Clare Soccer - A huge improvement
Lads gone are the days (in most clubs) of changing at the side of the road/back seats of cars. O' Neills gaelic footballs (just one) and little interest by some clubs/players.
I can recall Newmarket being one of the only clubs in the league with a dressing room. The pitch had a slope. Now they have 2 fantastic surfaces. Lifford's facilites are a credit and gone are the days of playing at the back of Our Lady's hospital. The county grounds are being worked on at present. If the Bridge put in dressing rooms and a new drain they'd be away. Tulla's place is fantastic and will only improve with the new drains. Newspaper coverage of the league has advanced significantly and this very forum is one of the busiest.
Leas Rd is a good facility though the pitches are overused (think they are closing soon for much needed maintenace).
With all this investment I can assure you all that the football has improved too. Lifford A V Bunratty A last Sunday was an enjoyable match, played on an excellent surface with plenty of passing. There is even a club in Gort that have entered 3 teams into the schoolboys league and left Galway. A poster was describing the poor football at both cup semi finals. From my recollection the weather was bad that weekend and that effects games.
Lifford B are a quality side with quality players. They have good strikers too. I think the Cup Final will be a good display of the standard of football in Clare. To say Lifford B don't deserve their place is wrong. They earned it and it is anyones final.
The standard of football is good and no worse than any other league nationwide. Good to have a healthy debate though