Celtic Premier League

**the bear** · 15/06/2012, 9:49 AM

We need to develop our national league into a competition that young players want to be part of. It needs to be on par with England and the continent in terms of opportunity for sporting success and potential wages. There is no point in the FAI developing some sort of acadamy for young talent when they cannot provide anywhere for them to play. The best players would be lifted from the academy by top english clubs immediatley anyway, where they would go on to receive their training.

How do we get there, i dont know. I think a combined Celtic league with Scotland, N.Ireland and Wales is definitley the place to begin. It doesn't necessarily have to be provincial teams. Why not take the top 5 teams from each league and bring them together. If it was marketed correctly and received good sponsership it would have a great ability to grow.

**BonnieShels** · 15/06/2012, 9:55 AM

*facepalms*

Dude, this has been discussed ad nauseum.
Never gonna happen.

There's a lot to sort out nothing the LOI and junior football never mind adding a layer to it.

**Dodge** · 15/06/2012, 9:58 AM

Yep, the Welsh and Scots are defo the people we want to be getting into bed with to make beautiful little football babies

**the bear** · 15/06/2012, 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by Dodge

Yep, the Welsh and Scots are defo the people we want to be getting into bed with to make beautiful little football babies

we get in bed with them to generate more interest in our league.

4 small leagues joined together = 1 bigger league

**the bear** · 15/06/2012, 10:03 AM

Originally Posted by BonnieShels

*facepalms*

Dude, this has been discussed ad nauseum.
Never gonna happen.

There's a lot to sort out nothing the LOI and junior football never mind adding a layer to it.

I realise it has been, but i still think it is the best way forward. How do you suggest to reform?

**Dodge** · 15/06/2012, 10:35 AM

Originally Posted by the bear

we get in bed with them to generate more interest in our league.

4 small leagues joined together = 1 bigger league

You think Sligo v Bangor City is of more interest than Sligo v Cork?

Have you seen the crowds for the Setanta Cup?

Do you go to League games in Ireland? If no, do you think you're part of the problem. If yes, do you think playing Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish team would raise the standard?

**Real ale Madrid** · 15/06/2012, 10:41 AM

Celtic Premier League?

Isn't that the new name for the SPL.

**Charlie Darwin** · 15/06/2012, 10:43 AM

Originally Posted by the bear

We need to develop our national league into a competition that young players want to be part of. It needs to be on par with England and the continent in terms of opportunity for sporting success and potential wages.

Why? Croatia produced a team perfectly capable of hammering us despite not having a national league on a par with Serie A.

**the bear** · 15/06/2012, 10:46 AM

Originally Posted by Dodge

You think Sligo v Bangor City is of more interest than Sligo v Cork?

Have you seen the crowds for the Setanta Cup?

Do you go to League games in Ireland? If no, do you think you're part of the problem. If yes, do you think playing Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish team would raise the standard?

only if your from bangor. Sligo v Celtic might be more interesting.

Barely ever. Yes i agree i am.

iIt might not have a sudden influx of quality, but would give much more scope to grow.

**Eminence Grise** · 15/06/2012, 10:48 AM

Even better, wait until Scotland secedes from the UK, then merge with them as a single nation, confirming Celtic and Hibs as proper Irish clubs. Having Rangers as an Irish club would be very attractive to Northern Unionists who, when England realises it is too small to exist independently and applies to be part of the Celtic nation, could claim the union is maintained. Eventually the Welsh would have to join too, then the Isle of Man and Brittany, adding Stade Rennais, Stade Brestois 29, and Lorient to our pan-Celtic national league.

**Macy** · 15/06/2012, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by the bear

We need to develop our national league into a competition that young players want to be part of. It needs to be on par with England and the continent in terms of opportunity for sporting success and potential wages. There is no point in the FAI developing some sort of acadamy for young talent when they cannot provide anywhere for them to play. The best players would be lifted from the academy by top english clubs immediatley anyway, where they would go on to receive their training.

It's inevitable that the best players will go overseas - same with most leagues in Europe. The problem is shipping kids off from the "nursery clubs", rather than keeping them in Ireland. The best players will go, the late developers won't be lost to football and have a chance to blossom (and then move, or have a decent career earning alright extra money).

The national league is here. God knows it has it's problems (it would be massively helped with more going to games and proper administration/ regulation by the FAI), but the problem is really below that level. There's no silver bullet for the top level game, as the setanta cup shows. Talk of messing with the structure for some celtic league in some vain hope of it generating interest and money is a nonsense. Why would people who don't support the league suddenly want to go and watch Pats v Dumfermline? How would it generate the money to match what the best players can get in England? In which case, why would the top players chose to stay.

Come or don't come to the League of Ireland - it's the people that dismiss who are losing out. However, don't try and pretend that the lack of interest is to do with the format. That is just excuse making for the people who won't get off their hole now. You are right though that the lack of support from both supporters and the FAI is impacting on the national team. However, don't expect anything to change - there's been countless threads like this over the years, and it's just not accepted by the supporters.

**Crosby87** · 15/06/2012, 11:10 AM

We just had a bad two games. If we can make the World Cup things will be on track. Sweden also stinks so we have a shot. And we are due to tip a good team so who knows maybe we can get 3 VS the Krauts in Dubs.

**Dodge** · 15/06/2012, 11:29 AM

We're at a massive disadvantage because we haven't a league string enough to produce players for the national team. That bit isn't in question. But that problem doesn't exist because of the people involved with the league. it exists because of the people involved in Irish football with no interest in the league.

Look at Croatia or Denmark. Similarly sized countries but always have 4/5 home based players in their squad and practically all their players have started their career in their home leagues. For Ireland to stop relying on British clubs to develop our players (when they can barely develop the required level from English youngsters) we NEED to have a league strong enough to supply 3-5 squad players in every Irish squad. I genuinely think that the likes of McLean, Fahey, Ward, Long, Doyle, Hoolahan and Coleman show that talented players can play here and still move on to the bigger leagues when they're ready. The likes of Keane, Duff etc will always go away early.

But of course I'll be laughed at as a LOI zealot and fans here will still look to the FAI to 'unearth' players like Green and Cox. Meanwhile fans in EVERY other country that qualifies regularly from Europe maintain their professional leagues

**barney** · 15/06/2012, 11:42 AM

Originally Posted by Dodge

We're at a massive disadvantage because we haven't a league string enough to produce players for the national team. That bit isn't in question. But that problem doesn't exist because of the people involved with the league. it exists because of the people involved in Irish football with no interest in the league.

Look at Croatia or Denmark. Similarly sized countries but always have 4/5 home based players in their squad and practically all their players have started their career in their home leagues. For Ireland to stop relying on British clubs to develop our players (when they can barely develop the required level from English youngsters) we NEED to have a league strong enough to supply 3-5 squad players in every Irish squad. I genuinely think that the likes of McLean, Fahey, Ward, Long, Doyle, Hoolahan and Coleman show that talented players can play here and still move on to the bigger leagues when they're ready. The likes of Keane, Duff etc will always go away early.

But of course I'll be laughed at as a LOI zealot and fans here will still look to the FAI to 'unearth' players like Green and Cox. Meanwhile fans in EVERY other country that qualifies regularly from Europe maintain their professional leagues

Have to agree on the England bit - they were muck against France and are at pretty much every tournament. They don't develop proper footballers in the way the Dutch and Spanish do and only get to the knockout stages of competitions because of their population and the popularity of football in England. Pound for pound - they're as bad as us.

**Dodge** · 15/06/2012, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by barney

Have to agree on the England bit - they were muck against France and are at pretty much every tournament. They don't develop proper footballers in the way the Dutch and Spanish do and only get to the knockout stages of competitions because of their population and the popularity of football in England. Pound for pound - they're as bad as us.

Yeah, that was the point of that post alright

**nigel-harps1954** · 15/06/2012, 11:51 AM

How about we do a massive Euromillions syndicate and when we win that, we'll buy the league ourselves. I think that'll work.

**Charlie Darwin** · 15/06/2012, 11:55 AM

Originally Posted by Dodge

Look at Croatia or Denmark. Similarly sized countries but always have 4/5 home based players in their squad and practically all their players have started their career in their home leagues.

I was actually looking at the attendances for the Croatian league and the average has dipped below 2,000 so it's not massively better than ours. Still, the standard there is much higher for a variety of reasons and the culture there is for players to develop locally and then try their hand abroad.

**the bear** · 15/06/2012, 12:03 PM

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

I was actually looking at the attendances for the Croatian league and the average has dipped below 2,000 so it's not massively better than ours. Still, the standard there is much higher for a variety of reasons and the culture there is for players to develop locally and then try their hand abroad.

5 of the current squad play in croatia, although all for the same team. Several home based players have won their first cap recently but did not make the squad.

**nigel-harps1954** · 15/06/2012, 12:11 PM

http://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn.htm

This is interesting, average attendances for European leagues. Good comparison to where we are in relation to the rest of Europe.

**eekers** · 15/06/2012, 12:44 PM

The problem isn't really our league structure. Its our underage structure. Our underage clubs aren't in the business of developing players. They're in the business of winning game. They enter underage tournaments and bullying foreign teams with physicality. They're delighted they beat a premier league underage club, who weren't even playing for a result in the first place.