FAI to look at return to winter football

**BulmersKid** · 10/01/2009, 12:30 PM

Did anybody else see during the week on TV3 news, a little piece tagged onto the end of a piece about Drogs problems, an official from the FAI saying that maybe in 2 years time they will review the whole Summer Football idea.

Can't remember who the official was, but high ranking. Said that summer football didn't improve crowd numbers in some clubs.

Aside from that, does anybody have a link to who is on the board of management of the FAi? Can't find it on their website. Can't find any officials names on it

**brianw82** · 10/01/2009, 12:36 PM

Yeah, I saw that. The guy said that the regional clubs were making a bigger fuss about it.

It does definitely need to be looked at.

**BulmersKid** · 10/01/2009, 12:37 PM

Can you remember who the official was?

**holidaysong** · 10/01/2009, 12:38 PM

I seen it too, who was he? I didn't think he was anyone too important..

**Dunny** · 10/01/2009, 12:41 PM

Think it was the FAI's Vice President...

**irishultra** · 10/01/2009, 12:43 PM

please dont do this. i love a nice summers evening go to matches with the rents or mates. obviously i'd still go to games but summer football just makes the experience so much better.

**BulmersKid** · 10/01/2009, 12:46 PM

Originally Posted by Dunny

Think it was the FAI's Vice President...

Definitely Vice something-or-other. IF I saw or heard the name again I would recognize it.

But I thing it highlights some issues within the FAI. Here you have a high ranking offical saying the whole sytem will need to be reviewd because of poor crowds and then you have Fran Gavin saying that crowds are up.

Divides still exist within the FAI

**atfconline** · 10/01/2009, 12:48 PM

It was Paddy McCaul, FAI Vice President.

**citybone** · 10/01/2009, 12:48 PM

Originally Posted by irishultra

please dont do this. i love a nice summers evening go to matches with the rents or mates. obviously i'd still go to games but summer football just makes the experience so much better.

I have to agree, traveling to Finn Harps on a wintry December of January from cork is a no no in my books.During the summer would be a lot easier, but more importantly european results are much better under summer football and going back to winter football will be a step backwards

**Sam_Heggy** · 10/01/2009, 12:56 PM

Personally I prefer winter football but, would the pitches hold up in the wosre weather?
Look how bad pitches got in "summer football" namely pitches like Finn Park were shockingly bad.

**Keen2win** · 10/01/2009, 2:01 PM

Im not sure if Flancare Park would hold up as a lot of underage matches seem to be called off lately due to a "frozen pitch" and such like.

**irishultra** · 10/01/2009, 2:06 PM

winter football is grand for dublin coz winters do be dry and mild but the fecking west? no chance.

**Keen2win** · 10/01/2009, 2:21 PM

We would probably have to make a new pitch for training and most underage games and not let anyone on our main pitch...

And we don't have money for that!!

**Mr A** · 10/01/2009, 3:55 PM

Summer football does not necessarily mean better pitches since you lose the time of year when you can do most work on them.

**Boh_So_Good** · 10/01/2009, 5:02 PM

Been going to LOI matches for 30 years now. I much prefer summer football.

This 'longing for the glory days of Winter Football' is from the same mindsets who say "we had crowds of 40,000 on average back in the old days..."

**John83** · 10/01/2009, 5:17 PM

I prefer going to games in the summer. It does seem to have some benefit for European games. It doesn't seem to have significantly effected crowds. Changing back won't do any good but please a few old fogies.

**Martinho II** · 10/01/2009, 7:00 PM

i personally want it to go back to winter soccer. there was nothing like xmas footie and friends you hadnt seen in ages come to matches at xmas. really miss that buzz.

**SligoBrewer** · 10/01/2009, 7:04 PM

Originally Posted by irishultra

winter football is grand for dublin coz winters do be dry and mild but the fecking west? no chance.

The difference is negligible in fairness. You'd think it was playing on the Blaskets the way you're going on about it.

Winter Football. +1

**MariborKev** · 10/01/2009, 8:48 PM

Originally Posted by Boh_So_Good

Been going to LOI matches for 30 years now. I much prefer summer football.

This 'longing for the glory days of Winter Football' is from the same mindsets who say "we had crowds of 40,000 on average back in the old days..."

Allied to the "Feck it, we need a change" mentality.

10 teams or 12 teams, summer or winter, surely it is time to try the Top 6/Bottom 6 thing again

**Inside Man** · 10/01/2009, 8:52 PM

Winter football all the way!
Nothing better than going into the Showgrounds on a cold december evening with an electric atmosphere as oppossed to arriving in the gates with no atmosphere and no crowds as on the good days everyone has gone to the beach and those at the match are the true hardcore supporters.

Look how the Irish league pitches hold up. Not bad at all. Indeed there is the odd weekend where the fixtures are called off but they get worse snow and colder weather than alot of southern Irish clubs.

I am 100% behind winter football. And i think 90% of regional teams fans would back this. [Longford, Athlone, Galway, Harps, Sligo Rovers, Monaghan, Limrick, Cork Waterford]

Really its only the clubs with power that are backing it Bohs, Shams, Pats and all the Dublin clubs.