Why are people saying the clubs think this will be a panacea? It's far more likely that they think it's just a small step in the right direction. To dress it otherwise is tending towards the hysterical.
And some of the arguments I've read about how terrible winter football is are very amusing. You'd almost think we didn't have a league running here in winter for the best part of a century. Or that football didn't become the country's biggest spectator sport with almost every league playing through the winter.
A lot of fuss about very little really.
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
Why is it even a small step in the right direction? Is there any evidence that, overall, it will be any way beneficial to the League?
Its a sideways step IMO.
The one concrete near fact is that our European performances will be negatively impacted. Its highly likely they will be even more negatively impacted by the decreased wages in the League, but winter football won't improve it.
54,321 sold - wws will never die - ***
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Last edited by osarusan; 28/10/2010 at 1:38 PM.
Suppose the positives will be the fact you wont be competing with GAA. Also the organisation of the Setanta cup should be a lot easier.
Outside of that I fail to see how else it would benefit the league moving from Summer to Winter.
The Hallion Battalion Molests football.:D
Tha GAA don't play on Friday evenings though, so I don't think the competition is as much as some people say it is. It's probably too much to ask of Pineapple Stu to compare the attendances during weekends with GAA to the other weekends, but I doubt there'd be too much of a significat difference when you take into account that the non-GAA games take place away from the key beginning and end of season periods.
Or World Cups, or having a mid season break. And the fact that crowds are better at the start and end of the season when the weather is generally worse.
The reason why it should be the summer side justifying the retention is that it was a move from the traditional season that had served us relatively well (we'd survived that long anyway!) up until the move. Summer season is still a break from the norm. The assumptions about it being direct competition from UK football, and the weather being bad have turned out to be false - crowds are down during the UK close season, when the weather is at it's best. A winter season won't be a panacea or a silver bullet - it will be back to the traditional times were the clubs obviously feel they can maximise support they have.
If you attack me with stupidity, I'll be forced to defend myself with sarcasm.
54,321 sold - wws will never die - ***
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Its enjoyable for fans yeah. Might bring in the odd shilling in the short term.
Hasn't helped us bring in any fans
54,321 sold - wws will never die - ***
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I've no preference for summer or winter football. I was surprised it came up as an issue though.
On the subject anyways, one argument put forward for summer football is European results. TNS of Wales seemed to get on ok against Boh's this summer. Pre-season training usually lasts 4-6 weeks? If there was a mid-July start, sides in Europe could get back training in early June.
On possible poor crowds in Winter. Magner's league games get good crowds in Winter. GAA Junior, Intermediate and Senior club Provincial and All-Ireland series games get good crowds as well despite the time of year and the conditions. It comes down to the games and the level of interest. I'm not sure the time of year matters all that much and attendances will go up or down either way.
For the A Championship, a move to winter football might be best. If clubs want to apply, it'd be easier to join in the summer and if they want to leave the A Championship, it's easier to leave in the spring/summer and drop into whatever league in the summer/autumn.
Performing well seems to be dismissed or seen as something that should be seen as a bonus. I guess it is a bonus in someways but performing in Europe is surely important for the promotion of the league. There have been good results here and there but no club have consistently done well. Boh's missed a good chance this season to have a good-run to the Europa League play-offs. Good results over a few years, it doesn't necessarily have to be group stage qualification but knocking on the door would raise the league's profile.
But it's been pointed out that performing (relatively) well in europe hasn't raised the profile of the league in general, and hasn't even resulted in a significant improvement in the attendances of the teams that perfromed in Europe. As Dodge pointed out earlier, of all the teams that had decent runs in Europe, St. Pats are the only team that aren't suffering for it now. Even overachieving in Europe through unsustainable wages to players hasn't helped the league or the clubs themselves.
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