Good. Can't understand how people think a single-tier solves anything. It would be the end of clubs barely surviving the FD.Quote:
Originally Posted by NeverFeltBetter
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Good. Can't understand how people think a single-tier solves anything. It would be the end of clubs barely surviving the FD.Quote:
Originally Posted by NeverFeltBetter
And 7 teams won't be the end of them surviving? Sure thing ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by gufcfan
Are teams going to play each other 5 times or what? Jesus, 4 is painful enough for most fixtures.
The FD fixtures will be announced as late as possible in case some other entity suddenly arrives to make up the numbers. But for the moment it appears as if seven teams is it. 24 games a season is probably too low, so 30 it will probably be, with an odd team out every matchday.
So, who here thinks their club will still be in the LOI this time next year under those conditions? In what order is the march to oblivion?
Where did this come from i havent seen it anywhere?Quote:
Originally Posted by NeverFeltBetter
My college dissertation concerned ethnic marketing, and apart from the Polish saying they preferred ads in their own language, no-one actually required any different attention to the general population. So, apart from the usual promotions, the best advice would be target the community centres, such as schools, churches, etc, and aside from any extra Irish fans, increased minority attendances will be an automatic by-product.Quote:
Originally Posted by citybone
For me the biggest problem with a 7 team division is the fact a team has a week off every round so that's a weekend where there is no money coming into the club but they still have to pay players, managers etc. If the FAI want to kill of the remaining second tier clubs they are going about it the right way.
"The 2014 Airtricity League season will commence on Friday, March 7. Further details on the 2014 season will be announced in due course."
Am I reading to much into this, but the way I read the above sounds like a one tier league?
I think so, don't see any implication of a one tier league there.
I don't take that from it. Except the fudge about in due course - probably mean the 5th March is when we'll know!Quote:
Originally Posted by Terry
Looks like 8 clubs in Division One next season. Released Shams players have formed Provisional Shams.
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Originally Posted by Mr A
Ye are probably right. Its just I was thinking that if there was 2 leagues next season, that they would have said "leagues" rather than "league".Quote:
Originally Posted by Macy
Seriously has to be more than 7 teams. Bad enough with 8 last year. Teams so spread out as well. Any FD transfer news about?
There's a thread about it on this very site somewhere if you were to go trawling for it. Fun times.Quote:
Originally Posted by bluewhitearmy
It's that the clubs you're referring to don't exist I would imagine while Tralee do (Monaghan may still have a ladies team or some such but my point remains)...Quote:
Originally Posted by legendz
Kilkenny had one too, forget his name. It clearly didn't do much for their crowds. Limerick had a Slovak who sat on the bench quite a lot.Quote:
Originally Posted by A face
I would have thought Mons would come back if it was worth their while. As in dropping the registration fee significantly. Kildare is gone, Newbridge are in the Leinster senior league somewhere maybe with a few promotions to the top of the leinster senior league and they might be viable then. Going back to when Kildare native Niall Quinn invested into a English club rather than a struggling team from his own county. He could have made Kildare a long lasting LOI club and a bit stronger but like thousands of Irish, they prefer to support the English clubs.
In recent years, the PD fixtures have come out in December.. before Christmas.Quote:
Originally Posted by bluewhitearmy
If that doesn't happen this year, it's likely that the FAI are packing more fudge than a Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie.
No sign that this is happening. FAI seem content to just keep up the pretence that the current structure is viable for league stability. In a few years, that never-ending debate on one tier/two tier will be academic.Quote:
Originally Posted by citybone
Shels selling season tickets based on 14 home games, so they think it's going to be an 8 team league.
At least one premier division team definitely planning to enter a reserve team in the first division. Don't think it's been confirmed yet though, maybe pending some other new club making an application.
But that will leave it open for all the other teams to enter a team. I dunno, i'd prefer if it were still the A Championship, then the First above it. Surely the FAI now need to move to resolve this problem long term rather than scrambling to get teams together at the start of a season. Can they not approach some of the junior leagues and look for representation and get them putting a team together. Grow the sport and give players a platform in which they can play to a higher level.Quote:
Originally Posted by passinginterest
Are we going to have this every year? The FAI is doing all it can to get teams in. They can't FORCE teams to join the league.
Are they really though? What are they doing to get teams into the league? Simply releasing a 'expressions of interest' statement isn't exactly helping clubs make the step up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
Except come up with a strategic plan to make the league a more sustainable and attractive place to be. It might not help this year, but maybe then we wouldn't have this debate every year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
The Genesis report on the league may have been a half arsed joke, but at least they had the interest to commission it and follow some of the recommendations. At this stage it feels like the FAI see the health of the league as essentially too lost a cause to tackle currently.
I know they've spoken to several clubs. The interest simply isn't there.Quote:
Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954
But that wasn't my question.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
What are they doing to help the clubs? Once a club gets into the League of Ireland, what exactly does the FAI plan to do to help the club settle into the League, adjust financially, and cope with the massive step up?
That could be anything from some chump in abbotstown, phoning some pal in an Intermediate or Junior club. Or it could mean a detailed discussion with the management committee of a club, with the FAI committing to helping the club to step up, providing supports (financial and/or expertise) etc etc. Given the lack of effort to keep clubs already in the league from going (some stories I've heard are shocking if true), I'd be guessing it's more the former than the later.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
What can they do while maintaining sporting integrity? They can't just hand them money to survive.Quote:
Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954
They gave the recent additions (Salthill & Mervue) serious leeway on licensing thereby reducing the cost involved in stepping up. Neither were able to grow any substantial following and therefore would never grow past the level they reached.
Granted Mervue reached a playoff but in reality they would never come close to anything other than cannon fodder if they got up due to the financial limitations of being a club with no fans.
Both of those clubs earned their place in the league on merit and are excellently run local clubs. And that's the main point, local clubs can only ever attract a finite amount of support or commercial interest. Any junior or intermediate club would be crazy to enter the LOI at this stage. It is a loss making activity for all clubs, even (particularly??) established clubs, bar one or two extreme examples.
I'm beginning to think that the only way new teams will enter the league is if they are manufactured. Amalgamated from numerous entities in areas with a high population density. The first of which is currently being spawned in Galway.
Time will tell whether the various factions have the appetite to see it through to it being successful. But in the short term I certainly don't see any clubs making the massive commitment to enter what is well and truly a graveyard division with close on no exposure for sponsors or clubs. It's financial suicide.
The fai could cover ref fees, cover insurance for clubs, provide club loans and overdraft (at a reduced rate compared to banks ), provide centralised back office like finance IT and legal for clubs.
Centralised buying of kits /balls/ steward jackets etc etc.
Just a few ideas off the top if my head. Effectively act like a Co-op for the clubs.
Or some clubs could (IMO should) come together in a Co-op structure to at least reduce costs by sharing resources and increasing their buying power to decrease costs .
I'm not talking about financial assistance. There's many other factors to running a successful club besides finances.
Fair enoughQuote:
Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954
Such as?Quote:
Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954
What do you think they could (realistically) do to attract a junior or intermediate side jump from local football to league of ireland next March?
7 teams, its already a joke having to play everyone 4 times !!
Fai dont give a fcuk about the first division..
Greater exposure. If a club is genuinely ambitious enough, surely they should be looking at League of Ireland level.Quote:
Originally Posted by galwayhoop
There's already many clubs right across the country that claim to be better than League of Ireland clubs. This is their chance to show it.
FAI need to provide assistance though, in ways such as appointing an advisor to them, to work alongside their board in the day to day running of a club. They only need to report once a week to make sure they're on the right track. As said before, relaxing licensing for a year or two to get the clubs up to speed should also be done.
FAI don't really need to be spending much to attract new clubs to the league, but they need to be doing more than simply asking "Do you want to join the league?, no? Okay then."
Most of these clubs are quite happy not to have their sham claim exposed. Seriously, look at how little impact ANY new entrant into the LOI has had in recent years. They're happy to live in their own little bubble.Quote:
Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954
And what happens if the clubs don't get up to standard? Kick them out for not being able to get the licence?Quote:
FAI need to provide assistance though, in ways such as appointing an advisor to them, to work alongside their board in the day to day running of a club. They only need to report once a week to make sure they're on the right track. As said before, relaxing licensing for a year or two to get the clubs up to speed should also be done.
It's a tough sell when clubs already in the league do nothing but **** and moan about it.Quote:
FAI don't really need to be spending much to attract new clubs to the league, but they need to be doing more than simply asking "Do you want to join the league?, no? Okay then."
I'm coming accross pro FAI and anti-new clubs here. That's really not the case. I just think anyone who believes there's any kind of market for new LOI clubs is deluded. Most of the bigger junior/intermediate clubs actively despise the LOI. They'll have seen what happened Kildare/Newbridge, Salthill, Mervue etc too
Are Wexford 100% on board for next year?
A six team league would be utterly laughable so hope so.
Therein shows a distinct lack of ambition. I'm talking about clubs who may actually have a realistic ambition. There certainly has to be at least two or three clubs in this whole country who fancy a crack at it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
Precisely. If any club, new or current don't pass licensing, they simply should not be allowed to compete. It'll soon give clubs a kick up the hole to sort themselves out and we might see an altogether healthier league.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
I understand exactly where you're coming from, don't get me wrong. I'm not completely deluded, and I do believe many clubs would be crazy under the current FAI regime to join the league. But realistic ambitions should see clubs want to make the step up eventually. The FAI should be looking to help clubs and help the league as a whole strengthen further.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
You'd have to imagine, non league clubs in the likes of England and continental leagues all hazard ambitions to climb as high up their respective ladders as they can. The mentality in Ireland is simply to be the big name locally and be happy with it. It's ridiculous.
I disagree with this but i agree with you're main point. I would like to see them looking at this in the long term, as opposed to firefighting, trying to make up the numbers. And i'd add to that by saying they should be looking at a regional A Championship as well as the first.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
Go on then, name them.Quote:
Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954
Or you're back to 6/7/8 clubs.Quote:
Precisely. If any club, new or current don't pass licensing, they simply should not be allowed to compete. It'll soon give clubs a kick up the hole to sort themselves out and we might see an altogether healthier league.
Its ridiculous but it's absolutely the fact we have to deal with.Quote:
You'd have to imagine, non league clubs in the likes of England and continental leagues all hazard ambitions to climb as high up their respective ladders as they can. The mentality in Ireland is simply to be the big name locally and be happy with it. It's ridiculous.
Silly request Dodge. You know exactly what I meant.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
Or you've a stricter league. Clubs are better run. League is better run. More enjoyment for everyone.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
This may be exactly what's wrong. Why should we deal with it? Why shouldn't we be trying to fix it?Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
Maybe there should be such clubs, but currently there's nothing to indicate that there is.