Leagues Financial facts & Rumours thread

[oldyouth]

As I've said previously, it is quite possible that promotion/relegation at the end of this season may be put aside with a total revamp of the 2 divisions, based on financial stability.

[Buile Shuibhne]

As I've said previously, it is quite possible that promotion/relegation at the end of this season may be put aside with a total revamp of the 2 divisions, based on financial stability.

Been thinking that myself the past couple of months the way the growing number of clubs have been going into meltdown.



Will only happen if the FAI are consistant and the apply the same sanctions to all clubs as they did to Shelbourne.

Heard third-hand that when this point was brought up at yesterday's fans forum that Paraic Smith said something along the lines - "It wont happen again we've drawn a line under what we did to Shels" ??????????

[SkStu]

It's just like us all over again Heads in the sand. Oh, congrats on winning the league

that would be funny if it wasnt so far off the mark. Unlike Shels when they were remotely relevant, nobody here denies that there are problems at Bohs off the pitch - ffs, its very much in the public domain.


One thing i did learn from the Shels collapse was enjoy it while you can.

My main point, anyway, was the pettyness of the usual suspects on here - moving congratulatory threads, little digs etc etc... i enjoy it cos i know it bugs the sh1t out of a lot of people on this messageboard that WE ARE CHAMPIONS!

[sligoman]

When is the court date(s) for Bohs? Has a date been set yet?

[sonofstan]

When is the court date(s) for Bohs? Has a date been set yet?

17th Oct - next Friday for the Albion case

[brianw82]

Great article from eleven-a-side on the financial issues:

Nothing long-term about bust, boom and bustShane Breslin 12:34:39
10/10/2008 [RIGHT]
Printer-friendly version [/RIGHT]

News of the financial troubles in which defending eircom League champions Drogheda United find themselves should surprise no-one, and something must be done about the whirling eddy of devastation which has gripped the domestic game.After three years of standard-bearing, in which they gambled on becoming the top club in the land, with a brand-new stadium and a squad roster of A-list domestic stars, Drogs must revert to a part-time professional structure next season.

Even that may be out of their reach, with the possibility of a High Court-appointed examiner intervening to oversee the club beyond the end of the season, when the vast majority of their players will pack up their kitbags and travel back down the M1 towards the capital.

But where will they go? Bohemians, who will be crowned as successors to Drogheda as League champions, already have a squad depth which is unsustainable without the sale of their own Dalymount Park for development and a move to a newly-constructed arena a few miles away in Harristown. Given the current economic climate and the meltdown in the construction sector, however, no-one would be surprised if Bohs’ own plans were to follow the path of Drogheda’s failed ambitions.

St Patrick’s Athletic have a wealthy benefactor in Garrett Kelleher but his fortune was built on property development and, if the credit crunch is weighing heavily upon Premier League clubs across the Irish Sea, it’s conceivable that his level of expenditure will not be maintained at current levels. The club is certain to think twice about offering €200,000 contracts in the future.

Cork City are already preparing for a massive cut in the wage-bill for next year, with talk in local media circles that an €80,000-per-week budget will be slashed by about two-thirds under new owner Tom Coughlan.

Four other Premier Division clubs - Galway United, Finn Harps, Sligo Rovers and Cobh Ramblers – have also felt the pinch of serious financial woes this year.

Something must change, for the current cycle of bust, boom and bust is a principal reason behind the losing battle to win the hearts and minds of the sports-going public.

Why would fans make an emotional investment – a prerequisite before any monetary gain is to be gleaned by the clubs – in an entity which could well find itself grasping at the plughole in the not-too-distant future?

When things eventually go awry, as they have at the champions of each of the last five seasons – three-time winners Shelbourne, Cork and Drogheda – the fans are urged to demonstrate their support in a time of need by coming out in their droves.

But is it up to the supporters to bail out their clubs, to in effect bankroll the unrealistic aspirations of the club controllers? The fans of Shamrock Rovers were able to wrest control of their club, but it was a painful process and one only possible because the Hoops’ standing as traditionally the country’s biggest club gave them a platform to plan for the future. Elsewhere across the country, the volume of diehard supporters is plainly insufficient to keep clubs in existence, at least in their present form.

Despite the investment in national and club promotions officers, attendance figures across the League are dismal. St Pats were regarded as unfortunate not to advance to the Uefa Cup group stages at the expense of Hertha Berlin recently yet a few days before Pats’ visit to Berlin, a Bundesliga game at the Olympic Stadium attracted 48,000 – more than Saints could expect in total from their 17 home games this year. Put another way, you could take every fan who attended a League game last weekend, put them sitting in Croke Park and the stadium would still look half-full.

In a world where Gaelic games and rugby offer greater glamour, and the razzmatazz of the über-rich Premier League and a traditional bond with Celtic sees thousands of Irishmen and women flock through airport security every weekend, sentiment towards the League of Ireland from many sports fans ranges from apathy to anathema.

Bringing about a lasting change of those feelings is the arduous battle facing the Football Association of Ireland.

There is a blueprints to follow. Whereas houses of cards have come tumbling down across the country, the foundations of Wexford Youths are solid. Mick Wallace’s grand plan in the south-east will not bring Champions League football to Ferrycarrig Park any time soon but where success is measured on sustainability and genuine goodwill from the local community more than silverware and foreign television money, the club is bound to flourish.

In the prelude to the recent League Cup final, which attracted a sell-out 3500 attendance to Ferrycarrig, Wallace spoke refreshingly about the club’s raison d’être. Winning the league was outside their grasp, he said, but that didn’t matter. The important thing was to serve a purpose in the community, becoming a focal point of the locale. Youths, with an amateur ethos and players drawn from right across the county, are well on the way towards that target. Wallace will never sign English journeymen, but there is nothing xenophobic in that, and such a commitment to the hinterland can only foster community spirit.

In contrast, Drogheda and others chased the dragon, attempting to disprove basic economics and compete in an alternative universe. A footnote to Drogs’ history will show that they were within the width of a post of knocking Dynamo Kiev out of the Champions League this year.

eircom League sides have been punching above their weight for a number of years now. But the burden of financial ruin is beginning to tell. After the near misses of recent years, it could be many more before an Irish side approaches a European tie with genuine aspirations of awaking in a bright new dawn.

[sligoman]

17th Oct - next Friday for the Albion case

Any ideas on how long it's expected to last or does it depend on how it goes?

[gufct]

17th Oct - next Friday for the Albion case

I believe Sean Connors case has been settled out of court as the Bohs case fell apart after their star witness refused to be bullied into telling untruths by the Directors at the BIG CLUB. This will cost Bohs big time.

[sonofstan]

Any ideas on how long it's expected to last or does it depend on how it goes?

The judgment is being delivered then (deferred from last monday) - the case has already been heard; there may, of course, be an appeal from either side.

[Dodge]

Bohs EGM is the 16th isn't it? Should be at least as telling as the court case judgement

[sonofstan]

Bohs EGM is the 16th isn't it? Should be at least as telling as the court case judgement

Yes and yes

[Dodge]

Whats the feeling around dalymount for the judgement? presume most are bricking it? Club directors are the worst people in the world for calming fears

[sonofstan]

Whats the feeling around dalymount for the judgement? presume most are bricking it? Club directors are the worst people in the world for calming fears

Nice try.
There's a reason we have a members forum on our message board.

[Dodge]

LOL, fair enough. Wasn't looking for specifics.

[gufct]

Nice try.
There's a reason we have a members forum on our message board.

Any thoughts on Sean Connors out of court settlement or have ye not been informed yet.

[sonofstan]

Any thoughts on Sean Connors out of court settlement or have ye not been informed yet.

I know it's Bohs, an' we're famously depressive* and all, but we've just won the league remember? minds on other things for the minute.





* up in Drogheda last Friday, there were two blokes beside me complaining about something within 5 mins of the final whistle......

[Mr_Parker]

Will Drogs defeat tonight be another nail in the coffin?

[HarpoJoyce]

Will Drogs defeat tonight be another nail in the coffin?

Weekend and tonight was hand to mouth, for the immediacy. Gate money to players salary's.

Tomorrow.
They are expected to present a case for Drogheda Utd. F.C.'s interests to be protected under the Irish High Court. 'No Touchy-Touchy'.

Like Cork City and Shamrock Rovers I have a problem with this.
One Slogan; ' Pay Your Debts ................ FC'

I have a major problem when abusive people chose to abuse.
(All of the above clubs owe a little to Irish society).

Was any Drogs player injured too much tonight? just that tradition dictates their income is stopped.

[Redie]

This is from the Sligo Rovers Website


Friday, 10 October 2008
The following is a statement from Sligo Rovers Football Club as an update and thank you in relation to the finances of the club. On Friday 7 March 2008, Sligo Rovers embarked on a season that carried plenty of potential. But with a large tax debt forward from the 2007 season and not having a full 16 members on the board, it was a year that would be incredibly difficult for The Bit O’Red With all this in mind the hard job of raising the much needed funds started. The club’s annual draw raised €35,000 and then our Liverpool Legends game was announced. The club makes it public that we are in real financial trouble and may not even complete the season. An even bigger push was put on fundraising and the Legends game raises €30,000. An extremely well supported syndicate draw comes up with €80,000. It was a true to testament to the dedication and loyalty of Sligo Rovers fans as the extraordinary fundraising effort was maintained for weeks on end. Not many clubs in Ireland could tell their supporters they are in so much trouble and manage to raise €145,000 from ordinary fans and a very hard working Board of Management. I know what you are all going to say. What are they looking for now? The season is ending in only five weeks with not one member of staff owed a cent. Last years tax bill has been paid in full and the chance of finishing in the top four or five is now a huge possibility. Should we let it go now? To finish the season creditor free we would need to raise €70,000 and this would leave us in a very strong position for the 2009 season.

[iceman]

Drogs in the High Court this morning at 11am , seeking Examinership.