Heard this was mooted within the FAI over the winter, but rejected out of hand for this season. Sounded completely off the wall to me at first but it does have certain things to recommend it. Basically the idea was that the two leagues would merge into five regional groups (along the lines of the old League Cup ones) for a few weeks in mid-summer (for example, a group might include Derry, Finn Harps, Monaghan, Drogheda and Dundalk.) These would be seeded to ensure they were relatively balanced.
These mini-leagues would take place at the height of summer, when crowds tail off but promotional possibilities are at their highest ebb. They would be subject to a concentrated marketing blitz, giving most clubs local derbies to promote and smaller First Division sides their biggest gates of the season (away teams would also retain a percentage of the gate.)
Points would be carried forward to the respective divisions or a set number of points available for winning the group, finishing second etc. It's a pretty far-out idea, but at least there's some kind of imagination to it. I think it was just crazy enough to work.
