Posted this below - but just wanted to get views on it

Be careful in relation to how objection to the proposed move is expressed. What is important is that if you are against Pike then what are you for?

And this is a big problem that I see in the proposals of Gael et al. Talking about the Markets Field and Thomond Park is fine and dandy but how realistic are these.

1. The MF is not for sale. It 'might' come up for sale. If we reject Pike and play in Jackman for another season (or play in Pike for short-term - though why would Pike facilitate us in this?) and the MG does indeed come up for sale how will Limerick FC buy it. That is where will the money come from? And be realistic in your answer if you have one - fans? committee? JP MacManus? None seem viable. And you also have the problem that if the club can buy then Bord na gCon know the buyer needs the ground and push up the price. Then the redevelopment has to be paid for....

2. Thomond Park - a short-term solution? How much will it cost. It would cost more than the Jacks and more than Pike. Just the insurance alone would cost more. And come Autumn what would the pitch be like when the rubby starts again.

As a venue Thomond Park is nicer than the Jacks and Pike but is the extra comfort worth it.

Lets consider the Pike option.

Disadvantages
1. Location - distance from town and area
2. Its not the Markets Field

Advantages
1. Cheaper - I would expect that Limerick get a long term lease at a reduced cost. Pike Rovers get FAI money to develop. Limerick FC facilities get better.
2. Better pitch
3. Clubhouse
4. Parking
5. No need to deal with LDMC

IMO the Pike deal seems to make business sense - for Limerick FC and for Pike. Limerick can't afford to buy a ground. What do they bring to the table - the potential of FAI money to develop. Pike have a ground that needs to be developed and that will lay idle for the summer. The pitch is really good. And there is a clubhouse to chat with players/visiting supporters etc after the games.

When we boil it down is it really just the location that is the problem here. If that is the case then how much of a problem is it?

As it happens I agree with most of the points you're making LFC In Exile, Pike isn't the end of the World and I don't think it's death knell for the club. To address your points:

The Market's Field - It will be up for sale in the next year or so and given that the Pike deal hasn't commited us to there in the long-term yet the club should try and buy it - either A) by making a serious effort to track down JP/Cranberries/Richard Harris' estate or whoever to contribute or B) approaching the city to buy it and make us tenants. There is massive, massive potential there and I do think it's the best place Limerick could play. However I also agree with you that at this second in time it's a non-runner.

Thomond Park - It's quite possible that as you suggest the price would have been prohibitive. There's a [SIZE=4]BIG[/SIZE] but here though. The club didn't explore the option and they should have. If it wasn't affordable or whatever then so be it but they should have checked it out at least.

Pike Field - I'm not as opposed to it as some of the lads are, like you said it's got a great surface, a club house and some limited parking spaces (more than we ever had at The Jacks anyway). Even the location isn't a big deal for me, as Nempton pointed out in another thread people went to Rathbane. Anybody who doesn't go to watch Limerick because they fear for their safety is a snobbish tw@t who probably votes Fine Gael (:)) and can not even pretend to be a true fan. Socially there's nothing with where Pike is situated, it's right on the outskirts of Southill and it's quiet enough. Geographically it's not great though, I don't think there's any regular bus service out there and it's a long walk from the city-centre. We haven't got many fair-weather fans though so I don't think we'll lose many. We might even attract some new fans from amongst the locals and I think it was Nempton again who observed that we might even grab some of the Pike regulars.

My major objection to Pike is that no matter what people say at the moment it's a dump. No covering, no seating and it's not even enclosed fully so people can easily get in without paying. And because of the position of the pitch there's no space for development on at least one side. If you don't want to lose the parking that's two sides of the pitch with little scope for development. The only real solution I feel (though it's too late to do this season) will be to move the pitch. Of course this will mean losing one of the other pitches and I doubt Pike will agree to that so I'm not convinced yet that we'll get any kind of a semi-decent ground out of it. Apparently there are plans floating about so maybe they'll convince me. We'll see.

Pike Field is not an awfully bad move for Limerick FC. However it's not the best move we could make. I'm pleased that at the moment we're only signed in for 'the foreseeable future' rather than any set length of time so that we still have the option of going if it doesn't work out. The licensing arrangement means this move is an important one for Limerick and I'd still only give the city a 50/50 chance of having a League of Ireland club in 3-4 years. I hope it works and I believe it might but just because we're in Pike for now doesn't mean we should settle there permanently.

slk vacates soapbox for next speaker...