Indo: Aussie plan can help Eircom League bounce back

Here's the bits that are worth talking about.

Football in Australia was fcuked. End of. Now, no-one is saying that it isn't but at least there's cause for real optimism.

The national team has only qualifies for one world cup - 74. This is mainly becasue they only play a play-off games(s) every year against varying opposition. That's fixed from now as for Australia will now play in the Asia qualifiers from 2010. So if they're good enough over a campaign - like everyone else who qualifies, then then they'll be there.

More importantly, the doemstic league was dead. Really dead. Sh1te teams squabbling. Dwindling crowds. Bickering over heritage and tradition. Amateur administration. Seem vaguely familiar?

Worry less about the specific details of the solution in Australia. But if you do then you must put other suggestions forward.

The only point that really matters is that Australia took drastic steps and the early indication is that it's working.

If you're intersted you can find out more http://www.a-league.com.au/.

GDU, taking the difference in population into account -- a multiple of five -- it appears that this plan has succeeded in bringing Aussie football to at best roughly par with Irish attendances.
Where's the logic there in smashing the current set-up?

The Eircom league with all its faults is a bad comparision to the Aussie sitution.

The league here just needs someone (in any other country it would be the FA) to properly adminisor the league. Clubs need some kind of cap on wages in relation to their turnover. That would at least give a lot of stability to the league.

Crowds will improve if clubs get a better run in Europe and so will the facilities and the ref'ing along with all the rest of it.

The Eircom League needs reform not disbandment

I don't think the EL in current structure can reform. I believe the rules & admin need to be destroyed & start from blank page.

I see Andrew Packer in Sydney squad & he wasn't good enough for more than 5 minutes action with Cork City last season. Just shows people will watch teams if game is packaged correctly.

The EL could at least start with reasonable website details on teams, players, matches, tv time etc...?

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Originally Posted by Poor Student

Hits the nail on the head for me. Non-Dublin clubs have several advantages. Most of them are named after and wholly represent an entire town or county. .......

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No argument there. But the crowds achieved outside the pale clearly show that there is significant interest in soccer outside Dublin, which is what I was trying to convey. Just walk down any street in any rural town and count the soccer jerseys versus the GAA jerseys. Soccer is the most popular sport across the country, not just in Dublin. I just get a bit annoyed when I see people equating soccer with urban areas and GAA with provincial towns.

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Originally Posted by liamon

No argument there. But the crowds achieved outside the pale clearly show that there is significant interest in soccer outside Dublin, which is what I was trying to convey. Just walk down any street in any rural town and count the soccer jerseys versus the GAA jerseys. Soccer is the most popular sport across the country, not just in Dublin. I just get a bit annoyed when I see people equating soccer with urban areas and GAA with provincial towns.

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Look at the attendances in county GAA matches and ask yourself is soccer really more popular than GAA. A lot of soccer jerseys may be sold, but that counts for nothing.

Judget the popularity of the sport by participation levels and attending spectators. I think that soccer has a long way to go before it can be considered the most popular sport in the country.

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Originally Posted by ThatGuy

Judget the popularity of the sport by participation levels and attending spectators. I think that soccer has a long way to go before it can be considered the most popular sport in the country.

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[SIZE=4]No it hasn't[/SIZE]

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Originally Posted by BohDiddley

[SIZE=4]No it hasn't[/SIZE]

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So if Gerry McDermott and John Delaney say it then it must be true. I don't think there are many participation sports played around where either of them live.

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Originally Posted by liamon

No argument there. But the crowds achieved outside the pale clearly show that there is significant interest in soccer outside Dublin, which is what I was trying to convey. Just walk down any street in any rural town and count the soccer jerseys versus the GAA jerseys. Soccer is the most popular sport across the country, not just in Dublin. I just get a bit annoyed when I see people equating soccer with urban areas and GAA with provincial towns.

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However this obsession with less Dublin clubs does not match up with this point. The amount of Dublin clubs in the league just about reflects the chunk of the state's population in the Dublin area. Non-Dublin clubs will get bigger attendences on the big occasion more on the basis of local pride than love of the game. I'd say passion is fairly equal about the country.