LoI clubs activity in other counties?

[Sam_Heggy]

Harps have a Scholorship arrangement with the LYIT also. 2 Scholorships a year at the minute I think but it does cost the club a few grand.

The Swilly tie up is free. We in turn provide coaching to their various underage sides.

[redron]

The Swilly tie up is free. We in turn provide coaching to their various underage sides.

Well, I presume Harps covers the cost of providing the coaches, which might amount to travel expenses and some pocket money.

[TommyT]

Pats have a scholarship link up with NUI Maynooth.

http://communications.nuim.ie/press/07052013i.shtml

But the simple fact is that LSL clubs don't want to allign themselves to the LOI.

That's before we get to the fact that we (the LOI clubs) have enough to do sorting out our own schoolbaoy sections before we worry about anyone else's

Only about half the counties have a League of Ireland club.

TBH I find this statement a bit much. The overwhelming majority of the state's population have an LOI club within a half hours drive.

[Jofspring]

TBH I find this statement a bit much. The overwhelming majority of the state's population have an LOI club within a half hours drive.

Agreed.

I hate making comparisons with other codes but if you even look at rugby Leinster is based in Dublin but it doesn't stop people traveling an hour or so for a game, people travel up from cork to limerick and vice versa for Munster games and so on for Connacht and ulster.

Tipp, Kerry, Clare, Mayo, Meath and many more counties don't have a LOI team but if the interest is there they can travel an hour or less for games. It's only in a rare place that you might have a two or three hour drive for a game.

[legendz]

TBH I find this statement a bit much. The overwhelming majority of the state's population have an LOI club within a half hours drive.

That's fair enough there are areas like that. Clubs don't seem to be doing a whole lot to build connections with these areas only half an hours drive away as you say.

Agreed.

I hate making comparisons with other codes but if you even look at rugby Leinster is based in Dublin but it doesn't stop people traveling an hour or so for a game, people travel up from cork to limerick and vice versa for Munster games and so on for Connacht and ulster.

Tipp, Kerry, Clare, Mayo, Meath and many more counties don't have a LOI team but if the interest is there they can travel an hour or less for games. It's only in a rare place that you might have a two or three hour drive for a game.

Again, another comment that is fair enough. You mention Tipp, Kerry, Clare, Mayo, Meath and many more counties. The point I'm making, or the question I'm asking really, is what work are LoI clubs doing to build connections with these areas?

In rugby, Munster have a connection with the clubs in the province. This it the point I'm getting at. Should LoI clubs be making connections with clubs in nearby areas?

A lot of the replies since I asked about "LoI clubs activity in other counties" is centred on getting people from nearby regions to games. If a connection is not made with an area, support is unlikely to happen.

The Swilly tie up is free. We in turn provide coaching to their various underage sides.

Well, I presume Harps covers the cost of providing the coaches, which might amount to travel expenses and some pocket money.

Naturally there's going to be some costs. The Harps-Swilly connection seems to be keeping them to a minimum. It's not beyond more clubs to be able to provide underage training in nearby areas. FAI finances aren't great. They do get funding however. Should they be making funding available and work with LoI clubs to provide training etc.?

[Charlie Darwin]

That's fair enough. It does seem a bit rich then though of some LoI supporters to expect people from a region without a club to support their nearest LoI club who've got no link to their region.

I don't think anybody expects that. A lot of people do expect that if somebody considers themselves a football support that they would seek out a nearby team in order to, you know, support football. If people are forever waiting for an LOI to team to show up at their front door and invite them down to the stadium, they'll be waiting a long time.

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Munster has a connection with all the clubs in the province because all the clubsib he province are part of Munster. I always wonder how rugby would be doing if the Irish were made enter clubs into the Heineken Cup. Shannon, St Mary's, Crork Con etc. Those clubs would never garner the same level of support because they won't get fans from other areas.

I certainly know people not from Sligo who would openly say they have no connection with Rovers as they're a Sligo team but would travel twice the distance to watch Connacht as they have an association with that.

If we changed our name to North Rovers maybe......

[Charlie Darwin]

Munster has a connection with all the clubs in the province because all the clubsib he province are part of Munster. I always wonder how rugby would be doing if the Irish were made enter clubs into the Heineken Cup. Shannon, St Mary's, Crork Con etc. Those clubs would never garner the same level of support because they won't get fans from other areas.

I certainly know people not from Sligo who would openly say they have no connection with Rovers as they're a Sligo team but would travel twice the distance to watch Connacht as they have an association with that.

If we changed our name to North Rovers maybe......

How about The Fields of Athenry FC?

[sadloserkid]

How about The Fields of Athenry FC?

Are you talking about Munster or Connacht?

[legendz]

Munster has a connection with all the clubs in the province because all the clubsib he province are part of Munster. I always wonder how rugby would be doing if the Irish were made enter clubs into the Heineken Cup. Shannon, St Mary's, Crork Con etc. Those clubs would never garner the same level of support because they won't get fans from other areas.

I certainly know people not from Sligo who would openly say they have no connection with Rovers as they're a Sligo team but would travel twice the distance to watch Connacht as they have an association with that.

If we changed our name to North Rovers maybe......

A discussion on Prime Time last night about English and French clubs threat of breaking away from the H Cup veered to how rugby be in Ireland could turn into the League of Ireland. The comments made were the best rugby players in the country will play abroad and the players playing in Ireland won't be known by the public.

Back on topic... you say there people not from Sligo say they've no connection with ye're club. Is is beyond Sligo Rovers to set up a link with Castlebar Celtic and create a connection with that area?

[sadloserkid]

Back on topic... you say there people not from Sligo say they've no connection with ye're club. Is is beyond Sligo Rovers to set up a link with Castlebar Celtic and create a connection with that area?

I live in Mayo now and there are locals who are big Sligo fans. I think you're underestimating the capability of interested football fans to go and find senior teams to watch and overestimating the benefits of these tenuous links you're proposing. Limerick, for their part, have played minor cup games (Munster senior and league) and underage games at a few different places out the county and in Clare at times.

[legendz]

I live in Mayo now and there are locals who are big Sligo fans. I think you're underestimating the capability of interested football fans to go and find senior teams to watch and overestimating the benefits of these tenuous links you're proposing. Limerick, for their part, have played minor cup games (Munster senior and league) and underage games at a few different places out the county and in Clare at times.

I don't underestimate that.

I've seen an expectation for people to support their nearest club. I think it's a fair question, what are clubs doing in those areas themselves? I'm not looking to focus solely on support from across county boundaries. For clubs themselves, having a larger pool of players to select from can only be a good thing? In the interest of the LoI gaining a stronger foothold in the Irish sporting world, some clubs with assistance from the FAI should work at the development of the game across a wider region.

Naturally fair play to people supporting their local or find a senior team to watch. People who find a senior team to watch because of none in their immediate local area, if they're interested in the development of the game, do you think they'd welcome LoI clubs getting involved?

[TommyT]

http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/3237/4eh3.jpg

[hedderman]

I don't think anybody expects that. A lot of people do expect that if somebody considers themselves a football support that they would seek out a nearby team in order to, you know, support football. If people are forever waiting for an LOI to team to show up at their front door and invite them down to the stadium, they'll be waiting a long time.

I started following Derry after a lad I was friendly with brought me along to a few matches. I wouldn't have gone to Brandywell otherwise. I wouldn't expect a person to seek out a nearby team to support. I think the above bolded statement points towards why attendances are poor.

[Macy]

I live in Mayo now and there are locals who are big Sligo fans. I think you're underestimating the capability of interested football fans to go and find senior teams to watch

Sure don't they go hundreds of miles to England and Scotland to find teams to support?

and overestimating the benefits of these tenuous links you're proposing

And seriously underestimating the politics in Irish football, and the power within the FAI schoolboy leagues carry. Treading on their toes, without a root and branch reform of the FAI structure could well do more harm than good.

[violinhero]

Sure don't they go hundreds of miles to England and Scotland to find teams to support?

And the problem with that is? Do you support a team in England yourself?

[ltfc_2004]

Growing up in Roscommon, Longford Town was my nearest LOI Club and to this day at home I still have to answer why I follow Longford Town and not Roscommon or why I had a Longford Town jersey on !!!!! but happily in GAA, still be proud to be a Rossie .............

The only time my own town got into LOI was when John Rogers got into the Longford Town team ............. but since then few travel to games outside my family.

[Macy]

And the problem with that is? Do you support a team in England yourself?

Did I say there was a problem? Why so defensive? I was just pointing out the contradiction of the "no local team" excuse that some people use to justify not supporting the LoI. They won't follow their nearest team, so instead they follow a team in a different country, which is illogical. Each to their own - people don't need to justify their choice not to support domestic football with pathetic excuses.

[violinhero]

Did I say there was a problem? Why so defensive? I was just pointing out the contradiction of the "no local team" excuse that some people use to justify not supporting the LoI. They won't follow their nearest team, so instead they follow a team in a different country, which is illogical. Each to their own - people don't need to justify their choice not to support domestic football with pathetic excuses.

No you didn't, but if you don't have a problem with it why call it "pathetic"?

The very obvious difference between 'supporting' teams here as opposed to across the water shouldn't have to be explained to someone who is a supposed supporter of the domestic league. One of the main contexts of 'supporting' a 'local' club is primarily based on going to games, paying the admission and what not, and in general contributing in some financial fashion to the club.

Rather than calling peoples reasons 'pathetic', maybe you could outline the example you set and say how often this season you have gone to see either your local LoI club or your favourite LoI club? When was the most recent?

[legendz]

Growing up in Roscommon, Longford Town was my nearest LOI Club and to this day at home I still have to answer why I follow Longford Town and not Roscommon or why I had a Longford Town jersey on !!!!! but happily in GAA, still be proud to be a Rossie .............

The only time my own town got into LOI was when John Rogers got into the Longford Town team ............. but since then few travel to games outside my family.

We had near LoI action in Kerry when the Kerry League beat Waterford United in a penalty shoot-out in the League Cup. They have of course played in that competition a number of times and Tralee Dynamos were in the A Championship.
With a number of areas without LoI clubs, should the quarter-finalists of the Oscar Traynor Cup be invited to enter the League Cup to give players a taste of LoI action?