given out initially for stadia until all grounds are up to similar levels!

[sbgawa]

Simple solution, money is only given out initially for stadia until all grounds are up to similar levels!


Jaysus 10 Tallaght stadium built, you might as well put me in the condolences thread now :) i'm definitely not expecting to live to see that :)

[Nesta99]

Im being fair and balanced, no self interest at all, Nor would I want fans of any other club feeling that it would be unfair!!

[EalingGreen]

I find it amusing/ frustrating that the people he name checks in the article all come from a strong League of Ireland background and none from the Irish league, (Kenny Shields, Baraclough and Michael O'Neill).
Er, Magherafelt man Shiels played for half a dozen IL clubs before becoming a manager.

He then spent 15 years managing Tobernore, Carrick, Coleraine, Moyola Pk, Ballymena and Larne, before moving to GB for 8 years (Tranmere, Kilmarnock and Morton), plus a brief spell in Thailand(!) before his three year spell at Derry City. And he's been working for the IFA since then.

Michael O'Neill played his youth football in NI before joining Coleraine, from where he went to GB for 15 years, before finishing playing with Glentoran. He also gained 31 NI caps.

As a manager, he cut his teeth with Cowdenbeath and Brechin before his 3 yeear spell at Shams, prior to 8 years managing NI (now 2 years at Stoke).

While Baraclough spent 20 years as a player in his native England. As for his 11 years in management, just 2 1/2 years of those were with Sligo, the rest having been in England, Scotland and NI.

To imply that any of those was made in the LOI ("strong background") is grossly overstating it.

But there's no need to thank us for our boys' contribution to your league - we like to think of it as "missionary work"! ;)

[EalingGreen]

I have to admit my enthusiasm for an all Ireland league have waned considerably over the years. I think the security would be headache for clubs for a start. I just not sure the hassle and logistics would bear fruit for out club’s financially. I think initially there would be big interest in an all Ireland league but I reckon that would wane after a year or two.
It's funny, but my enthisiasm has probably increased, not waned.

Originally I was opposed, due to 3 matters of principle:
1. An AIL should not in any way corrode the separate existence and identity of the IFA/NI team etc;
2. NI's separate European entries would need to be guaranteed;
3. Those clubs joining an AIL should not be cut-off from the clubs left behind i.e. there would have to be a credible pyramid system beneath the AIL to provide genuine P&R.

But recent developments have suggested that the first two will be respected, and for the third, the IL is now reasonably well positioned in this respect, while the "new" FAI might just get its act together now that Delaney is no longer responsible for the "problem child", to introduce a proper pyramid of its own.

That being the case, I can see why, with the increasing "internationalisation" of club football, especially the increasing domination of the EPL and Champions League etc, that with a total population of 7 million, Ireland will find it increasingly impossible to maintain two separate pro- or semi-pro leagues totalling 22 clubs.

However if properly organised, it might just maintain a top tier of, say a dozen competitive, f-t clubs, with P&R from two pyramids beneath, IL and LOI.

Mind you, the key is the "properly organised" bit and there remains a hell of a lot of work to be done before that will come about.

"Project 2030"?

[sadloserkid]

I can't see any way an All-Ireland league keeps all the European places. It just seems like a complete non-runner.

[EalingGreen]

I can't see any way an All-Ireland league keeps all the European places. It just seems like a complete non-runner.
When Lucid (I iknow, I know) was talking about this a while back, there were clear indications from UEFA that the separate Euro entries would be preserved - the new multi-team European Conference League helps greatly in this respect.

And the IL teams are still seemingly supportive of an AIL. You can be certain they wouldn't if they thought they would have to compete with the likes of Shams, Bohs, Dundalk and Derry etc for four or five Irish European places.

[sadloserkid]

I wouldn't be upset if it came to pass, it just feels unlikely that eight of a twelve team top tier could play in Europe every year. Could be interesting though if it came to pass. Do you then get a Baltic League of 12 teams for example, all of whom qualify for Europe every year.

Lucid was a blocker to any chance of it coming to pass anyway, there was so little substance to his proposals it made the whole thing seem fantastical. Never was a man more woefully named.