Kerry, Mayo, Meath, Kildare... well if you cant beat GAA to funding become them. I know you cant have a senior club in every town but does a county klub:rolleyes: really get buy in across a county? Its reasonable to hope so when you already have a county based sporting model that can fill one of the biggest stadiums in Europe a couple of times a year but honestly isnt a county team more a political thing to prevent very big ego noses being knocked out of joint if not in the picture somehow; It has less to do with supporter appeal and more to do with appeal to multiple clubs' officers (eg Galway 'United' FC circa 2010-13?!).
Maybe its the Louth experience that has influenced my thinking, thats its small size has made it particularly parochial and why Louth FC suggestions have been laughed away and that LoI fans in Dundalk and Drogheda would just quit rather than bother with such rubbish. But does a large county like Kerry really pull in significant support from beyond the home ground/town catchment. Cork is an example where a club representing the county town/city draws support from the county (sorry Cobh fans) but that was profile driven from the periods when Cork city clubs werent popping like a pan of popcorn. Would it not be better trying to appeal to a denser populated centre like Navan, called Navan and focus efforts rather than attempt a one size fits all, it still represents the county, might get the likes of Trim to look at things in a new pyramid system (Happy Christmas Legendz). We really are suffering from the lack of merit based incremental upward movement of clubs outside the senior game, that grow support organically as part of success - the only way to grow a multi generation support base in this country imo, and where historical success sustains things during barren spells - when a clubs resilience and tradition is truly tested. Parachuting in one size fits all county sides are as likely to work in the long run as an American sport investment firm in Dundalk - Kildare County gone, Kerry in its infancy so too soon to tell etc.
The only potential difference from the current state of play from past abortive attempts is that there may be some more solid ground to build on with national underage leagues. Wexford Youths can be deemed a countywide club success story probably, but were founded first and foremost to give local youths a route to senior football and where maybe the bigger picture was seen, though maybe Mick Wallace was just a formidible force and Wexford clubs rowed in behind his vanity project as it was described disparagingly at the time by some?
