Too many games for mainly part-time players

**nr637** · 01/04/2013, 4:54 PM

Can the teams or is it the FAI that have the final say on the amount of games that teams are to play especially as the majority of teams are part-time?
It just seems crazy to have a full set of games on a friday and than again on monday.

**NeverFeltBetter** · 01/04/2013, 5:02 PM

Do you mean within a given week, or the season in general? Either way I assume the FAI decides these things.

**Dunny** · 01/04/2013, 5:44 PM

Howya Stephen!

**adamd164** · 01/04/2013, 7:13 PM

Here's the catch 22:

- The league has f*ck all money, so players are part-time.
- Because players are part-time, clubs want to minimise their contract lengths.
- Because clubs want to minimise contract lengths, the season is very short with lots of midweek games.

So plan of action:

1. ????
2. League earns lots of money and we scrap midweek games.

**jinxy lilywhite** · 01/04/2013, 7:45 PM

I can understand that since this weekend was actually a long weekend that two series of fixtures could of been played alá premier league xmas fixtures. The weekend before that was the st. patricks weekend & another series was added in.

to me it doesnt make sense. games are coming thick and fast, but the clubs want due to cashflows roughly a home game every 10 days. The real caveat for me was how long the off season was. it took effin ages for this season to begin it finished so early last season

**Ezeikial** · 01/04/2013, 11:30 PM

Lets say that the league was extended by an additional two weeks and thereby eliminating 2 midweek games for each club and switching them to their normal weekend slots.

This would obviously add two weeks additional wages for the playing staff, while it is likely that there would be some extra income from a home game moving from midweek to the weekend.

The numbers would obviously vary from club to club. Take Dundalk as a mid-table example. Extra wages probably something in the region of €14k while maybe 200 - 400 extra supporters. Call it €3k extra income.

While there are other issues this is an obvious effect of extending the season

**Real ale Madrid** · 02/04/2013, 12:45 PM

I have always wondered about the correlation between the no. of games and the gate receipts.

I wonder if every club just had 12 home league games per season would attendances be bigger and the overall take of money at the end of season end up the same. 1,500 x 12 is the same as 18 x 1,000. I think you have a much better chance of selling a season ticket for 12 games rather than for example 18.

I completely agree there are too many games.

**MariborKev** · 02/04/2013, 12:54 PM

You going to increase your gates by 50% because you have less matches?

May be a job on the Qatari Dream League with that type of revolutionary thinking.

**Macy** · 02/04/2013, 2:42 PM

Originally Posted by MariborKev

You going to increase your gates by 50% because you have less matches?

May be a job on the Qatari Dream League with that type of revolutionary thinking.

It's not that long ago the proposal to save football on this island was one that involved less teams and less games.

**pineapple stu** · 02/04/2013, 6:04 PM

Originally Posted by Real ale Madrid

I completely agree there are too many games.

Too many games?

In the Premier, you've got 33 league games, let's say six Cup games (League Cup, FAI Cup, Leinster Senior Cup, allowing for winning a round in each) and Setanta Cup/Europe for the lucky few. That still barely matches a standard non-league season in England, by comparison, even before they play Cup games.

**Real ale Madrid** · 03/04/2013, 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by MariborKev

You going to increase your gates by 50% because you have less matches?

May be a job on the Qatari Dream League with that type of revolutionary thinking.

Not saying you are - I'm saying has anyone ever tried it ? I wonder is there factual evidence to support that more games means more gate money over the course of a season. I just think its easier to sell season tickets in blocks of 12 than blocks of 17 - does the cheaper ticket mean you sell more ? Maybe not. But its hardly a revolutionary idea.

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Too many games?

In the Premier, you've got 33 league games, let's say six Cup games (League Cup, FAI Cup, Leinster Senior Cup, allowing for winning a round in each) and Setanta Cup/Europe for the lucky few. That still barely matches a standard non-league season in England, by comparison, even before they play Cup games.

There are a ridiculous amount of games in England especially in the lower divisions. Why are we comparing ourselves to them ? The new A league plays just 27 league games and then play-offs. Is that wrong ?

We are all people posting here, by an large, who go to at least 30 football games per year - but that is too arduous a task for most people. I have long held the view that if you have less games, all the games become more important and that you might increase your average attendance.

If it was proven that more games were good, then we would all agree that 44 league games per season would be the way forward.

**pineapple stu** · 03/04/2013, 1:30 PM

Originally Posted by Real ale Madrid

There are a ridiculous amount of games in England especially in the lower divisions. Why are we comparing ourselves to them ?

It's a comparison anyway. You're right that it doesn't follow that we should do what they do. But I think in general, we don't play that many games in Ireland. Certainly compared to the rest of Europe anyway.

I think the comparison with non-league England is more valid than the A League though; it's a closer comparison based on club size, media profile and crowds (and hence income)

**Macy** · 03/04/2013, 1:43 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

I think the comparison with non-league England is more valid than the A League though; it's a closer comparison based on club size, media profile and crowds (and hence income)

It's more regionalised though, below the conference at least.

**pineapple stu** · 03/04/2013, 1:50 PM

True, though Ireland's smaller than England.

If we had the numbers, I wouldn't be arguing against a regionalised First Division.

**luiz** · 04/04/2013, 12:48 AM

There aren't too many games, 33 is less than most european leagues. What is simply stupid is the way they are squeezed into certain periods. Denmark has a winter break almost as big as the interval between seasons here, the very same 33 games and you never see the idiotic situation of a team playing 3 times in a week, actually, there are no midweek league fixtures except for matches that were postponed.

**Nah Nah Nah Nah** · 04/04/2013, 7:27 AM

Oh for Gods sake. Please don't mention the Danish league structure. You're going to start Legendz off about pyramids.........

**gufcfan** · 04/04/2013, 5:00 PM

Legendz... what's this I hear about pyramids?

**legendz** · 04/04/2013, 8:10 PM

Haha, plenty of scope here to get going alright. I did say for every Limerick game I go to, I'll have to have something to say about getting Kerry involved at least 3 times so there's no mistaking where my loyalty lies!

I'd have liked to have seen the league start 2 weeks earlier, and still finish at the same time, but the financial side mentioned is understandable. I wouldn't be against the midweek games at the same time. I was happy enough to stroll up to Thomond Park the other evening and take in the Rovers game.

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

If we had the numbers, I wouldn't be arguing against a regionalised First Division.

I'd go along with that. Before the A Championship was scrapped, I called for A championship clubs to be merged with the First Division with two regional divisions of 8. It was claimed then 8 clubs was too low for a league but low and behold it's what the league wound up with, but unfortunately the one division of 8. There's no indication of any moves of new clubs joining the league so for a change from me for once, I see the topic null and void. Maybe the Kerry hurlers will give me something to cheer about in their Christy Ring Cup campaign!