Genesis eircom League Review on Monday

Genesis eircom League Review on Monday


The eircom League is at a critical point in its history. The League is the highest profile sector of the game in Ireland but while it is affiliated to the FAI, the eircom League’s operations do not come under the management of the FAI.

The Strategic Management consultants, Genesis, were commissioned by the FAI and the eircom League to conduct a review of the eircom League and prepare a “white paper” in respect of its future strategic direction.


Read more at www.soccercentral.ie

Will this be live on telly anywhere ???

Buy the Star on Sunday to read its main points. I forgot to take it home from work but offhand I can tell you the verdict is grim. The Eircom League needs desperate measures to survive apparently. What exactly does that mean? The LOI cannot actually collapse so why do they always go on about its survival? Two of the main points are that the number of clubs in the league needs to be reduced and a full pyramaid system introduced. Also the merger of the eL and FAI needs to happen ASAP. Some other obvious things like improvement of spectator facilities is a must and oh yeah, salary caps.

To be honest at this stage anything I read in a tabloid I will take with a big pinch of salt. Its all a load of rubbish most of the time. Hopefully some of the broadsheets or TV stations will cover the story properly.

The league is in difficultly due to high wages but im not sure if you could call it a crisis.

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Originally Posted by thejollyrodger

The league is in difficultly due to high wages but im not sure if you could call it a crisis.

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Well if clubs are in the red ... then it is a crisis !!!
I know that article goes over the top but clubs need to cut their cloth accordingly, if the numbers are right then there is no problem.

The good thing when looking at the league in this way is .... thereis loads of room for improvement, there is loads that can be done to make it better .... so if clubs look at doing that then this dooms-day thing that the papers go on about wont sell as many papers for them.

Agreed though .... i would like to see it reported on properly .... but dont we always.

what about Serie A, La Liga, English PL, etc ? all the clubs there are in debt.. its just the norm for soccer.

I agree about cutting the cloth. Major changes are required.

This report better be the real mc coy and not some bullsh1t job. I suspect the likes of the IRish Scum will selectively report on this

Caps or Cracks


As the FAI prepare to make public the ‘White Paper’ on the Genesis III report which is focused on the eircom League, the thorny subject of salary caps once again raises its head. Will the instigation of a salary cap sort the financial problems within the eircom league or will it just wallpaper over the cracks?

Those of us who are involved in the league long enough will remember when the only cap talked about was the one you got if you were lucky enough to be selected for an inter-league game or if you were part of that exclusive club who were selected for the International team at one of its many levels.


Read more at www.pfai.ie

Have the fans been consulted at all? If fans don't go to games there would be no league.

:rolleyes:

The NLSA submitted a document which contained points under several headings raised by our members, which apparently Genesis have taken on board when writing the report.

I read the article in the Star and it's totally sensationalist as usual. I think everyone knows that the league needs more money but I think that things are improving. Not sure how the salary cap idea would work. I can understand the need to try to keep clubs out of financial trouble but surely we mustn't allow clubs to be unable to attract decent players in the future and see them travel across the water. The idea of pyramid football is a joke. How many non-league clubs at the moment would have the proper structures and finances to secure league licences and sustain themselves in the league?

You have to take the pfai with a pinch of salt. They just want the best deal on offer for their players. That policy might just sink the whole league once and for all.

After the IRA decommissioning and the All Ireland a tabloid like the Star will be your best bet to get info on the report tomorrow.

[size=4]Elite premier division is proposed
[/size]Emmet Malone Soccer Correspondent

National League: A return to a 10-team premier division in an expanded national league, radically changed management structures and ground-sharing deals by Dublin's four leading clubs are among the recommendations - to be made public today - made by Genesis for the revitalisation of the Eircom League.

The Scottish consultants yesterday delivered their preliminary recommendations to club representatives in Dublin, where officials were told an "elite" 10-team division should be established with two regionalised groups of 10 operating underneath it.

The move would mean an expansion of the league from 22 to 30 teams, although it is envisaged some of the new entrants could be representative sides such as the Mayo and Kerry district league teams that have been competing in the League Cup by invitation for several years.

It is anticipated the structure would result in a largely professional premier division and a mixture of semi-professional and amateur teams in the regional divisions.

This may cause resistance amongst clubs who would fear missing the initial cut and then struggling to catch up on those clubs who received more substantial funding as a result of being a part of the new leading group from the outset.

Promotion and relegation would probably be restricted so as to allow teams in the top flight to generate long-term investment but the precise mechanisms have not been worked out.

In addition to the three senior divisions, the current under-21 league and a new under-18 league would both be run on the basis of geographical groupings.

Clubs wishing to compete in the league would have to sign up to participation agreements which, it is envisaged, would be used to further raise standards and improve the image of the game. Minimum levels of investment in facilities, a wage "policy" likely to effectively amount to a cap on the percentage of turnover that could be paid to players and various other development issues would be covered in the agreement, which would require a good deal more than the present licensing system.

In return, clubs could benefit from improved central marketing and more effectively targeted investment of public and FAI funds. On this latter point, Genesis officials told those attending yesterday's meeting at the Green Isle Hotel that clubs serving large population centres would be likely to receive priority.

It was pointed out, however, there would be a reluctance to substantially fund the development of four stadiums for the main clubs and there would be considerable pressure on the clubs to come to ground-sharing deals, which would be likely, if the resistance of club officials and their supporters could be overcome, to yield just one stadium on each side of the river.

The report recommends, as the previous Genesis report did, the streamlining of management structures at the top, with the current 22-club management committee being replaced by a group of seven or eight, only half of whom would be elected club officials. The rest of the places on this group would go to full-time league or FAI officers, marketing executives and, it is envisaged, a representative of the league's sponsors.

Not surprisingly, there is strong support for the idea of a merger between the league and the association.

Further discussions on the document will take place today with representatives of the clubs, sponsoring companies and media, amongst others, and FAI officials say the feedback will be taken into account before a final list of proposals is drawn up.

Waterford United officials, meanwhile, have dismissed reports Pat Dolan is set to take over from Brendan Rea as manager of the struggling premier club. "There's absolutely no truth in it whatsoever," said director Martin Colbert yesterday.


[size=1]© The Irish Times[/size]

So whats the deal .... will there be even more tinkering now when other things that could improve the league go on hold ??

I can remember someone saying recently ... "Its like moving the deckchairs around on the titanic" .... well our ship is far from going down no matter what the papers would have you believe but i do think too much tinkering is not good for the league. There are more pressing issues to be dealt with.

The Irish Times report (if accurate) seems to have a lot of sense. There's very little wrong with the suggestions. And this is coming from a fan of club not in the 'elite'. The difficulty will be trying to attract new clubs - though the regional aspect will ease that somewhat. The mechanics will be hard - e.g. if a Cork team relegated from premier and Donegal team win the promotion decider will the regional structure have to be amended to make two 10 team divisions? Process though is not a reason to do nothing. Overall - I think these are good ideas and well worth discussing and seeing how workable they are.

I'd agree with the 10 team Premier, a wage cap and the regional first divisions.

The management committee sounds good, if the right people are brought on board.
I can see certain clubs objecting to a lot of the recommendations though, and don't think SPA, Big Pub, $h€l$ and Rovers will go along with the groundsharing idea.

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Originally Posted by patsh

I'd agree with the 10 team Premier, a wage cap and the regional first divisions.

The management committee sounds good, if the right people are brought on board.
I can see certain clubs objecting to a lot of the recommendations though, and don't think SPA, Big Pub, $h€l$ and Rovers will go along with the groundsharing idea.

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Then they get no (or little) capital to develop their grounds. If they choose not to work in the leagues best interest I do not see why the league should work to their individual interests. :ball:

This type of attitude (if it emerges) is the reason the league is not as strong as it should be. And one of the most important recommendations is that club reps do not run the league, so what the league needs come first rather than clubs horse trading over their own interests.

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Originally Posted by patsh

a wage cap

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We will be making ourselves uncompetitive by doing this .... There are loads of young Irish lads sitting on a bench rotting in England ... we need to attract them before they are journey men and has beens ... or better still attract them before they go (I know that will upset Dolan, Devlin and Givens but hey ..)

A wage cap could be a bad move and could be totally ineffective .... it is meant to stop clubs paying over what they can afford ... Clubs can pay players in other ways and who is to say this wont happen.

Wage cap .... stupid idea !!

Agree wtih A face - wage caps are definitely not the way to go.

However a rule that clubs put aside a certain percentage of their yearly turnover into a ground development fund and set aside a separate percentage towards a local marketing fund should be made

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Originally Posted by Cosmo

However a rule that clubs put aside a certain percentage of their yearly turnover into a ground development fund and set aside a separate percentage towards a local marketing fund should be made

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Yeah ... makes complete sense .... Just on the marketing .... if the eL were to set up their own media company, it would be a great way of pooling resourses and would probably result in a much better marketing product !!