GUST apply for first division licence

**sullanefc** · 06/01/2012, 6:28 PM

Originally Posted by passerrby

so lets assume for a second that the people at gust are in fact a bunch of well intentioned fools and in a year or two we are back at the same place, should the newly formed independent supporters club be able to get a new license on the grounds that they pulled there support from gust and are far more sensible than the last lot. if so this crazy merry go round is never going to end, so could you stop and let me off.

Well IMO, fans owned clubs are the way forward. So long as they are run in a proper democratic way. Fans would never let a club go to the wall in the way that Tom Coughlan and the Galway board have done.

**pineapple stu** · 06/01/2012, 6:43 PM

Originally Posted by sullanefc

Well IMO, fans owned clubs are the way forward. So long as they are run in a proper democratic way. Fans would never let a club go to the wall in the way that Tom Coughlan and the Galway board have done.

Yup. That's why Bohs are such a vibrant, trouble-free club.

**John83** · 06/01/2012, 6:59 PM

Originally Posted by passerrby

so lets assume for a second that the people at gust are in fact a bunch of well intentioned fools and in a year or two we are back at the same place, should the newly formed independent supporters club be able to get a new license on the grounds that they pulled there support from gust and are far more sensible than the last lot. if so this crazy merry go round is never going to end, so could you stop and let me off.

You mean like what has happened at Shams, Derry and Cork? It seems to take a lot longer than a year or two to irredeemably screw up a club.

**sullanefc** · 06/01/2012, 7:05 PM

Originally Posted by Louth4sam

I really don't think that is much of a deterrent either. If Cork got a point deduction the season they bought the history, crest etc it wouldn't have made much difference as they were not going to get promoted anyway.

Then why not give us the points deduction the season that we actually started using the old name. i.e. last season. It would have meant that we would not have gotten promoted this season, but would have been a reasonable punishment IMO.

Originally Posted by Louth4sam

If a new entity wants to acquire the previous ones's history it should also acquire it's debts by default.

As was galwayhoop said previously (quoted below), this is not in line with company law. The FAI could not enforce it surely.

Originally Posted by galwayhoop

Anyway long story short, the FAI nor anyone can operate outside of the laws of the land and straddle new legal entities with old debt from insolvent companies.

However they do have a trump card:
should they choose they could impose football sanctions, and make them specific for When new entities (GUST FC, CC FORAS, DERRY) spring up and want to be know as the old entity.
If new clubs want the old identity they should be relegated to the bottom division (1st. Div currently) and perhaps they should then be prevented from gaining promotion for 3 or even 5 years. Or a salary cap, prevented from having more than X pro players etc.
The choice then would be easy, new club OR old club but not able to progress for a period of time to be an example to others.

That would be reasonable. I think most fans owned clubs would take this punishment in order to continue the clubs name.

Originally Posted by galwayhoop

The fact Derry (I'm not an expert on DCFC so apologies if wrong here) & Cork folded (albeit last option or otherwise), regrouped and went back up debt free is a joke really - and ask any of their fans if they are the same club now or not?

How is it a joke? What option did they have?

**sullanefc** · 06/01/2012, 7:06 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Yup. That's why Bohs are such a vibrant, trouble-free club.

Did you miss the part where I said "run in a proper democratic way"?

**pineapple stu** · 06/01/2012, 7:13 PM

Bohs was run in a proper democratic way. The fans (members) elected in the board and voted on everything. I don't think you can take "run in a proper democratic way" to mean "idiot-free".

**sullanefc** · 06/01/2012, 7:18 PM

Originally Posted by passerrby

Im sure they do but they would be in the first div because of results not because of sanctions for mismanagement and that means they wil not have been punished therefore no deterent going forward. I admire and respect what gust are trying to do but clubs must expect a sanction or this whole licensing wil continue to be viewed as a farce

Well we finished in 3rd place in 2009 yet still had to go down to the first division. If relegation is to be the punishment then that's the punishment. Just because Galway had a horrendous season, shouldn't come into it.

**sullanefc** · 06/01/2012, 7:21 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Bohs was run in a proper democratic way. The fans (members) elected in the board and voted on everything. I don't think you can take "run in a proper democratic way" to mean "idiot-free".

But wasn't the problem at Bohs, that the board hid certain details from the members? Maybe I should add the word "transparent" to my statement above.

**sligoman** · 06/01/2012, 7:54 PM

Rumours their application was unsuccessful. Statement due this evening.

**Predator** · 06/01/2012, 8:23 PM

Any more word?

**Spudulika** · 06/01/2012, 8:37 PM

Originally Posted by sullanefc

Well we finished in 3rd place in 2009 yet still had to go down to the first division. If relegation is to be the punishment then that's the punishment. Just because Galway had a horrendous season, shouldn't come into it.

No you didn't finish 3rd in 2009, you began life in 2010.

**sullanefc** · 06/01/2012, 8:44 PM

Originally Posted by Spudulika

No you didn't finish 3rd in 2009, you began life in 2010.

Sorry bud, I support a football club, not a business entity.

**galwayhoop** · 06/01/2012, 9:36 PM

Originally Posted by sullanefc

How is it a joke? What option did they have?

Joke probably the wrong word. Clubs had no option.
What i meant was they were reformed as new entities, then bought old name and history and are now back in premier debt free and in good shape. No disincentive. There should be some baggage attached maybe as per my earlier suggestions.
If rumours in Galway this evening are to be believed, we on the other hand, are going to be the scapegoats.

**sullanefc** · 06/01/2012, 9:47 PM

Originally Posted by galwayhoop

Joke probably the wrong word. Clubs had no option.
What i meant was they were reformed as new entities, then bought old name and history and are now back in premier debt free and in good shape. No disincentive. There should be some baggage attached maybe as per my earlier suggestions.
If rumours in Galway this evening are to be believed, we on the other hand, are going to be the scapegoats.

CCFC finished in 3rd place in the Premier, were relegated and spent two seasons in the 1st division. Do you not think that that was a punishment?

**Charlie Darwin** · 06/01/2012, 9:56 PM

I hope it's not true. I'd like for one season to go by in this league without a club ceasing to exist.

**galwayhoop** · 06/01/2012, 10:30 PM

Originally Posted by sullanefc

CCFC finished in 3rd place in the Premier, were relegated and spent two seasons in the 1st division. Do you not think that that was a punishment?

Not meaning to be pedantic but finished 3rd in Premier. Didn't get license. Wound up. New club formed in lower division. One year later bought the name and history of old club.
My point is if Foras remained as Foras and not morphed into Cork City FC it isn't an issue. However once they 'become' the old club it might give ammunition to others.
Also might make some people wonder why they bother paying off debt.
However the news tonight, if confirmed, will be incentive enough I think.

**pineapple stu** · 06/01/2012, 10:53 PM

Originally Posted by sullanefc

But wasn't the problem at Bohs, that the board hid certain details from the members? Maybe I should add the word "transparent" to my statement above.

But my point is that Bohs - and other clubs, such as Stockport - show that fan-owned clubs aren't the panacea they're made out to be. I think they're more often good than not, but they can go wrong for similar reasons to "normal" clubs. There's nothing about fan-owned clubs that inherently prevents screw-ups, ground sales, overspending, etc.

**El-Pietro** · 07/01/2012, 3:23 AM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

But my point is that Bohs - and other clubs, such as Stockport - show that fan-owned clubs aren't the panacea they're made out to be. I think they're more often good than not, but they can go wrong for similar reasons to "normal" clubs. There's nothing about fan-owned clubs that inherently prevents screw-ups, ground sales, overspending, etc.

you're wasting your time, he wants foras to give tutorials to other clubs - including sligo

**sullanefc** · 07/01/2012, 5:44 AM

Originally Posted by galwayhoop

Not meaning to be pedantic but finished 3rd in Premier. Didn't get license. Wound up. New club formed in lower division. One year later bought the name and history of old club.
My point is if Foras remained as Foras and not morphed into Cork City FC it isn't an issue. However once they 'become' the old club it might give ammunition to others.
Also might make some people wonder why they bother paying off debt.
However the news tonight, if confirmed, will be incentive enough I think.

My club (which had never played in the first division before) had to play 2 seasons in the first division. So in essence, we got relegated because of finances, not football. THAT was a punishment.

**Terry** · 07/01/2012, 7:34 AM

from rumours going around town last night it look like Galway United STFC were unsuccessful in their application. Apparently all the necessary requirements were meet but the NLEC ( Eamon Naughton,Michael Cody, Richard Collins, John Delaney and John Foley), a body which is independent from the FAI, believe that the people of Galway will rally around the 2 housing estate teams.

Senior football in Galway is finished. RIP. Back to supporting Manchester United it looks like!