http://www.thesun.ie/irishsol/homepa...fers-hope.html
Key proposal
- 16-team Premier Division
- Regionalised First Division with promotion and relegation to local Intermediate Leagues
- One Europa League place to be decided by a 11-team post-season play-off series
- Increased prize money to bankroll full-time Premier Division outfits
- A portion of Uefa prize money and transfer fees to be paid to the FAI
- Clubs bound to pay off debts, invest in facilities and fan clubs
Clubs are growing a set. A proper Pyramid system which will mean across the board reforms at every level.
We are the Galway Boys Stand up and make some noise"
Giving this its own thread
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
The FAI would really need to grow a set of balls and implement all of this, which they won't.
A lot of it makes sense, but some of it doesn't. 11 teams play-off for Europa League is too much. If you're including FAI Cup runner-up, 7 teams should be maximum. One place should be automatically awarded to second place in the league too. The last Europa place should be via a play-off. Belgium does this quite successfully too.
In a 16 team Premier Division, there should be two automatic relegation spots and one play-off spot.
Clubs can be bound to pay off debts all they want, that's a positive step, but how can they expect to be able to invest in facilities and fan clubs if they're paying off debts?
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
Some good & bad ideas in their proposals.
I love the idea of a proper pyramid structure. But by just having one top division we automatically decrease the amount of Uefa funding we get, which would probably work against the proposal to increase prize money. But hey maybe with a 16 team league, teams like Waterford/Athlone could start getting decent numbers at matches, which might negate the deduction in Uefa money for not having 2 divisions. Anyone know how much Uefa money we’d lose for not having 2 divisions?
But an 11-team playoff for a Europa league spot?? That sounds weird. Why not make it an 8-team playoff so that you can at least make it a simple quarter, semis and a final. Seems like a desperate attempt to get a few extra matches into the domestic schedule because a 16 team league would mean only 30 league games. Also, we could end up with our 10th placed team representing us in the Europa league, which wouldn’t be ideal.
All in all though, seems a good proposal, but it doesn’t cover the topics of marketing/promotion and community endeavours. I fear the clubs are once again purely focusing on the on-field matters, while ignoring the business/community. One good suggestion by Conroy was the re-establishment of a Club Development officer, which should definitely be re-introduced with any league revamp.
I think there is also good and bad ideas with the PCA and the Conroy proposal/report, maybe there is some middle ground to work from.
League advertising/promotion on all forms of media outlets is a priority for the FAI, while the idea of some form of regionalised league format is favoured by most clubs.
I firmly believe that a PROPER pyramid structure is the one single thing that will do most to boost Football here. It wont happen though because the FAI will not allow it to happen. Sad but true
- 16-team Premier Division
○ They are right to set this out as an ambition but I can't see it happening in the next 5-10 years.
- Regionalised First Division with promotion and relegation to local Intermediate Leagues
○ From what people more in the know have said, I cannot see local intermediate leagues being linked to the League of Ireland.
○ I would like to see a regionalised intermediary league with LoI B teams and aspiring clubs like Castlebar, Tralee, Carlow and Tullamore who participated in the old A Championship. The highest placed first team from 2 or more regional leagues should play-off against the bottom club from the First Division.
- One Europa League place to be decided by a 11-team post-season play-off series
○ I think Wales has a 12 team division. After 22 games it splits into top 6 and bottom 6. The reason for their play-off is the top team in the bottom 6 has something to play for. It works for them. It doesn't mean it will work in the LoI.
○ With not a whole lot of prize money in the LoI there is possibly a place for a 4 team play-off at the end of the season. The FAI Cup might have to be played before the end of the season in such a scenario so that they know which league places they are playing for on the final league day.
○ 11 teams is too much. Success over the course of the season has to be considered as well.
○ A 4 team play-off including the League Cup winner is my preferred option out of many options they could go with.
- Increased prize money to bankroll full-time Premier Division outfits
○ Naturally a great idea if the money is there through sponsorship etc.
- A portion of Uefa prize money and transfer fees to be paid to the FAI
○ Clubs already pay fees. Are additional fees necessary?
- Clubs bound to pay off debts, invest in facilities and fan clubs
○ Is practical within licensing etc.?
I think it was some Stuttgart person who was more an advocate of a pyramid. I simply wanted an intermediary tier like the defunct A Championship. If it is such a bad thing to want to see a Kerry team in or linked to the League of Ireland, fair enough. Enjoy your local LoI team in action and have a nice evening!
A regionalised intermediary league involving LoI B teams and aspiring first teams is enough. If such intermediary league comes in, there shouldn't be a repeat of the Galway situation from a few years back. When clubs apply, consideration has to be given to LoI clubs already in the area. Ideally clubs would be welcome from areas without a club already.
https://foot.ie/forums/117-Kerry-FC
A Championship: 4 years - 8 first teams - 0 financially ruined. First Division '14: 7 first teams.
Opportunity lost for new clubs/regions to join the LoI family.
It was a Bray fan, (Peadar maybe?) who was constantly looking for a Pyramid.
11-team idea, and pie-in-the-sky thinking regards a pyramid structure aside, some good ideas in there. If a First Division(s) was regionalised, what kind of junior/intermediate sides could be convinced to give it a go?
Author of Never Felt Better (History, Film Reviews).
I think there has been a statement from Eoin Ó Neill of the PCA tonight lads, put away the banners.
The pyramid only works if the interest is there at the bottom of the pyramid.
Intermediate and junior clubs have no interest in becoming a LOI club and who would blame them.
Also the standard of junior soccer is higher than intermediate at the moment which throws it off further.
You've got no fans.
There can be an integrated pyramid type set up without an obligation to promote to a higher division than the club is set up for. There wouldn't need to be massive changes to the junior/intermediate set-up, it would possibly just strengthen some of the intermediate leagues and provide a fall back level for clubs dropping out of the national league. In a way it would be turning the intermediate leagues into something like what the A Championship was. It throws it back into the FAI's court to try and tackle some of the power the various leagues have and to try and bring them under a more consistent structure.
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