The A League

[teckno]

So what is your opinion on which clubs will be accepted into the new league. Personally i think we need to see the following.

Club from Kerry
Clonmel Town FC
Castlebar FC
Club from Clare
Portlaoise
Mullingar.

Would be good additions i think.

[Kivlehan]

So what is your opinion on which clubs will be accepted into the new league. Personally i think we need to see the following.

Club from Kerry
Clonmel Town FC
Castlebar FC
Club from Clare
Portlaoise
Mullingar.

Would be good additions i think.

Nice idea for a thread. There's the previously discussed South East FC (Carlow) and Fingal FC (Dublin).

For other ideas, here are the Irish clubs with "reputation" ratings of 1000 in Football Manager (via the editor) and are not currently playing in the League of Ireland:


DCU FC
Mayo League
Kerry League
Cherry Orchard
Mullingar Town
Newbridge
Rockmount
St. James's Gate
St. Francis
Ballymun United

[Risteard]

A guy I know involved in College Corinthians said that they thoroughly looked into (and decided against) joining the eL a while back with the help of (or as part of a merger with) UCC.
Maybe they might have a rethink.

[Dodge]

Newbridge
St. James's Gate
St. Francis




Kildare County emerged out of Newbridge, and the other two are previous members of the league, with absolutely no chance of re-joining.

What we need is clubs that realise what it takes to be succesful in the top division and have hopes of getting there.

[football fan]

Kildare County emerged out of Newbridge, and the other two are previous members of the league, with absolutely no chance of re-joining.

Kildare County USE Newbridge Town's ground. They did NOT emerge from Newbridge Town. Newbridge Town FC still exists and its first team play intermediate football (Division 1 LSL). Kildare County and Newbridge Town are two Seperate Clubs.

[Dodge]

Kildare County USE Newbridge Town's ground. They did NOT emerge from Newbridge Town. Newbridge Town FC still exists and its first team play intermediate football (Division 1 LSL). Kildare County and Newbridge Town are two Seperate Clubs.

They're seperate clubs now, but when they were invited into the league they were invited as Newbridge Town. The committee there took the smart decision to set up a new club to safeguard the status of Newbridge Town should things go tits up. But without Newbridge Town, there wouldn't be any Kildare County , so Kildare County FC "emerged from" Newbridge Town

[Pablo]

They're seperate clubs now, but when they were invited into the league they were invited as Newbridge Town. The committee there took the smart decision to set up a new club to safeguard the status of Newbridge Town should things go tits up. But without Newbridge Town, there wouldn't be any Kildare County , so Kildare County FC "emerged from" Newbridge Town

Same as Cork City more or less emerged from Avondale.

[Sam_Heggy]

Fanad Utd. They have made it to the last 16 of the cup this year but I dont know if there would be room for 2 Donegal teams in the LOI unfortunately :(

[Dodge]

No, Cork was a franchise :D

[CollegeTillIDie]

The A League is going to include all the current non-ELOI members of the Under 21 League as I understand it. So Trinity College may well be in there.

The UCC/College Corinthians hook up could work as the team would be playing in the third tier of the League of Ireland they could have a mostly if not exclusively amateur playing squad. College Corinthians have superb facilities at Castletreasure nowadays into the bargain.

[Sam_Heggy]

The A League is going to include all the current non-ELOI members of the Under 21 League as I understand it. So Trinity College may well be in there.

The UCC/College Corinthians hook up could work as the team would be playing in the third tier of the League of Ireland they could have a mostly if not exclusively amateur playing squad. College Corinthians have superb facilities at Castletreasure nowadays into the bargain.

so that would include Letterkenny rovers instead of Fanad then?

[CollegeTillIDie]

so that would include Letterkenny rovers instead of Fanad then?

There might be room for both. Could you imagine the crowds at the derby games?:p

[Kildare Lad]

They're seperate clubs now, but when they were invited into the league they were invited as Newbridge Town. The committee there took the smart decision to set up a new club to safeguard the status of Newbridge Town should things go tits up. But without Newbridge Town, there wouldn't be any Kildare County , so Kildare County FC "emerged from" Newbridge Town

Yeah I think your right, they invited Newbridge into the league, but they decided to form a club to represent the whole of Kildare, Kildare County, who play in Newbridge Towns ground.

Bottom line I really really doubt they will enter the A League

[Mr A]

So what is your opinion on which clubs will be accepted into the new league. Personally i think we need to see the following.

Club from Kerry
Clonmel Town FC
Castlebar FC
Club from Clare
Portlaoise
Mullingar.

Would be good additions i think.

Whatever about the makeup of the new A-League, I believe it is absolutely vital that every team in it be required to arrive for games by screaming to a halt in a big black van with a red stripe down the side. Then the players jump out, spray automatic fire around without hitting anyone, and then play the game.

Otherwise it just won't work.

We need to fit jeeps flipping over in there too somehow. Maybe at half time.

[GavinZac]

A few suggestions:
Rockmount
Mullingar
Shelbourne
St. Francis

[Red&White Rover]

AFAIK, Castlebar Celtic, don't actually want to join the league as such, as they don't believe its "financially" a sound idea...

[Schumi]

Whatever about the makeup of the new A-League, I believe it is absolutely vital that every team in it be required to arrive for games by screaming to a halt in a big black van with a red stripe down the side. Then the players jump out, spray automatic fire around without hitting anyone, and then play the game.

Otherwise it just won't work.

We need to fit jeeps flipping over in there too somehow. Maybe at half time.Fantastic. Post of the month right there. :D

[MyTown]

Whatever about the makeup of the new A-League, I believe it is absolutely vital that every team in it be required to arrive for games by screaming to a halt in a big black van with a red stripe down the side. Then the players jump out, spray automatic fire around without hitting anyone, and then play the game.

Otherwise it just won't work.

We need to fit jeeps flipping over in there too somehow. Maybe at half time.

:D Great Stuff GH. Patsy McGowan as George Peppard, Jim McDaid as Face, Jon Minnock or Paul Hegarty as Murdoch? And definitely yourself as Mr. T.

I mean if the kick off for any of those games is brought forward by a half-an-hour there'll be all out war:p

[Sam_Heggy]

Great Stuff GH. Patsy McGowan as George Peppard, Jim McDaid as Face, Jon Minnock or Paul Hegarty as Murdoch? And definitely yourself as Mr. T.

I mean if the kick off for any of those games is brought forward by a half-an-hour there'll be all out war:p


:D GH would be Murdoch and we already have a Mr.T :p

[monutdfc]

Yeah I think your right, they invited Newbridge into the league, but they decided to form a club to represent the whole of Kildare, Kildare County, who play in Newbridge Towns ground.

Plus, importantly, the valuable asset that is the ground remained with Newbridge Town; hence this was not risked as part of the venture of entering the league (and sensibly so too)

[dcfcsteve]

There might be room for both. Could you imagine the crowds at the derby games?:p

Yeah. Might even make the mid-to-high hundreds..... :D

[Calcio Jack]

Whatever about the makeup of the new A-League, I believe it is absolutely vital that every team in it be required to arrive for games by screaming to a halt in a big black van with a red stripe down the side. Then the players jump out, spray automatic fire around without hitting anyone, and then play the game.

Otherwise it just won't work.

We need to fit jeeps flipping over in there too somehow. Maybe at half time.

I know others have nominated this as a contender for POTM.... well i'd like to nominate it for most inane POTM (if we had such a category), nothing personal just did nothing for me and I didn't find it any way funny... proves the old cliche that " there's no accounting for taste "

[GavinZac]

I know others have nominated this as a contender for POTM.... well i'd like to nominate it for most inane POTM (if we had such a category), nothing personal just did nothing for me and I didn't find it any way funny... proves the old cliche that " there's no accounting for taste "

Is it because they fought the commies? :p

[dcfcsteve]

I know others have nominated this as a contender for POTM.... well i'd like to nominate it for most inane POTM (if we had such a category), nothing personal just did nothing for me and I didn't find it any way funny... proves the old cliche that " there's no accounting for taste "

That made POTM....?!?! :eek:

[jebus]

That made POTM....?!?! :eek:

The standards there have really dropped these days, myself and LtiD have each been nominated for two months running now

[balls]

i think rockmount would do ok. they have facilities and a good nucleus of players already. there def is room for another EL club in cork. they would not be as bigas city obviously but would be viable. the college corinthians ucc link would defo be successful.

i also think clonmel town would hold there own there playing squad is as good as any of the bottom half eircom league div 1 sides. they have decent facilities are a well run club and great underage set up.

saint michaels tipp town dont seem to have the players any more but there set up is perfect for eircom A league.uefa standard floodlights, club house, stand. great commitee working behind the scenes.

the kerry league will defo be in this a league also. will suit them perfect. i think if they came in to el div 1 theywould really struggle so this will ease them in to higher standard of football than kerry league

[teckno]

When i think of it now i feel that every county in Republic Of Ireland must have at least one team in the Eircom League, Prem, 1st, or A

Roll on Leitrim Lollies, Roscommon Galaxy, Carlow Fire, Kerry Wizards, or how about this one, The Offaly Metrostars

[A face]

Whatever about the makeup of the new A-League, I believe it is absolutely vital that every team in it be required to arrive for games by screaming to a halt in a big black van with a red stripe down the side. Then the players jump out, spray automatic fire around without hitting anyone, and then play the game.

Otherwise it just won't work.

We need to fit jeeps flipping over in there too somehow. Maybe at half time.

Quality :p

[Dodge]

When i think of it now i feel that every county in Republic Of Ireland must have at least one team in the Eircom League, Prem, 1st, or A



Yeah, and if they don't **** them out of the country!!!!

[superfrank]

I'd like to see a team from Kerry in it. Would be interesting.

I know Dodge said it won't happen but a return from St. James' would be good too.

What's the story with Wayside? I know they're without a ground now but they're sitting on a fortune and they've always appeared to be one of the top non-league teams in my years.

[half_full]

i also think clonmel town would hold there own there playing squad is as good as any of the bottom half eircom league div 1 sides. they have decent facilities are a well run club and great underage set up.

saint michaels tipp town dont seem to have the players any more but there set up is perfect for eircom A league.uefa standard floodlights, club house, stand. great commitee working behind the scenes.


St.Michaels would be far more suited to league football imho, only problem would be is tipp town big enough to sustain league football?

[teckno]

Well Kilkenny is suppose to be a City and they get about 20 home fans to games (when lucky), so why not Tipp Town, we have to have a club from Tipp, Mayo, and Kerry 3 of the biggest county's in Ireland.

[Big Ears]

Well Kilkenny is suppose to be a City and they get about 20 home fans to games (when lucky), so why not Tipp Town, we have to have a club from Tipp, Mayo, and Kerry 3 of the biggest county's in Ireland.

If Clonmel Town/St Michaels were to join the A League they would struggle to get a good enough crowd under their current names .

A Tipperary FC(or other name which includes the whole county) would have to be realistically be located in Clonmel , Nenagh or Thurles and for me Thurles is the only place it could be . When it comes to football there is a real them against us attitude as regards North Tipperary v South Tipperary .

Having a ground situated in Clonmel it would be seen as a South Tipperary club(no matter what the name) and Nenagh it would be seen as a North Tipperary club . Although Thurles is in North Tipp it is seen as a meeting point in the County as a whole and the only neutral place where I feel it could attract fans from all over the county .

I think a Tipperary FC(or whatever the name) situated in Thurles is the only possible viable entity in Tipperary if the club is to have ambition . Perhaps Clonmel Town or St.Michaels could survive on their own , but I don't think they'd be well enough off financially to ever really do anything .

[half_full]

Well Kilkenny is suppose to be a City and they get about 20 home fans to games (when lucky), so why not Tipp Town, we have to have a club from Tipp, Mayo, and Kerry 3 of the biggest county's in Ireland.

the Kilkenny City issue is complex because they have huge competition for supporters from other sports. I personally wouldnt look at clubs representing counties, rather centering on towns and smaller communities. if they wanted to i have no doubt that St.Michaels and Clonmel Town would hold there own in the A-league at least, wheather they would bother makeing the step up is another.

[CollegeTillIDie]

If Clonmel Town/St Michaels were to join the A League they would struggle to get a good enough crowd under their current names .

A Tipperary FC(or other name which includes the whole county) would have to be realistically be located in Clonmel , Nenagh or Thurles and for me Thurles is the only place it could be . When it comes to football there is a real them against us attitude as regards North Tipperary v South Tipperary .

Having a ground situated in Clonmel it would be seen as a South Tipperary club(no matter what the name) and Nenagh it would be seen as a North Tipperary club . Although Thurles is in North Tipp it is seen as a meeting point in the County as a whole and the only neutral place where I feel it could attract fans from all over the county .

I think a Tipperary FC(or whatever the name) situated in Thurles is the only possible viable entity in Tipperary if the club is to have ambition . Perhaps Clonmel Town or St.Michaels could survive on their own , but I don't think they'd be well enough off financially to ever really do anything .

You have forgotten or possibly were not even born when Thurles Town were on the go 1977-1982 or the attempted SC Thurles in around 1986.
They played a friendly against A UCD reserve selection, and SC Thurles only had 9 players , so two of the irregulars on the UCD reserves at the time lined out for them in the friendly.

[Big Ears]

You have forgotten or possibly were not even born when Thurles Town were on the go 1977-1982 or the attempted SC Thurles in around 1986.
They played a friendly against A UCD reserve selection, and SC Thurles only had 9 players , so two of the irregulars on the UCD reserves at the time lined out for them in the friendly.

I wasn't born no , but I'm not saying Thurles should join the league I'm saying a Tipperary FC/United/County should join the league with the grounds being situated in Thurles as it is the only way to draw players from North+South Tipp .
The modern day Thurles Town play in Division one of the North Tipperary and District League...........even I am playing in the league above it .

My point is the setup of the South Tipperary teams is very good and there is good talent there . The setup in North Tipperary is dire at best and the only club with decent facilities(which admittedly still have quite a bit of work to do) is my own(Nenagh AFC) but North Tipperary despite what some may think does have decent talent . It is merely lack of professionalism; attitude , coaching , facilities ,drinking culture etc which hinders North Tipperary football.

What I'm talking about is a Tipperary FC who play out of Thurles(merely so they can attract people from North and South Tipp) , who have gathered the best players from North and South Tipperary and who take the professionalism and attitude from South Tipperary which makes their teams far(and by a very long way) more successful than North Tipp and combine all of that together as a team in the A-League and I'd say you'd not only get a team that could compete in this A-League but a team with Ambition who could look to become a real force in the higher divisions .

[dcfcsteve]

Well Kilkenny is suppose to be a City and they get about 20 home fans to games (when lucky), so why not Tipp Town, we have to have a club from Tipp, Mayo, and Kerry 3 of the biggest county's in Ireland.


We don't have to have teams from anywhere ! A county may be big, but if it has no soccer traditon then what's the point in elevating a club there to senior/intermediate status at the expense of another club elsewhere in an area with a footballing tradition ?

Tipperary tried having an LOI club in the 80's (Thurles Town) and they barely survived a few seasons. Mayo and Kerry are arguably the 2 least soccer counties in Ireland !

It's like saying China and India have to be at the World Cup, because they account for 40% of the world's population. No they don't.....

[bawn79]

I wasn't born no , but I'm not saying Thurles should join the league I'm saying a Tipperary FC/United/County should join the league with the grounds being situated in Thurles as it is the only way to draw players from North+South Tipp .
The modern day Thurles Town play in Division one of the North Tipperary and District League...........even I am playing in the league above it .

My point is the setup of the South Tipperary teams is very good and there is good talent there . The setup in North Tipperary is dire at best and the only club with decent facilities(which admittedly still have quite a bit of work to do) is my own(Nenagh AFC) but North Tipperary despite what some may think does have decent talent . It is merely lack of professionalism; attitude , coaching , facilities ,drinking culture etc which hinders North Tipperary football.

What I'm talking about is a Tipperary FC who play out of Thurles(merely so they can attract people from North and South Tipp) , who have gathered the best players from North and South Tipperary and who take the professionalism and attitude from South Tipperary which makes their teams far(and by a very long way) more successful than North Tipp and combine all of that together as a team in the A-League and I'd say you'd not only get a team that could compete in this A-League but a team with Ambition who could look to become a real force in the higher divisions .

Big Ears, I play in North Tipp as well and there really isnt much going on there as far as soccer is concerned. The standard is very poor. There are only about 2 real clubs there at the moment. Nenagh and Templemore.
I personally would regard Thurles as part of South Tipp and I dont think you would see much support for a club there from Nenagh.
South Tipp is far stronger and I think a team similar to Kildare County would be the way to go. Clonmel is at least 5 times the size of Nenagh or Thurles so I think it would be a better place to locate a team for South Tipp.
Perhaps once Nenagh gets its club-house going to go along with its facilities there may be some chance of a North-Tipp team in the A league. At present Nenagh AFC arent even the best team in Nenagh but Im sure in about 10 years time with a lot of youths development work an 'A' league could be possible.

So in recap - South Tipp "A" league team now - based in Clonmel
North Tipp "A" league team - 10 years time based in Nenagh

PS Im not slagging Nenagh AFC i think they have done a great job and shown a lot of foresight in the development they are working on.

[Big Ears]

Big Ears, I play in North Tipp as well and there really isnt much going on there as far as soccer is concerned. The standard is very poor. There are only about 2 real clubs there at the moment. Nenagh and Templemore.
I personally would regard Thurles as part of South Tipp and I dont think you would see much support for a club there from Nenagh.
South Tipp is far stronger and I think a team similar to Kildare County would be the way to go. Clonmel is at least 5 times the size of Nenagh or Thurles so I think it would be a better place to locate a team for South Tipp.
Perhaps once Nenagh gets its club-house going to go along with its facilities there may be some chance of a North-Tipp team in the A league. At present Nenagh AFC arent even the best team in Nenagh but Im sure in about 10 years time with a lot of youths development work an 'A' league could be possible.

So in recap - South Tipp "A" league team now - based in Clonmel
North Tipp "A" league team - 10 years time based in Nenagh

PS Im not slagging Nenagh AFC i think they have done a great job and shown a lot of foresight in the development they are working on.

You make some very good points but as regards standard of the league as a whole but I can assure you that there is talent here and it just needs to be developed . For instance one player on our team had Aston Villa pretty much ready to sign him until O'Leary left and his connections in backroom staff with him , then he was offered a chance to play for Limerick but wasn't impressed with the set up and word is Blackburn are interested at the moment . We had another player who was offered trials at Crystal Palace and never went and another who had a trial at Crewe . This leaves out two more players who were involved in Ireland trials/development things when they were U 15 .
One thing to note is the 5 players I mentioned there are all under 20 .

The problem is what happens to these players , one of those 5 now drinks far too much and smokes and isn't the same player while another two are finished with soccer due to commitments to Tipperary football(minor and U21) .
Unfortunately one of the two players left is now extremely injury prone .

The Youths side we had at Nenagh two years ago beat Clonmel Town and was very unlucky against St.Michaels and Cashel with refereeing decisions costing us both games(we lost both by a single goal in even matches)
That Youth team we had was as good as anyones in the country and might well have one the Premier Division in the Junior League..........however we have lost most of that team to other sports and commitments(work , school)
If there was something to keep these players(like a Tipperary team) their talent could flourish and show off that N.Tipperary does produce talented footballers .

The same year our Youths beat Clonmel Town we beat them in the U17 too , then this year we were beating early in the season by them 2-0 . A good close game which they were edging changed when our centre back(who just happened to be out the night before) let a stupid ball bounce and they scored .The second goal came at the very end when we were chasing the game . This shows that lack of professionalism is a major problem.......a national cup match and a starting centre back was out the night before :eek: .
In the end to the season in the Joe Delaney Cup they beat us 5-1 , they might have been a little lucky to get a penalty but in truth they probably deserved to beat us that much . The point of all this is South Tipp players progress and get better due to coaching , facilities and correct attitude , it's not just natural talent that does it because in reality talent wise they are no better to start with(but they certainly are to finish with) .

Players from our Senior team of 10 years ago will tell you of how they used to beat Clonmel Town and St.Michaels as Youths......but god knows what'd happen if we played them today .

Nenagh Celtic reached the Quarter-Finals of the U17 National Cup this year(we reached the last 16 the year before) , although they did have a nice draw on the way up and got hockeyed in that Quarter final they still achieved it . Yet as a senior side they won't achieve anything like that . Btw I believe one of the players on that run was asked to join Wexford Youths .

Killavilla no longer being in North Tipp at Juvenile level is a blow , they usually have quite strong sides and I believe 3 of their young players joined Waterford United at the start of the season .

Again I am just trying to point out that the talent is there in North Tipp but the infrastructure is missing , however a Tipperary FC could avail of talent whic is here and mix that with the infrastructure of South Tipperary aswell as their talent to create something very strong .

Nenagh is a town of about 8,000 nowdays and new business' and infrastructure is coming along by the bucket load despite Proctor and Gamble's departure . With that said A South Tipperary FC would best be put in Clonmel and they would have no problem competing in the A League . I'm merely thinking to the future that an all Tipperary side would be a force to be reckoned with .

DcfcSteve Tipperary has a strong soccer tradition , who here isn't familiar with Clonmel Town or St.Michaels ?...........Thurles Town is something best forgot about , bar remembering the reasons for it failing .

I apologise for bringing this thread off on a bit of a tangent , but I do believe that the A League would benefit from a side in Tipperary . Even if it is only a club such as Clonmel Town .

[balls]

the talent is definately in north tipp. remember what peake villa achieved 4-5 years ago at youth and junior level when they had proper structures and professionalism in place

[Dodge]

the talent is definately in north tipp. remember what peake villa achieved 4-5 years ago at youth and junior level when they had proper structures and professionalism in place

HUge step up from junior level to LOI level

[bawn79]

You make some very good points but as regards standard of the league as a whole but I can assure you that there is talent here and it just needs to be developed . For instance one player on our team had Aston Villa pretty much ready to sign him until O'Leary left and his connections in backroom staff with him , then he was offered a chance to play for Limerick but wasn't impressed with the set up and word is Blackburn are interested at the moment . We had another player who was offered trials at Crystal Palace and never went and another who had a trial at Crewe . This leaves out two more players who were involved in Ireland trials/development things when they were U 15 .
One thing to note is the 5 players I mentioned there are all under 20 .

The problem is what happens to these players , one of those 5 now drinks far too much and smokes and isn't the same player while another two are finished with soccer due to commitments to Tipperary football(minor and U21) .
Unfortunately one of the two players left is now extremely injury prone .

The Youths side we had at Nenagh two years ago beat Clonmel Town and was very unlucky against St.Michaels and Cashel with refereeing decisions costing us both games(we lost both by a single goal in even matches)
That Youth team we had was as good as anyones in the country and might well have one the Premier Division in the Junior League..........however we have lost most of that team to other sports and commitments(work , school)
If there was something to keep these players(like a Tipperary team) their talent could flourish and show off that N.Tipperary does produce talented footballers .

The same year our Youths beat Clonmel Town we beat them in the U17 too , then this year we were beating early in the season by them 2-0 . A good close game which they were edging changed when our centre back(who just happened to be out the night before) let a stupid ball bounce and they scored .The second goal came at the very end when we were chasing the game . This shows that lack of professionalism is a major problem.......a national cup match and a starting centre back was out the night before :eek: .
In the end to the season in the Joe Delaney Cup they beat us 5-1 , they might have been a little lucky to get a penalty but in truth they probably deserved to beat us that much . The point of all this is South Tipp players progress and get better due to coaching , facilities and correct attitude , it's not just natural talent that does it because in reality talent wise they are no better to start with(but they certainly are to finish with) .

Players from our Senior team of 10 years ago will tell you of how they used to beat Clonmel Town and St.Michaels as Youths......but god knows what'd happen if we played them today .

Nenagh Celtic reached the Quarter-Finals of the U17 National Cup this year(we reached the last 16 the year before) , although they did have a nice draw on the way up and got hockeyed in that Quarter final they still achieved it . Yet as a senior side they won't achieve anything like that . Btw I believe one of the players on that run was asked to join Wexford Youths .

Killavilla no longer being in North Tipp at Juvenile level is a blow , they usually have quite strong sides and I believe 3 of their young players joined Waterford United at the start of the season .

Again I am just trying to point out that the talent is there in North Tipp but the infrastructure is missing , however a Tipperary FC could avail of talent whic is here and mix that with the infrastructure of South Tipperary aswell as their talent to create something very strong .

Nenagh is a town of about 8,000 nowdays and new business' and infrastructure is coming along by the bucket load despite Proctor and Gamble's departure . With that said A South Tipperary FC would best be put in Clonmel and they would have no problem competing in the A League . I'm merely thinking to the future that an all Tipperary side would be a force to be reckoned with .

DcfcSteve Tipperary has a strong soccer tradition , who here isn't familiar with Clonmel Town or St.Michaels ?...........Thurles Town is something best forgot about , bar remembering the reasons for it failing .

I apologise for bringing this thread off on a bit of a tangent , but I do believe that the A League would benefit from a side in Tipperary . Even if it is only a club such as Clonmel Town .


Not to take things too far off topic Ive opened a thread in the Junior soccer section if you are interested in discussing soccer in North Tipp.

[gufcfan]

Well Kilkenny is suppose to be a City and they get about 20 home fans to games (when lucky), so why not Tipp Town, we have to have a club from Tipp, Mayo, and Kerry 3 of the biggest county's in Ireland.

Mayo, Kerry, Tipp and Clare are the 4 biggest counties in the country without loi football.

These are all counties with rich GAA traditions but i believe there is room for a few loi clubs to co-exist alongside/beneath that

Roscommon, Meath, Offaly, Cavan, Westmeath, Laois, Leitrim and Carlow are the rest.

Population wise (2004 data) Tipperary was the most populated non-el county. They had a population of 150,000. Compare that to the likes of Longford with 31,000.

I know these are just figures but with a lot of hard work and the right marketing, the likes of Clonmel Town could make a mark on the league.

[Lim till i die]

Mayo, Kerry, Tipp and Clare are the 4 biggest counties in the country without loi football.

These are all counties with rich GAA traditions but i believe there is room for a few loi clubs to co-exist alongside/beneath that

Three of those are catchment areas for Limerick

Leave them Alone, they're grand!!!! :eek: :p

[gilberto_eire]

Three of those are catchment areas for Limerick

Leave them Alone, they're grand!!!! :eek: :p

and a great job ye've done there in attracting them:rolleyes:

[DmanDmythDledge]

Roscommon, Meath, Offaly, Cavan, Westmeath, Laois, Leitrim and Carlow are the rest.
Westmeath (and perhaps Roscommon) have Athlone Town.

[gufcfan]

the talent is definately in north tipp. remember what peake villa achieved 4-5 years ago at youth and junior level when they had proper structures and professionalism in place

Peake Villa were Pro? Pull the other one

[gufcfan]

Westmeath (and perhaps Roscommon) have Athlone Town.

Fair enough Westmeath has Athlone.

Anyway, take this...

Athlone Town itself has an urban population of c. 16,000 with its immediate environs doubling that if not more.

Longford Town and its immediate environs barely break the 10,000 mark.

Mullingar would have c. 10,000 and another 10,000 in its immediate environs.

These pop. figures were gathered for '06 and no doubt figures will have risen by a large pecentage across the board.

I reckon Mullingar could support a team.

Tralee has about 25,000. Im sure they or the league as a whole could benefit from joining the A league, if it was say divided into conn/ulster/n. leinster and munster/dublin/south leinster????????

Just thinking out loud...

[gufcfan]

Anyone here from Roscommon that could tell us where soccer loyalties lie within the county for neighbouring el teams

[gufcfan]

i think the clubs that will be accepted are going to be [depending on how many teams are in it]
mullingar town
kerry league
mayo league
cherry orchard
newbridge
crumlin utd
roscommen league
clonmel town
clare league

Id be all for it but clare league didnt even enter u-21's.

They should join but i doubt they will.