I take it that means we are not entering passerby?Quote:
Originally Posted by passerrby
A pity imo. The costs to enter and then run a team in the A league are high though.
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I take it that means we are not entering passerby?Quote:
Originally Posted by passerrby
A pity imo. The costs to enter and then run a team in the A league are high though.
Everyone who applied was not accepted - I know of at least one club who had an application declined. also, someone mentioned Letterkenny Rovers - they were initially very interested, but they have since pulled out their application.
Ridiculous stuff from the FAI. Galway can hardly sustain 1 LOI club and now we will have 4 teams from Galway. The Genisis report recomended an 8 team premier division and to get rid of the rest the FAI seem to think they know better. We have to get our league back before these idiots fcuk it up completely.
United certainly seem to have put in lot of effort into branding themselves as the senior team for Galway city and county. Important to remember that a much bigger city with a much longer soccer tradition couldn't support two league teams.
I seem to remember nothing but love for the FAI when Galway were elected to the premier division. Genesis should't be allowed near football in this country IMO.Quote:
Originally Posted by GuisaSaigon
I'm not disagreeing with your gripe about the 2 new teams BTW.
This is not going to split support. If anyone thinks that 3 A-League teams (all playing against Galway United Reserves) are going to take support away from Galway United, then they're clearly insane.
Team at the A-League level just aren't going to be a factor. Does anyone on here seriously expect the average attendance at that level to even reach 100?
The A-League isn't being created for fans, it's all about the clubs and the players. It gives clubs a potential route into the proper league, and it gives players somewhere to play (in particular the squad players at the Premier clubs).
And if one (or more) of the Galway clubs do get promoted into the league, then good for them - it can only happen if they rightfully earn it on the pitch.
Its not about support. Its about galway Utd going out to sponsors and being told they're giving their money to Mervue instead. Its about having to share the pitiful amount of coverage they already get. Its about splitting the 30/40 players of anyway decent standard between 3 clubs. It absolutely impacts on Galway utdQuote:
Originally Posted by incident
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
For once Dodge we agree.The FAI should have just left it as areserve league if they couldnt get enough teams to go forward. Geezers point about our 2 erstwhile colleagues have really turned up trumps is very true here absolute madness.
But surely plenty of businesses sponsor Mervue at the moment so GUFC are competing with them in that way anyway.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
You could argue that Mervue languishing in the lower part of the A league could be less attractive to sponsors than if they were topping the Connacht Senior league.
I would like to hear Salthill and Mervue giving their reasons for joining the A league. If their long term aim is to join the "Senior" LOI it's hard to see how having 3 senior teams in Galway can be sustainable in terms of support and sponsor base and playing strength.
Sponsorship? I presume that the clubs will already have sponsors in their existing leagues. Are they taking money away from GUFC at the moment? Anyone looking to spend a notable amount of money is most likely to do so because they want people to see their logo. Which leads to..Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
Coverage? How much coverage do you expect the A-League to get exactly? I'll be impressed if any national paper even bothers to print the results or table.. Indiividual teams might attract a bit of local coverage, but that happens anyway, with or without the A-League.
Fact is, the playing field is not level, and GUFC have a distinct advantage over the A League sides in every measurable way. If they end up losing any measurable support/sponsorship/coverage/players/etc to one of the A-League sides, then it can only be because GUFC are doing something very very wrong.
But mervue and salthill will need a massive injection of cash to pay for these two new teams to play in a national league (and I know its regional but its less regional than they're used to). salthill can compensate for it by dropping their u21 side but for mervue its a big step up. And the words notable and reasonable don't really apply to football fundraising when every euro mattersQuote:
Originally Posted by incident
And now there's more teams, playing at a higher level. Are you saying they won't get any coverage at all locally?Quote:
Indiividual teams might attract a bit of local coverage, but that happens anyway, with or without the A-League.
Don't be ridiculous. Of course Galway have the edge but they can't stop people being sold raffle tickets by Mervue first, or insist that local press cover all their games only.Quote:
Fact is, the playing field is not level, and GUFC have a distinct advantage over the A League sides in every measurable way. If they end up losing any measurable support/sponsorship/coverage/players/etc to one of the A-League sides, then it can only be because GUFC are doing something very very wrong.
I've no great love for Galway but only the foolish thinks that this, at the very least, makes it harder for them
If such a thing as the connacht senior League existed, you could argue this :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by paudie
Today's Galway Advertiser has a big Photo and article announcing Salthill's new sponsorship deal with Mr Naughton and Mr Byrne of the FAI displaying Salthill's new shirt.
For 5 years Galway could not produce a team capable of promotion from the first division, neither the players nor the resources exist to support four senior teams within 10 miles of each other in Galway.
It's all very well saying "every euro matters", but we both know that's not the whole story - eL clubs can and do turn away money.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
If someone offered Galway United (say) 500 Euros a season for primary Shirt Sponsorship, then they'd most likely be turned down flat - whereas that figure could be a lot more realistic for a lower level club.
I won't claim that there's no overlap whatsoever, but for the most part GUFC will be chasing a different pool of potential sponsors to the A-League sides.
I'm saying the coverage won't be significantly more than they get already - and that it won't reduce the amount of coverage GUFC get in the slightest. It'll be the clubs left back in the regional leagues that lose out on coverage.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
That's not really relevant to the A-League - any Football club, regardless of level, can sell raffle tickets. So can GAA clubs, and Rugby clubs for that matter - and they all do. Competition has been there all along. All the A-League does is marginally elevate certain clubs, but they're still not even approaching the same level as GUFC.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
For once I actually have a degree of sympathy for Galway United, ridiculous to have that many clubs from what traditionally isn't exactly a footballing hotbed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jebus
And that says it all for me.Genuine football fans who argue every toss of the coin as far as our 2 clubs are concerned agree that this is madness.
Ah Jebus you must've had a visit from the ghost of Christmas past or something.Quote:
Originally Posted by jebus
If you're expressing sympathy for us we're really screwed:D
It would be best not to bring up Christmas past (in particular last year) when I'm showing sympathy for you lot :)Quote:
Originally Posted by MyTown
Best of luck to the sides going up.
The point I'm making is that Galway Utd lost 70k last year and very much living on the edge. Every small thing that lessens their appeal or even news worthiness has an unduly impact on them (and other LOI clubs) as we're already working with no comfort zone.Quote:
Originally Posted by incident
Of course this isn't a major issue in the grand league scheme. I just think its a waste having 3 teams in the league from such a small area, and it doesn't exactly tell clubs that the FAI will support them in marketing drives
This is typical of the FAI. Short-sighted policy which is mirrored in the Junior game too, to the detriment of existing clubs. Anybody can start a football club, anywhere in Ireland, even if there is already a club in that very area. It fragments the game and should not be allowed. This doesn't happen in the GAA, hence the magnificent facilities all over the country.
This would be the organisation with a club in every frigging parish in the country?Quote:
Originally Posted by drummerboy
heres my two pence worth;
Mervue and Salthill have both been looking to play senior football for a few years. Both have genuinely progressive juvenile sections, great facilities (especially Salthill) good boards behind them, excellent fund raising/(grant getting) abilities and a hankering to play at a higher level than Junior A football.
The CSL was abandoned a few years back and there was talk of it being re-inxstated this season but afaik only 5 clubs in the provence applied to enter so it was shelved again.
I am seriously surprised that both clubs have been accepted and although I thought that one of them should get the nod I am extremely, extremely surprised at both.
There is a genuine feeling from some in the game locally that Galway would rather it's own players to be playing senior football and not mercenaries from, for exampe, Dublin coming down picking up their cheque and not givving a damn. Most agree that this would mean a team who will only languish in the first division. A sort of successful (supposidly) team V local team scenario.
Personally I feel that both clubs (Mervue and Salthill) aspire to reach the first division and provide local players the opportunity to play senior football. The fact that both clubs are in the A league will totally diminish each others chances of reaching the next level and as someone said above chances are that at least one of them will be crap....
Yes indeed, but it is better to have one well organised club than 4 badly run, under-funded clubs in each parish.Quote:
Originally Posted by John83
in fairness all 3 clubs (GUFC, Salthill, Mervue) are very well run in their own right.Quote:
Originally Posted by drummerboy
Will Salthill and Mervue be resigning their Junior status and enter this league exclusively?
Also what are the implications for the FAI Cup? I assume the A-League sides will automatically be entered into the First Round. How does that impact on the other non-league qualifiers - do the Intermediate or Junior Cup lose places?
Finally and slightly off topic what, if any, is the difference between a Junior club and an Intermediate club?
As far as I can tell Killester United are the best non-league club in the country but they're a Junior club. Is there a prospect that the Junior/Intermediate grades could be merged so that Irish football has a proper football pyramid like in every other country. It seems to me now that they're only 3 Intermediate leagues in the whole country - Leinster Senior League, Munster Senior League and Ulster Senior League. -
Junior is below Intermediate. In dublin terms its quite a bit below.
I know it's "below" but why? What is the definition of a "junior club" and an "intermediate club"
It's not as if Killester can get promoted from the AUL Premier up to LSL and it seems to me as if tomorrow I want to set up a club, if I'm in the Southside I'll join the LSL and on the Northside it's AUL.
Think the difference between Junior and Intermediate has something to do with the use of public pitches
Mmmm not really true.Quote:
Originally Posted by JC_GUFC
As raheny red said, teams in the LSL can't play on public parks. Previously junior sides didn't have access to the FAI senior cup.
At the bottom, there's little defference between the playing levels of junior and intermediate, but there's dozens of leagues in the LSL. The top teams in the LSl will pay their manager and some players too
Well if you look at the AUL in Dublin most clubs now have their own ground.
St Kevin's pitch and clubhouse is one of the best I've ever seen, although they've no room for development. Likewise Killester's ground is decent. There's no way either of these clubs would have any intention of leaving the AUL to join the LSL but to me both would have as much to offer to the eL as Cherry Orchard or Belgrove.
I know it's completely off topic but in my view the structures of Irish football are a total mess. I actually think the A-League is a good idea to get some sort of pyramid system in place but on a regional level it needs to be better organised.
But they don't have to...Quote:
Originally Posted by JC_GUFC
Agreed. But the vast vast majority of people involved in irish football on the admin side don't see the LOI as being the pinnacle and have no interest in it at all. They don't want a situation that makes them feel like a small part in a big pyramid They're happy living in their delusions of being "big clubs"Quote:
I know it's completely off topic but in my view the structures of Irish football are a total mess. I actually think the A-League is a good idea to get some sort of pyramid system in place but on a regional level it needs to be better organised.
well from a connacht perspective:Quote:
Originally Posted by JC_GUFC
Junior is Sh1te and....
...we don't have intermediate!!!:D:D
The top tier of the LSL is quite competitive. However, Killester and a couple of other AUL teams would hold their own. The overall standard of the AUL is not as high as the LSL intermediate divisions. Its not a northside, southside thing either, there are a large number of northside clubs in the LSL, Belgrove, Tolka Rovers, Skerries, Phoenix, Drums ect,. The big difference is the standard of facilities in the LSL. Take the 3rd division of the intermediate section, Beggsboro, Drums, Edenderry, Parkvilla (Navan) all play on Friday nights, with Celbridge and Larkview to follow shortly.Quote:
Originally Posted by JC_GUFC
The fact of the matter is that clubs with wonderful facilities, like Arklow, Tolka Rovers don't seem to want to play in the Eircom League. I'm assuming the cost of such a venture is the biggest drawback.
well galway , speaking from my own point of veiw the majority of soccer fans in galway follow the junior soccer scene before galway utd. and im in the same boat.its not out of disrespect for Utd, its just i would prefer watching local teams because thats exactly what they are,than have to watch to a side with little or no locals in the starting 11Quote:
Originally Posted by galwayhoop
Fair play to Utd in all their hard work over the last few years and i have taken in quite a few matches over the years, but i dont see mervue & salthill being in the A division would take away from Utd that much!
In relation to the standard of the 2 sides , at the moment i dont think either side would set the league alight, just look at the galway league, Athenry are flying ahead at the moment and we have no intention of moving from this league until we are well able to compete at the highest level consistantly and get another crack at the FAI Junior Cup!
I'm obviously not up to speed with the current structure of football in Connacht. Should never have let my subscription to the Connacht Tribune lapse;)Quote:
Originally Posted by GuisaSaigon
So Salthill and Mervue play in Galway junior league I presume?
The other division will have Derry, Harps, Sligo and the Galway teams so much of a muchness as regards distances to travel I'd say.Quote:
Originally Posted by MojoPin
I know one guy who played for Junior clubs in the AUL rather than LSL clubs because then he qualified for the Junior International side
That was the case until recently. Now the team is called an Amateur International team and can include LSL, MSL, and USL players once they have not played EL footballQuote:
Originally Posted by monutdfc
dont know to be honest but no team from eircom league want this so who exactly wants this. also i heard waterford (not Limerick)were the only team to express an interest in the new league i wonder why hmmQuote:
Originally Posted by monutdfc
Quote:
Originally Posted by padjoe
This is a joke.
3 Teams from Galway City. The chances of either new teams progressing to any decent standard are somewhere between slim and none. Did anyone ever see Saltill Devon's ground? It is in the middle of nowhere on top of a hill with no shelter. And yet another Dublin team. I personally have lost all respect and confidence in the FAI!