Aertel's EL focus-Genesis Report
MARK O'NEILL-CUMMINS' EIRCOM LEAGUE FOCUS
The recently published White Paper on the Strategic Development of the eircom League from Genesis made for interesting reading, but also threw up a lot of what we already knew.
There were very many valid points put forward that need addressing immediately, a lot of it covered by the UEFA Club Licensing Scheme, which itself hasn't exactly gone smoothly.
A major talking point is the suggestion that the Premier Division be cut to 10 teams with two regionalised leagues directly below it.
Certainly something needs to be done with the First Division, which is going nowhere in its present form.
Two remedies to this would be to have a regionalised First Division or to do away with the two divisions and move forward with a 22 team Premier Division, with each team playing each other home and away.
There are many towns and counties around the country with no eircom League presence but great schoolboy and junior set ups: Wexford, Mayo, Meath, Kerry, the list goes on. The sooner they come into the fold the better.
Many people are still not convinced of the merits of a 10 team Premier.
We've tried it before and it didn't work.
There were many negatives, one being the fact that everyone played each other four times, which of course is happening in the First Division this term.
If regionalisation worked and things were running smoothly in, say, five years' time, many more than 10 teams would be looking for, and deserving of, a place at the top table.
However, a 22 team Premier is an attractive option for the game as a whole as it would also greatly reduce the gap between the haves and the have-nots in the eircom League.
At the moment, several poorly supported Dublin clubs make up the bulk of the Premier, while regional clubs such as Sligo Rovers, Athlone Town and Galway United continue to boast decent crowds.
Rovers had almost 3,000 through the gate on Saturday as they took a step closer to promotion, but with regular visits from the likes of Cork City, Shels, or Derry, this figure would be common place, if not superseded.
The same would also be true in Cobh, Monaghan and Kilkenny, while the reduction in Dublin derbies, which have become less significant as a result of their regularity, would also be a good thing for the game on a national level.
Another major point of the report is the recommended merger between the League and the FAI. This is clearly the way to go and it's unbelievable that it hasn't happened yet.
It's quite clear that Genesis is suggesting that the eircom League has a lot of potential and can reach that potential if given the right guidance.
Clubs must integrate more with their local communities and present themselves to aspiring young players as an attractive alternative to English clubs.
All of that is possible, if the clubs can agree on Genesis' recommendations. That will be the hard part.
On a separate, but indirectly connected matter, wasn't it great to see Kevin Doyle get his international call-up at last? Sad though, that the record books will show that it was as a Reading player and not as a Cork City man. If only Genesis had been called in a few years earlier!
