Next season

[bluewhitearmy]

In one of the papers today that Wexford and Cobh are expected to be around next season and that Shels will go fully amateur..

[TonyD]

With Galway FC replacing Salthill & Mervue, & Wexford youths problems is very hard to look past a 18 team premier div next season.

18 might be too many, but I'd certainly be in favour of a 16 team top division. We need to spread the appeal of the league, not restrict it.

[BoyInGreen]

I've an idea for next season. Why not split the Premier Division into 4 conferences, NW,NE,SE and SW. It would look something like this:

North West Conference
Derry City
Finn Harps
Galway
Sligo
Longford

North East Conference
Dundalk
Drogheda
Athlone
Bohemians
Shelbourne

South West Conference
Cork
Cobh
Limerick
Waterford
Team 20

South East
Shamrock Rovs
UCD
St. Patricks Athletic
Bray
Wexford

I am assuming that Mervue and Salthill will both drop out.

Each team will play the other teams in their conference four times (16 games) and each team in the other two conferences once (20 games), resulting in a regular season of 36 games, except for NW-SE and NE-SW, in which case the teams will not meet. To make allowances for group strength, the composition for the playoffs will be the three conference winners followed by 5 wildcards with the next highest number of points. Quarter and semi-finals will be played at the home of the higher-ranked team, while the final will be played at the Aviva. The remaining clubs will enter a shield competition, possibly with a place in the EL as the prize for the winners, which will have a similar format to the main knockout stages. I think the final would attract a large crowd since the teams will be playing off for a place in the champions league. Obviously, I admit it does have flaws (repetitive fixtures in the local conference), however this will reduce travel costs as games will become more localised, which will make it more attractive to clubs considering joining the league. What do other people think about this idea?

[White Horse]

I've an idea for next season. Why not split the Premier Division into 3 conferences, one for the North, another for the South and one for the Greater Dublin Area.

Jesus wept.

[BoyInGreen]

Jesus wept.

Is it really that awful?

[NeverFeltBetter]

Big NFL fan?

[BoyInGreen]

A bit, but not an awful lot. At least it would be more sustainable than one big 18 team league with teams having to spend a fortune traversing the whole country.

[NeverFeltBetter]

Any gains would be lost by fans tuning out due to the repetitiveness. You've basically just proposed three First Divisions, with, on current standards, two or three big teams in each.

Moreover, its a league. Leave knock-outs for the cup.

[BoyInGreen]

I knew that criticism was coming. The model's not perfect, I admit, but what is the alternative? A single 18 team division is simply too large for this country, especially with many clubs teetering on the brink of collapse. An eight-team division or less is OK only as a temporary measure. Clubs have no interest in joining a league traversing Cork to Donegal as, as we saw with Monaghan and Kilkenny, the costs are simply prohibitive. I hate to say it, but if the LOI is ever going to recover from this mess, radical ideas should not be easily dismissed.

P.S. I will modify my proposal to even the games out a bit.

[bluewhitearmy]

I am assuming that Wexford Youths fold

On the day they receive money to keep going and state their intent to keep going.

[BoyInGreen]

On the day they receive money to keep going and state their intent to keep going.

Fixed.

[legendz]

I've an idea for next season. Why not split the Premier Division into 4 conferences, NW,NE,SE and SW. It would look something like this:

Looks like a structure for an A league! Olympic squad type idea in another thread.

[BoyInGreen]

Thanks . Have you a link for the Olympic idea? Would like to check it out.

[NeverFeltBetter]

OK, listen, this just isn't the NFL. The problem with your plan was not that it needed a fourth sub-division.

[legendz]

Thanks . Have you a link for the Olympic idea? Would like to check it out.

http://foot.ie/threads/183574-Reform...18#post1713918

I doubt all clubs have that problem, some premier clubs wanted the A Championship disbanded. I'd like to see it return in some form, no surprises there! As opposed to being viewed mainly as reserve teams, an A league should be something like Olympic squads that LoI clubs could only have a maximum of 3 over the age of 23 players in the matchday squad. Something like that would send out the right signal that it would be a development league. I'd only see a real need for this if we do wind up with only a single tier premier.

Just to expand a small bit further. What I'm suggesting is, if the LoI is a single division of 18, I'd like to see 3 regionalised development leagues below it. Leagues being north&west, east and south. LoI clubs would enter development teams, allowing for only 3 over age of 23 players in a matchday squad. First teams that might join the development league from Carlow or Mayo for example would not have restrictions on the age of players. Just to finish off the point, with 3 regional development leagues, the best first teams from each league and the worst team in the LoI could play-off for the final LoI spot.
The advantages seem to be a level for players to develop between U19 and Premier division. Smaller regions to cut down travel and related costs. An opportunity again to extend an olive branch to interested clubs in joining the league at some level. If the league does go the way of a single division, it'll keep teams near the bottom honest as there is the potential for relegation. Finally, if there is to be no repeat of the situation of too many clubs from one area, new teams entering the development league would possibly be conditional on is a region already represented by a club.