A 7-team league First Division Next Year

**legendz** · 06/11/2013, 8:48 PM

Originally Posted by Bray Head

I think a Regionalised First Division is the only answer by bringing in the top non league teams - A First Div North & First Div South with the winners of each playing off for title.
How can Finn harps keep going when they face having to go to Wexford, Waterford & Cobh 3 or 4 times to each place next year.

I'd have agreed with you but I think that boat was missed around the time the A Championship ended. That format of regionalised second tier was taken with the U19 league. Fanad, Castlebar, Carlow, Tralee and Tullamore have all drifted away back to where they were, enthusiasm to join the league has faded. The option are single tier or brave reserve teams considering the costs outlined.

**gael353** · 06/11/2013, 9:30 PM

stick with the seven and dont leave any juniior teams or county teams in as we had running with the A division a few years ago. Non league teams finishing 4/5/6/7 getting automatic promotion to the first division was nuts. Hence the problem there are now trying to solve in Galway

**gufcfan** · 06/11/2013, 10:14 PM

In fairness, neither Galway club would have been promoted if licencing was applied properly.

**Macy** · 07/11/2013, 8:15 AM

Originally Posted by bluewhitearmy

They would still have Limerick,Cork and the Dublin clubs. The only ones that would be much closer then Longford are Derry and Sligo so the travel expenses wouldnt exactly be coming down a huge amount.

They'd have more income though. Some bigger gates, more exposure etc.

I don't have a problem with a regionalised first, but there would have to be proper promotion opportunities. Top of each regional division going up, and then the 2 in second into a play off for either promotion or a promotion/ relegation playoff. BUT I still don't believe there's any/ enough clubs wanting to step up though. As things stand, we can't get one club to step up for the first, so it's pie in the sky to talk about the 9 - 11 new clubs needed to have two regional divisions.

I don't see a way forward except one division. The ever reducing first is just killing clubs slowly, and it'll get to the point that there's one division anyway (although at this stage I think the FAI would try and run a 4 team first). Bite the bullet now, and there's a base to add to and go back to two divisions in a pretty short time frame. It'll be hard to resurrect clubs that bail out.

**Sam_Heggy** · 07/11/2013, 8:20 AM

A regionalised League would be brilliant.

Northern Division:

Finn Harps
Longford
Shels

Southern Division:

Wexford
Galway
Cobh
Waterford

Job done, that's the perfect solution....... Play each other 10/12 times a season.

**NeverFeltBetter** · 07/11/2013, 11:34 AM

Obviously the expectation is that a regionalised league would be more attractive to other clubs, who would flesh out the numbers.

**Macy** · 07/11/2013, 12:05 PM

Originally Posted by NeverFeltBetter

Obviously the expectation is that a regionalised league would be more attractive to other clubs, who would flesh out the numbers.

It's the expectation, but is there any real evidence?

**Mr A** · 07/11/2013, 12:54 PM

Is there any real evidence that decisions related to Irish football have been based on any real evidence?

**peadar1987** · 07/11/2013, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by Macy

It's the expectation, but is there any real evidence?

Sort of thing the FAI need to study properly, so as I said, 5 year commitment to a limited-size single-tier league, and in the intervening time, canvas clubs, leagues and supporters' associations with the intention of coming up with a structure that would allow for a regionalised first division.

**A face** · 07/11/2013, 3:19 PM

Originally Posted by Sam_Heggy

A regionalised League would be brilliant.

Northern Division:

Finn Harps
Longford
Shels

Southern Division:

Wexford
Galway
Cobh
Waterford

Job done, that's the perfect solution....... Play each other 10/12 times a season.

Have one series of games with everyone initially, then split regionally as suggested but with more teams and then the last series of games have everyone play each other again. Would that work?

**Mr A** · 07/11/2013, 3:38 PM

No way. Especially as the two groups may be of very different strengths

**nigel-harps1954** · 07/11/2013, 3:42 PM

Originally Posted by bluewhitearmy

Wouldnt ye still have to go to all those places if it was one tier?

But only once, with local derbies in the middle of them breaking up the journeys. Very simple really.

Originally Posted by bluewhitearmy

They would still have Limerick,Cork and the Dublin clubs. The only ones that would be much closer then Longford are Derry and Sligo so the travel expenses wouldnt exactly be coming down a huge amount.

Dublin is grand. That's only 3 hours and a good road. If we only had to go to Dublin every second week there'd be no complaints at all.

Originally Posted by A face

Have one series of games with everyone initially, then split regionally as suggested but with more teams and then the last series of games have everyone play each other again. Would that work?

This would be a solution in an ideal world, except for the regionalised part. Find one more club. Have all teams play each other once, split it halfway into a 10 team Premier/First. Halfway through the season you have your relegation solution, with all the mid table teams fighting it out..and you have the same scenario all over again at the end of the season.
Everyone gets the big teams at least once in the season, bigger gates, more revenue, a fighting chance of survival.

**citybone** · 07/11/2013, 4:23 PM

Originally Posted by Mr A

No way. Especially as the two groups may be of very different strengths

Thats the problem in the MLS and why they need a playoff system at the end. I find playoff for league champions odd.

**Longfordian** · 07/11/2013, 4:34 PM

Originally Posted by Mr A

Is there any real evidence that decisions related to Irish football have been based on any real evidence?

If a LOI game is played and there's nobody there to see it does the league actually exist? Discuss.

**gufcfan** · 07/11/2013, 6:29 PM

Originally Posted by Longfordian

If a LOI game is played and there's nobody there to see it does the league actually exist? Discuss.

[Insert Drom joke here]

**Longfordian** · 07/11/2013, 7:08 PM

Originally Posted by gufcfan

[Insert Drom joke here]

Drom..shyeah as if that's a real place.

**Terry** · 07/11/2013, 10:07 PM

Originally Posted by gufcfan

[Insert Drom joke here]

Second best club in Galway for the past 2 years

**sadloserkid** · 08/11/2013, 5:55 PM

Originally Posted by Longfordian

If a LOI game is played and there's nobody there to see it does the league actually exist? Discuss.

A friend of mine claimed to be at a Monaghan-Kildare game a few years back...

**Schumi** · 10/11/2013, 11:32 PM

Originally Posted by Terry

Second best club in Galway for the past 2 years

Last three years.

**bluemovie** · 11/11/2013, 11:56 AM

Tralee Dynamos must be the most likely eighth club in the division. I can't see anyone else coming in or back in (Monaghan, Fanad, etc) and, while an eight team league is brutal and is killing clubs, it's the absolute last threshold for a viable league - seven is unworkable. With seven teams, playing each other four times each would mean just 24 games. 12 home gates isn't enough to sustain a club. Playing each other five times (making 30 games) seems just as bad as there could be three trips up to Harps and you'd be trying to drag fans out for three home games against some teams.

I reckon all clubs apart from Mervue/Salthill will make it through to next season. Shels and Bohs might be in trouble, but they'll survive. Maybe I'm being over-optimistic, but I'd like to think the FAI aren't kicking two clubs out and only bringing one (Galway) in. Given that Mervue, Salthill and to a lesser extent Cobh have been allowed to ignore minimum licensing standards in recent years, then surely Tralee can be dragged into the First Division????