With that gift for hypothetical figures shouldnt you be working in the marketing of image rights arena?
Now is the time for the league to break away from the FAI. I’ve often wondered what a league run by professional administrators with football people and executives experienced in marketing, law and corporate governance, finance, procurement, and rights and negotiations could do for football here. A variation of fantasy football, I suppose. No reason to think we’ll ever have anything but the same ordure of business, same shovel. And that’s pretty depressing.
Further stories on this seem to indicate that What was being initially portrayed was not as first thought. It just seems like what they want to set up is a separate arm of the FAI, basically a trust/foundation/community interest company or similar. It gives arms length from the main organisation, at least on the surface. Reality is that it still is in essence an FAI body. All UK association's have one, and many clubs. It allows some independent control but UEFA funding would still flow through the FAI, while the likes of Sport Ireland would fund go directly to this branch of the FAI. That's my take anyway.
The IFA set one up some years ago. It works well in some ways, but not all.
https://www.irishfa.com/irish-fa-foundation
While a League can be formed that is not subject to the direct administration controls of the FAI, there would still need to be much interaction with it. For example Licencing, Discipline, aspects of player registration and would also still have to be the conduit for UEFA prize money and funding.
@RTEsoccer: "My guess is if the FAI goes, the League of Ireland goes the same way. I think that is absolutely inevitable."
Minister Shane Ross has warned the League of Ireland could collapse alongside the FAI in the current crisis.
https://twitter.com/RTEsoccer/status...050496/video/1
Cross-posting from the Ireland thread, but it probably belongs better here...
https://twitter.com/soconaill/status...65205660639232
Don't know if this is true or not - no Euro 2020 or LoI in Europe if the FAI go bust - but it's logical. Presumably this would also mean no solidarity funding for clubs.
Wouldn't like to be doing a club budget about now
Possibility of losing the EURO 2020 hostings might encourage government to step in to keep FAI on life support at least.
I watched an hour or so of the Committee hearing and am astonished how so many people pontificating on the matter have so little knowledge or failed to do basic research as to the construct and regulations of FIFA, UEFA, and football association's in general. It is worrying that such people are having conversations with various parties about finding solutions, yet don't really know what they are talking about.*
They would do well to engage a sports law expert, with football as their speciality, before looking more foolish and/or making things worse.
if the government can stump up €36m for the curragh redevelopment and €67m (€3m of which appears to be spent on prize money!!!!!) to the horseys annually then the €18m to save Irish football is a bargain by comparison....
I know there are and have been issues with Ross and other politicos, but it does seem that much of the anger is now being turned in their direction, rather than being focussed where it should be. People should not be expecting them to solve the crisis, but rather those within the football family should be working on it. What has been heard publically from the hearts of the various regional association's, county boards or chairmen of LOI clubs? Surely the handcuffs are off now that Delaney and Co are gone?
Are they just sitting on their hands in hope that 'outsiders' will sort it all out and potentially in doing it their way, football ends up in circumstances that are far from ideal for football itself?
I don't like whataboutery, but there are other sports that have had massive issues and still do- several counties in the GAA have serious financial scandals ongoing, Swim Ireland had a massive issue with child sex abuse, the greyhound industry is riven with cruelty and horse racing has traditionally enjoyed great support despite fixing, workers on massive hours on minimum wage (even at top stables) etc. That's off the top of my head, plenty more out there as well I'm sure.
While the FAI has been a disaster, government money was correctly spent according to everything that has come out so far.
Fears for League of Ireland future emerge from Oireachtas meeting
https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2019...chtas-meeting/
Yea looks grim folks time to apply to IFA 2021
Hard to believe the League would be let "go to the wall" but given the current clusterfcuk masquerading as a football association literally anything is possible.
I hope those that criticised LOI fans for slagging off Delaney at least have the decency to stay away from Irish football in the future.
"The Government have asked Sport Ireland to arrange a meeting with representatives of the League of Ireland clubs and players in advance of the meeting with UEFA which is pencilled in for January 14th 2020, to hear the leagues concerns."How important could this meeting be for the future of the league now with the current FAI business plan asking for upwards of another €18m bailout!
Important the club reps have some sort of cohesive approach to this, Government will not want the League to collapse but wont care enough to come up with any solutions. Put some realistic proposal (short term survival, longer term aspirational) to them and there is a chance they might back it but go in with the usual 'me fein' club approach or whinging about the FAI and they (the Government) will pretty soon lose interest.