Genesis eircom League Review on Monday

[A face]

Genesis eircom League Review on Monday


The eircom League is at a critical point in its history. The League is the highest profile sector of the game in Ireland but while it is affiliated to the FAI, the eircom League’s operations do not come under the management of the FAI.

The Strategic Management consultants, Genesis, were commissioned by the FAI and the eircom League to conduct a review of the eircom League and prepare a “white paper” in respect of its future strategic direction.


Read more at www.soccercentral.ie (http://www.soccercentral.ie/viewstory.asp?id=15455&mainheading=Eircom&viewstory=yes)

[thejollyrodger]

Will this be live on telly anywhere ???

[Poor Student]

Buy the Star on Sunday to read its main points. I forgot to take it home from work but offhand I can tell you the verdict is grim. The Eircom League needs desperate measures to survive apparently. What exactly does that mean? The LOI cannot actually collapse so why do they always go on about its survival? Two of the main points are that the number of clubs in the league needs to be reduced and a full pyramaid system introduced. Also the merger of the eL and FAI needs to happen ASAP. Some other obvious things like improvement of spectator facilities is a must and oh yeah, salary caps.

[thejollyrodger]

To be honest at this stage anything I read in a tabloid I will take with a big pinch of salt. Its all a load of rubbish most of the time. Hopefully some of the broadsheets or TV stations will cover the story properly.

The league is in difficultly due to high wages but im not sure if you could call it a crisis.

[A face]

The league is in difficultly due to high wages but im not sure if you could call it a crisis.

Well if clubs are in the red ... then it is a crisis !!!
I know that article goes over the top but clubs need to cut their cloth accordingly, if the numbers are right then there is no problem.

The good thing when looking at the league in this way is .... thereis loads of room for improvement, there is loads that can be done to make it better .... so if clubs look at doing that then this dooms-day thing that the papers go on about wont sell as many papers for them.

Agreed though .... i would like to see it reported on properly .... but dont we always.

[thejollyrodger]

what about Serie A, La Liga, English PL, etc ? all the clubs there are in debt.. its just the norm for soccer.

I agree about cutting the cloth. Major changes are required.

This report better be the real mc coy and not some bullsh1t job. I suspect the likes of the IRish Scum will selectively report on this

[A face]

Caps or Cracks


As the FAI prepare to make public the ‘White Paper’ on the Genesis III report which is focused on the eircom League, the thorny subject of salary caps once again raises its head. Will the instigation of a salary cap sort the financial problems within the eircom league or will it just wallpaper over the cracks?

Those of us who are involved in the league long enough will remember when the only cap talked about was the one you got if you were lucky enough to be selected for an inter-league game or if you were part of that exclusive club who were selected for the International team at one of its many levels.


Read more at www.pfai.ie (http://www.pfai.ie/index.php?mod=one&id=14399&PHPSESSID=e0e5e8b5aa858d60fcd345243db3c2b4)

[pete]

Have the fans been consulted at all? If fans don't go to games there would be no league.

:rolleyes:

[pineapple stu]

The NLSA submitted a document which contained points under several headings raised by our members, which apparently Genesis have taken on board when writing the report.

[Kerry Blue]

I read the article in the Star and it's totally sensationalist as usual. I think everyone knows that the league needs more money but I think that things are improving. Not sure how the salary cap idea would work. I can understand the need to try to keep clubs out of financial trouble but surely we mustn't allow clubs to be unable to attract decent players in the future and see them travel across the water. The idea of pyramid football is a joke. How many non-league clubs at the moment would have the proper structures and finances to secure league licences and sustain themselves in the league?

[thejollyrodger]

You have to take the pfai with a pinch of salt. They just want the best deal on offer for their players. That policy might just sink the whole league once and for all.

[Poor Student]

After the IRA decommissioning and the All Ireland a tabloid like the Star will be your best bet to get info on the report tomorrow.

[patsh]

Elite premier division is proposed
Emmet Malone Soccer Correspondent

National League: A return to a 10-team premier division in an expanded national league, radically changed management structures and ground-sharing deals by Dublin's four leading clubs are among the recommendations - to be made public today - made by Genesis for the revitalisation of the Eircom League.

The Scottish consultants yesterday delivered their preliminary recommendations to club representatives in Dublin, where officials were told an "elite" 10-team division should be established with two regionalised groups of 10 operating underneath it.

The move would mean an expansion of the league from 22 to 30 teams, although it is envisaged some of the new entrants could be representative sides such as the Mayo and Kerry district league teams that have been competing in the League Cup by invitation for several years.

It is anticipated the structure would result in a largely professional premier division and a mixture of semi-professional and amateur teams in the regional divisions.

This may cause resistance amongst clubs who would fear missing the initial cut and then struggling to catch up on those clubs who received more substantial funding as a result of being a part of the new leading group from the outset.

Promotion and relegation would probably be restricted so as to allow teams in the top flight to generate long-term investment but the precise mechanisms have not been worked out.

In addition to the three senior divisions, the current under-21 league and a new under-18 league would both be run on the basis of geographical groupings.

Clubs wishing to compete in the league would have to sign up to participation agreements which, it is envisaged, would be used to further raise standards and improve the image of the game. Minimum levels of investment in facilities, a wage "policy" likely to effectively amount to a cap on the percentage of turnover that could be paid to players and various other development issues would be covered in the agreement, which would require a good deal more than the present licensing system.

In return, clubs could benefit from improved central marketing and more effectively targeted investment of public and FAI funds. On this latter point, Genesis officials told those attending yesterday's meeting at the Green Isle Hotel that clubs serving large population centres would be likely to receive priority.

It was pointed out, however, there would be a reluctance to substantially fund the development of four stadiums for the main clubs and there would be considerable pressure on the clubs to come to ground-sharing deals, which would be likely, if the resistance of club officials and their supporters could be overcome, to yield just one stadium on each side of the river.

The report recommends, as the previous Genesis report did, the streamlining of management structures at the top, with the current 22-club management committee being replaced by a group of seven or eight, only half of whom would be elected club officials. The rest of the places on this group would go to full-time league or FAI officers, marketing executives and, it is envisaged, a representative of the league's sponsors.

Not surprisingly, there is strong support for the idea of a merger between the league and the association.

Further discussions on the document will take place today with representatives of the clubs, sponsoring companies and media, amongst others, and FAI officials say the feedback will be taken into account before a final list of proposals is drawn up.

Waterford United officials, meanwhile, have dismissed reports Pat Dolan is set to take over from Brendan Rea as manager of the struggling premier club. "There's absolutely no truth in it whatsoever," said director Martin Colbert yesterday.


© The Irish Times

[A face]

So whats the deal .... will there be even more tinkering now when other things that could improve the league go on hold ??

I can remember someone saying recently ... "Its like moving the deckchairs around on the titanic" .... well our ship is far from going down no matter what the papers would have you believe but i do think too much tinkering is not good for the league. There are more pressing issues to be dealt with.

[LFC in Exile]

The Irish Times report (if accurate) seems to have a lot of sense. There's very little wrong with the suggestions. And this is coming from a fan of club not in the 'elite'. The difficulty will be trying to attract new clubs - though the regional aspect will ease that somewhat. The mechanics will be hard - e.g. if a Cork team relegated from premier and Donegal team win the promotion decider will the regional structure have to be amended to make two 10 team divisions? Process though is not a reason to do nothing. Overall - I think these are good ideas and well worth discussing and seeing how workable they are.

[patsh]

I'd agree with the 10 team Premier, a wage cap and the regional first divisions.

The management committee sounds good, if the right people are brought on board.
I can see certain clubs objecting to a lot of the recommendations though, and don't think SPA, Big Pub, $h€l$ and Rovers will go along with the groundsharing idea.

[LFC in Exile]

I'd agree with the 10 team Premier, a wage cap and the regional first divisions.

The management committee sounds good, if the right people are brought on board.
I can see certain clubs objecting to a lot of the recommendations though, and don't think SPA, Big Pub, $h€l$ and Rovers will go along with the groundsharing idea.

Then they get no (or little) capital to develop their grounds. If they choose not to work in the leagues best interest I do not see why the league should work to their individual interests. :ball:

This type of attitude (if it emerges) is the reason the league is not as strong as it should be. And one of the most important recommendations is that club reps do not run the league, so what the league needs come first rather than clubs horse trading over their own interests.

[A face]

a wage cap

We will be making ourselves uncompetitive by doing this .... There are loads of young Irish lads sitting on a bench rotting in England ... we need to attract them before they are journey men and has beens ... or better still attract them before they go (I know that will upset Dolan, Devlin and Givens but hey ..)

A wage cap could be a bad move and could be totally ineffective .... it is meant to stop clubs paying over what they can afford ... Clubs can pay players in other ways and who is to say this wont happen.

Wage cap .... stupid idea !!

[Cosmo]

Agree wtih A face - wage caps are definitely not the way to go.

However a rule that clubs put aside a certain percentage of their yearly turnover into a ground development fund and set aside a separate percentage towards a local marketing fund should be made

[A face]

However a rule that clubs put aside a certain percentage of their yearly turnover into a ground development fund and set aside a separate percentage towards a local marketing fund should be made

Yeah ... makes complete sense .... Just on the marketing .... if the eL were to set up their own media company, it would be a great way of pooling resourses and would probably result in a much better marketing product !!

[Cosmo]

Yeah ... makes complete sense .... Just on the marketing .... if the eL were to set up their own media company, it would be a great way of pooling resourses and would probably result in a much better marketing product !!

Well if it was me deciding :eek: , I would split the marketing fund into two - one for local marketing and one for a general marketing thingy. For me proper local marketing would be a lot more effective

[A face]

Well if it was me deciding :eek: , I would split the marketing fund into two - one for local marketing and one for a general marketing thingy. For me proper local marketing would be a lot more effective

Fair play Cosmo ... great idea ... didn't think you had it in you !! :p

Seriously ... good idea !!

[Macy]

We will be making ourselves uncompetitive by doing this .... There are loads of young Irish lads sitting on a bench rotting in England ... we need to attract them before they are journey men and has beens ... or better still attract them before they go (I know that will upset Dolan, Devlin and Givens but hey ..)

A wage cap could be a bad move and could be totally ineffective .... it is meant to stop clubs paying over what they can afford ... Clubs can pay players in other ways and who is to say this wont happen.

Wage cap .... stupid idea !!
Proceeding on a sound financial footing, yeah brutal idea alright.... A wage cap based on a % turnover is an extremely sensible idea, and one that was due to come in with licencing anyway....

Ground shares should be up the clubs involved, and I really don't see how it's for the good of the league or why they should dictate this kind of policy. What would be Limericks reaction to being forced back into groundsharing Pike again for example?

[A face]

Proceeding on a sound financial footing, yeah brutal idea alright.... A wage cap based on a % turnover is an extremely sensible idea, and one that was due to come in with licencing anyway

Hang on ... i never said proceeding on a good financial footing wasnt a good thing !! ..... When you are building a squad, you will generally spend more in year one than you will in year three (for example) with this % wage cap you would be restricted to spending the % sum in year one only and might miss out on some players. If the figures balance after three years, wheres the problem ... your investment paid off and all is sweet !!

When i was making my point, i should have stated the obvious ... and that is clubs should have enough cop on to budget and operate properly and not get into debt from over spending .... clubs should cut their cloth accordingly.

[patsh]

We will be making ourselves uncompetitive by doing this .... There are loads of young Irish lads sitting on a bench rotting in England ... we need to attract them before they are journey men and has beens ... or better still attract them before they go (I know that will upset Dolan, Devlin and Givens but hey ..)

A wage cap could be a bad move and could be totally ineffective .... it is meant to stop clubs paying over what they can afford ... Clubs can pay players in other ways and who is to say this wont happen.

Wage cap .... stupid idea !!
Not if it's a percentage of the clubs turnover. Then all clubs would pay what they can afford to pay, while some clubs could offer more than others.

[pete]

If the figures balance after three years, wheres the problem ... your investment paid off and all is sweet !!


What happens when the investment does not pay off? Who funds the bill?

[ColinR]

i would be in favour of a wage cap, however for it to be properly monitored i'd suggest that all clubs should have the same auditors for their annual audit. rules and stiff penaties should be in place for any breaches of rules in relation to inappropraite payments.

if all the clubs started to live within their means then each club could concentrate on other issues such as marketing and long term growth. too much time and energy is spent by clubs on living from week to week, and taking risks that require success to alieviate it.

if it is a case of a temporary dip in the european results then so be it. the pr benefit of our current extra success in europe is constantly being eroded by non-stop stories of clubs in serious financial difficulty (always two or three a season).

[Cosmo]

Proceeding on a sound financial footing, yeah brutal idea alright.... A wage cap based on a % turnover is an extremely sensible idea, and one that was due to come in with licencing anyway....




In fairness Macy, while it might seem its a good idea at first, in practice is it really?

'Donations' would be considered in a clubs turnover (well your the accountant, so correct me if im wrong :p ) and if you had big 'donations' (like drogs have :) ) this season and therefor gave players a few years contract and then got no 'donations' the following year, how would that work?

Dont agree with wage caps at all anyway.

[A face]

Not if it's a percentage of the clubs turnover. Then all clubs would pay what they can afford to pay, while some clubs could offer more than others.

I think my point is more along the lines of clubs should not be getting into a situation where they are having finacial trouble to a really bad degree, the wage cap is an ineffective cure where i am suggesting prevention is the best way to go. Balance the books and let the audit see what is happening and all should be fine.

[A face]

What happens when the investment does not pay off? Who funds the bill?

% year one, two and three .... i am not suggesting ANY over spending .... i am saying the investment wont be the same every year .... We bought no one in the summer barr Bruton (free?) .... so what happens to that precentage ??

[A face]

if it is a case of a temporary dip in the european results then so be it. the pr benefit of our current extra success in europe is constantly being eroded by non-stop stories of clubs in serious financial difficulty (always two or three a season).


Have to agree with that !!

[thejollyrodger]

I think wage caps if done properly are a good idea. Clubs here just dont have a big enough income to keep paying players huge amounts of money. Clubs are scraping from one season to the next, selling bits of their ground and running up debt just to pay players totally ignoring their stadium facilities and underage setups.

[ThatGuy]

I'm not a fan of the "wage cap" idea.

In fairness, what is the point? If a club pays more than it can afford and gets itself into trouble then tough. Club's should pay what they can, and should not be restricted.

Is it even legal?

[pete]

It would not be legal for example to say that no eL player can earn more than €50k. It is legal to say that clubs cannot spend moire than 80% of revenue on wages. This is common in non-Premiership leagues in england, UK Rugby League. Is becoming more popular.

[Macy]

Is it even legal?
Works in both codes of rugby in the UK and in the conference.

A Face, you've just outlined the gamble that has got clubs into trouble - if we assemble the team, the fans will come. They invariably don't come in big enough numbers and clubs end up fooked.

Cosmo, as for donations not being forthcoming, that's always a risk but if it's a percentage of turnover it's not going to be as drastic as if say, Drogs benefactors pull out now.

I'm actually surprised that people would be against something that would force clubs to live within their means. Far more sensible than bollóx groundshares that aren't needed...

[pineapple stu]

In fairness, what is the point? If a club pays more than it can afford and gets itself into trouble then tough. Clubs should pay what they can, and should not be restricted.
Problem is, most clubs in Ireland need to have sense beaten into them or they'll keep overspending. It's hard to improve the league's quality on a consistent basis with clubs going broke every couple of years. Wage cap is in the UEFA Licencing, though, so hardly new. Don't agree with the ten-team league or the ground-sharing though.

[patsh]

Don't agree with ......the ground-sharing though.
But why not?
Surely it would be better to have at least 2 properly flood-light, well appointed grounds with good facilites, (and maybe one other really good ground for UCD, Dublin City), in Dublin than a few grounds with only mediocre facilities?
Decide on which grounds will be developed, sell the other grounds and put the money into developing the chosen 2 or 3.
I realise that there would be some complications with that, Bohs owning Dalymount etc.) but all these problems could be ironed out if there was a will to do so, and we would have 2/3 top-class stadiums instead of the shabby dilapidated ones we have now.

[Éanna]

I'd agree with the 10 team Premier, a wage cap and the regional first divisions.

The management committee sounds good, if the right people are brought on board.
I can see certain clubs objecting to a lot of the recommendations though, and don't think SPA, Big Pub, $h€l$ and Rovers will go along with the groundsharing idea.
spot on. I was worried about the wage cap being a blanket thing, but a wage cap which is a percentage of turnover is an excellent idea- it will put an end to clubs living beyond their means

[bigmac]

I'd agree with the 10 team Premier, a wage cap and the regional first divisions.


10 team premier!! I think that's a terrible idea! top 10 in the league at the moment would mean 5 Dublin teams, Bray and Drogs and 3 non-Dublin teams. You end up with the situation where Dublin teams are playing each other so often that it gets hugely repetitive. Hard to know what the solution is, but I'd prefer a larger premier rather than a smaller one.

The wage cap is a great idea - I've always been a fan of restricting wages to a % of turnover.

Regional first divisions could work if you split the first division into northern and southern conferences with some playoff system to decide the winners and promoted teams. There has to be a decent incentive for promotion though, not the restricted promotion to allow top teams develop to a stage where none of the other teams can compete. For all the crowd troubles in the League as a whole, who's going to go to watch first division football with no hope of getting promotion? Can you see a big crowd turning up in Buckley Park to watch a match against the Kerry league? you'd get bigger crowds at MSL games cos there's more of a local connection with the team.

[Mr_T]

Clubs can pay players in other ways and who is to say this wont happen.

Wage cap .... stupid idea !!

Eh??? Paying wages in cash or from mysterious northern ireland bank accounts is the very kind of practice we need to stamp out. Not a Shels fan are you???

How is a wage cap going to make us uncompetitive if it simply stipulates that clubs do not spend more money on players wages than they have coming in according to their audited accounts? This is something some clubs do anyway (you would think it was a quite simple equation really!!) others splash out money they don't have and run themselves to the wall, all the while pushing up the wages demands of even average players.

The wages on offer at lower league English clubs, League 1, League 2 etc are dwarfed by some of the wages on offer here so attracting Irish players home is not a problem, what we have at present is players who can't get a contract in England because they are simply average players coming over here cause Irish clubs are more than willing to pay them 2 or 3 times what UK clubs are offering them.

[thejollyrodger]

well then , what does everyone think ?? A sell out or what ? I think its pretty realistic.



Appendix 4: Options for League Structure
A range of options for the league structure were developed, debated and evaluated. Within each of the options developed were any number of variants based on minor changes to the numbers and structures. The core options considered included:

1. The Status Quo

• 2 divisions of 22 clubs
• Promotion and relegation the two divisions
• No link to other leagues

2. Status Quo Plus

• 2 divisions of 22 clubs
• Promotion and relegation between the two divisions
• Promotion and relegation mechanism between other leagues and the 2nd division
• Smaller number of clubs in the top division versus the second division (e.g. 10 and 12)

3. The Franchise

• Closed franchised league of 14, 12 or 10 teams
• No promotion and relegation
• Franchises awarded based on specific criteria
• Spread of clubs across the country and major population centres

4. The Elite League

• A single National League of 10 teams
• Two Regional leagues below the National League with 10 teams in each Regional League
• Promotion and relegation between the top league and the Regional leagues via an end-of-season play-off system
• Promotion and relegation mechanism between the Regional leagues and the Amateur leagues
• Minimum criteria would be set for participation in the National League.

5. Single League

• A single National League of 16 teams
• No regional league structure
• Promotion and relegation mechanism between the League and the Amateur leagues

6. All Ireland League

• All Ireland League with teams from the South and North (say 8 and 4)
• Three Regional leagues below the All Ireland League with 10 or 12 teams in each league
• Promotion and Relegation between the All Ireland and Regional leagues via end-of-season play-offs
• Minimum criteria for participation in the league
• Promotion and Relegation mechanism between the Regional leagues and Amateur leagues

7. Celtic/Islands League

• A cross border league involving teams from Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales and possibly Scotland of up to 20 teams
• National league involving the remaining clubs not participating ion the Celtic League
• Promotion and Relegation between the Celtic League and the national leagues
• Promotion and Relegation between the National League and the Amateur leagues


I would go for either the 4. The Elite League, 6. All Ireland League or 7. Celtic/Islands League in that order of preference.

[thejollyrodger]

http://www.fai.ie/article.asp?hlid=311074&Title=Genesis+white+paper+on+eircom+League+is+rele ased&lid=Main+News&sub=Genesis+white+paper+on+eircom+League+is+releas ed&navlid=&sublid=

here is the main report

[Schumi]

All Ireland would be my preferred choice although I'd prefer more teams. Status Quo Plus would be an improvement over now but again I'd prefer a larger premier division. Of the rest the status quo is the best. Franchise and Islands leagues are ridiculous.

[Stuttgart88]

On first read I think it's pretty sensible. I've long felt the eL is too fragmented to prosper, capture the imagination and - crucially - provide a platform to keep our best young players at home (it cites Norway as a good example) & to provide players for the national team.

It correctly identifies that there's no natural relationship between junior & eL football.

I've ignored the administrative / manegerial aspects as this stuff bores me, though of course it's important.

Interesting quotes, in my opinion:

when compared with other sports, the eircom League attendances (under 400,000 in total last year) trail, by some distance, the attendances at other events - the GAA Championship (2.2m), Celtic League (424k), Heineken Cup (815k), Greyhound Racing (1.39m) and Horse Racing (1.3m) attendances.

So we're not really a nation of armchairs / barstools then?

The league as it currently stands is not the pinnacle of the domestic footballing pyramid and few young players aspire to ‘make it’ with a league club. The FAI’s Technical Plan needs the league to be the top of an integrated structure for the domestic game, rather than an island operating in isolation of the other strands of the game in Ireland.

With the exception of Norway, all of the [second tier European leagues] leagues have higher populations per National League team than Ireland.

In our view, the League can only sustain a maximum of ten clubs at the top level to ensure that there is sufficient competition between teams, playing talent is concentrated in fewer clubs, a more focused facilities investment programme can be pursued and clubs can attract sufficient levels of support. Ideally, the ten clubs in the National League will be spread across the major population centres throughout the country.


The Regional League structure offers those clubs outside the National League a lower cost base from which to operate and a greater level of ‘local’ rivalries and interest in their games.

I'd like to have heard the debate on why the chosen approach was selected ahead of the other options in jollyrodger's extract.

The list of what's achievable in 5 years is interesting. So too is the list of successes enjoyed by the league in Norway. And leagues like Cyprus are in the UEFA top 20.

[thejollyrodger]

I dont know if I should be posting this but here is the recommendations, it and 8.Next steps probably have the most relevent. Mostly everyone here knows the history and problems with the league.



7. Recommendations
The eircom League is currently trapped in a vicious downward spiral. A poor product with unattractive facilities leads to a lack of support, minimal sponsorship and low levels of income. The challenge for the league is to shift from the downward spiral to a virtuous, growing spiral where a strong, superior product with attractive facilities leads to increased support, higher levels of sponsorship and an improvement in performance and income for the league and its clubs.

The opportunity exists to be radical. Football is the world’s leading sport and has the highest participation of any sport in Ireland. Ireland is still succeeding internationally and punching above its weight. There is unquestionably a latent support for a high quality league as evidenced by the high levels of interest in recent European club games. The Irish economy is forecast to continue to grow strongly, ensuring an environment in which ongoing investment in Ireland’s leading participation sport should be forthcoming.

There is an increasing realisation by all stakeholders in the game that something needs to be done. As outlined above, this will require fundamental changes to how the league is structured and managed. We have listened carefully to all of the stakeholders within the game and reviewed experience in other leagues. As a result we strongly recommend the following:

League Merger
The proposed integration of the league within the FAI appears to have widespread support from the various stakeholders within the game. Many believe that the league will have a better chance of success if it is formally managed as part of the FAI. We agree with this viewpoint and believe there are a number of other reasons for supporting the proposed merger:
• The role of the FAI is to manage the game for the benefit of football in the country. The eircom League is a key component to that and it should be managed from the perspective of and for the greater good of the game in Ireland. The FAI is best placed to ensure that this happens.
• The FAI has shown they have the potential of attracting increased revenue through sponsorship and marketing for the league. Increases in prize money for the league, the Setanta Cup, recent sponsorship deals, and the TV deal are all examples of this.
• Government funding will only be allocated through the FAI. The ability of the league to attract public investment will be enhanced if the FAI is formally running the league.
• The eircom League is a central cog in the FAI Technical Plan. It is critical that a strong domestic league acts as the pinnacle of the football pyramid and pathway to create an integrated development structure. The league is of key strategic importance to football in Ireland.
• There are undoubtedly economies of scale in various areas of operation including Finance, Marketing, Human Resources and Club Licensing.
• UEFA are strongly advocating National Associations to have full control of domestic leagues.
• The League staff are effectively employees of the FAI already. The merger would formalise this and provide an improved organizational environment for the staff.
Given the level of support expressed through the consultation process we believe the FAI should proceed with confidence with the proposed merger.

Management Structure
The current management structures of the league should be revised. The existing Management Committee and Board of Control should be replaced by an Executive Board of no more than 8 individuals. The Board should be objective and independent. The make up of the board may include the following:
• League Chairman
• FAI Director (with executive responsibility for the League)
• Club representatives (3)
• Sponsor representative
• Independent Director (preferably with extensive marketing experience).
The Board will be responsible for the strategic direction of the League and will be the primary decision-making body.
An annual League Congress will be held with all participating clubs having representatives at the Congress. This will be a discussion and information sharing forum on league matters and will provide the opportunity to put ideas forward for consideration by the Board, but will not have any formal decision-making powers. The club representatives on the Board will be elected each year at the annual League Congress.
Also, a players, managers and referees panel should be established to act as a mechanism for getting the views of both players, managers and referees on a regular basis.

League Structure
A number of alternative options were considered for the league structure, ranging from maintaining the status quo to more radical restructuring of the league. Appendix 4 contains a brief overview of the options identified and considered. The key issues in developing the various options for the design of the league structures were:
• What is the optimum number of teams in the league?
• Should the league be open or closed?
• How many tiers should there be to the league?

We developed a list of ten criteria for evaluating the various options:
1. What is best for football in Ireland
2. Optimise the commercial potential of the league
3. Improve the competitiveness of clubs in Europe
4. Provide high quality football (“the best of Irish”)
5. Represent a new beginning for the league
6. More attractive for public and private investment
7. Provide a pinnacle for the development pathway for the game locally
8. Support the strengthening of the international team
9. Minimise costs of participation for clubs
10. Provide an adequate geographic spread of league clubs.

Our preferred option has the following features:
• A single National League of 10 teams
• Two Regional leagues below the National League with 10 teams in each Regional League
• There would be promotion and relegation between the top league and the Regional leagues via an end-of-season play-off system
• Both the National and Regional leagues would be played in the Summer
• There would be a promotion and relegation mechanism between the Regional leagues and the Amateur leagues
• Minimum criteria would be set for participation in the National League
• The National League will be made up of full-time and part-time professional clubs
• The Regional leagues will be made up of part-time professionals, amateur and representative sides
• All amateur/schoolboy leagues and clubs will be associated with/attached to a National or Regional league club/team.
• Dual registration of players will facilitate the success of U21, U18 and amateur and representative sides.




In our view, the League can only sustain a maximum of ten clubs at the top level to ensure that there is sufficient competition between teams, playing talent is concentrated in fewer clubs, a more focused facilities investment programme can be pursued and clubs can attract sufficient levels of support. Ideally, the ten clubs in the National League will be spread across the major population centres throughout the country.

The Regional League structure offers those clubs outside the National League a lower cost base from which to operate and a greater level of ‘local’ rivalries and interest in their games.

Of the current 22 clubs, 10 will play in the National League and 12 will play in the Regional Leagues. That means a minimum of 8 additional teams would be required to participate in the Regional Leagues. Priority should be given to representative sides from across the country. For example, the Kerry or Mayo County League could nominate a representative side from within its playing members to participate in the Regional League. This will strengthen the regional link to the teams and also create a closer link between the amateur league and the National league. The Under 21 league has shown that this can work. Any expansion of teams outside the current league clubs should be done through this representative model.

We recommend that the feasibility of an All Ireland league should be explored with the various stakeholders in the game, including external bodies such as UEFA and the IFA. Whilst in the short-term there are many barriers to be overcome for an All Ireland league to be established, we believe that the option outlined above would be consistent with, and facilitate a move towards, an All Ireland league should this become a real possibility.

[thejollyrodger]

cont.....



Participation Agreement
A detailed participation agreement should be drawn up for all league clubs. The participation agreement will be based on the principle of a contract and will contain clear obligations for participating clubs. The clubs will be invited to apply for membership of the league and must sign the participation agreement and be bound by its contents. The agreement will be strongly linked to the club licensing scheme and consistent with club obligations within that scheme.
The agreement should cover aspects like:
• The League, Membership rules, Promotion/Relegation, Play-Offs, Becoming a member, Ceasing to be a member, Expulsion, Resignation, Relationship between Clubs and the League
• Finance including obligation of the League and the clubs, wage control, accounting practice, operating and other expenses, distribution of league revenues, power to deduct, submission of club accounts, power to inspect, UEFA club licence obligations
• Fixtures including arranging, rearranging, postponement, failure to play, replaying, other competitions, match delegate, full strength teams, team sheet, substitutes, use of official ball, technical area, penalties, etc.
• Player identification and strip including home and away and advertising
• Match officials
• Medical personnel
• Ground criteria, including safety certificates, ownership of ground and training facilities, ground regulations, facilities (dressing rooms, media, the pitch, technical areas, floodlights, sanitary facilities etc.)
• Managers including code of conduct, coaching qualifications, contracts, registration, pre-season meeting, dispute resolution etc.
• Players including approaches to/from players, public statements, inducements, contracts, fines, dispute resolution, registration, etc.
• Youth development
• Disciplinary procedures and arbitration.

Facilities
There is a need for considerable investment in facilities in all league clubs. However, investment should be prioritized on the clubs with clear strategic plans and planned outcomes. Investment in facilities should be prioritised in top National league clubs and/or clubs serving large population centres. The facilities investment should include provision to ensure high standards of:
• Floodlights
• Playing surface
• Training
• TV and media provision
• Family friendly facilities
• Seating
• Toilet and other facilities
• Catering/hospitality
Ultimately, the planned programme of investment in facilities should deliver a range of high quality, family friendly stadia and clubs across the main population centres and strongholds of football throughout the country. The facilities should be equipped to support the clubs in providing revenues outside match days.
It is inevitable that Dublin clubs will be encouraged to consider ground-sharing if they are to attract significant public funds for investment.

Marketing
The league should be re-branded and re-launched as part of a revised marketing strategy. In re-branding the league, we believe the key attributes that should be emphasised are ‘Irish’, ‘Professional’, ‘New’, ‘Different’, ‘Quality’, ‘Premium’, ‘The Best of Ireland’.
Some Possible Names for the new League:
• eircom Professional Super league
• eircom Elite Irish League
• eircom Ireland Super League
• eircom Irish Premiership
• eircom FAI Premiership.
A significant marketing budget should be set aside to support, promote and market the league strongly. Efforts must be made to ensure there is a partnership with TV and the media in general to deliver the re-branded league and to present the league in a consistent manner. Consistent branding should be implemented in all grounds to ensure a common presentation, and look and feel at all grounds. The league will need to work closely with sponsors and partners to deliver on the marketing strategy. The merger of the league with the FAI will facilitate a more integrated league from a sponsor’s point of view. Clubs must work closely with the league to ensure there is a consistent brand identity established, obligations to sponsors are delivered efficiently and an integrated marketing campaign is executed throughout the league. A strong partnership relationship with sponsors is critical to maximise the benefit to the League. Rugby’s Heineken Cup and the Guinness sponsorship of the GAA Hurling Championships are excellent examples of how sponsors, working very closely with the rights holder, can help transform the product to the benefit of all involved.
Club Administration
For the league to work, the clubs must be managed to high levels of professionalism to raise the overall standards. Clubs should operate against long-term plans with a clear focus on planned outcomes.

The clubs must possess strong skills in:
• Leadership
• Strategic planning
• Finance and Administration
• Marketing and PR.
Where appropriate, assistance should be provided to clubs to help build and develop their capabilities in these areas.

Wage Control
A mandatory wage control mechanism should be put in place for all clubs within the National League. Clubs should be limited to spending 65% of turnover on players’ wages and costs. This should be monitored and enforced rigorously.

Development
All National League clubs must have a clear development structure in place that incorporates:
• Qualified coaches (with UEFA accreditation)
• Coaching structures (clearly defined and working)
• Training facilities (high quality)
• Under age teams (at all levels)
• Links with amateur clubs.
In particular it is important to continue with an Under Age National League. The current Under 21 league is a key step on the player pathway, although there are some operational issues associated with the league that need to be resolved. Most importantly, the issue of dual registration should be addressed. All schoolboy leagues and clubs should be attached to a league club and players should be allowed participate in the Under 21 league and still play for their club sides.
In addition to the Under 21 league, an Under 18 or elite Youth League should be established along similar lines to ensure a clear pathway exists from schoolboy to Senior football for talented players. Again dual registration is an imperative for this to work.
The role of the clubs must be to develop and nurture talent within their catchment area and to work in partnership with non-league clubs and leagues in a positive partnership model.

Community Links
The clubs must focus on building strong links and associations with their local communities, both from a playing and non-playing perspective. On the playing side, the league club should act as the pinnacle of football in the area in a pyramid structure. The clubs should have the capability to recruit, coach and retain local talent from under age through to the Senior team. Ideally, the club should work in partnership with all clubs in its area to support the development of players and create a genuine partnership between the local amateur clubs and the league club. As outlined above, each amateur club/league should be attached to a league club. For this to work efficiently the issue of compensation to amateur/schoolboy clubs/leagues should be addressed and a clear protocol agreed.
Off the field, the clubs should invest in building closer relationships with the local schools, clubs, and the community in general. There are numerous examples of innovative community-based schemes in sports throughout the world. For example, most UK clubs operate a ‘Football in the Community’ scheme. Bolton Wanderers’ scheme included over 20,000 adults and children last year in a diverse range of activities. By developing community-based schemes, clubs can attract new fans to the club and strengthen the loyalties of longer established supporters.
It is possible that public funding may be available for Football in the Community officers to be appointed at league clubs. This should be pursued aggressively.

Funding of the Plan
The recommendations outlined above will require significant investment. We have not developed a detailed assessment of the scale of investment required. The investment will come from four key areas.

FAI – the FAI itself will have responsibility for raising and allocating funds through grant schemes, the attraction of sponsorship income, broadcasting income and other means of income generation on behalf of the League. Funds should be allocated, strategically, against planned outcomes to ensure that the maximum return on any investment is delivered.

Public funds – both the Government and local authorities (city and county councils) should be targeted to support specific programmes as part of the overall strategy. For example, the Government has already committed significant funds for facilities investment and this is to be welcomed. Of further benefit would be a commitment to multi annual planned funding for facilities improvement. An ongoing planned programme of facilities upgrades should be developed to ensure clear strategic priority is set for such a programme of investment in facilities. Local authorities should be engaged in a partnership model to facilitate, for example, the community linkage for the clubs as part of the overall strategy.

[thejollyrodger]

cont...

Clubs – all of the clubs should develop long-term plans that incorporate both how they will raise additional revenues themselves and more particularly how they will allocate their revenue to ensure long-term stability and strength. As part of this their commitments to both the participation agreement (and any clause in this regarding percentage of revenue spent on players/squad) and the club licensing scheme will need to be rigorously met.

Private Investment – ideally, a revamped league will create an environment that is more conducive to the raising of private investment, whether at a pan-League or at an individual club level.

[pete]

There is unquestionably a latent support for a high quality league as evidenced by the high levels of interest in recent European club games. The Irish economy is forecast to continue to grow strongly, ensuring an environment in which ongoing investment in Ireland’s leading participation sport should be forthcoming.

True.

Not bad report. Its clear league needs a new beginning with completely new branding. NO more LOI. I don't know if eircoms sponsorship is market value rates but i don't see eircom bring any extra value to the league. We badly need a proper sponsor who wants to be associated with the league & will promote alongsdie its product.

[Bald Student]

It's a very good report overall. Two points I would make are;
1. It sounds very expensive. There's talk of 10 stadiums around the country with a 5-10,000 capacity within 5 years. Is there funding available to achieve this?
2. The talk is of promotion from the regional leage being only avainable through a play off and that the mechanism would be such that a premier club could plan for the future. Is this secret code for very little promotion and relegation? Same 10 teams in the premier every year.

[hoops1]

From what I see on this thread this report is alot of
ILL thought out mickey mouse bull**** that is a waste of money.
Full of Fancy Ideas that are page filling garbage
But I will reserve judgement until I see the whole thing
Is it possible to get the whole report on this site I know its probably
alot but would appreciate if it could be done