Best ground in Eircom League

[sligoman]

Here guys, take a look at one of the best grounds in the league,THE SHOWGROUNDS .We have the new all-weather pitch nearly done.

http://www.sligorovers.com/developme...s_template.htm

[sligoman]

Sligo Rovers are well placed to earn the coveted ‘A’ UEFA/Premier Club Licence, and have been carrying out a programme of works at the Showgrounds to meet this objective.

Licensing was introduced last year but in discussion with Uefa the programme has been completely overhauled.

Under the new licensing requirements, each FAI National League Club is obliged to obtain a licence in order to be granted admission to the league for the 2005 season. The criteria prescribed for clubs have not changed and cover five areas..

• Sporting

• Infrastructure

• Personal and administrative

• Legal

• Financial

Under the new licensing system there are 3 types of licence, Uefa, Premier and 1st Div. While the First Division clubs must have a First Division Licence, such a club is entitled (and encouraged) to have a higher level qualification. Premier Division clubs must reach and maintain the standards for all criteria immediately with the exception of infrastructure. For instance, it must submit 3 year ground development plan for upgrading of facilities for players, supporters and media.

The other criteria will also be closely monitored for the retention of the licence category, For inst, under financial, detailed forward budgets must be drawn up with plans outlining how these will be financed going forward.

OBJECTIVE

The introduction of a Club Licensing System is intended to effect a number of improvements at National League clubs...

• Improvement of playing standards

• Provision of well-equipped and safe stadia

• Ensuring a club has an adequate level of management and organisation

• Ensuring clubs are properly constituted

• Improvement in the financial capability of clubs

The ‘Licensor’ for League of Ireland clubs is the FAI. To administer the process, the FAI established two decision-making bodies –

- The FAI Club Licensing Committee

- The FAI Club Licensing Appeals Body

The FAI Club Licence Committee decides whether a licence should be issued to an applicant or not. The decision must be based on the licensing documents provided in accordance with the FAI Club Licensing manual.

The FAI Club Licensing Appeals Body decides on appeals from the Licence applicants and takes a final and binding decision on whether a licence should be issued and what sanctions, if any, should be imposed on the licence applicant.

The programme when approved will be strictly monitored on an ongoing basis.

CRITERIA

The sporting criteria aim to ensure that..

• There is an improvement in playing standards

• Clubs invest in Youth Development Programmes

• Clubs employ qualified coaches for their Youth Teams

• Clubs take care of the academic education of their Youth players

• All players uphold fair play standards on and off the pitch


The Infrastructure criteria aim to ensure that..

• Facilities have a high standard in terms of equipment and cleanliness

• Suitable training facilities are available

• Spectators are accommodated in a safe, comfortable and customer friendly environment

• Media have a proper working environment

The personnel and administrative criteria aim to ensure that..

• Clubs are managed properly

• Skilled specialists with necessary expertise are available to clubs

• Players of first and other teams are trained by a qualified coach

The legal criteria aim to ensure that clubs are properly constituted in accordance with:

• National laws

• The statutes of the Football Association of Ireland

• The statutes of the FAI National League

The financial criteria aim to ensure that:

• Clubs improve their economic and financial capability, increase their transparency and credibility and place the necessary importance on the protection of creditors

• Financial fair play is monitored in UEFA and FAI club competitions

APPLICATION

The FAI commissioned 3 reports in order to evaluate Sligo Rovers application for licensing. Inspections of the ground were carried out in early 2004 by firms of consulting engineers and dealt with the areas of floodlighting, structural survey and electrical survey.

These comprehensive reports identified a number of urgent works to be carried out in advance of any decision on the club’s licensing application. The most critical of these involves new floodlighting, the replacement of electrical installations and segregated facilities for away supporters. While a number of the works have been carried out, it is the club’s estimation that the cost of carrying out all the works documented will cost over €250,000.

DEVELOPMENTS

Sligo Rovers ambitious Development Programme was recently featured in the ‘Sligo Champion’ – the three phase programme of new stand, all weather pitch and hospitality area, should transform the Showgrounds into one of the finest soccer venues in the country.

But as club Chairman Michael Toolan pointed out, there are various other works being carried out in the Showgrounds on an ongoing basis.. ‘We are just commencing a new FAS scheme in the ground, and I am confident the people we have engaged on the scheme will carry on the excellent work carried out by their predecessors over the years. They have been carrying out going works of maintenance and repair on the grounds, and have played a very important role in preparing and treating the main playing area. While the workers we have had have given good service, I want to thank John Dolan of FAS for his active involvement and support in establishing and running these schemes.’

The Chairman went on to emphasise another important factor in the Showgrounds development programme.. ‘Virtually every visiting team comments on two aspects of the Showgrounds – the new stand, and the high standard of advertising signage around the ground. Vincent Nally single-handedly took this on as a project, and the end result is there for all to see. Before Vincent became involved, the layout and presentation of the signage would not be considered the best. Not only did Vincent replace the old signs, he was instrumental in getting many other sponsors involved in taking out new signage. This project has dramatically improved the appearance of the ground.’

‘Indeed this is only one area where Vincent Nally has made a vital contribution to the club. For a number of seasons, he has been a major fundraiser for the club, and his annual golf classic has generated very valuable income for Sligo Rovers.’

Vincent’s enormous contribution was honoured by the club at the last home game of the season, when the Management Committee made a special presentation to acknowledge his services to the club.

http://www.unison.ie/sligo_champion/...issue_id=11865

[Petmuller]

A clear indication of the state the club finds itself is quite evident when the people that run the club decide to single out one person as if he was the only one in the history of the club to generate badly needed funds to keep the club afloat. It's very sad when one thinks back over the decades and the hard working supporters that were never once recognised for their endevours by the club. If praise is to be given to one then it surely deserves to be given to all. Rovers management have always found it far to easy to shoot themselves in their collective feet whenever the occasion arose and now once more they seem to have out done themselves. If ever there's need to learn how to keep something down then one need look no further than the incompetancies of the chosen in the showgrounds collectively known as the 'management committee'. Yes Rovers are down and will remain so with the experts of failure at the helm.

[sligoman]

This guy talks so much sense at the Showgrounds, despite a great posting from Sligoman, and all the interesting data about the clubs facility developments, Toolan appoints a total novice mananger, the crucial role in any club, an analogy with Wolves, they have a breathtaking stadium, a total load of tripe as a team, with an inept Dave Jones sacked, then another "recycled failure" in Hoddle moves in, results don't change? Peter Reid at Coventry, tripe, like at all his other clubs, Bryan Robson at West Brom, relegates Bradford, then pops up at WBA, a few of his players were legless at last Mondays annual "office party" after an appalling display just two days earlier, in what was the most abject tactical performance i can ever recall witnessing, the manager actually threw the game away with a 4-5-1 system of play for 45 minutes and went 3-0 down because of it.

All this propaganda at the Showgrounds might fool the "Weekender" amigos, they seem to swallow any old baloney there, spoon fed them by Toolan @ co? but not those who know a little about the the game. That club resembles the V@A Museum, inept management, suicidal commercial decisions for the past 5 years at the club, including the extending of a contract by 3 years of a total incompetent and his subsequent pay off for that appalling commercial decision just 3 months later, bankruptcy criteria. A club in a total managerial "cul-de-sac"? Optimistic for 2005? You can fool some of the punters only some of the time. A total novice manager appointed there, on what basis Mr Toolan? 2 wins in his first 8 games there? Buena Suerte for 2005, you will need it there amigos. Success in soccer is like anything else in life, to place key personnel in key areas, something the Board at the Showgrounds appear oblivious to?

Incidentally, player recognition, i saw the best young midfielder i have seen for some years last week in Malaga, playing for Ian Hartes team Levante, called Rivera, 24 year old, watch out for this kid, fortunately for you, he won't be playing for the might "cats" or Limerick City next season at the Showgrounds!!!!! What a mouth-watering specatacle that will be!!!

Oh christ, he's back

[Petmuller]

Hi simprered my friend I ask of you one think pal, tone down on the criticism of our fellow board members, these people actually do love the rovers and as you so expertedly put it they don't see the wood from the trees. You do know what they say about love being blind and all that. Rovers have been in the doldrums for the best part of a decade now and I expect the people that submit to this board are either too young to remember or are just too caught up in the moment to admit to what this once great club of ours is capable of. This past eight/nine years we are a club going nowhere and basically that suits those that are in control. Those that defend these people should know better or just maybe the people that write the defencive crap are actually those that are in control. Think about this simprered before you delve into your next words of wisdom post, forgive them for they know not what they do.

[sligoman]

petmuller=siemprered?

I was thinking the same thing, he's gone so crazy he's answering himself under a different name

[1 9 2 8]

petmuller=siemprered?

If the Mods check the IP addresses then you'll know

[gustavo]

i used to be able to do i rremember one day i was going thru a trhhead and i found myself on the vbulletin mod control panel and you could do ip checks . was kinda cool i could see all the ip addresses ive used in here in the last three and half years, but cant find it now probably been disabled!

[Éanna]

If the Mods check the IP addresses then you'll know

I did. Its not. they're not even posting from the same country! any other conspircay theories, let me know

[Petmuller]

Sometimes things can get out of hands and people can go over board etc but when all is broken down we all are Rovers supporters after all. People are different when it comes to under achieveing. I like siemprered expect more from the club simply because I know what this club is capable of. I will never try to make excuses for the people that wallow in the club's utter under achievement, namely the board of SRFC. Some people come on this forum, namely sligoman and red til dead, and make silly suggestions and quotes full of nonsense and expect ordinary folk to follow suit etc. I have my own opinion not formed by comments in the local rags which have been penned by individuals no different to the majority that part take on this forum. Because they 'write' for the local rags doesn't necessarily mean we should all believe their 'breaking news' stories. Yet because I have the intelligents to form my own opinion then I'm attacked by those mentioned and others. Is this fair? I certainly don't think so!
I have my sources for information and I know quite a bit what's going on within the confines of the showgrounds walls/fences to know we should expect more from the club we support. I only wonder why more people don't have the balls to voice their opinions like simprered and I do. Are people afraid of something?
I like simprered only want the best for the club is that a crime? I suggest people read what's written and ask is/could this be true prior to being critical and abusive.
I may be wrong but I feel that a person that constantly defends wrong doers is as guilty as those that do wrong.
Over the course of the last couple of days I've heard nothing but good things regarding Sean Connor and I am believe it or not hoping that he will lead us out of the first division. He's all we've got so he can't be judged until we see what players he brings in and I'm reliably told that he has a couple of quality players lined up. If this be the case then I think we'll all be happy, in the mean time we'll just have to wait and see.

[1 9 2 8]

I like siemprered expect more from the club simply because I know what this club is capable of. I will never try to make excuses for the people that wallow in the club's utter under achievement, namely the board of SRFC.I have my sources for information and I know quite a bit what's going on within the confines of the showgrounds walls/fences to know we should expect more from the club we support. I only wonder why more people don't have the balls to voice their opinions like simprered and I do. Are people afraid of something?
I like simprered only want the best for the club is that a crime?

Well said

[Pablo]

Hardly the best ground boys, but well done on the improvements.


Now get promoted!

[SligoRoversfan]

The Showgrounds is probably the best in the 1st division though

[Patrick Dunne]

:d :d :d

[jimhacker]

I presume Mr. O'Riordan put the "squeeze" on them!

[dublinred]

I did. Its not. they're not even posting from the same country! any other conspircay theories, let me know

It could be done ?

[Paraic]

It could be done ?

IP addresses can only be checked by the owners / managers of the foot.ie forum - éanna is one such individual. Forum owners require this access in case of legal action etc. Humble moderators like myself and gustavo can not view IP addresses, which is a pity cos it was great to see some people arguing with themselves on the old sligoweb forum !!

Anyways, I'm closing this thread - it's gone along way off topic.