This was true at first (post Limerick leaving the league) with some of their players moving on to Treaty and playing senior, but they've done worse and worse with each year and now their two teams have been hammered each and every week unfortunately.Originally Posted by Acornvilla
Underage isn't all about winning but it's not about losing either.
Or 'Réal', which is the Irish word for 'develop'.
Rioga Limerick.
https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soc...dging-25385774
What odds do we reckon? Fantastic in theory of course and I'd absolutely support it but there's a lot to figure out to avoid the mistakes of the A Championship. Which, for what it's worth, I enjoyed.2026 is currently being mooted as the launch year for the Third Tier.
"Up to 20 teams - including Leinster and Munster Senior League sides, university outfits and reserve sides of established League of Ireland clubs - will form the new tier. Ideally, the FAI wants to split it into two regional groups north and south of 10 teams each, and formal expressions of interest will soon be sought."
Sounds like a first iteration plan. If the FAI can get a third tier off the ground, the next step might be the link from district league upwards.
Any future plan should have a place for a Mayo FC.
What does proposals say about team that finishes bottom of 1st Division?
Gary Cronin is he the right man to manage Longford Town?
Have heard or seen any reference to that so far. I suppose for any future potential pathway, the third tier is crucial. A link up to the First Division could possibly develop in time? Also linking district leagues up to the Third Tier could develop over time?
There would have to be, at the very minimum, a playoff to get into the First Division. Otherwise, it's entirely pointless.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
I really like the idea of a third tier. I think it's going to do a lot for football in this country. Firstly, you have vast areas with little or no league of ireland representation and this is a chance to fix it. Not only will it create more people going to games on a friday, but it will probably add a bit more interest to televised LOI games as LOI will be less alien to more parts of the country. Secondly, it will make the first division more competitive if you have the risk of relegation. Teams will actually have to give a damn and try push on.
As a bit of fun, who do we reckon some of the teams will be?
1. Mayo FC
2. CK United
3. Klub Kildare
4. Meath FC
5. Monaghan United (or some version of Cavan-Monaghan FC)
6. Maynooth University Town FC
7. Shamrock Rovers A
8. St Francis
9. UCC
Beyond that, I don't recall any junior clubs trying to join the LOI before but I might be missing a few.
Is there any indication that this is any more likely than if was 2/3 years ago, or whenever it was last mooted?
I haven't seen one to be honest. It does seem now the LOI kinda has its **** together a little bit more nowadays. Prize money is increasing, albeit at a glacial pace, there is money from the government coming in to the game to help with facilities. The rise in LOI crowds has continued. It just might be more likely that the current conditions do favour more clubs joining the LOI.
Bonagee United, Letterkenny Rovers and Cockhill Celtic, all formerly off the parish Ulster Senior League have expressed interest in it, to the best of my knowledge.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
Agreed but I suppose the reality is that none of the entrants are likely to meet First Division criteria. The focus seems to be more on getting a third tier off the ground. It should be a natural evolution that's some club will progress to improve standards that a link is ultimately created to the First Division. For now, it seems a matter of walking before they run.
There's teams in the First Division that arguably don't meet First Division criteria.
There is zero point in creating a division that offers no promotion into the First Division.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
Agreed - we already have plenty of those as it stands.
More than crowds and general public it's more about giving the opportunity to players from these areas.
I don't know how many players from the Kerry Academy ended up playing in League of Ireland before Kerry FC joined the senior ranks - I'd be surprised if it was more than 2 or 3 - and they weren't bad at underage level.
If there's funding made available it hopefully wouldn't cost clubs too much to enter a senior team and more clubs could then express an interest.
Obviously the next stage would be to have proper "Senior Leagues" below this level. We've seen at Galway it's very difficult for any lad to step up from the Galway District League to League of Ireland level and that's not just when we've been in the Premier Division, even lads stuggled to make the step up to Division 1 a Connacht Senior League would obviously be a higher standard and make that step up slightly more manageable.
There's so much that needs to happen though, with the changing of the season in most leagues as well as a huge restructuring it's going to be very hard for the FAI to implement.
I phoned the speaking clock to hear a voice speak, it said - "At the tone you will be very much alone"
All 3 of them ?
Presumably Cockhill would be the best of those on the pitch, given they've been in the FAI Cup a few times recently? But population-wise you'd have to prefer a Letterkenny club. And at least Letterkenny Rovers has a name that would appeal to the whole town.
There's also teams/a team in the Premier Division who arguably don't meet PD stadium criteria.
I know it's only one game, but Cockhill Celtic recently lost the final of the Presidents Cup to Enniskillen Rangers, a competition between the FAI and IFA Junior Cup winners:
https://www.irishfa.com/news/2024/se...ents-cup-final
This was the first time (in five?) Finals that an IFA team had won; it may be that because of the absence of an FAI pyramid, ROI teams designated as "Junior" may in practical terms be closer to what in NI would be deemed to be Intermediate? (Ekn Rgrs, though arguably the top IFA Junior club these days, are happy with that status, having some years ago moved up to Intermediate status, before stepping down again.)
Beyond that, as you will know Nigel, football seems otherwise to be strong in many parts of Donegal, despite being cut off geographically from the rest of FAI football.
[FWIW - not much, probably! - I'm told that while Cockhill were a good lot who took a decent crowd to the Final in Ballinamallard etc, their football was distinctly "old-school" i.e. physical, direct, even Route One, so that Rgrs were able to outplay them with more of a passing/possession game.]
Actually your Galway example is clear evidence that a "cart before the horse" approach is unlikely to work. For if you introduce a Third Tier first, even if it didn't exactly constitute "Senior" football, it would still likely be too much too soon for existing clubs, even the most progressive, to take a chance on stepping up. While Kerry FC nowithstanding, past/recent experience must prove that the idea of conjuring up a host of "new" clubs to fill a Third Tier simply won't work either. ('A' League anyone?)
So much more logical to rationalise Junior Leagues first on a local level, including upgrading facilities etc, so that the best/most progressive clubs would then be ready for Intermediate football organised on a regional basis. And from there, the best of those could hope to move up to the Third Tier, or even Senior football in time.
Of course this would take a good deal longer than merely imposing some some sort of Third Tier in 2026 (or whenever), but even if the Third Tier were somehow to work, what next?
While a more incremental, bottom-up approach would permit more time to rationalise the calendar in stages as well.
For let's face it, even the ancient Egyptians and Aztecs etc knew that you build a pyramid from the ground up, not the top down.
Definitely. It must be the long-term goal. For now there's no indication that anyone applying for a third tier licence will be applying for a FD licence.
FWIW, I don't think all 3 will get in, unless there's a real shortage of applicants and the FAI shoe-horns all 3 in. I reckon Cockhill and one of Letterkenny or Bonagee gets in, more likely to be Letterkenny at this rate.All 3 of them ?
Presumably Cockhill would be the best of those on the pitch, given they've been in the FAI Cup a few times recently? But population-wise you'd have to prefer a Letterkenny club. And at least Letterkenny Rovers has a name that would appeal to the whole town.
Either way, it would be a real disaster for Harps to see another Donegal team in the league structures, let alone two. But Letterkenny are certainly starting to get their facilities in order in preparation.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
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