2018 League of Ireland Fixtures

**brendy_éire** · 08/02/2018, 3:54 PM

Originally Posted by osarusan

How close are you to actually being ready? Will more games be switched?

Passed it the other day and there would still be a decent bit to do to allow it to opened to the public. Walls to finish off, tarmac to put down, etc.

The Council have said mid-March, so I wouldn't be surprised if the Dundalk game on 2nd March is moved too.

**oriel** · 08/02/2018, 7:01 PM

Why don’t Derry look at the option of using Buncrana’s ground in the interim period where the Brandywell is not ready. Also when are they expecting to make a decision about the Dundalk game?

**DannyInvincible** · 08/02/2018, 8:27 PM

What would happen if Dundalk refused to agree to have the fixture switched to Oriel Park?

**Charlie Darwin** · 08/02/2018, 8:32 PM

Derry would have to find another location.

**nigel-harps1954** · 08/02/2018, 9:17 PM

The game would be postponed one would assume

**DannyInvincible** · 08/02/2018, 9:19 PM

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

Derry would have to find another location.

Or forfeit the fixture presumably?

I'm not overly familiar with the ins and outs of the licensing agreement, but was the licence not already awarded on the basis that the Brandywell will be used? Would requesting to use, say, Maginn Park as home ground again for a few weeks cause complications on that front or would it be a fairly straightforward matter of switching the relevant ties over (assuming Maginn Park was even available)?

**pineapple stu** · 08/02/2018, 9:20 PM

Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954

The game would be postponed one would assume

You'd have to think that not having a ground available would be a more serious issue than, say, the pitch being waterlogged. I think it's probably more likely they'd be required to go off and find a venue or, as Danny suggests, scratch.

**EnzoScifo10** · 09/02/2018, 9:56 AM

Just had a good look at the fixtures for we who cant be named. WTF.. We have 4 home games in March and 3 home games total in the 3 months of July, August and September? At 1 stage we are at home for 5 out of 6 weekends in a row yet we play Dundalk on Sept 1st and our next home game is Derry on Oct 6th.

**nigel-harps1954** · 09/02/2018, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by EnzoScifo10

Just had a good look at the fixtures for we who cant be named. WTF.. We have 4 home games in March and 3 home games total in the 3 months of July, August and September? At 1 stage we are at home for 5 out of 6 weekends in a row yet we play Dundalk on Sept 1st and our next home game is Derry on Oct 6th.

Hello, I can see that you are new. Welcome to the League of Ireland.

**EnzoScifo10** · 09/02/2018, 10:43 AM

Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954

Hello, I can see that you are new. Welcome to the League of Ireland.

Far from it but you would think (schoolboy error

) that with 10 teams it would have got better not worse.

**sbgawa** · 09/02/2018, 10:52 AM

wrong thread

**TonyD** · 09/02/2018, 12:38 PM

Originally Posted by DannyInvincible

What would happen if Dundalk refused to agree to have the fixture switched to Oriel Park?

Why would they though, in fairness ? Extra home game for them at the start of the season, couldn't really see them complaining.

**brendy_éire** · 09/02/2018, 1:30 PM

Originally Posted by oriel

Why don’t Derry look at the option of using Buncrana’s ground in the interim period where the Brandywell is not ready. Also when are they expecting to make a decision about the Dundalk game?

We don't know. Also, we don't know.

I think reserving the fixtures is probably the best option.

**dundalkfc10** · 09/02/2018, 1:48 PM

Originally Posted by TonyD

Why would they though, in fairness ? Extra home game for them at the start of the season, couldn't really see them complaining.

If we were to switch with Derry and play the game at start season in Dundalk.

In April we would have 4 away games in a row, Bray, Limerick, Derry and Cork

No chance we will agree to that!

**oriel** · 09/02/2018, 1:51 PM

Originally Posted by TonyD

Why would they though, in fairness ? Extra home game for them at the start of the season, couldn't really see them complaining.

This would mean though that Dundalk would be playing a home league match on 3 Fridays in a row and 4 out of 5 Friday's in March, that's a lot of home games over a short period to market, similar might apply for Sligo and any others that are asked to change.

They have 3 full weeks to get the ground completed, surely they can have all final things done then and safety cert in place? That or look to use Buncrana's ground.

**sbgawa** · 09/02/2018, 2:10 PM

If someone offered me to switch our away games with bohs and Limerick to give us 5 home matches to start the league and try and build some momentum id be tempted to take it.
Momentum and a good start are important..........although a weak start and then 5 away games does offer another viewpoint

**dundalkfc10** · 09/02/2018, 2:29 PM

Derry should have their licence removed! How can the FAI give a licence to a club who dont know when where how they will play games.

**DannyInvincible** · 09/02/2018, 3:19 PM

Originally Posted by TonyD

Why would they though, in fairness ? Extra home game for them at the start of the season, couldn't really see them complaining.

I was considering the possibility of Dundalk objecting on the basis of this post by oriel in another thread:

Originally Posted by oriel

[The delay in the Brandywell re-opening] doesn't sound too good, what are the chances that work can be completed in time by end of this month, or does there have to be a safety cert issued after all inspections take place and over a certain period?

I can't see Dundalk agreeing to switch the game on Fri 2nd March, as that will leave us with a home league match on every Friday in March, as it sits I think 3 is hard enough to sell in one month, 4 will be a huge ask especially on consecutive weeks.

Can Derry not look to use Buncrana for the first 2 or 3 games?

I don't know how likely it is that Dundalk might object to a proposed fixture reversal, but if it could pose potential revenue issues for the club, I'm sure it's something they'd have to seriously consider. And they'd be perfectly entitled to put "sentiment" or "good will" to the side and put their own interests as a professionally-run club first.

This is ultimately the result of poor organisation by the Derry board (which has seemingly been indulged by the FAI). There should have been a back-up plan in place long before now. As was mentioned elsewhere, the board only came out with the statement about the Sligo game being reversed because a freedom-of-information request to the city council by a fan had already revealed that the stadium won't be ready until mid-March and so the board were getting a lot of criticism from bewildered fans wondering what the hell was happening with the scheduled home-games before then. Even still, it seems that an announcement on the Dundalk game will also be left to the last minute because there's obviously no arrangement in place for it yet.