Promotion from the A Championship

**London-Irish** · 16/09/2009, 2:55 PM

What is the latest on this? If Salthill Devon win their division, will they have to go into a play-off like Mervue did last year?

**Sam_Heggy** · 16/09/2009, 3:25 PM

Originally Posted by London-Irish

What is the latest on this? If Salthill Devon win their division, will they have to go into a play-off like Mervue did last year?

Yeah they will play the bottom placed First Division side in a two legged play off.
On that point, it will be a horrible scenario if Salthill Devon get promoted at Kildares expence leaving 3 Galway sides in LOI Senior football. Nothing against Salthill but One team in Galway is enough, as Mervue have shown. Mervue have crowds of no more than 100 per home game and in fairness, most of those are Galway United fans from what I can gather.

**Dillonman** · 16/09/2009, 5:17 PM

Originally Posted by Sam_Heggy

Yeah they will play the bottom placed First Division side in a two legged play off.
On that point, it will be a horrible scenario if Salthill Devon get promoted at Kildares expence leaving 3 Galway sides in LOI Senior football. Nothing against Salthill but One team in Galway is enough, as Mervue have shown. Mervue have crowds of no more than 100 per home game and in fairness, most of those are Galway United fans from what I can gather.

And how many are Kildare getting a game?!

**Sam_Heggy** · 16/09/2009, 5:54 PM

Originally Posted by Dillonman

And how many are Kildare getting a game?!

They are currently doing up a fancy DVD to show in the Town centre to entise the locals to come out.

**Acornvilla** · 16/09/2009, 8:51 PM

what about whoever tops the other section??

**Ezeikial** · 17/09/2009, 12:17 AM

Originally Posted by Dillonman

And how many are Kildare getting a game?!

Even if Kildare are currently getting very poor crowds (to go along with poor results), at least there is a prospect, however small or distant, of them gradually attracting more support from a fairly sizeable hinterland. On the other hand you can hardly hold out that hope in the case of Salthill-Devon joining Galway and Mervue in the scramble for scarce fans in the Galway area.

**Martinho II** · 17/09/2009, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by Acornvilla

what about whoever tops the other section??

isnt it the team that finishes higher of the non loi teams in the two divisions that play the bottom side in Division one.?

**culloty82** · 17/09/2009, 11:12 AM

As Kerry's Eye say today, unless Salthill slip to second, they'll play Kildare.

http://www.kerryseye.com

**eamo1** · 17/09/2009, 1:54 PM

If Salthill converted one of their pitches in Drom to a decent standard and played their games there then they get half decent crowds.Or if they used Millers Lane and upgraded that pitch they might also get a decent crowd.If however they come across the city and play in Terryland then they will get very poor crowds.Surely they cant use Terryland aswell,that would be 3 teams using it aswell as LOADS of local matches that take place there.

**number16** · 17/09/2009, 2:09 PM

eamo1, I think the pitches at drom are of a decent standard (they have floodlights installed on pitch 3 and the surface is as good as any. The issue would be lack of covered facilities and access control, but I agree if they played at Drom the crowds would develop over time.
www.salthilldevon.ie/dromphotos

**Acornvilla** · 17/09/2009, 4:59 PM

i know this wont happen this year but what happens if two non loi teams win their devisions??

**1882** · 17/09/2009, 8:13 PM

Originally Posted by Acornvilla

i know this wont happen this year but what happens if two non loi teams win their devisions??

They play-off and the winner plays the bottom first division team, with the winner getting a place in the first division.

**Acornvilla** · 17/09/2009, 9:02 PM

Aha thank you sir i taght as much!

**Scrufil** · 17/09/2009, 11:27 PM

So its alright for Dublin to have loads of LOI teams but not Galway? What a load of rubbish. What Galway needs is a forth team in the LOI. There would a lot less travelling for Derby matches and the local v local aspect would actually create nice crowds and a good buzz. Dublin sides playing Dublin sides do not realise actually how much extra dough they have by having so little travel against one another and the potential to get good gates by virture of short distances between venues. Perhaps Galway may be emerging as a new powerhouse of soccer on this island?

**Big Ears** · 18/09/2009, 12:10 AM

Originally Posted by Scrufil

So its alright for Dublin to have loads of LOI teams but not Galway? What a load of rubbish. What Galway needs is a forth team in the LOI. There would a lot less travelling for Derby matches and the local v local aspect would actually create nice crowds and a good buzz. Dublin sides playing Dublin sides do not realise actually how much extra dough they have by having so little travel against one another and the potential to get good gates by virture of short distances between venues. Perhaps Galway may be emerging as a new powerhouse of soccer on this island?

To be fair Dublin is a hell of a lot bigger than Galway. Tallaght alone is nearly the size of Galway City.

3 LOI clubs in Galway itself would just be too much imo. Afterall there's currently only 3 Munster teams in the LOI !

**dcfcsteve** · 18/09/2009, 12:24 AM

Originally Posted by Scrufil

So its alright for Dublin to have loads of LOI teams but not Galway? What a load of rubbish. What Galway needs is a forth team in the LOI. There would a lot less travelling for Derby matches and the local v local aspect would actually create nice crowds and a good buzz. Dublin sides playing Dublin sides do not realise actually how much extra dough they have by having so little travel against one another and the potential to get good gates by virture of short distances between venues. Perhaps Galway may be emerging as a new powerhouse of soccer on this island?

I can only asume that this was written with tongue firmly in cheek.

It's bad enough having two clubs in Galway who both play in the same colours at the same ground and are both called 'United'

Just think how ruibbish a derby it would be if the two sides ever actually met competitively - two sets of fans in the same colours, both technically at home and both cheering on United.

At least Salthil don't also play in maroon and call themselves United. Small mercies...

**WexCar** · 18/09/2009, 1:28 AM

well if Galway United ever fold/get wound up (or whatever) then they have a ready made replacement or 2 already in the league. Nice easy transition for the fans

**Acornvilla** · 18/09/2009, 1:45 AM

that logic what we need is a second team from longford!

**Gaillimh Al** · 18/09/2009, 9:40 AM

Mervue would regularly get crowds of 200-300 (similar to Limerick, UCD and others) if they were playing on their own ground in Fahy's Field.

Devon have played in the FAI Cup in recent years in Drom and the crowd was very poor considering. While the club is doing great work to foster underage talent, they have never had a big following outside of those directly involved with the club.

These two clubs were pretty much forced into LOI by the fact that they were so dominant at underage level and were then only able to offer Junior football to these players who would more than likely drift away from the club.