What happens next?

Barring some dramatic development on Monday, it now looks certain that at least four clubs will have no first-team football until at least August (GUST having an actual team now through the under-19s), so could there be any temporary solution to their predicament? The three other A Championship clubs have returned to junior football for now, but Limerick, Rovers, UCD, Harps, Derry and Bohemians all took the division seriously in the past, and if ten clubs took an interest, you would have the bones of a division, as legendz has suggested in the past. The major difference to the A Championship would be that participation would be participation would be voluntary, and the number of clubs interested would dictate whether it would be national or regional, but it would fill the gap until the FAI changes its mind on an eight-team division. Failing that, they should be guaranteed participation in the FAI and League Cups.

Its pretty simple to answer this one I'm afraid: Nothing is going to happen. The a-championship i.e. the concept of a 3rd tier has been completely abandoned by the FAI and is not going to be continued. Lots of senior clubs were giving out about how much of a financial burden it was to have to field an a-championship team. In my view the FAI have made the right decision here due to this fact.

The recession has unfortunately hit domestic football hard!, The FAI are rightfully trying to protect current senior clubs who are feeling the financial strain as well as smaller clubs such as Dynamos and Ramblers from going out of existence altogether!

Protecting clubs not giving players the platform.....how does this protect clubs/players? Players progressive development halted FACT?

Walk in the players shoes for a moment. 7 years with club commitments plus Kerry team & ETP every week over the 7 years resuting in over 300 additional sessions with varying journey of 30 - 60 miles ever week either early Sunday morning or Monday nights. Outside of international commitments and remember a lot of Dynamos players played for Ireland whilst they were members of Kingdom Boys. I feel for the parents who made this happen for their kids, like all parents wanting to give the best chance to their sons where now?

If there is to ever be a third tier again, it'll have to be driven by the clubs. A groups of clubs will have to get together and lobby the FAI to recognise a league. Not something I can see happening for this year but these clubs that have missed out should discuss it and see if maybe the likes of Castlebar and Tullamore might take interest.

legendz, that is wishful thinking...the a championship, 3rd tier or whatever you want to call it is dead in the water.

A victim of the recession Im afraid!

Where will clubs like Ramblers and Dynamos go from here? - munster senior league or local junior league?

Munster Senior League is a glorified Cork League and Mainly around the city. It would make sense for Tralee and Cobh to join this league as it is the next step down but im unsure would Tralee be bothered only Kerry team in a Cork league it would be different if Killarney Celtic, Clonmel, Tramore Athletic and other big junior Munster based teams joined also but i cant see it happening without the FAI pushing it (which may be a better idea than pushing a 3rd tier)

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Originally Posted by kerrysock

legendz, that is wishful thinking...the a championship, 3rd tier or whatever you want to call it is dead in the water.

A victim of the recession Im afraid!

Where will clubs like Ramblers and Dynamos go from here? - munster senior league or local junior league?

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I'd imagine Ramblers would go into the MSL, as it would be their local league, but can't imagine Dynamos going back after their experiences last time, so they're likely to stick to the KDL.

I'm glad it was citybone who made the point of the MSL being a glorified Cork league. With the A Championship being dead in the water, surely work should take place in setting up provincial leagues being fed into from district leagues?

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Originally Posted by kerrysock

legendz, that is wishful thinking...the a championship, 3rd tier or whatever you want to call it is dead in the water.

A victim of the recession Im afraid!

Where will clubs like Ramblers and Dynamos go from here? - munster senior league or local junior league?

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I accept it is wishful thinking. It doesn't mean it should not be come an ambition for football in this country though. The A Championship is dead. Moving forward though, over the next few years the FAI should keep communication open with clubs to the possibility of creating a league in the future but it'll have to be more club driven. All league grew out of a start somewhere, it's a blank canvas at present.

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Originally Posted by legendz

I'm glad it was citybone who made the point of the MSL being a glorified Cork league. With the A Championship being dead in the water, surely work should take place in setting up provincial leagues being fed into from district leagues?
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Thats a better way of doing it rather than the current format. If the KDL, West Cork League, West Waterford/East Cork league, Waterford and District league, Tipp southern and district league, North Tipp league, Limerick Desmond, Limerick District league and Clare league winners could take part in the Munster Senior League Premier division with the 9 best in the current MSL and have a 18 team premier division for a year at least (if some of the non Cork clubs want to go back to their own Junior league after a year for financial or performance related reasons then so be it) but its worth a try. Longest travelling would be for Clare and Waterford District clubs. with North tipp, KDL and west Cork league teams also having a good bit of travelling
South Tipp and West waterford/East Cork league should be well up for it, wouldn't cost them a fortune travelling wise.

That would look to be the way forward in terms of linking up the leagues - presumably you would have four provincial leagues with the champions playing off, and the winners automatically replacing the bottom two First Division teams. If the system ever became established, the eventual final logical step would be mergers into Northern and Southern Intermediate Leagues.

Will the powers that be be open to that though. It's a story of big fish in their small ponds. Will those running the Munster and Leinster leagues be open to relinquishing some power. The view by many on the main forum is that they would not.

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Originally Posted by legendz

Will the powers that be be open to that though. It's a story of big fish in their small ponds. Will those running the Munster and Leinster leagues be open to relinquishing some power. The view by many on the main forum is that they would not.

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Not a chance!, third tier is over and nothing clubs can do about it!


Back to Kerry League for dynamos! It will be the best move for the club.
They need to knock Killarney Celtic off their perch as the kingpins of kerry soccer. Thats the battle the club should be aiming for now.

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Originally Posted by legendz

Will the powers that be be open to that though. It's a story of big fish in their small ponds. Will those running the Munster and Leinster leagues be open to relinquishing some power. The view by many on the main forum is that they would not.

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I doubt they would be to be honest.

It's the constant problem with Irish football. The domestic game would be miles further down the road if the clubs were all pulling in the same direction, but instead you get clubs and individuals placing petty squabbles, and Big Fish, Small Pond syndrome over the overall good of the clubs, and the game.

Ideally you'd have, under the auspices of the FAI, two top divisions, then probably five regionalised divisions below that, one for each of the provinces, and a separate one for Dublin, due to the population density. Clear and rigorously enforced licensing criteria for all of those divisions. Below that, fully regionalised leagues, so your KDL, Dublin District Leagues, Mayo League, etc. There definitely has to be an intermediate standard for clubs who aren't ready for senior football though. The A Championship was deeply flawed, but I think a lower standard with more relaxed licensing criteria, regionalised to reduce costs, would probably achieve its objectives.

The devil, however, is in the details. You'd have to structure everything so that everyone could benefit from it, and it wouldn't just be funneling money from senior to junior clubs, or senior clubs hoovering up all the best players.

I've said it over and over again, but I believe the FAI should work closely with the Ulster, Munster, and Leinster Senior Leagues while also creating a Connacht Senior League. All these leagues should feed into the First Division. Would act as a regionalised 3rd tier of Irish football. But as long as we live, I don't think it will happen.

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Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954

I've said it over and over again, but I believe the FAI should work closely with the Ulster, Munster, and Leinster Senior Leagues while also creating a Connacht Senior League. All these leagues should feed into the First Division. Would act as a regionalised 3rd tier of Irish football. But as long as we live, I don't think it will happen.

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Agree completely with this...however clubs still need to be vetted to ensure LOI entry is financially viable...

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Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954

I've said it over and over again, but I believe the FAI should work closely with the Ulster, Munster, and Leinster Senior Leagues while also creating a Connacht Senior League. All these leagues should feed into the First Division. Would act as a regionalised 3rd tier of Irish football. But as long as we live, I don't think it will happen.

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"I would rather be first in a small Iberian village than second in Rome" - Julius Caesar.

Plenty of junior clubs like to think they're Julius Caesar, and that, along with a not altogether unjustified mistrust in the FAI, is the primary reason we probably will never see such a structure.

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Originally Posted by kerrysock

Not a chance!, third tier is over and nothing clubs can do about it!

Back to Kerry League for dynamos! It will be the best move for the club.
They need to knock Killarney Celtic off their perch as the kingpins of kerry soccer. Thats the battle the club should be aiming for now.

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Small mind mentality! Although there was ambition in the club for a number of years.

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Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954

I've said it over and over again, but I believe the FAI should work closely with the Ulster, Munster, and Leinster Senior Leagues while also creating a Connacht Senior League. All these leagues should feed into the First Division. Would act as a regionalised 3rd tier of Irish football. But as long as we live, I don't think it will happen.

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Exactly, no room for a step between first division and provincial leagues. Another thing you are leaving out which i made reference to above is that the Munster senior League is a glorified league and clubs from all over Munster should be invited, Such as Tralee Dynamo's Possible Killearney Celtic, Clonmel Town, Dungarven, Ennis, etc.

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Originally Posted by citybone

Small mind mentality! Although there was ambition in the club for a number of years.

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The reality is the money isnt there...its realistically the best option for Tralee Dynamos in my view!

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Originally Posted by citybone

Exactly, no room for a step between first division and provincial leagues. Another thing you are leaving out which i made reference to above is that the Munster senior League is a glorified league and clubs from all over Munster should be invited, Such as Tralee Dynamo's Possible Killearney Celtic, Clonmel Town, Dungarven, Ennis, etc.

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Completely agree here - it is effectively a Cork only league. Dynamos tried this league before and my advise would be to stay away from it (unless clubs from other counties get involved of course!)

Sure the Ulster senior league is completely a Donegal league.

I accept comments regards wishful thinking for a third tier but the idea should not be dead in the water. What ever happened to lobbying. Looking back on the A Championship, having so many reserve teams there to make up the numbers wasn't going to capture the imaginations of the public. I'd like a regionalised third tier but the clubs aren't there.

GUST
Cobh
Tralee
Carlow
Castlebar
Tullamore

If the 6 clubs above were in a national division, I think the distance obstacle wouldn't be that great. Over 3 series they'd have 15 games, more than the 14 of the last A Championship. Castlebar and Tullamore would have to be entice back.

Now this is seen as wishful thinking as said but it's not totally unrealistic. Build a stadium and the people will come. Build a league and the teams will come. A solution has to be found to the current mess. While maybe not this year or next, there should be a plan in principle for a third tier. Why not a Second Division below the First Division, play-off between last in division one and winner of division 2.

If there was a division two of:
GUST
Cobh
Tralee
Carlow
Castlebar
Tullamore

Gavin said recently if more clubs had been brought into division one, they'd have brought down the standard. Well I say at least give teams a chance on the field of play.

If a third tier is reinstated, the FAI can always stipulate if an area has teams already they can't include more. For example if a Louth club wanted to join a third tier, the FAI would probably decline on the grounds that there's two clubs in the region already.

Wishful thinking I accept but it should be a goal for the league to have a third tier.