Website Template

Well, I think that the website portfolio for the LOI is pure rubbish. There are no standards in place and no continuity at all.

Also, the official league website is a load of rubbish.

Surely, its about time the FAI introduced a standard professional glossy template for all clubs with a content management system to change club colours and content etc. It would not be hard to do!

This is already more or less done over in the Uk and looks great and really professional: for example Hull and Crewe's websites have the same templates:

http://www.crewealex.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Home/
http://www.hullcityafc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Home/

Each website should have feeds direct from the FAI with:

1. Highlights of each game updated the day after the game or even a MNS feed for each club.

2. Match report feed with pictures automatically added to each relevent club's website eg this week both Harps and Derry would have the same match report and photos.

3. Interviews with players/manager

4. Betting partner

5. Forum

Thats my opinion anyway, if Pats qualify for the UEFA cup group stages then the league will need a professional image as International media interest in the league will increase 10 fold.

Some are good, some are bad. It all boils down to reesources

For the record, I think those British "premiumtv" sites are dreadful.

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Originally Posted by Dodge

Some are good, some are bad. It all boils down to reesources

For the record, I think those British "premiumtv" sites are dreadful.

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www.stpatsfc.com is the best Ive seen, not bad :cool:

UCD's is probably the worst :D

Www.dundalkfc.com is the best:p

Our one hasn't changed in years. Starting to look a bit outdated at this stage.

There is a few good ones, Drogheda, Cork, Bohs and Pats are all decent. There is also some very por ones, our website may aswell not be there althught there are plans to over haul it.

I think a template with a content manager is a good idea (if its good, when its bad they really are brutal) and having the ablity to share feeds and information is good. If there were logins for staff and make the relevant info available to them.

If it forces some clubs to improve then its a good thing. Maybe have a set criteria for sites and if current ones already meet that then they shouldn't have to go with it.

Yeh, forgot to add to my post that I think it's an excellent idea. Ok, the ones for the Football League clubs are tacky but that's the sort of rubbish that the random punter wants. An easy to navigate site with lots of flashy, shiny things going on :)

There was mention of this being provided to any clubs that wanted it at the Fans Forum with Noel Mooney. I haven't heard anything more since.
If it were to be provided it would have to be good (the GAA offered this but the platform was rubbish), and look good. But for any club website content is the most important thing.

What about a foot.ie open source league website developers' group?

The Dundalk website is very impressive btw.

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Originally Posted by monutdfc

What about a foot.ie open source league website developers' group?

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What kind of tihng would you be on about here?

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Originally Posted by Dodge

Some are good, some are bad. It all boils down to reesources

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Exactly some people do not tend to realise the cost involved with running a website if paying a professional company to keep the website up to date and manage the content.

From another forum on here I picked up a lot of websites are run by voluntaries I know ours is run by supporters club. The standard is pretty poor when it comes to website. In first division Dundalk is by far the best one IMO also one of the best in the league.

I don’t think standardised websites are way to go can look very tacky not done correctly. Maybe the way to go is to have some resources to help develop content in websites and if run by voluntaries then maybe a technical resource provided by FAI to help with any issues. As this very unlikely to happen maybe a section on foot for those involved with their club websites to help each other out.

Websites can be very a good way to generate income from advertising also then are the first impression that many people get of a club so then do need improving as a whole.

BTW the pats website is set up with an idiot proof template. Main webmaster (volunteer) designed it so that all anyone has to do is enter text and select pics from a drop down menu.

If clubs could get a company to do something similar, updating it could be as easy as posting here.

That Dundalk one is seriously impressive looking.

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Originally Posted by Dodge

BTW the pats website is set up with an idiot proof template. Main webmaster (volunteer) designed it so that all anyone has to do is enter text and select pics from a drop down menu.

If clubs could get a company to do something similar, updating it could be as easy as posting here.

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That's how ours is done, except using free opensource software (www.joomla.com). Sligo Rovers use the same system. However, unless one has a lot of technical expertise it will never look as good as a bespoke system

Ours is Wordpress based www.athlonetownfc.ie and extremely user friendly to add content

Not very graphically pleasing at the moment but will hopefully improve during the close season when I get a bit of free time to see how far Wordpress can go.

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Originally Posted by Battery Rover

Ours is Wordpress based www.athlonetownfc.ie and extremely user friendly to add content

Not very graphically pleasing at the moment but will hopefully improve during the close season when I get a bit of free time to see how far Wordpress can go.

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That's a great job for one based on WP.

Its a big no no for me there is nothing worst then everything looking the same. Like just think how bored you are of your club website imagine if every site was the same.

But I do agree that that all sites should use CMS.

I love Galways website.

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Originally Posted by Dodge

BTW the pats website is set up with an idiot proof template. Main webmaster (volunteer) designed it so that all anyone has to do is enter text and select pics from a drop down menu.

If clubs could get a company to do something similar, updating it could be as easy as posting here.

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Ye where very lucky then.

For clubs to pay for something like this themselves would mean a pretty big outlay of money as companies would charge a lot for this idiot proof development. A regular website template from companies is expensive enough. Many more essentials on clubs expense list above websites

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Originally Posted by A face

I think a template with a content manager is a good idea (if its good, when its bad they really are brutal) and having the ablity to share feeds and information is good. If there were logins for staff and make the relevant info available to them.

If it forces some clubs to improve then its a good thing. Maybe have a set criteria for sites and if current ones already meet that then they shouldn't have to go with it.

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Yes, that would be a good idea. Im sure many would pass automatically like Pats, Dundalk, Bohs, Cork, Derry etc.

I don't like our one as blue backbrounds look horrible :o Sorry but its true, a blue outline and banner etc is fine but the background should be white.

www.finnharps.com

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Originally Posted by Dodge

BTW the pats website is set up with an idiot proof template. Main webmaster (volunteer) designed it so that all anyone has to do is enter text and select pics from a drop down menu.

If clubs could get a company to do something similar, updating it could be as easy as posting here.

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Yes, exactly. A content management system is what techies call them. :)