General promotion/media discussion (split from the attendances thread)

[legendz]

Is it a link like this you're looking for?... http://www.thefa.com/Leagues/Nationa.../GroundGrading

Interim league or halfway house, it is what the A Championship is but at least it does provide a path to the national league.
In time maybe Ireland can go down that road of a pyramid structure. I'm not sure if they'd switch junior soccer to summer time football. GAA players, your average player now that is, don't get a whole lot of clubs games in the summer due to inter-county action. If the Junior soccer clubs were on summer time, it'd be a bit more attractive during those months, they could also fit in a summer break around June. Who knows what might happen?
I still think the two can exist, as in the current 3 tiered system and a provincial pyramid if introduced. The ground regulations above could be applied within that structure of a provincial pyramid system. It'd be the best place to start as well, sort out the provincial system and if the will is there to link it directly to the national league, complete the link.

[peadar1987]

It would be good if we could stop fighting with the GAA and rugby as well (although we'd have to get rid of parochial/snobbish/disdainful attitudes first)

It'd be nice if all the clubs in a particular area could talk to each other, maybe share some facilities, have combined fitness sessions to save on coaches, organise fundraising together, and liaise with each other to make sure trainings and matches do not clash as far as is possible. It would also help if Irish football did have a more vertically integrated structure, so league schedulling could be arranged better. It'd hurt nobody and help everyone.

[legendz]

Looking at league facing the possibility of having 6 Dublin clubs next season, in away I'd love to see the league expand to 16 clubs. This way the Premier would have more of a spread across the country and clubs will only play each other twice. The number of games would drop 36 to 30 but if the FAI were smart, they could revamp the League Cup for Premier clubs only in groups of 4 clubs home and away adding on 6 games and give a Europa League place to the winner. With two Europa League places going to Cups, a play-off should be played off from 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th for the final Europa League spot.
4 clubs could then be invited from the A Championship to join the 6 left in Division One to make a Division of 10 and a 36 game season.