16 Team Premier Division & Return to Winter Football.......

Looks like the Premier Division will be expanded for the 2012 season according to Fran Gavin in todays indo. It will certainly make promotion from the First Division alot easier in the coming seasons in contrast to this years ridiculous system. A return to the Markets fied ASAP is now of paramount importance if we are not to be left behind in first division obscurity. Also a return to Winter football is favoured by a majority of clubs. Personally i would much rather a return to Winter football although undersoil heating may have to be installed in the Markets Field!!!! Does anyone know what the clubs preference is regarding Winter v Summer football??

Limerick woyld certainly be a part of a 16 team Premier and the Markets Field would be an amazng platform for the club to re-launch itself back into the big time. Winter football for me anytime...I'd even love a return to the Sunday afternoon kick off at 2.00.

I dont think its hand picked i think its no relegation and top 6 in 1st division go up. Thats what ive been told anyway.

Why would ye prefer Winter ?

Winter football - did any of ye see the state of the pitch at Bray v Monaghan? Thats what we'll get with winter football. Will make for a very poor standard. And you can be sure Athlone will have a lot of matches called off as thier pitch is very prone to water-logging.

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Originally Posted by KevB76

Winter football - did any of ye see the state of the pitch at Bray v Monaghan? Thats what we'll get with winter football. Will make for a very poor standard. And you can be sure Athlone will have a lot of matches called off as thier pitch is very prone to water-logging.

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Thats what i was thinking myself we would have an awful lot of matches postponed if we went back to winter.

Just been said on the radio that it will most likely be 12 teams for 2012 with a view to then expanding to 16. Sunday Kick offs would be a bad idea if you ask me. Especially in the winter as it rules out a lot of people that play junior soccer and thats not just in Limerick. I don't mind Fridays but purely for away matches i'd love Saturday games. No preference for winter. With the way our winters are going we would have a lot of matches called off. If it was last season you could have pretty much ruled out the whole month of December and the start of January for matches.

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Originally Posted by KevB76

Winter football - did any of ye see the state of the pitch at Bray v Monaghan? Thats what we'll get with winter football. Will make for a very poor standard. And you can be sure Athlone will have a lot of matches called off as thier pitch is very prone to water-logging.

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And remember Fingal vs Bray last season. It was a disaster. Irish Pitches aren't really up to the bad weather if you ask me.

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Originally Posted by Jofspring

And remember Fingal vs Bray last season. It was a disaster. Irish Pitches aren't really up to the bad weather if you ask me.

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Yeah, it only takes one match played in wet conditions to ruin the pitch for weeks, because theres no growth to help it recover (and not much chance of it drying in the following weeks either)!

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Originally Posted by Jofspring

Just been said on the radio that it will most likely be 12 teams for 2012 with a view to then expanding to 16. Sunday Kick offs would be a bad idea if you ask me. Especially in the winter as it rules out a lot of people that play junior soccer and thats not just in Limerick. I don't mind Fridays but purely for away matches i'd love Saturday games. No preference for winter. With the way our winters are going we would have a lot of matches called off. If it was last season you could have pretty much ruled out the whole month of December and the start of January for matches.

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So that would be 2 straight up no relegation im guessing. Or top straight up play off between 2nd and 3rd in 1st division and no relegation.

I said it on main forum but the way i'd do winter football is August to Mid November with a break until Febuary but in the middle of the break have two rounds of derby fixtures on Stephens Day and around New Years.

We wont be in a sixteen team Premier if we're in Jackman Park.

I'm guessing 12 in 2012 means two go up and third playoff against bottom in the Premier?? You'd still have to have some kind of relegation threat surely??

Sunday kick offs are a no go imo. Junior football and Ford Super Sunday.

How about 3pm Saturdays?? :)

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Originally Posted by Lim till i die

How about 3pm Saturdays?? :)

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Yes please

if the clubs and the FAI get together and use a modern pitch construction and maintanenceand usage system, winter football is entirely possible... if you look at some of the better junior pitches in ireland you can see that it is possible...2 example of what i mean,1 good 1 bad ,(good) Terryland park hosts about 90 matches year round(if possible less matches).. proper maintanence and construction.I know at the start of this LOI season it was a bit ropey but we had a freak of a winter last year.(bad,but improving)Jackmann Park. proper construction...Brutal Maintanence...could be as good as terryland only for the poor maintance. 60-100k will get you a top class pitch but you have too maintain it to the correct standard....if you had winter footy you would have at leat 12 weeks for renovations during the summer(terryland get about 2 weeks for renovation,Jackmann i dont know).

The one thing i will say about Jackman is the last month or two of the season was the best nick i have ever seen the pitch in.

Hold up, seems Fran Gavin has spoken out of turn and had his wrist slapped by the Emperor Delaney.

Amazing that there's never any fai statements clarifying that Delaney was speaking in a 'personal capacity'...




From rte.ie
Wednesday, 10 November 2010 16:02

The Football Association of Ireland has moved to distance itself from suggestions that there will be no relegation from the Airtricity League Premier Division next year.
Airtricity League director Fran Gavin Gavin told newspapers that because there had been a recognition of a requirement for a bigger Premier Division in 2012, a decision on promotion/relegation in 2011 should be made quickly.
Some reports suggested that the decision not to have relegation in 2011 had already been made.

The Association released a statement which said no decision on the format of next year's competitions had been taken.
It said that quotes attributed to Gavin and reported in the media were 'personal opinions' and that the issue would be resolved by the board of the FAI only after consultation with all of the game's stakeholders.
Full text of FAI statement:
'Following today's media coverage, regarding the Airtricity League Premier Division for the 2012 season, the FAI would like to clarify the following;
'Quotes attributed to Airtricity League Director, Fran Gavin in many of today's papers about the possible expansion of the Airtricity League Premier Division were personal opinions expressed to the media.
'The FAI Board are considering next year's format and no decision has yet been made. Any decision which is expected in the coming month will be made after consultation with all stakeholders in the game.'

Mild day out in Salthill or Cork V Freezing cold night with wind a driving rain in Wexford or Monaghan.......hmmmm let me think which one id go for.

would winter matches be to chilly for the cheerleaders

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Originally Posted by nosebleds

would winter matches be to chilly for the cheerleaders

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+ 1 for Winter football

Hmmmm I could just see that orange tan running along with the jet black hair dye.........winter footie is the future lads! Pity the cold wont effect the hard-ons on the lads who let them into the club in the first place. :waving:

winter matches kick off 2 00 or3.oo cheerladies training from 10.30 give them time to warm up u know urselves lads

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Originally Posted by nosebleds

winter matches kick off 2 00 or3.oo

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Someone rob the floodlights? :dunno:

Personally I'd love games to be on a saturday or sunday afternoon but think gates would suffer.

Summer football for me - better weather and it is a great help to our clubs in Europe which I hope we'll be one again some day in the not too distant future.

What do ye make of the possibility Limerick could be playing in a regional Division One?

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Originally Posted by legendz

What do ye make of the possibility Limerick could be playing in a regional Division One?

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It would be a disaster.

Personally i'm trying not to think of that and hope we can get at least 3rd in the league and be in the play off and if not then grab one of the automatic spots.

I think you're right. It's why I'm surprised it looks like coming about. It'll be great for Tralee and new clubs but it should not be hitting established clubs. Surely a Division One of 8 below a Premier of 16 is better than a split and a regional league.

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Originally Posted by legendz

I think you're right. It's why I'm surprised it looks like coming about. It'll be great for Tralee and new clubs but it should not be hitting established clubs. Surely a Division One of 8 below a Premier of 16 is better than a split and a regional league.

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To most the people who go to Limerick games week in week out it probably won't make a huge difference because they will go regardless but for the rest it would hit Limerick hard.

I wouldn't mind seeing teams like Tralee and Carlow in the First Division purely for the spread but to play them 4 times a season is not appealing to the general public. I would think 1 match against the likes of Shels at home would have a higher attendance than the two games against Tralee put together. This is where the biggest killer will be.

That's it as well. The clubs in the A Championship would have built more if they worked their way by right to a national league. Because clubs like ours in Tralee and others aren't ready for a national league, it's ridiculous to be demoting Limerick and the other Division One clubs to a regional league.
It'll be great for Limerick to be part of a Premier of 16. If the club came up short and was in Division One, it'll be better on in a national league of 8 than a regional league of 8.

The Regional First Division as bandied about is a joke.

Northern Section has Harps, Longford, Athlone, Mervue, Salthill.

Southern Section has Cork, Waterford, Shels, Limerick, Wexford.

:bulgy:

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Originally Posted by Lim till i die

The Regional First Division as bandied about is a joke.

Northern Section has Harps, Longford, Athlone, Mervue, Salthill.

Southern Section has Cork, Waterford, Shels, Limerick, Wexford.

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It also includes the addition of 5 A Championship clubs and Fanad Utd from Donegal, making the two sections of 8.
I can't see why clubs would not want a Premier of 16. Even if you are a club in the bottom half of Division One, surely they are better on in a Division One of 8 that is a national league than in a regional league of 8?

I'd rather keep the football in the summer personally. When we are playing qualifiers for the Champions League in a few years, at least the players will be match fit and not having to put off their summer holiday :)

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Originally Posted by Castletroy_Blue

I'd rather keep the football in the summer personally. When we are playing qualifiers for the Champions League in a few years, at least the players will be match fit and not having to put off their summer holiday :)

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CB, your the definition of optimism!! Gotta love it.