Originally Posted by
Jofspring
The FAI would need to force it because it would be better for all leagues to do it together than the one or two that are at the moment. To coincide with the LOI was because it is working for the LOI and for no other reason. So why would they go back? The quality of players in the LOI has improved by playing on better pitches week in week out, proof of this being the amount of players that are starting to make there way to England and be successful in the higher divisions (Doyle, Long, McClean, Fahy to name a few) there is far less risk of going a month to two months without a game also (in Shannon Hibs case 3 months).
Obviously Junior soccer is more interactive because the number of teams greatly out numbers the amount of LOI teams and the standard is lower so more people can participate. I don't see what relevance that has though to playing in the summer. I don't know if it is more popular either, maybe in Limerick but not many other places, certainly not in Cork or Dublin anyway. I have been at a few Pike matches and there was about 60 at it and that was being generous. Junior is king in Limerick but in a lot of counties GAA, Rugby or Senior Soccer is a head of it.
People go on holidays all year round now, we have had players going on holiday in August, September, October, November, December (not to mention missing due to Christmas parties) and January. We have also had players missing for stags, work and emigrating so no matter what time of year games are on you will have players missing for other reasons like holidays etc....
Summer soccer would also allow for more midweek games and Saturday evening games, with later kick off times because the days are longer, which cancels out the commitments some people may have at weekends during the summer. No more kick offs at 6:15 on a Tuesday where lads have to rush from work or sitting in on a Saturday night knowing full well the ref will call off the game in the morning. It is still a possibility of happening but less likely.
Our pitch is decent enough but with Schoolboys, A's and B games all on it some weeks then the pitch can be out of action for anything from 2 weeks to a month. Not everyone has a groundsman to keep it in great nick or underground drainage.
There is also the cost of Astroturf that would be saved. A lot of teams have to pay for their Schoolboys and Junior teams to train on Astroturf most the year round where as in the Summer they can train on grass on their own pitches at virtually no cost.
There are plenty of reasons for and against summer soccer but I think if you asked everyone, most would prefer playing on a decent pitch on a nice day rather than in the freezing cold in the lashing rain on a mudding pitch that you are even struggling to run on. Staying in Saturday night and getting up at 9:00 in the morning on a Sunday fully in the knowlegde the ref is going to call it off.
