2009 A Championship

**Martinho II** · 22/02/2009, 7:16 PM

Originally Posted by GUFCforlife

Is Gavin Dykes still manager of Castlebar Celtic?

is gavin dykes involved in football any more??

**hoop4life** · 22/02/2009, 8:06 PM

Originally Posted by Martinho II

is gavin dykes involved in football any more??

i heard that he was playing with merville in sligo/leitrim league. not sure about that though

**gufc2000** · 24/02/2009, 9:50 PM

Are Wexford Youths entering an A-team? They should because it would really bring on the great young players they have at their disposal

**gufc2000** · 24/02/2009, 10:08 PM

Originally Posted by CelticTiger

Just please people 1 more time and i wont do it anymore!

At the moment we have a 2 tier system involving 22 clubs.The Fai are in control and i think they should stay in control after 2011.
At the moment we have a Summer season,i think its better than Winter for the time being anyway.
We have a mix of full time and part time clubs and of course we're not ready for a full time Premier League but i think in time we can be.
The financial situations of the 2008 seasons has slowed down the off the pitch developments of our league.
So hopefully,during 2009,2010 and 2011 the league will be sustaining itself and money wont just be used on wages but off the pitch things like Facilities,Marketing,Youth Structures and Community Links.
There is no doubt the standard of play is good but can only get better with improved infrastructure.
The Fai are in control and i think they should stay in control after 2011.

So what i think is,that in 2012 we switch to a winter season and by then hopefully a sustainable professional premier league.
The Fai to remain in control after 2011 .
A change of League structure,
Premier League with 10 clubs that are all full time and financially sound.High profile sponsor and good tv coverage, maybe 1 live game a week?
2 Regional Leagues north and south both comprising of 12 clubs each Semi Professional mix of full time and part time clubs (possibly)
A play off system for Promotion/Relegation between the Premier and Regional leagues.

And this is me being optimistic.

I know when i first joined this forum i was being quite ignorant about this kind of thing but i've learned a lot since then!

And i'd also like to say that i wont post this kind of thing again as this is now my official optimistic proposals and i wanted to get it off my chest so sorry if it bothers you perhaps being a little off topic even though we've been discussing league structures before.

So,there you go.

The day there is a full-time club in the First Division (apart from Fingal) is the day an LOI team wins the Champo League. Its just not sustainable, crowds aren't there to support it, and neither is the TV coverage and sponsors.

But I do agree merging the A-League and Div. 1 into two regionalised leagues, as this is viable, due to increased local derbies and less travelling involved

**citybone** · 24/02/2009, 10:56 PM

Originally Posted by CelticTiger

So what i think is,that in 2012 we switch to a winter season and by then hopefully a sustainable professional premier league.
The Fai to remain in control after 2011 .
A change of League structure,
Premier League with 10 clubs that are all full time and financially sound.High profile sponsor and good tv coverage, maybe 1 live game a week?
2 Regional Leagues north and south both comprising of 12 clubs each Semi Professional mix of full time and part time clubs (possibly)
A play off system for Promotion/Relegation between the Premier and Regional leagues.
So,there you go.

i cant see any real benefit in playing winter, football, while there are many benefits to playing summer soccer.

i don't agree with any of this like you cant force clubs to go pro in the prem division.
i think a 12 team split prem division would be good. like top 6 should be capable of being pro.the rest of a prem would be capable of being semi pro.

have another 12 team split 1st division and mostly being amateur but maybe a few of the top clubs being semi pro have a a championship below in a similar manner to their way it is at the moment.

**pineapple stu** · 25/02/2009, 10:31 AM

For the sevety-first time, you can't just split Premier Division clubs off as full-time. Clubs should go full-time if the money is available to do so, not based on what division they're in. In addition, cosmetic changes such as you've continuously proposed have occurred throughout the league's history and have all failed to give the bright new dawn you hope for. You've learned nothing, it seems.

**pineapple stu** · 25/02/2009, 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by CelticTiger

And pineapplestu,there are 5 full time clubs in the Premier at the moment,if things improve financially during the next 3 years,a 10 team premier league all full time is possible.

Have you seen the state of the country at present? Things ain't going to improve if sponsorship and gates start going down. Also, at least one of those full-time teams can't afford it. 10 full time teams isn't possible now, and nothing'll happen in th enext three years to make it possible.

**Darkglasses** · 25/02/2009, 4:50 PM

Originally Posted by GUFCforlife

Are Wexford Youths entering an A-team? They should because it would really bring on the great young players they have at their disposal

I'm not sure we really have the numbers...A great number of our talented young players are on the first team as well as underage! Also, it might be a cost too much to run an A-team as well? I haven't a clue how much running a club in the A Championship would cost..

**gufc2000** · 25/02/2009, 8:49 PM

Originally Posted by Darkglasses

I'm not sure we really have the numbers...A great number of our talented young players are on the first team as well as underage! Also, it might be a cost too much to run an A-team as well? I haven't a clue how much running a club in the A Championship would cost..

E5000 entry fee anyways. But the groups are regionalised so ye'd be playing Cork and the Dublin clubs mostly

**citybone** · 26/02/2009, 1:12 AM

Originally Posted by GUFCforlife

E5000 entry fee anyways. But the groups are regionalised so ye'd be playing Cork and the Dublin clubs mostly

i think tullamore and limerick aswell, yee have a bus & driver for transport and yee own your own facilities for training, shouldn't cost much as they would also be ametuer, yee would need to expand yere squad alright at min 25 players between 1st team and a championship with underage players as back up.
would prob cost the same as a club in the lsl in terms of traveling. fuel money would be the main cost really.

**Sam_Heggy** · 26/02/2009, 5:02 PM

Originally Posted by GUFCforlife

At the moment the 'A' Champlooks like this:

Bohemians A
Cork A
Derry A
Dundalk A
St Pats A
Drogheda A
Galway A
Shamrock Rovers A
Sligo A
Bray A
UCD A

Kildare County/Cobh
Tralee
Salthill
FC Carlow
Tullamore
Castlebar (i think)

Still potential add ons (Kilkenny? Portlaoise?)
Will any First Division sides apart from UCD be entering an A-team?

Harps will be entering an A Team also.

**sadloserkid** · 28/02/2009, 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by citybone

i think tullamore and limerick aswell,

Limerick not entering A Championship this year.

**gufc2000** · 28/02/2009, 4:25 PM

'A' Championship line up looks like this so far:

Bohemians
Bray
Cork
Drogheda
Dundalk
Derry
Galway
Sligo
St Pats
Shamrock Rovers
Cobh
Finn Harps
Salthill
Tullamore
Castlebar
Tralee
Carlow

That's a total of 17 teams. There will hardly be anymore will there?

**hoop4life** · 28/02/2009, 4:59 PM

Originally Posted by GUFCforlife

'A' Championship line up looks like this so far:

Bohemians
Bray
Cork
Drogheda
Dundalk
Derry
Galway
Sligo
St Pats
Shamrock Rovers
Cobh
Finn Harps
Salthill
Tullamore
Castlebar
Tralee

That's a total of 16 teams. There will hardly be anymore will there?

are ucd not entering?

**DmanDmythDledge** · 28/02/2009, 5:11 PM

Originally Posted by hoop4life

are ucd not entering?

Nobody really has a clue at the moment. With the amount of players we have currently it is looking unlikely.

**gufc2000** · 28/02/2009, 5:35 PM

Originally Posted by hoop4life

are ucd not entering?

I'd say now that the FAI have 16 teams they'll be satisfied enough. If the Leagues are to be regionalised I'd say it will go along the lines of something like this:

Group 1
Castlebar
Finn Harps
Derry
Sligo
Dundalk
Salthill
Galway
Drogheda

Group 2
Cobh
Cork
Bohemians
St Pats
Shamrock Rovers
Bray
Tralee
Tullamore
FC Carlow

**gufc2000** · 28/02/2009, 6:09 PM

Originally Posted by CelticTiger

You forgot Carlow man!

My bad! I knew I made a mistake. I've edited it now. Thats 17 teams, even though Cobh could be dropping in to the MSL yet

**DmanDmythDledge** · 28/02/2009, 6:29 PM

Originally Posted by GUFCforlife

I'd say now that the FAI have 16 teams they'll be satisfied enough.

I'd be highly surprised if they stopped anyone entering a reserve team if they wish.

**gufc2000** · 28/02/2009, 6:34 PM

Originally Posted by DmanDmythDledge

I'd be highly surprised if they stopped anyone entering a reserve team if they wish.

Are there any more 1st Div clubs interested? Apart from UCD, would there be anyone else? Fingal or Shels maybe, but I don't see Monaghan or Mervue or Athlone throwing there names forward, and I wouldn't expect it off them in all fairness either