GUST apply for first division licence

[Sean South]

Galway United would never have been given a licence for 2012, which is the same thing.

Cobh didn't get a licence. They went out of league of Ireland football for a few years, got their house in order and now look to be getting back. Sligo Rovers dropped out of LOI football twice I think but contained in the Connacht league. Just because your not in the LOI it dosen't mean your club dosen't exsist. No one would have a problem if you wanted to start up your own FC united of Galway non league and work your way up but like Cork and Derry you are taking the easy option and trying to bypass all the hard work. Basically buying a franchise. GUFC got to big for their boots alienated themselves from the local community and forgot what been a football club is about.

On a side note I can see why football is so divided in Galway just reading this site. GUST might try and gloss all over it saying you will United football don't there. But from what I see from this site same sh1t different toilet.

[pineapple stu]

No one would have a problem if you wanted to start up your own FC united of Galway non league and work your way up

The problem is, there is no way of "working your way up". That's how it's done in England, but in Ireland, senior clubs are few and far between, so entry to the league is basically on an invitational basis. If you want to play, you're let. That's not GUST's fault. You mention Sligo and Cobh - neither of them "worked their way up" from non-league; they just applied for league membership and were granted it (or presumably that's what's going to happen to Cobh)

[gufc2000]

Cobh didn't get a licence. They went out of league of Ireland football for a few years, got their house in order and now look to be getting back. Sligo Rovers dropped out of LOI football twice I think but contained in the Connacht league. Just because your not in the LOI it dosen't mean your club dosen't exsist. No one would have a problem if you wanted to start up your own FC united of Galway non league and work your way up but like Cork and Derry you are taking the easy option and trying to bypass all the hard work. Basically buying a franchise. GUFC got to big for their boots alienated themselves from the local community and forgot what been a football club is about.

On a side note I can see why football is so divided in Galway just reading this site. GUST might try and gloss all over it saying you will United football don't there. But from what I see from this site same sh1t different toilet.

There's no way back if we go, there LOI is now a closed shop again. And Cobh did not drop out of league football, they went to the A Championship

[Sean South]

Stu I get your point about working your way up the ladder in this country. Yes it's different then in England but look St all the Mickey Mouse clubs over the past ten or twenty years Kildare, Dublin, Fingal, Cork etc easy come easy go. Now compare them to clubs which started of at local level and gradually worked their way up and established a community base over the years. I can only speak for Sligo Rovers but it would seem clubs Mervue , Cobh etc have done this too.

Stu you would know better but I wouldn't have a problem with GUST doing a Shams on it either going into administration and buying I think 10 per cent of the debt. It would probably mean having to do what Cobh did and not take part in the LOI for a few years. It would also take an enormous effort just like Shams 400 club

[John83]

Stu you would know better but I wouldn't have a problem with GUST doing a Shams on it either going into administration and buying I think 10 per cent of the debt. It would probably mean having to do what Cobh did and not take part in the LOI for a few years. It would also take an enormous effort just like Shams 400 club

They can't do this as they don't own the club.

[pineapple stu]

They can't put the club into examinership, but they could do what the Rovers 500-club did and buy the club post examinership with 10% of debts (say). But not being able to put the club into examinership is a problem obviously, and it seems they plan on taking on some of the debt anyway, so they're kind of doing that in roundabout kind of way.

Also, there's no reason going into examinership would mean pulling out of the league; Cobh were kicked out of the league because they didn't submit their licence application.

Now compare them to clubs which started of at local level and gradually worked their way up and established a community base over the years.

Sadly, I don't see them knocking on the door wanting into the league. That's what it boils down to.

[gufct]

gust is owed more than 10% of the debt of the club and it also will pay all football debts from their season in charge. We are supporters not fly by nights.

[Spudulika]

It would be great to think that the GUST can set up a club, play in a Connacht League for a couple of seasons and work their way into the LOI, but in Ireland it doesn't work that way. And I believe, knowing one of the people involved, that they'll do right by those as much as is possible. The two other Galway clubs will continue on their way though we need a good Galway club with a strong fanbase, despite the worst efforts of the Galway Council and their ilk. Maybe a way forward is to link somehow with Connacht rugby for a while?

[Mr Maroon]

It would be great to think that the GUST can set up a club, play in a Connacht League for a couple of seasons and work their way into the LOI, but in Ireland it doesn't work that way. And I believe, knowing one of the people involved, that they'll do right by those as much as is possible. The two other Galway clubs will continue on their way though we need a good Galway club with a strong fanbase, despite the worst efforts of the Galway Council and their ilk. Maybe a way forward is to link somehow with Connacht rugby for a while?

There is no Connacht League.

[geezer]

as far as i could establish today, negotiations are ongoing with creditors of the company that held the airtricity league licence last year and expired on the 31st of december. The directors of that former licence holder have decided to not apply for a licence but the company is still running what is probably an orderly wind down of sorts negotiating with legitimate creditors . The supporters and members of the soccer, political, social community have clubbed together under a steering group and have asked for an invitation to apply for that licence so to keep Loi football alive for the whole city and county & make sure the football family work together eventually under one club. 2500 signatures have been gathered, Letters of support from many many of the junior & juvenile clubs have been forthcoming and major national sponsors have been secured for this "community" effort.

The only argument against is there shouldnt be 3 teams in Galway.
Well when 900 GUST fans turn up at the other 2 clubs for league games they wont be complaining either im sure
Was all this planned all along, seems very orderly

Gaillimh abu

[Spudulika]

There is no Connacht League.

Facepalm for you - which is why I'd written - "it would be great to think" (the whole situation goes against any type of progressive club, company or community who want to play in the LOI, any new club will be sneered at by clubs with "history", whether that history is stiffing creditors, running out on debts, forming new companies or basically re-inventing their history.

[Macy]

GUST were nuts to prop up Galway United the way they did, for so long, without proper representation. That would be my only issue with whats gone on - it's a few years too late. iirc the 400 club had loads of mither trying to force Rovers into examinership - without ownership a supporters trust can't go that route unilaterally. If they're owed as much as is said, they maybe had some leverage but it sounds like the owners couldn't care either way.

There's no structure for clubs to do an AFC Wimbledon or FC United on it, to work their way back to the league (and even then, there was complaints those two clubs didn't start low enough!). However, I do agree it's a bit off that clubs can buy the name, crest and history - and be allowed to compete under the name - quite so soon after effectively restarting a club albeit with a different holding company.

[Spudulika]

Macy, you're 100% right, however without knowing the full inside story we'll never know why they took that course of action. Look at Dundalk, the supporters were running the show then had footsie played with them while they were used as leverage and excuses to keep the books closed. You've hit the nail on the head with how hijacking the history of an old club (or merging or taking over a licence) gets a dodgy look, we're just stuck with the system. Seems like that in Galway there was a long period of carry on before the eventual and convenient (outsider) scapegoat was found, I just hope the club survives in some way for teh supporters sake.

[Charlie Darwin]

I really don't understand some people's attitudes on here.

It's a peculiarly Irish attitude that people should be severely punished for making a mess of their finances. Ironically, it seems some of the directors from the old Galway United board personally guaranteed some of the loans and will be forced to pay them back, but otherwise it's just a holding company that failed. Get over it. The club, the team, its traditions and history exists independently of the suits who just happen to control its business arm.

[adamd164]

The reason there's no equivalent to the English pyramid system is that clubs like Pike Rovers, Avondale and Crumlin United don't want to participate in the LOI. They're happy to stay where they are, big fish in their own small pond, and let's face it there's a certain amount of antipathy between junior clubs and the LOI.

The idea of the A Championship was to encourage this to happen but it failed miserably. Sure, LOI is invitation-only but any club meeting the licensing criteria (and even a few who don't seem to) will generally be allowed to participate.

So if anyone who has a problem with the current system can devise a mechanism of getting the aforementioned clubs to show an interest in joining then let's hear it.

[Dodge]

It's a peculiarly Irish attitude that people should be severely punished for making a mess of their finances. Ironically, it seems some of the directors from the old Galway United board personally guaranteed some of the loans and will be forced to pay them back, but otherwise it's just a holding company that failed. Get over it. The club, the team, its traditions and history exists independently of the suits who just happen to control its business arm.

Well as a Rovers fan, you would say that...

I hope GUST are allowed in the league, and I've no axe to grind with anyone in Galway but in most cases overspending is cheating as a club.

To walk away from that, practically untouched in some cases, clearly isn't fair on clubs who have stuggled to pay their way and suffered on the field.

You use the term holding company like it isn't really a part of the club. The people in charge of running a football club made decisions for the football club, and the football club should be responsible for that. It'd be like not relegating a club because their manager made some awful decision but 'he's only an employee, he's not the club..."

Awful analaogy maybe, but I simply don't agree that the 'holding company' argument stands up

[marinobohs]

under a steering group and have asked for an invitation to apply for that licence so to keep Loi football alive for the whole city and county & make sure the football family work together eventually under one club. 2500 signatures have been gathered, Letters of support from many many of the junior & juvenile clubs have been forthcoming and major national sponsors have been secured for this "community" effort.

The only argument against is there shouldnt be 3 teams in Galway.
Well when 900 GUST fans turn up at the other 2 clubs for league games they wont be complaining either im sure
Was all this planned all along, seems very orderly

Gaillimh abu

There would not be a problem if the 2,500 "signatories" actually turned up at Galway games

The argument on here is little/nothing to do with three teams in Galway it is concerned with the culture of, overspend - go bust - walk away - restart under different holding company, that has now inceasinlgly become the business plan for some LOI clubs.

[Louth4sam]

I really don't understand some people's attitudes on here.

It's a peculiarly Irish attitude that people should be severely punished for making a mess of their finances. Ironically, it seems some of the directors from the old Galway United board personally guaranteed some of the loans and will be forced to pay them back, but otherwise it's just a holding company that failed. Get over it. The club, the team, its traditions and history exists independently of the suits who just happen to control its business arm.

So instead of being punished they should be rewarded by getting their debts cleared?

In recent times you have Rovers, Cork, Derry, Drogs and now Galway who will likely get rewarded for not living within their means. Why should other clubs play by the rules?

Why not just fold all clubs at the end of the season, reform with a slight name change buy back history a season later build up debts and then repeat. Surely this would create the sustainable professional league that we all crave

[Spudulika]

L4S - fold all the clubs at the end of the season???? You're looking for a proper, fully functioning, professional, sustainable, progressive and successful League of Ireland (in the North American style) to come into existence - are you insane? Do you know how good this could be for football in Ireland? How, with some intelligent business plans and marketing plus central planning, that people with serious money might become involved and push Irish clubs further up the European rankings? That's crazy talk! :-) We're Irish, we don't do rational, we pay back other people's debts and do as we're told, with bread and games thrown in. Common sense doesn't have a home on the Emerald Isle!

[Dodge]

None of what you suggested is common sense, in fact its the complete opposit