Summer football

[JC_GUFC]

Measurable benefits, not the bs reasons that were given when we were sold the pup.

Coming off the summer we had, are you really using the weather as a reason? Seriously?

It has definitely helped in clubs' preparation for European football and generally results have improved. Look how the SPL and Irish League clubs struggle against ' in season' teams.

As for the weather you aren't going to seriously argue that there is little difference between the weather from November through February compared to May through August?
Whether it makes any difference is really debatable. As Dodge says there are plenty of other options on a fine summer evening.

I think there would be a good opportunity to promits the league in May once the Premier League is over but the FAI have made no effort at this.

[shellyriver]

CD, there's a long history in it and the nutshell is this - school years were based on when kids weren't needed to help out - ie when there were no crops in the field (no Country music jokes). So when the crops were coming in kids went back to school around that time. In order to get kids into the right streams they needed an age cut off, so the first schoolday (1st of September) was used, moreso in the UK and Ireland. This meant that cut offs for age group events were September 1st so those born after were okay, born before and they're a year up. As a result the beginning of many events (for kids) began from this point.

Okay, that's age group talk, but the season element builds into it - Summers were busy for the Victorian gentry as they were off romping around Greece etc or making sure the peasants/mill workers/colonials were doing what they were supposed to. So they weren't really up for "organising" mass participation sports. Once there was down time (Autumn-Spring) and just a little less outdoor work to be done, they had their mass sports to keep the oiks from kicking up. Also in milder weather countries this worked as sports could be played outdoors without great difficulty.

Before anyone jumps on this, I picked it up in a symposium in NUI Maynooth and Ray Gillespie discussed it - it was based on the Roman bread and games motif. Basically, when the masses are not busy, they're thinking, so keep them busy - cheap booze, sports, cheap entertainment and enough food to keep them from rioting in the streets. I guess the Greeks mustn't be into sports, or fetid cheese.

Not really as simple as that, by the C19th many of the elite resident Gentry were either in Parliament (winter season - ie football season) and therefore not present during this season or where generally absentee.

Current sports season model is based on C19th English sport culture which dictated that Cricket can only be played in dry weather - to allow ball bounce etc, while Football could be played in muddy winter fields - so it is a circular round-year season.

Masses in urban areas, had dog-fighting, bull-baiting, ****-fighting, bullets, along with gambling to keep them occupied - even rural population had handball and hurling.

Very few elites in Ireland had any involvement in promoting sport amongst masses.

By and large the Irish population was pre-occupied with European opiates, religion, politics (land ownership) and beer -- without Ascendancy having to worry about occupying their sporting inclinations.

I have talked to top Irish Sport academics about this, which with respect, trumps Mr Gillespie. You do appreciate academics differ and sports diffusion was not about keeping untermensch down, but allowing greater social cohesion.

[Macy]

It has definitely helped in clubs' preparation for European football and generally results have improved. Look how the SPL and Irish League clubs struggle against ' in season' teams.

As for the weather you aren't going to seriously argue that there is little difference between the weather from November through February compared to May through August?
Whether it makes any difference is really debatable. As Dodge says there are plenty of other options on a fine summer evening.

I think there would be a good opportunity to promits the league in May once the Premier League is over but the FAI have made no effort at this.

iirc Crowds are at the lowest during the summer months. But there's been no real measurable benefits - even european performances are open to other variables, and then the impact on the wider league rather than the particular club isn't significant even if you do give credit to summer football.

[Rover'n'out]

Slightly off topic, but I feel the off season is too long right now - nearly 4 months. Most other leagues have about 3 moths off. Another round of matches might have been possible: based on 12 team Prem division 44 games - might sound like a lot but compared to English Championship, League 1 and League 2 they play 46 league games. I know we have Setanta cup and some teams have Europe - but the English clubs have other competions too I think (LDV etc from memory). I just think they could extend the season by a month and the clubs would have extra revenue from games and the players would not have to be on the 'dole' for as long.

[BonnieShels]

Slightly off topic, but I feel the off season is too long right now - nearly 4 months. Most other leagues have about 3 moths off. Another round of matches might have been possible: based on 12 team Prem division 44 games - might sound like a lot but compared to English Championship, League 1 and League 2 they play 46 league games. I know we have Setanta cup and some teams have Europe - but the English clubs have other competions too I think (LDV etc from memory). I just think they could extend the season by a month and the clubs would have extra revenue from games and the players would not have to be on the 'dole' for as long.

The English Championship, League 1 and League 2 have 24 teams making 46 games in a regular season a sensible approach (not including play-offs).

Another round of games in Ireland would be plain daft with 11 in the Prem this season at the end and let's not forget to mention that we would have another round in the First Division while we are at it.

Spacing the calendar more sensibly would be a better idea but would involve clubs paying players more money for the same amount of games. The calendar's crapness can't just be levelled at the FAIlures as it is. The clubs are involved in it's concoction however nominal that involvement may seem.

[nigel-harps1954]

Getting rid of weekday fixtures would be a start.