Airtricity League report

[outspoken]

Regarding league structure, my greatest annoyance of the entire report is that there was no recommendation to genuinely attempt to put a pyramid structure of sorts into place. I had really hoped Conroy would suggest the the FAI take football in this country by the balls and put shape on it from top to bottom.

We'd not be having the discussion of 'not enough teams' again, and there'd be a constant supply of teams going through promotion and relegation right throughout the country.

We'd easily be able to transfer to a 16 team Premier and 10 team First Division North/South in the next ten years if the right structures were put in place from top to bottom.

Agree 100%, for a small country there's an awful lot of teams and Leagues out there, with the proper pyramid structure we could give any of the home nations leagues (bar the big leagues in England of course) a run for their money and more, as well as the smaller European leagues. It will never happen though.

[bennocelt]

Regarding league structure, my greatest annoyance of the entire report is that there was no recommendation to genuinely attempt to put a pyramid structure of sorts into place. I had really hoped Conroy would suggest the the FAI take football in this country by the balls and put shape on it from top to bottom.

We'd not be having the discussion of 'not enough teams' again, and there'd be a constant supply of teams going through promotion and relegation right throughout the country.

We'd easily be able to transfer to a 16 team Premier and 10 team First Division North/South in the next ten years if the right structures were put in place from top to bottom.

Exactly, because we all know that one or two clubs going to the wall will put the idea of a ten team league immediately into touch, or at least make it look foolish.

As for the league split, jesus no, not this again!!!

[disgruntled]

http://www.the42.ie/league-of-irelan...59945-Sep2015/

John O'Sullivans response to the Conroy Report and what he'd change in the league.

I would like to explore his no6 point in more detail but fully agree with everything else he had to say.

[disgruntled]

Regarding league structure, my greatest annoyance of the entire report is that there was no recommendation to genuinely attempt to put a pyramid structure of sorts into place. I had really hoped Conroy would suggest the the FAI take football in this country by the balls and put shape on it from top to bottom.

We'd not be having the discussion of 'not enough teams' again, and there'd be a constant supply of teams going through promotion and relegation right throughout the country.

We'd easily be able to transfer to a 16 team Premier and 10 team First Division North/South in the next ten years if the right structures were put in place from top to bottom.

Fully agree with this but you & I know it will never happen because the 92 leagues affiliated to the FAI won't let it happen.

[Straightstory]

Good piece by Ireland's best football journalist. (Though I don't share his tolerance for barstoolers). http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/c...wn-357321.html

[Mr A]

Pretty depressing piece. I would be inclined to think the battle against (or rather for survival alongside) the premiership isn't such a lost cause. At work I am surrounded with premiership fans, but several have been feeling more and more distant from it increasingly becomes all about the money. It was always about the money of course, and the LOI is too, but things like the managerial merry go round (Rodgers was the 2nd longest serving manager in the premiership when sacked), crass behaviour from managers and players and the lack of atmosphere at games has seen them start to lose interest. Even if they don't go, they can see fans mean little to clubs. Our league does have its own selling points- most of all that being involved with an LOI club can be great fun and very rewarding.

[Macy]

Suggesting school visits is one thing, getting past GAA bias Principles/ Boards of Management is quite another (which iirc is something we've had trouble with when we've tried initiatives with schools).

Pretty depressing piece. I would be inclined to think the battle against (or rather for survival alongside) the premiership isn't such a lost cause. At work I am surrounded with premiership fans, but several have been feeling more and more distant from it increasingly becomes all about the money. It was always about the money of course, and the LOI is too, but things like the managerial merry go round (Rodgers was the 2nd longest serving manager in the premiership when sacked), crass behaviour from managers and players and the lack of atmosphere at games has seen them start to lose interest. Even if they don't go, they can see fans mean little to clubs. Our league does have its own selling points- most of all that being involved with an LOI club can be great fun and very rewarding.

I would agree that there's some kind of shift happening, although whether that's just an age thing is a different matter. We'll probably end up with more following lower leagues/ non league UK football though as they're "real" fans, and still writing off our league, unfortunately.

[Mr A]

The Harps schools programme has no issues with access. If anything they have more schools wanting to be part of it than they can get to.

[legendz]

What I was looking for in the Report was a blueprint for the implementation of an intermediary league with reserve teams (without any obligation on LoI clubs to do so) and new clubs as was the case in the A Championship being invited to join with the ambition of possibly make the step up to LoI level.

While a 33 week season might not be ideal, it remains the best fit evidenced by a return to that format.

Coming from outside the LoI community as I would see it, the league seems to have reached a stable enough position. It's down to clubs really to get their own houses in order. The lack of prize money is still a concern.

I can still only harp on that the league does lack a national vibrancy. If you live in provincial towns like Tullamore, Castlebar, Tralee, Ennis, Portlaoise and Kilkenny to name a few, you should be able to watch a game in your area where the local team is involved in the LoI even if it's only at an intermediary level. While it might be a long way off, I would like the FAI to have the ambition, blueprint and drive to make it possible.

[Mr A]

It's easy to say clubs need to sort themselves out, but there are clubs in the league that are reasonably well run and they're holding on by their fingernails. We have a good board and volunteers and sponsors at FHFC but it's a constant struggle even in a good year. The number of league clubs has reduced in size by 13.6% (22 to 19 clubs albeit Rovers fielded a reserve team to keep 20 teams) and recovered to a 9% reduction- bugger that for stability!

Anyhow.. once the season is over will address this in more detail in a blog. Haven't found time to put it all together yet.

[legendz]

When I say clubs need to get their own houses in order, I don't doubt that it's challenging.

If a Harps supporter will excuse me for harping on, it is a shame that an intermediary league cannot be put in place. It was harsh on the likes of Tralee Dynamos and FC Carlow that the plug was pulled on the A Championship.

[White Horse]

I wonder how many Harps fans support the idea of one division this morning?

[nigel-harps1954]

I wonder how many Harps fans support the idea of one division this morning?

Still fully support it. The First Division is a balls and needs to be done away with.

[SeanDMRooney]

I wonder how many Harps fans support the idea of one division this morning?

Promotion wont diminish my support for 1 division, only 4 new teams in the first division would

[LK37oldskool]

I think the first division is required by ufea for our league to get euro places?

[Jofspring]

I think the first division is required by ufea for our league to get euro places?

Must look into it but according to a lad who would know about these things it's not actually true that you need a second division.

[nigel-harps1954]

FAI get a heap of money for having two divisions.

[Ezeikial]

FAI get a heap of money for having two divisions.

I love this! I'm gonna forward it to Jim Corr who needs some new material.

[nigel-harps1954]

I love this! I'm gonna forward it to Jim Corr who needs some new material.

How much do you want to bet that I'm wrong?

[gufcfan]

Promotion wont diminish my support for 1 division, only 4 new teams in the first division would

Sorry lad, but I think this is probably the worst LOI related idea that any significant amount of people have voiced support for. You think clubs were dropping like flies a few years ago? Implement a single tier LOI and all hell will break loose.