Well I would have thought that in any league, the affiliation costs would go towards the running of the league (admin etc). It surely doesn't cost €380,000 (20 x €19,000) to run the LOI? Plus any sponsorship brought in (airtricity etc) should be offset against this cost. Any net profit from the league should be paid out then in prize money IMO.
As it stands, for me, the LOI looks like one big poker game and if you finish lower down the league you are losing your stake (or part thereof). Sport should not be like a game of poker. The worse off clubs should not be subsidising the better off.
It's also a con when it comes to announcing the prize fund. If an outsider saw the breakdown of the prize fund they might assume that this was all money that the FAI were paying out and it was all net profit for the clubs. When in actual fact, all it is, is a glorified poker pot. If it weren't for the affiliation fees, the prize fund would prob be close to nil (or worse) and this wouldn't look good for the association. It's optics IMO.
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