Still don't see why any club would want the money pit of a first Division team.
Most clubs have difficulty keeping ONE team afloat never mind a FD vanity project.
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Rovers have a stream of talent coming through that needs to play mens football in the first division and don't want these kids leaving to play elsewhere.
A year or two for a 16 , 17, 18 year old playing in the first division will make transition to the first team easier.
I watch a lot of underage games in Roadstone and there are kids who are ready for mens football but would struggle to get into Rovers first team as the jump from playing 18 year olds to going up against senior pros is to much.
The cost is no greater bar the fees to the fai then running an under 19's team assuming none of the players are paid.
Would it not be more beneficial to them to enter a team in the LSL, similar to what Harps and Derry do with the USL?
Transition to senior football without the €100k cost to run the team.
If a club can afford it then its a very good idea.
There are many players coming out of Under 19's who are not yet ready for senior football either physically or mentally.
Give them a year in the 1st Div & see if they can progress up another level.
If at the end of the season they look like they won't make the grade then let them go & move onto the next batch.
I can see why fans of some other clubs would be against it as it might cut off the supply of players trickling down to them.
Its all down to the expense though & whether a club can afford it.
Fair point Nigel on entering a team in the LSL but i presume they want to try to make the standard as high and as close to Premier as possible.
Maybe the winter summer football issue as well as the 15s 17s 19s teams will match up with the premier summer soccer.
Shamrock Rovers (and UCD) are already in the LSL, aren't they?
Is it easier to transfer players between a B team and senior than between LSL and senior? The latter is considered two separate clubs for transfer purposes afaik.
What I don't understand is why every Premier Division team doesn't have a B Team in the First Division ?
Surely the best thing for Irish football would be to have 2 leagues of exactly the same teams - one division for first teamers and the other for the seconds ? Then fans could watch a version of their own team at home every weekend.
What's not to like ?
What I don't understand is clubs voting to get rid of the A Championship and then deciding they want to enter reserve teams elsewhere.
The league desperately needs an under-23 league as a bridge between underage and senior, more than it needs an under-13 league.
Years ago before we joined the loi from 1979 to 1984 we were in the LOI B division and that comprised of the LOI sides B teams plus the non league teams in this. Mind you there was only one division in the LOI back then. Thats the way it should go imo!
Loaning players out isn't the same as keeping them playing for the club under the same coaches who have been working with them in the academy and available to fill in in the first team if needed.
Funny enough it works for plenty of clubs much bigger than the League of Ireland but hey, what would they know ?
Don’t get me wrong I’m perfectly happy to see shams **** away their money on a vanity project that nobody else sees merit in.
Maybe a tour explaining to other clubs, like the “fans owned club” one 😎
Plenty of other leagues have under 23 teams that fullfill the same purpose and still loan out some players for actual match experience.
People on here have been saying for years there is a need for a bridge between under 19's and first team so Rovers putting it in place can't be a bad idea??
Are you having one of your angry days :)
Is there any other league in Europe that has 'B' teams in its second tier ?
The whole thing just makes the LOI look a bit sh'ite in my view.
I'm sure it's common enough in Europe but the one example that springs to mind is Spain where reserve teams often compete in the Segunda Division and Real Madrid's reserves actually won it once, there is a rule in place that prevents these sides gaining promotion, obviously, which I assume will be the case in this instance also.
Real Madrids reserve team Castilla reached the Spanish Cup final in 1980 where they lost to...Real Madrid but qualified for the Cup winners cup as Real won the League. (this google is a great thing)
If we hadn't just won the cup after 32 years i would think it was a cunning plan to give us two chances.
I think the need for an U23 league is way overstated. It'd be utterly useless for UCD for example. Maybe allowing 2/3 overage players in the 19s league might help because the old reserve league did allow players not in the first team to keep match fitness.
A proper underage structure is something pretty much every proper club in Europe has - for community development if nothing else - and I don't see how an U23 league could be considered more important than an U13 league.