GUST apply for first division licence

[Olander]

Ya, ya, I'm the one who's naive.



They're throwing the GUST a bone get them onside, get them to fundraise, the more the merrier, happy days.

If you think for one second Mervue, Salthill (or indeed the FAI for that matter) are going to come out the other end of this having given the GUST a large postion of power in either club........



I'm sure they do.

But are you honestly telling people on here that the Galway sporting public in general wont go to watch Galway whatever if they're successful unless they are ran by the GUST??



Possibly.

But only because they're essentially Limericks B team these days.

I have no doubt in my mind, if they had the opportunity to do what you suggested, they would have done it by now, and not feel the need to "throw GUST a bone", that is their prerogative. At the end of the day, they're both businesses and have to look after themselves.

I highly doubt GUST will accept any condescending token gesture of allowing them to "fundraise". I agree with you, they are both holding the aces, but I'm confident the heads of GUST will not just jump into bed with Mervue/Devon with the first offer they get, as has been proven already by them rejecting Devon's first pitiful offer.

On your third point, I agree in part, people like to watch a winning team, but when's the last time you've seen a club in Galway being truly successful? Last trophy win was over 15 years ago. Could Mervue/Salthill get to a level of success without viable income streams? They would need to be getting good crowds in. Would they get them without the support of GUST? I'm not so sure... A reality check for some, after all the hyperbole about Mervue having an unbelievable season last year, they finished 7th in an 11 team division. How many years do you think it would take them to be in a position where they field a team with title aspirations? They would need a good level of support and some serious financial clout behind them. As of now, they have signed up roughly 15 or so players, most of which were there last season, nothing too exciting. Salthill have finished rock bottom two seasons in a row.

[Lim till i die]

I have no doubt in my mind, if they had the opportunity to do what you suggested, they would have done it by now, and not feel the need to "throw GUST a bone", that is their prerogative.

The main reason, I'd imagine, is that there was no sense in doing it before as Galway United was there

I highly doubt GUST will accept any condescending token gesture of allowing them to "fundraise". I agree with you, they are both holding the aces, but I'm confident the heads of GUST will not just jump into bed with Mervue/Devon with the first offer they get, as has been proven already by them rejecting Devon's first pitiful offer.

I highly doubt the GUST are going to be offered anything really substansial by either party. It's in no ones real interest to offer it to them.

I do have no doubt that some kind of face saving compromise will be reached though.

[Olander]

The main reason, I'd imagine, is that there was no sense in doing it before as Galway United was there

Apologies, I didn't explain myself very well.

What I meant is, when it became apparent that GUST were not going to get a licence, I didn't mean in previous seasons.

[MagicMon]

This might be a bit simplistic, but isn't a merger like Salthill are proposing the best deal available for everyone? Salthill get fans, more sponsorship and Terryland, GUST get a team partly Galway United playing in maroon shirts, at their ground, in the LOI. Given a few years of GUST involvement the organizational side might open up to them a bit more, if they're that good at fundraising etc etc. Its not like the new team will be massively different to the old one- they'll still have the same home colours, the same ground and if the GUST back it then they will be 99.9% of the fans the same. Players come and go and I doubt if last years team would be mourned much quality-wise.

If (god forbid) Monaghan United disappeared then the things I'd miss would be having a 'Monaghan' team playing LOI football in Gortakeegan. Switching to supporting Drogheda or Dundalk or Armagh would be very different- they're not in Monaghan and they're not called Monaghan. Not supporting anyone in the LOI wouldn't be much fun either.

[bluewhitearmy]

I have no doubt in my mind, if they had the opportunity to do what you suggested, they would have done it by now, and not feel the need to "throw GUST a bone", that is their prerogative. At the end of the day, they're both businesses and have to look after themselves.

I highly doubt GUST will accept any condescending token gesture of allowing them to "fundraise". I agree with you, they are both holding the aces, but I'm confident the heads of GUST will not just jump into bed with Mervue/Devon with the first offer they get, as has been proven already by them rejecting Devon's first pitiful offer.

On your third point, I agree in part, people like to watch a winning team, but when's the last time you've seen a club in Galway being truly successful? Last trophy win was over 15 years ago. Could Mervue/Salthill get to a level of success without viable income streams? They would need to be getting good crowds in. Would they get them without the support of GUST? I'm not so sure... A reality check for some, after all the hyperbole about Mervue having an unbelievable season last year, they finished 7th in an 11 team division. How many years do you think it would take them to be in a position where they field a team with title aspirations? They would need a good level of support and some serious financial clout behind them. As of now, they have signed up roughly 15 or so players, most of which were there last season, nothing too exciting. Salthill have finished rock bottom two seasons in a row.

How big do you think crowds are going to get then if GUST were to get involved?

Are GUST the serious financial clout or have they an agreement with anyone that has serious financial clout to help them out?

The 15 or so players they had last season are far more exiting then the team Galway United had.

[Olander]

How big do you think crowds are going to get then if GUST were to get involved?

Are GUST the serious financial clout or have they an agreement with anyone that has serious financial clout to help them out?

The 15 or so players they had last season are far more exiting then the team Galway United had.

Without going into exact figures, because it's impossible to predict exact figures, I would just say that their crowds would be significantly larger.

No, GUST, as I understand, don't have much money behind them. However, they have proven that they are excellent at fundraising and the addition of decent crowds at their games would certainly be a help to either club. A figure was mentioned at last nights meeting about how much GUST raised in 2010 and it was a six figure fee, maybe some other Galway poster has the specific figure handy?

Your last point is fair, but it's totally irrelevant. They finished 7th with a squad that was more exciting than Galway United's.

[Terry]

GUST raised €107,000 last season, not including sponsorship money

[Mr Maroon]

GUST raised €107,000 last season, not including sponsorship money

That doesn't include gate receipts/match day income either.

[bluewhitearmy]

GUST raised €107,000 last season, not including sponsorship money

That was to try and save a club though no indication that they could do anything near that again especially when the new club wont be near to going out of business.

Im sure GUST could bring something extra to Mervue or Salthill but ye need them far more then they need ye.

Just think that some of the Gufc people are showing a little lack of respect for Mervue and Salthill at times after all they would be your saviors if they were to get in on this with ye.

[holidaysong]

Would a proposed merger affect all levels of the club or would Mervue or Salthill still be known as their separate names at all levels below the LOI? I can see it getting a bit messy if you have a situation like that develop.

[JC_GUFC]

Would a proposed merger affect all levels of the club or would Mervue or Salthill still be known as their separate names at all levels below the LOI? I can see it getting a bit messy if you have a situation like that develop.

I don't see it being a merger as such.

I think the new club should be a separate entity from whichever club an agreement is reached with. This will protect the existing club structures and give the backing to this new Galway FC.

In a perfect world all 3 groups and the Galway FA would back one new club to represent Galway Football in League of Ireland, similar to the thinking behind the Limerick 37 project.

[Lim till i die]

In a perfect world all 3 groups and the Galway FA would back one new club to represent Galway Football in League of Ireland, similar to the thinking behind the Limerick 37 project.

[Lim till i die]

GUST raised €107,000 last season, not including sponsorship money

What is this figure??

Someone, anyone, give me a rough breakdown of what it consists of??

If it's not a tissue of nonsense I know some people who'd be very, very, interested in meeting the GUST.

[jebus]

I don't see it being a merger as such.

I think the new club should be a separate entity from whichever club an agreement is reached with. This will protect the existing club structures and give the backing to this new Galway FC.

I'm still not understanding why either Mervue or Salthill would throw away their club's history and name so a few heads from GUST can pretend that the 'real' Galway United are still around.

Why wouldn't you start going to a few Mervue games, for instance, if GUST have no team next year? Give it a few years and you might find you actually quite start rooting for them in the same manner as you once did for Galway United. If you're sickened by the League of Ireland and can't be bothered any more than fair enough, but all of us have rabbited on about the need to support your local club in the LoI and you lot seem to not want to do that. Whether you like it or not, Mervue and Salthill are your local clubs now, either back one of them or finish with the LoI seems to be the logical choice here.

Asking a club to chuck away their history so you can play make believe displays a complete lack of understanding of what we've all said makes a football fan in my opinion

[regi]

What is this figure??

Someone, anyone, give me a rough breakdown of what it consists of??

If it's not a tissue of nonsense I know some people who'd be very, very, interested in meeting the GUST.

From GUST forum:

"Its a pity he wasnt at the AGM where it was made known outside of season tickets, supporters paying in at the turnstiles, programme sales etc GUST put in €107000 in ten months there are not many supporters group or sponsors in Co Galway that done that this year,
so the table quizzes, golf classics, concerts, card drives, monthly draw & lottos are of considerable value to any club."

[Charlie Darwin]

Whether you like it or not, Mervue and Salthill are your local clubs now, either back one of them or finish with the LoI seems to be the logical choice here.

Asking a club to chuck away their history so you can play make believe displays a complete lack of understanding of what we've all said makes a football fan in my opinion

Not sure how you can reconcile these two statements.

Mergers are fairly uncommon in world football but they do happen. TNS and Inverness Callie Thistle are recent examples. In the case of GUST and Salthill or Mervue, it would at least ensure that both clubs have a viable future, albeit as part of the same, new club.

[WoodquayBoy]

The offer has been made to GUST by the 2 clubs because the FAI insist on a team with Galway in the name WILL play in Terryland this year. I know this because this is what someone from both Salthill and Mervue told me, not GUST. GUST is Galway United in everything but name, so it has the backing of a lot of the LOI public of Galway. The FAI know this and don't want to lose those fans. GUST has a five-figure financial commitment from1 business man. The FAI know this and don't want to lose that money. GUST also have more appeal to sponsors as an entity with a county-wide appeal, not the localised one of the other 2 clubs. The FAI know this also. There is no point having Salthill or Mervue playing in Terryland as, bad and all our crowds were, they will be very low for those 2 teams as, quite simply, a lot of people won't support them throughout a season. I live here, I speak to people here, I know this is the case. People here may not want to accept it, that's their choice, but they are not speaking from a position of knowledge. The Galway District League, which owns Terryland, has been told a team will play there this year. The FAI is using the situation to solve the 3-club problem, and about time, but it must be done properly, and that means bringing on board the LOI fans it will lose otherwise. The offers to GuST were made at behest of FAI. The pull the strings, from the league down to club grants, so Salthill andervue's bone throwing, while welcome, is not some altruistic offer

[jebus]

How so? You support Club A, Club A cease to exist so you're left with a choice of following Club B (doesn't mean you have to love them as much as Club A) or you can finish with LoI football in general. Seems to be pretty straightforward to me.

And mergers might occur, but usually there are two clubs to merge. This is one club and an idea, so why not just bring the idea into that club without asking them to dismantle their club for your own ego?

Edit: Strange that the FAI would not want to lose GUST or a team with Galway in the title so badly and yet decided to deny GUST a licence for a club with Galway in the title. You see how it sounds like bluffing on GUST's part?

[Charlie Darwin]

How so? You support Club A, Club A cease to exist so you're left with a choice of following Club B (doesn't mean you have to love them as much as Club A) or you can finish with LoI football in general. Seems to be pretty straightforward to me.

Well you're saying that Mervue/Salthill merging with Galway would mean throwing away everything that being a football fan is all about. But if that's what being a football fan is all about then you can't just start supporting another team.

And mergers might occur, but usually there are two clubs to merge. This is one club and an idea, so why not just bring the idea into that club without asking them to dismantle their club for your own ego?

Well it's not about ego, it's about getting the former Galway United fans to buy into the club. If the migrating fans and the existing club both agree, I don't see what the harm is. Salthill Devon itself formed from the merger of two teams so it's not like there's no precedent in the area.

[WoodquayBoy]

No, what I see is the FAI wanting 1 club in Galway and hoping this is the first step towards that. They can't give GUsT a licence as then there will still be the 3 club thing, and to be honest, there are no structures, infrastructure or- to be totally blunt - no club there, but an idea. What is needs is strong leadership from FAI to say lads, 1 club, that's it. No one is aski g Salthill or Mervue to throw away their identity, ideally they should keep their sides up to Junior Legie level, but all feed into 1 Galway club run by a board of people for
Salrhill, Mervue, GUST and the District League. One club has played 3 years in LOI, the other 2, hardly a massive LOI history. No one is talking about them giving up their underage structures, just create a separate legal entity run by the 4 bodies mentioned. If Limerick disappears, do you just throw your lot behind Limerick & Pike Rovers, or PRLimerick FC? If you do, fine, but that does not appeal to me