QuoteThe league of Ireland hasn't helped itself though in fairness. Having been a closed circle of 22 clubs for so long, it'll take a lot of work for things to improve.
Easy said for them as part of the UK (England)Originally Posted by peadar1987
(nitpicking-sorry!)
The league of Ireland hasn't helped itself though in fairness. Having been a closed circle of 22 clubs for so long, it'll take a lot of work for things to improve.
Hi guys.
Just thought I'd add my two cents' worth, from a media slant.
I was part of the editorial team which launched men's sport and lifestyle website Joe.ie earlier this year. At the start, trying to make the best use of our resources, it was decided that League of Ireland coverage would be held back until after the World Cup. That coverage has started over the past month in the shape of a weekly column (in much the same way, say, as the Guardian treats La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga).
The Joe site is on a national scale, with the target demographic of 18- to 44-year-old Irish males, which covers both the majority of regular attendees at League of Ireland grounds and a massive potential audience countrywide. Of the 22 League of Ireland clubs, one has contacted the Joe office since the site launched in April. Emails have been sent to three other clubs over the past month. One club has responded to those emails.
Although I acknowledge that clubs are also struggling for resources and in many cases may be stretched to the limit, I think it's fair to say that most could be doing more to promote themselves.
I'm a League of Ireland devotee, and previously worked on the now defunct eleven-a-side.com site for a number of years. I come from Co Meath, so unfortunately I have no allegiance to any League of Ireland club and can only envy the tribal belonging that genuine fans of League of Ireland clubs enjoy. Or maybe that should read "fortunately", as it allows me some level of objectivity.
***Plug alert***
You can read my thoughts on the League of Ireland every Wednesday. This week's piece is on the Neale Fenn-Dundalk-Shamrock Rovers love-hate triangle, which can be read here.
From Meath, has no league club allegiance as a result. I see this as part of the problem the league has. In Scotland a few years ago, I thought some new clubs were formed when they expanded to 4 divisions so that more regions would be represented. Something similar would do for the league of Ireland, get every county represented, even if it's in the A Championship
Except Scotland has a highly-organised junior soccer structure (Highland League, South of Scotland League, East of Scotland League). I'd love to see teams from Meath, Clare, Laois etc, in the League too, but the best way would be to gradually convert the A Championship into a division made up solely of senior teams, the FAI could invite the top junior clubs in unrepresented areas to sign up.
That's what I'd be looking to as well. Everything is gradual progression though, the A Championship is a good interim league in a way for the moment. Long term, it should be part of the FAI strategy to get as many regions as possible represented. With costs of travel etc. which have to be taken into account, the answer would be a Division Two split North and South. At least 16 clubs would be needed to make that a possibility, 8 in each section.
Fully agree that the LOI can be doing more to promote itself, and it's great to see a website taking some interest.
As an aside on the article itself, I enjoyed reading it, but are you sure that 'Come on the Town' has been a refrain at Oriel Park for decades? And secondly, Rovers aren't going for their 4th title in six years, as you say at the end of the 8th paragraph (You get it right near the end of the article, when you say they're chasing a first title in 16 years).
Hope to see more of these articles on a site I'd never heard of until 10 minutes ago (although I do disagree with a few opinions you've expressed there).
Last edited by osarusan; 27/09/2010 at 6:05 PM.
Not to go on but I will... the league's essential problem for me is that it does not cover enough regions of Ireland. I'd see the Premier and Division One being ok but another tier with a North/South split should be added. The A Championship is a good interim league but it's not the long-term solution.
The FAI have it right on the Premier. The country is only likely to be able to sustain about 10-12 professional clubs. Averaging that out across the country, that's about 2 each for both Munster and Connaught/Ulster, and then 3-4 clubs for both North Dublin/North Leinster and South Dublin/South Leinster.
If it was possible to add a proper third tier probably of amatuer/semi-pro clubs, Division One should be reduced to 10 clubs made up of pro/semi-pro clubs.
China funnily enough have a structure I'd see Ireland needing, they have a Super League (tier 1), the second tier is called League One and the third tier is called League Two with a North Division and a South Division.
How is that working out for them? (Genuine question)
China is hardly demographically similar to here though, and they don't play hurling.
This is their split.
Chinese Super League: 16 clubs
League One: 13 CLubs
League Two North and South: 5 Clubs each
My point is on the 3 tier system, in Ireland the aim should be, 10 club Premier (pro league) as it is, 10 club Division One (pro/semi-pro) and a Division Two North and South (semi-pro/amateur) with at least 8 clubs in each section. With 2 clubs from Division One and 5 from the A Championship, 9 more would be needed for the creation of a Div 2 North and South. You have to look at regions not represented, it could be possible in the long long-term.
No new clubs were formed. Some were elected from the non-league. Problem is here, no clubs really want to step up.
It probably will take time with the A Championship I guess.
Yeah, it's starting alright. And it's worth noting that the last time there was a gap in the Scottish Leagues (when Gretna went bang), there were only two or three clubs looking to be elected to Division Three. But forming new clubs isn't the way to go about things. Tralee Dynamoes and FC Carlow and Castlebar Celtic is the way it needs to go - existing clubs with existing structures and existing local links.
Carlow are a new club. Completely new afaik
Doing things the right way though. Start low and build.
54,321 sold - wws will never die - ***
---
New blog if anyone's interested - http://loihistory.wordpress.com/
LOI section on balls.ie - http://balls.ie/league-of-ireland/
In Munster with Cork, Limerick, Waterford and now Tralee represented, it'd be good to see Clonmel and Ennis join the A Championship. Carlow as said, are a new club. Links can be built and any clubs will need to gain support from their regions if they are to develop.
Oh. Was there nothing there before? Was there a SEFC that it grwe out of or something?
Eventually I'd love to see clubs from places like Kilkenny, Kildare, Navan, North Tipp (Nenagh/Roscrea), South Tipp (Clonmel), Mullingar, Ennis, and North Cork (Mallow/Mitchelstown) playing in the league. However, if we were to do it now, all that would have been achieved would be to start off several unsustainable clubs that the local population wouldn't particularly want. Before we think about aggressively expanding the league, we have to raise its profile. Clubs not going bust every season would be a start, and then we can think about nationwide promotional campaigns, and upgrading the facilities to something slicker than what we already have. A few seasons of a league with twenty-something sustainable clubs playing in front of decent attendances in clean, non-crumbly grounds, and these regions will want to start entering teams in the league of their own free will.
Any proposal put forward here has some or alot of or complete sense, any could work and all are worth a discussion. However I do wonder if what makes us less attractive as a league is the absence of a proper pyramid structure. We can leave the PD and 1st as they are, the A Championship too, but linking up all the leagues and removing the us and them divide is possibly the only way forward - instead of a club having to be elected into the league. I believe everyone who follows or is involved with the LOI has at least once in their lives had to explain to a non-local the fact that we don't have a working pyramid structure. When you look at other countries, small clubs who jumped up the divisions have settled at a level (or gone bust) but it's still a way to, maybe, progress senior football in Ireland.
I thought these comments from former Arsenal defender/Stan cap Joe O'Cearuill were bluntly refreshing about the league. Although I find it funny an English-born Irish player saying he didn't enjoy living in Ireland (then again, plenty of Irish-born Irish people would probably agree right now). Might be rethinking things now he's lining out for the mighty Forest Green, mind.
“I wasn’t happy living in Ireland,” he said. “I didn’t get on with the other players, I had no social life, so it wasn’t the best of times for me. Also I got injured and that didn’t make it easy.
“I wasn’t entirely happy with the standard of the League of Ireland. Bohemians were good, Cork were okay and Derry as well, but the rest were not the best. When Brian Kerr left the club I didn’t fancy it any more. He was very encouraging to me, he had a lot of experience and signed a lot of good players, but we underachieved with what we had.
“I was looking forward to playing in the UEFA Cup and I played well in the game away to Elfsborg. That was good for my confidence, but it’s hard to motivate yourself against the lesser teams away from home, with their poor stadiums and small crowds. The league wasn’t run properly and that wasn’t encouraging for me as a young player trying to make his way in the game. Overall, I was homesick and missed my family and girlfriend, and didn’t play to my potential. I’m disappointed with that. However, I did learn a lot from living on my own.”
http://greenscene.me/2010/09/spotlight-joe-ocearuill/
I wouldn't look at aggressively expanding the league. The A Championship as it is is a good interim league. Like anything, there has to be a long-term goal. It has to be hoped if enough clubs successfully join the A Championship, it could lead to the creation of a Division Two.
I know some people lament the fact that sides face each other 4 times in the Premier but 10-12 professional clubs is the most the league can hope for.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks