What could/should the FAI do for the league?

[marinobohs]

(Taking this from "What's right with the league?". Fits in here in terms of fixing the league.

If clubs have a sustainable budget in the First Division, isn't it down to clubs to operate within the same budget on promotion to the Premier Division.

I've heard comments that the FAI fudge on the league licensing criteria. Is this an obvious failure to be fixed? More stringent criteria on the granting of a Premier Division licence and clubs being more on board with that?


Yes, I know. Have they not turned a corner? They seem to have learned the lessons from the past.

Cork and Dundalk are operating on European money, shams are posting big losses and but for single person investment 'the project' would already be toast and Bohs are making minimal profit on an almost amateur playing basis.

[RathfarnhamHoop]

Cork and Dundalk are operating on European money, shams are posting big losses and but for single person investment 'the project' would already be toast and Bohs are making minimal profit on an almost amateur playing basis.

I really love how everyone knows our finances, its really great to have so much of this site in the know when it comes to Rovers finances

[sbgawa]

Hey RH it's what comes with being the biggest club in Ireland

[Ezeikial]

I really love how everyone knows our finances, its really great to have so much of this site in the know when it comes to Rovers finances

If you think marinobohs is incorrect then says so and tell us why

[Ezeikial]

Cork and Dundalk are operating on European money,

Hey - how do you know so much about our club's finances?

[Longfordian]

The FAI have released a statement proposing a €300k hardship fund for league clubs unable to pay their players. Oddly they’re proposing that the PFAI/Siptu put in €150k but the FAI have only “contacted” them and they haven’t actually agreed to it yet. I’d have thought it might be better to wait until they have agreed to it but maybe it’s a tactic to make the PFAI look bad if they don’t agree.

[RathfarnhamHoop]

If you think marinobohs is incorrect then says so and tell us why

I do because I very much doubt hes seen the clubs books that not obvious?

The FAI have released a statement proposing a €300k hardship fund for league clubs unable to pay their players. Oddly they’re proposing that the PFAI/Siptu put in €150k but the FAI have only “contacted” them and they haven’t actually agreed to it yet. I’d have thought it might be better to wait until they have agreed to it but maybe it’s a tactic to make the PFAI look bad if they don’t agree.

Where's the pfai going to get 150k from?

[gufct]

So contributions from the players goes into a fund to prop up clubs

[sbgawa]

I do because I very much doubt hes seen the clubs books that not obvious?



Where's the pfai going to get 150k from?

There buddy's in siptu.

[RathfarnhamHoop]

By the way just to back up my rovers not losing tonnes of money thing, as if i needed to but it was actually quite interesting, I went through their sponsorship and just including the prices given for the following sponsorships mascot,ball,player shirt,hording,matchday,programme,pepper along with rough gate receipts, european money,Burke money and programme sales I got to a figure of 1.8 million, so the rovers yearly budget for the whole club is 2 million meaning that from NB, other kit sponsors, functions in the suite, academy sponsorship, grants, tv money, likes of Celtic game,shop sales, and a few other things Rovers just need another 200k to break even and considering the NB deal could be worth that by itself I very much doubt the club is losing lots of money each year even accounting for my potential use of optimistic figures (which i didn't btw I accounted for not every matchball being sponsored, circa 2,600 average attendance, bundle deals,etc)

[legendz]

Easier said than done. Small clubs from smaller leagues have almost zero bargaining power with Uefa.

The big clubs from the big leagues hold all the cards. They want ALL the pie for themselves. And in recent years they're getting more and more of it - see the new rules this year allowing the top 4 sides from PL, Italy, Spain and Germany into the CL group stages automatically.

Uefa is scared ****less that the big clubs could decide at any minute to break away and set up their own competition so they're doing everything they can to placate them.

Obviously it's easier said than done. It doesn't mean the FAI and other similar associations can't work together and lobby for change. We should be hearing public noises from them. The UEFA president has to get his votes from somewhere.

The CL is nearly a lockout as you point out. The Europa League was to to appease leagues that were considering an Atlantic League or whatever was mooted. It's a bit removed from that with the CL 3rd placed teams parachuting in.

Again, this is the reality. given the whining from Mourinho and other managers over the number of games players play it is more likely the Champions League will be scaled back in terms of numbers that expanded, and the likelihood of smaller leagues getting more representation is extremely unlikely. to be fair UEFA has increased the money available for the Europa league but this was solely to 'buy off' the smaller League and to decrease their representation in the Champions League.

They increased the money alright but there's more to be done with the Europa League to achieve some fairness if at all possible.

[Longfordian]

A couple of good digs at the FAI and Delaney from the PFAI here, to give them their due. No surprise that this half formed idea is going downhill rapidly.

http://www.pfai.ie/news/pfa-ireland-statement

[Eminence Grise]

The FAI have released a statement proposing a €300k hardship fund for league clubs unable to pay their players. Oddly they’re proposing that the PFAI/Siptu put in €150k but the FAI have only “contacted” them and they haven’t actually agreed to it yet. I’d have thought it might be better to wait until they have agreed to it but maybe it’s a tactic to make the PFAI look bad if they don’t agree.

Sounds suspiciously like the FAI have finally decided on a pyramid scheme for the league....

[Nesta99]

It totally stinks of the FAI being full of spite for the PFAI and announcing something before speaking to other parties. Its like its set up to fail and the PFAI to be responsible for that as terms wont be acceptable or funding to the tune of 150k isnt available to meet their share. Its a put your money where your mouth is effort and without support from SIPTU or the European players union group assisting then it is players membership dues that will be funding the share with the potential to basically be getting their own contributions to the PFAI back. Ws the Bray escrow 100 or 300k, cant remember now but even if it was the lower figure and the general opinion that that has been spent already, when you add a second club in difficulty like in Limerick's case then the 300k would hardly stretch that far. Whats to stop a club offering top wages on a gamble of challenging hoping for bums on seats and then cant pay players by May as has happened and ye cant rely on licencing to ensure reasonable budget submissions. The proper solution to this chancer type owner /director at a football club that has behaved reclessly is to have them barred from being directors etc of any company.

[EatYerGreens]

A couple of good digs at the FAI and Delaney from the PFAI here, to give them their due. No surprise that this half formed idea is going downhill rapidly.

http://www.pfai.ie/news/pfa-ireland-statement

Fair play from the PFAI. Someone needs to stand up to the FAI and Delaney in public.

[Ezeikial]

I do because I very much doubt hes seen the clubs books that not obvious?

I get you brother. He probably hasn't seen our clubs books either yet still says we are operating on euro money. Outrageous. Obviously.

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Are you saying that without the Euro money Dundalk would be able to afford their current wage bill?

[Ezeikial]

Are you saying that without the Euro money Dundalk would be able to afford their current wage bill?

No - I am mocking how fairly obvious realities are dismissed by "you haven't seen the accounts" quips

[RathfarnhamHoop]

No - I am mocking how fairly obvious realities are dismissed by "you haven't seen the accounts" quips

Except for the fact that by using known figures you can get that Rovers aren't losing money so unless the books, that I'd put money on nobody here having seen, show otherwise it isn't a fairly obvious reality"

[NeverFeltBetter]

What a bonkers plan by the FAI, to spend their time attempting to smear the PFAI in this fashion. They'd rather engage in petty point-scoring exercises than actually engage.