Summer Football Working

I know summer football doesn't necessarily translate into better crowd but IMO its been unqualified success for European Results.

eL sides are no longer the plucky losers but are beating bigger clubs live on TV. IMO winning in Europe on TV is the important fact.

Consistently knocking out bigger clubs in Europe live on TV like Shels last year & Cork City this year must be making an impression on neutrals & bar stoolers.

This must also be a big selling point to attract players back from the UK.

I think the FAI gave City 10k grant to prepare for Uefa Cup 2nd qualifying round which is good but hopefully they do something to develop on this publicity for the whole league...?

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Originally Posted by pete

eL sides are no longer the plucky losers but are beating bigger clubs live on TV. IMO winning in Europe on TV is the important fact.

Consistently knocking out bigger clubs in Europe live on TV like Shels last year & Cork City this year must be making an impression on neutrals & bar stoolers.

This must also be a big selling point to attract players back from the UK.

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Agree 100%. Last night was real vindication for why I follow the eL. Absolutely great.

eL sides are their best when they play football too. We won't beat many teams physically.

Clubs in the UEFA Cup proper for 2 years in a row, to me that shows serious signs of progression! ALot of the credit has to go to summer soccer there IMO. Hell, Djurgardens are fully fit, middle of their season etc, and just couldn't cope!

If Cork can break into the Group Stages there will be no doubt about it. But there will always be doubters.

definitely working. Its a big change but in a few years it will feel perfectly normal. I'd love to see all league games played over two days in a week and not spanning across 4 days. in fairness to the premier division the games are usually played on fri.sat.sun. in the 1st divison games are played. thurs.fri.sat.sun and even monday.

Anyhoo summer football working. It should prove to be the first building block upon which an excellent league in the future was built

It levels the playing field. It doesn't even give eL clubs an "advantage". Fact of the matter is most of the clubs we come across in UEFA qualifying due to us being in the Northern section are playing summer soccer. Those who aren't are at a disadvantage. It may give us an advantage in the Inter Toto but in the UEFA Cup particulalry it's just a leveler.

The real debate is the benefits of european football, beyond wishy washy "image of the league" arguements. Shels were the most high profile club for years last year, but even in the midst of that they had some of their worst attendances of the season. And were there, or will there be, any tangible benefits from Cork's run this year?

If no, then summer football has to be seriously questioned because it appears that most clubs are suffering with reduced crowds since it's introduction.

The league season should only be run for the benefits of the european qualifiers if it is for the good of the whole league, not just the select few that can realistically expect to qualify frequently.

Don't agree Macy, within the league you have the haves and have nots. Same as anywhere else. The profile of soccer has to be increased, Corks result and Shels last year do that and no doubt full time professionalism and summer soccer are contributory factors (I think the full time issue sometimes gets overlooked as the ability to train and prepare right, proberly more to the point is the ability to pay attractive wages, that are as competitive as bottom half of english second division meaning top eircom league clubs for Irish guys are a far more exciting prospect than a journeyman career round the nether regions of the British leagues.)
Of course if our obsession with British teams is so strong that regardless of how well our clubs do we'll still wear our British jerseys, then were really on a loser...felt that way when only 7000 people went to watch Shels play Lille(?) last year, and in case we forget, at exactly the same round that Cork have just qualified for!

I think it is more to do with being professional and teams playing their own games rather than adapting to the opposition rather than summer football.

I think summer football helps a bit as it gives EL teams competitive match practice but it's full time football that is helping more as teams can be properly prepared in lots of time for the games without the destraction of work.The influx of players returning from the UK is another factor and it is helping the league at a technical level but i still think we are a long way off a team qualifying for the Champions league proper.

People talk about the crowds being poor.

But, the crowd were **** when it was winter soccer too. :rolleyes:

If the Dublin public got behind the Eircom League then things would improve ot of recognition all around the country.

I think its a rising tide thing. If top sides do better if brings more tv, sponsorship & prize money into the league which will benefit everyone.

City beat 2 teams who also have summer seasons already this year.

I think the whole fulltime professionalism takes a few years to bear fruit which is why City better now.

its a very difficult argument that summer soccer has increased/decreased crowds anyway. you are not able to compare like with like - unless there is a club who has remained in the same league position, playing the same brand of football etc.

overall, i dont think there has been a significant difference either way. in the past crowds were poor, but there were always games that attracted massive crowds (pats-shels used to, cork-shels and derry-cork have done recently). our crowds were very good (after a poor start) last season as we rose up the table. this season has seen a reverse, and mainly due to the standard of football on offer - if reports are true. the level however had very little to do with the season it was at the time.

so what has definately changed:

tv coverage has increased dramatically (possibly more to do with extra channels rather than summer soccer, but that is a seperate argument)

european form has changed beyond belief.

i cant think of any negatives?

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Originally Posted by Poor Student

It levels the playing field. It doesn't even give eL clubs an "advantage". Fact of the matter is most of the clubs we come across in UEFA qualifying due to us being in the Northern section are playing summer soccer. Those who aren't are at a disadvantage. It may give us an advantage in the Inter Toto but in the UEFA Cup particulalry it's just a leveler.

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Spot on and I'm sick of people who can't see that. They think we're getting results by cheating somehow playing in the summer, when in reality we're usually up against summer football opposition ourselves as was the case last night.

As for people saying what good does the high profile european games do? nonsense

This year we're getting upwards of 30 live matches between league and cup, plus 10 or so setanta cup matches. As a reuslt the prize money for winning the league has literally increased near tenfold

Last season pre Hajduk Split v Shels, there had been all of NO matches shown. Post Split there were matches pratically on every week.

The previous season, the first of Shels two in a row, well all I know if Shels, the champions, were shown all of ONCE, the entire season. I think beyond that there was two semi finals, one replay and a final shown.

No benefit eh? :rolleyes: It's not a coincidence. Results in europe are everything for the profile of the league and everything as far as sponsorship, exposure and prize money is concerned.

Crowds are uneffected really, they go up and down depending on club situations, that's football. As far as I can see the only people moaning about summer football are those that demanded instant success as far as crowds are concerned and are whinging when it hasn't come. You wont find an overnight solution, summer soccer was never that, but it is a helping hand.

Take a step back and look at where we are now compared to pre summer soccer. Look at TV coverage, prize money, European results, anything, anything at all, and we're in a better position, a far far better one imo.

I wouldn't change it now for anything.

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Originally Posted by pete

I think its a rising tide thing.

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Definitely. People watching the Cork-Djurgarden game mihgt well be tempted to go to an eL game this weekend. They're not gong to go to Cork City necessarily though - they may go to a Longford-UCD if they're in Longford, Bohs-Wayside if they're near Phibsboro, etc. Cork will get all the money and the glory from beating Djurgarden, but that doesn't mean none of the other clubs can benefit.

Unfortunately not everyone of the barstoolers agrees. I was listening to the Phoneshow on FM 104 last night and some lad called Dermot rang up and said "That Cork game was a load of a ****e......What's the point in the eircom League?.....I want someone to call in and tell me if they've ever seen an entertaining eircom League game...." and so forth.

Either, he has no footballing brain or he represents the thoughts of thousands.

A plant no doubt. The phone show is full of them.

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Originally Posted by Slash/ED

A plant no doubt. The phone show is full of them.

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Ever hear Tom? :D He's a legend!!

Bugger European results - summer football makes sense full stop. I'd much prefer to go to a game in a t-shirt and brilliant sunshine rather than in a damp overcoat in zero conditions and a howling wind. Surely the (for example) Carlisle Grounds in July is much more preferable to the same place in January? No contest, and anyone who thinks otherwise needs psychiatric treatment rather than a return to winter football.

So its nicer for those of us who already go. but does it attract more of the non hardcore fans? I'm not sure. Can't say with Pats (our crowds are soley due to the shiite level of football) but clubs likeLongford are doing better than they were 3/4 years ago and not getting near the crowds they did