I can't stand the constant changing of teams and formats in the league,Really annoying and it doesn't seem to serve any purpose at all
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I can't stand the constant changing of teams and formats in the league,Really annoying and it doesn't seem to serve any purpose at all
Wash your mouth out - it has been keeping the likes of us on the internet discussing it backwards and preventing us from properly venting our general dissatisfaction with the society we live in by striking, protesting, rioting, causing general unrest and ultimately revolution. Sure CEO of the FAI is a Presidential appointment.
this is one of my hobby horses
20 teams is the optimum size for any league - there isn't a 10 or 12 team league anywhere in the world that has been a success
20 teams in the premier division (preferably all Ireland but still 20 teams if not)
3 teams relegated to first division (current A championship) - this is vital, any fewer and bottom half of the league would be too dead
relegation would be like being sent to purgatory but bottom half of 1st division already is like purgatory. and would affect only 2 of the current 22 teams. and getting out of new 1st division would be quite easy
teams in new premier division get to play (mostly) the same teams each year - big boost to financial stability of current 1st division teams, guaranteed home games against big sides, guaranteed derbies most years (cobh v cork, harps v derry). less boom and boost of promotion and relegation - clubs can plan long term.
downside is fewer dublin derbies - but would crowds be bigger at those games as a result if only two bohs v rovers games a season for example ? and also quality of football in the short to medium term.
teams currently fighting relegation from the PD would be mid table in the new set up and go from losing most of their games to having respectable win loss records - good for crowds.
another problem for 10 team league is number of teams from in and around dublin - with sporting fingal you could realistically have 8 out of 10 teams in the PD from this region at some point in the future if not changed. if cork had gone bust we could conceivably have had 9.
ideally increase a championship and switch to three regions to get more non-league clubs involved and keep travelling costs down. more clubs involved the more chance we have of finding clubs that can attract support and be successful. not the end of the world if clubs drop out again after a few years
finally lower requirements for facilities at grounds - let clubs like mervue utd play at their own grounds, keep costs down and don't scare current non-league teams away by demanding money spent on grounds
give it a go for 5 seasons and see how crowds are affected
In principle i see what you you are saying throughout but very idealistic, in particular the above comment, in reality, works out to be horsesh*te as mid table safety toward the latter half of a season equals a fraction of early season support...i have no idea of a working solution myself tbh, i just hate the current set up, 12 team division was marginally better, splitting the league was/will be a disaster - so 16 teams and trying and have every place in the league worth fighting for, eg significant jumps in prize money even between say 10th and 11th, play-off access to a competition (setanta cup or similar) for lower placed teams etc. just something that keeps clubs and fans motivated as their status is secured and if they are not in the championship/cup/relegation mix.
he said a success Reiteoir... ;)
I think its important for a team to be winning - not easy to drum up support when you're losing all the time. i think its better to beat a 16th place team than draw or lose to a 8th place team. if you have the 8th best team in the country, in a 20 team league you would be winning games. in a 10 team league you hardly ever do. just my theory - i think it would help, no evidence to back it up. lets try it.
i agree about mid table meaningless games. but looking at England there isn't a huge variance in size of crowds a club gets during a season. maybe we can get to that stage too where crowds stay relatively constant. with a bit of stability maybe going to games becomes more of a habitual thing - not so dependent on how team is doing
some english divisions have 24 teams and only top 6 places mean anything - we would have top 4 qualifying for europe so it isn't a huge difference
SPL is a terrible league - and the number of teams is one of the main problems IMO
MLS only started with 10 teams. it has 15 now and will have 18 soon. and it hasn't been an unqualified success - crowds haven't grown and most teams are losing money. interestingly the two healthiest teams are seattle and toronto who were expansion teams. we should be taking risks on new teams too
I doubt A-League would thrive for long if they stuck with 10 teams (new teams from melbourne and sydney will join soon) and most a-league teams have seen drops in attendance this year
one 16 team league would be the way to go,
and do away with this first division peice of shyte,
most people in this country will never go out and pay to watch shytty 1st division.