Third Tier Talk - A Championship Mk II

[Buckett]

I was thinking more along the lines of getting rid of LSL/MSL, even though there would be a lot of resistance to this due to their history.

I'd keep the county leagues but like you say get rid of all the AUL's etc., like in Limerick for example, no need for two separate leagues.

These leagues around the country could then feed into Northwest / Northeast / Midlands North / Dublin North with each winner entering playoffs for promotion to the Second Division North.
And Southwest / Southeast / Midlands South / Dublin South with each winner entering playoffs for promotion to the Second Division South.

An ultimatum could be sent to all clubs. Get on board with the restructure or else you won't be eligible for membership of the FAI or eligible for funding. The FAI could use the conditions that were set out by the Department to justify their actions.

[Burnsie]

I was thinking more along the lines of getting rid of LSL/MSL, even though there would be a lot of resistance to this due to their history.

I'd keep the county leagues but like you say get rid of all the AUL's etc., like in Limerick for example, no need for two separate leagues.

These leagues around the country could then feed into Northwest / Northeast / Midlands North / Dublin North with each winner entering playoffs for promotion to the Second Division North.
And Southwest / Southeast / Midlands South / Dublin South with each winner entering playoffs for promotion to the Second Division South.

An ultimatum could be sent to all clubs. Get on board with the restructure or else you won't be eligible for membership of the FAI or eligible for funding. The FAI could use the conditions that were set out by the Department to justify their actions.

What funding? Most the affected sides have never seen a bean from the FAI, so that threat would be a hollow one.

I've been in these meetings There's zero affection towards the FAI , and precious little consideration given to what might benefit the sport as a whole in this country. If you turned around and said there was a €50,000 grant in it for every leading junior / intermediate club who signed up for calendar year football, maybe. But short of that I fear you're ****ing in the wind.

[nigel-harps1954]

LSL/MSL/USL seem ideal if they can be tidied up (allowing that the USL seems to have its own issues of course - and even the LSL/MSL are largely Dublin/Cork only I think, rather than province-wide).

Get rid of stuff like the county district leagues, or the separate leagues like the AUL. There's too many standalone leagues at local level.

There is no USL anymore.

[legendz]

MSL is a Cork league. If a pyramid is to be built, possibly Kerry, 2 Limerick leagues and Clare can be linked to a Munster West League.
Tipperary and Waterford leagues linked to a Munster East League.
With the LSL largely Dublin, possibly a Leinster North League and a Leinster South League is the next step there.
If a Connacht League and an Ulster League is possible, that's eight regional leagues being the the next level up from the various district leagues.

[Buckett]

The FAI have a say in who gets funding through the LSSIF as the Minister referenced in this article

https://m.independent.ie/sport/socce...736774747.html


https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/...612523296.html

And one of the conditions that came with this funding is to do a review of grassroots league structures to deliver stable and geographically logical leagues for men, women and children.

[pineapple stu]

There is no USL anymore.

Well that would be one of the issues impacting it

[EatYerGreens]

There is no USL anymore.

Ulster said no?

[Buckett]

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/...-41520278.html

This is a huge decision. I haven't been involved in football for a few years now so to people here affiliated with a club, will this vote pass?

[nigel-harps1954]

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/...-41520278.html

This is a huge decision. I haven't been involved in football for a few years now so to people here affiliated with a club, will this vote pass?

Effectively conceding to the junior game by the looks of it.

They have no balls and should just put their foot down and tell them how it is. More lack of joined up thinking in football in this country.

[Buller]

Effectively conceding to the junior game by the looks of it.

They have no balls and should just put their foot down and tell them how it is. More lack of joined up thinking in football in this country.

Agreed, big fish in small pond mentality. What are the FAI conceding on though? The timeframe? Looks to be trying to push it through from the article.

That has translated into their phased tweak, starting with age levels between 5-12s initially, followed by 13-16s in 2027, with youth and adult completing the set from 2028.

[EatYerGreens]

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/...-41520278.html

This is a huge decision. I haven't been involved in football for a few years now so to people here affiliated with a club, will this vote pass?

Yet apparenty we should just click our fingers and introduce a pyramid instantly, as it'd be that easy

[Burnsie]

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...601964761.html

"while it's also been revealed that the proposed new League of Ireland third division is also set to be pushed back past 2026"

Looking forward to several more years of posts fro lads listing off provincial towns which will magically produce a semi-professional soccer club

[EatYerGreens]

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...601964761.html

"while it's also been revealed that the proposed new League of Ireland third division is also set to be pushed back past 2026"

Looking forward to several more years of posts fro lads listing off provincial towns which will magically produce a semi-professional soccer club

Plus the obligatory "every county should have its own saccar club" nonesense.

[Mr A]

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...601964761.html

"while it's also been revealed that the proposed new League of Ireland third division is also set to be pushed back past 2026"

Looking forward to several more years of posts fro lads listing off provincial towns which will magically produce a semi-professional soccer club

PFAI comments overall are fine. But talk of clubs having to have a certain number of academy players when academy funding is about to be either severely cut or removed altogether seems.. a bit of a mad situation. Same goes for a third tier- should we be adding another tier when D1 clubs face an uncertain future?

[Buckett]

Three circuses is better than two!

[legendz]

Are there many Premier Division clubs likely to want to field a second team?

PFAI comments overall are fine. But talk of clubs having to have a certain number of academy players when academy funding is about to be either severely cut or removed altogether seems.. a bit of a mad situation. Same goes for a third tier- should we be adding another tier when D1 clubs face an uncertain future?

The so called Third Tier should be a matter of progressive Premier Division clubs who see value in a second team and emerging clubs with academies who have LoI ambitions.
If a Mayo, Kildare or anyone can qualify for a promotion/relegation playoff against the 10th placed First Division club, it should be facilitated. While there are financial challenges ahead for the First Division, there has to be a qualifying bar long term.

Looking forward to several more years of posts fro lads listing off provincial towns which will magically produce a semi-professional soccer club

If any provincial town has LoI ambitions, they should be entering youth teams. Talks of clubs magically appearing in a Third Tier is a backward step. Building through the youth leagues like Kerry did should be something of a blueprint.

[Eminence Grise]

Looking forward to several more years of posts fro lads listing off provincial towns which will magically produce a semi-professional soccer club

Plus the obligatory "every county should have its own saccar club" nonesense.

Sure it's alright, lads. The suits in the FAI will use AI to create as many leagues as you want. Or they will once they get the memo that the I these days is intelligence, not the man with the test tube (they're still probably thinking about how best to boost the population in provincial towns to a level that can support a club, so not entirely on the wrong track).

Mind you, I'm not sure ChatGPT has evolved enough yet. I just prompted it with: 'how do I create a third tier in the League of Ireland?'. It replied: 'are you *&%^ing serious?' It's ghosting me now.

[nr637]

I reckon they should build up the Men's Premier & First Division leagues to 12 teams in each, before they create a Third Tier. Invite new teams each year over the next 4/5 years and follow the Kerry FC format for a teams infrastructure.
I think the Mayo League & the Meath league has shown interest, so there is potential. The process should also tie in with the addition and promotion of a similar development of the Women's leagues with the addition of a First Division so that promotion & relegation can be created to help the leagues improve further.

[legendz]

I reckon they should build up the Men's Premier & First Division leagues to 12 teams in each, before they create a Third Tier. Invite new teams each year over the next 4/5 years and follow the Kerry FC format for a teams infrastructure.
I think the Mayo League & the Meath league has shown interest, so there is potential. The process should also tie in with the addition and promotion of a similar development of the Women's leagues with the addition of a First Division so that promotion & relegation can be created to help the leagues improve further.

Will Premier Division clubs want to share the UEFA solidarity payments with two more clubs? If First Division clubs receive 15% crumbs, will they want to share that with more teams as well?
Mayo, Kildare and anyone building through the academies and LoI B teams should be the more dependable option for a third tier.

[BigEars]

The 3rd division being put back a year isn't a problem, so long as the FAI use the intervening period to actually make progress towards it.

They should be targeting the fixing of the Junior-Intermediate system for the start of next season, or at least the start of doing so.
For example creating either North & South or East & West Munster Leagues with the top clubs from the Junior clubs (who are interested) in those regions.
After a season of that you can put the top teams from the current Munster Senior League (should they be interested) and the best of North & South Munster teams into a Munster Premier Division.
You can then leave the North & South Divisions in place and use them to act as the tier below, which Junior leagues feed into.

Similar efforts could be made in Contact and Ulster with perhaps some differences between them, as the regions aren't exactly the same as each other geographically.

At the same time there should be a push for the likes of Mayo, Kildare, Carlow-Kilkenny, Monaghan etc to field at all underage groups, and put them in a better position in a few years to field Senior teams to play in the 3rd tier.

Also make enquiries to some of the colleges in regards to interest in fielding.