Originally Posted by
EalingGreen
Undoubtedly and not just more stable, but a lot bigger: x 2.5 the population of NI (plus Derry City), a wealthier one at that and none of the sectarian/political stuff which bedevils the IL.
I'm sorry, but 24 Senior teams (plus 14 x Premier Intermediate) IS growth. While there have been nowhere near the same number of financial collapses with clubs going under etc as has been seen in the LOI.
Take Dungannon Swifts for example. Not one of the traditional, "founding" IL clubs, but formed in 1949 in a provincial town of 15k which also has a very strong rugby and GAA tradition. Entered the IL comparatively recently in 1997, since when they have always held their own. Very tidy wee ground which they own, live within their means. In conjunction with nearby Dungannon Youth, they have helped develop a number of decent players from the area, most notably Niall McGinn and Conor Bradley.
Under the old IL closed shop, clubs like Swifts (plus eg Ballinamallard, Warrenpoint and Loughgall etc) could simply never have emerged, while there must be a dozen or more Dungannons in ROI which are nowhere near LOI football.
Interesting term "drop out". Does that imply the introduction of a third tier as the first step towards a pyramid? For if it does, it will fail just as surely as eg the 'A' League.
For the whole point about a pyramid, whether Egyptian or Football, is that you build from the bottom up, not from the top down. That way you avoid clubs being parachuted in before they're ready and at too high a level etc, thereby risking dropping out completely.
Whereas if you build upwards, teams rise to find their natural level, so that even should they experience a bad couple of seasons, rather than falling off a cliff, they only need drop down a level until they stabilise and go again. Of course many teams will never be able to, or even want to, rise above eg a fourth or fifth tier, but instead be content to stay at their preferred level, whether Intermediate (semi-pro), or even Junior (Amateur). But even while they're doing so, they can still provide decent competition for other, more ambitious clubs who are on their way up.
All of which is before you address the "elephant in the room" i.e. the Summer vs Winter calendar.
Not just in England, but in nearly every other European country, including those of ROI's size and smaller.
While as regards your bold, there is, of course, another approach which might just be preferable for the FAI/LOI to exploit and certainly easier: namely concentrate resources ruthlessly on the same core of a dozen or so established, f-t clubs, to provide them with the best facilities, coaches and Academies etc, so as to set up a production line of talent. This would be the same as eg the IRFU, who concentrate their resources heavily on the four inter-Pro teams, albeit to the detriment of the old, traditional club structure beneath. These last have to find their own level as Community clubs etc, which would likely be the outlet open to the remaining football clubs outside the 'chosen few' of the LOI.
