Reserve League

This topic may have been done to death already, but why deafhuck is there no reserve league here.
My lad has just completed a season in the Premier Reserve up North, and the standard certainly bridges the gap between 19s and senior football.
His team played Cliftonville the other week at Solitude, they drew 2-2 with a side that had seven players, including Irish league leading goal scorer Joe Gormley, in there starting line up, for lads trying to make it into the top level of Irish league or LOI you can't buy that kind of experience.
I accept clubs will kick off like buck about the expense involved,but most of the younger lads are on amateur forms up there while the more senior players are being paid already as first teamers.
I am sure all managers would welcome it as it affords them the opportunity to give squad/injured players, game time and to see which youngsters have a chance of progressing to the first team.
Apart from the cost is there any other reason why it isn't happening down here.

Because the majority of clubs voted against keeping the A Championship, which was probably the most mental decision the league has ever seen.

It's much easier in the North because the costs of travel are much, much less.

I always reference First Division clubs that took part in the A Championship despite no obligation to do so. Some Premier clubs wanted out which was fair enough.

The A Championship should be brought back for Premier and First Division clubs that want to take part. The option should be there again for clubs with LoI ambitions to get involved. While not ideal, an A Championship could get by with 12 teams split into two north and south groups of 6. The unideal 4 series of games would provide a 20 games season. Not far off the number of games previously played at that level.

Back in terms of real time developments, Kerry look set to have a side in the LoI U17 league in March '16.

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Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954

Because the majority of clubs voted against keeping the A Championship, which was probably the most mental decision the league has ever seen.

It's much easier in the North because the costs of travel are much, much less.

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It was at the height of the recession at that stage though wasn't it? Might be worth looking into again in the future now that we're all rich again :-)

There are some PD teams who are pushing for a proper reserve league afaik, but there are a number of clubs who don't want the extra expense and are happy just to put out senior sides and (grudgingly) U19s. Think it will only happen if the FAI enforce it like they did the U19s and set up a quasi-A Championship the likes of Tralee, etc can use as a bridge.

Does anyone know when the League of Ireland B ended. It used to contain reserved teams from lenster clubs and some of the top non-league sides I think. Used to always follow the results/tables in the monday papers and most games were played on Saturday afternoons. Agree that it is badly needed as a link between u19 and senior soccer.

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Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

There are some PD teams who are pushing for a proper reserve league afaik, but there are a number of clubs who don't want the extra expense and are happy just to put out senior sides and (grudgingly) U19s. Think it will only happen if the FAI enforce it like they did the U19s and set up a quasi-A Championship the likes of Tralee, etc can use as a bridge.

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I don't think clubs should be forced to have a reserve team. The FAI shouldn't have to enforce anything but just put the platform in place for teams to have the option. As I've said in a previous post, the reserve league, B league or whatever you want to call it can get by with at least 12 teams.

The league is damaged at times by clubs pulling out. A reserve league will be out of the limelight. If a club withdraws it's B team or an emerging area / new club only lasts a year or two, it's not going to impact on the League of Ireland.

There should be something open to clubs setting up games amongst themselves during the season for a mix of 19's and lads not making the first team. I remember Stuart Taylor saying he found it extremely hard to get games for these players. He even approached the LDMC and asked for games against the top teams in Limerick as he felt it would benefit both the junior clubs and the young lads and he was told to take a hike.

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Originally Posted by legendz

I don't think clubs should be forced to have a reserve team.

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Completely disagree. Clubs are often so busy firefighting that anything outside of the business of keeping the first team on the pitch is seen as unnecessary or too costly. A reserve league or u21s with x amount of overage players is something is badly needed. Considering how far behind we are in developing players in many respects, it's not reasonable to expect a lot of players to have shown anywhere near their potential by 19.

There will always be money pressure, but you just cut your cloth accordingly. It does take a large chunk of change to run, but if everyone is forced to do the right thing, nobody is at a disadvantage and the wage budget can be adjusted down to free up the funds.

I wouldn't be surprised if Naughton used the abolition of the A Championship as a bargaining chip for himself.

The Ruud Dokter's PDP that was made public last month doesn't reference anything between u19 and senior, but surely he knows it's lunacy. He has to pick his battles anyway I'm sure. He has WWIII on his hands as it is.

Fingers crossed he manages to push through at least some of his recommendations.

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Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

There are some PD teams who are pushing for a proper reserve league afaik

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Originally Posted by gufcfan

Completely disagree. Clubs are often so busy firefighting that anything outside of the business of keeping the first team on the pitch is seen as unnecessary or too costly.

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True gufcfan but first division clubs in the past fielded an A side despite not being required to. If some PD clubs are pushing for a reserve league, it will take lobbying by a group of clubs. There should be efforts to facilitate these clubs.

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Originally Posted by legendz

True gufcfan but first division clubs in the past fielded an A side despite not being required to. If some PD clubs are pushing for a reserve league, it will take lobbying by a group of clubs. There should be efforts to facilitate these clubs.

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Unfortunately, I think stuff like this is at the whim of horse-trading over stuff that has nothing to do with football and all to do with "administrators". Whatever chance Dokter has of reforming youth football, trying to get Eamonn Naughton to do anything for the good of the league is ****ing in the wind.

Well my lad played LSL Senior 1B for the first part of this season, and Irish League Premier reserve since the January window, the difference in standard was marked.
Not knocking the LSL but in the other league you had lads who had come through academy set ups at Linfield, Cliftonville, Glentoran etc, and the quality of football was much better.
Some clubs, not all, though tend to use the reserve side as a breeding ground rather than seeing the players as serious alternatives to what they have in the first team.
They also have a very strange rule in place up there.
Say Coleraine for example win the reserve league premier division and their first team get relegated from the Premier.
If that happens the reserves are also relegated to the Championship reserves, despite the fact they have proved they to be the best second XI in the country.
I asked about this and the answer I got was that the Premier reserve does what it says on the tin, it is only for reserve teams of Premier division sides.

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Originally Posted by KeepersBall

They also have a very strange rule in place up there.

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That's standard enough. Wouldn't call it strange. The reserve league is for development. In the grand scheme of things, nobody really cares where the team finishes in that league as long as it is helping develop players.

I get that but it means it is possible for the best reserve team in the place to be playing in the second division of the reserves, which wouldn't benefit anyone.

They should just lump all the teams into one reserve league if they we're going to have one. 18 team league. Under 19s/21s with a few overage players allowed to play per game.

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Originally Posted by wonder88

Does anyone know when the League of Ireland B ended. It used to contain reserved teams from lenster clubs and some of the top non-league sides I think. Used to always follow the results/tables in the monday papers and most games were played on Saturday afternoons. Agree that it is badly needed as a link between u19 and senior soccer.

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B division (sometimes called the LOI combination) ran from 1964/65 to 1999/2000. Non league teams varied but including Dalkey Utd, Gentex, Dublin University and Tullamore Town.

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Originally Posted by Nah Nah Nah Nah

They should just lump all the teams into one reserve league if they we're going to have one. 18 team league. Under 19s/21s with a few overage players allowed to play per game.

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Definitely wouldn't agree with lumping all teams into it. It didn't help the A championship. Some clubs apathy towards it was clear to see.

For a reserve league / intermediary level to have a vibrancy about it and to offer a decent standard of competition, it'll need clubs who genuinely want to be in it, be they reserve or clubs with a LoI ambition.

The gap between under 19 and senior level is too big. We need either a under 21 league with some overage players allowed or a Reserve league. It needs to be regionised to North & South to reduce costs. The under 19 & new under 17 are both changing to summer leagues in 2016 in line with LOI so this will help. It should be left as optional for clubs. You would then have progression for players through u17 to u19 to u21/reserve to senior.

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Originally Posted by Bray Head

It should be left as optional for clubs.

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Clubs can't be trusted to do the right thing. Having u21 or reserve is clearly needed.

theres a blast from the past gentex! are they still on the go?