Interesting stuff! You have me intrigued on the pending announcement. I have always tended to dislike proposals for pan-national, European Super league proposals as it just underpinned the growing gap between the haves and have nots in football. Certainly UEFA have been making decisions in trying to head off potential breakaway proposals from super-clubs, by gradually adapting the CL - guaranteeing places for big clubs almost and reducing access for us minnows. Maybe its the current economic woes that are to hit but I am less skeptcal these days. There is merit to the economic, political and social, positive potential that football can have in redefining borders. But as you have very clearlu outlined, there are always going to be people/clubs that will lose out and need to be protected also. I have no idea how that could be done mind.
In AIL terms, and what Buller has mentioned, not kicking off until there is x amount in the prize pot makes a lot of sense. This in itself guages interest from outside the football community. It would need somehow to be shown that this sort of money can be perpetuated beyond a first season, if there is real political will behind the proposals then this is attainable. Maybe I hoped that in some way political leaning on UEFA could have helped address the European qualification conundrum (setting precedences issues aside), but if prizemoney is sufficient, the scramble to get in to Europe (and progress) due to being starved of money domestically, will be less pronounced. Beyond finances in, via increased domestic prizemoney it could stabalise club finances as it helps removes the speculate to accumulate model that has blighted clubs over the years. Yes it is/was self inflicted spending beyond means, but it was aften about improvemnet, even survival if counter intuitive. There is so much potential to an AIL, and a real hope that it comes to pass, but I feel its one of those once in decades moments and if it isnt nailed, is aborted, we wont see another chance anytime soon! If there is political will genuinely behind it - well we have seen how much progress can be made in a relatively short timescale, so i'd be far more hopeful than previously.
Go on give us a hint on the announcement, be it on an AIL or other European footballing developments!!? ;p
Considering the funding thats available from the EU would the NI assembly also give funding also too I wonder towards a AIL or would that be from the UK government?
Gary Cronin is he the right man to manage Longford Town?
I presume it would be mainly under the Peace IV programme. But that runs out this year so Government could look to have another 5 year programme, Peace V which could have the AIL project specified as a significant target project. There are other smaller funds eg for Border regions that could apply but maybe only for some clubs. Socal inclusion funding projects, but would go to individual club initiatives and may not have a direct impact on the sporting side of things. There are cultural funding opportunities that at a push could be applicable. Brexit could have an impact on some of this for IL clubs.
Last edited by Nesta99; 21/05/2020 at 5:36 AM.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
Last edited by EatYerGreens; 21/05/2020 at 3:51 PM.
I'm pretty sure that UEFA rules wouldnt allow it anyway. But by backing things elswhere it could free up money that could then be redirected. There can be broad interpretations, especially for social and cultural projects when it comes to applications that have the ear of government.
The sum in the Regional Stadium Development Fund was (still is?) £36m.
It was originally formally announced in 2012 (iirc), though it was not meant to be disbursed until 2015 i.e. after the National Stadium Development Funds had been spent on re-building Windsor (i.e. Stage 1, which also covered Ravenhill and Casement).
However, the completion of Windsor was delayed because adjacent building work on Olympic Leisure Centre by Belfast City Council caused cracks to appear in the Kop* after a game in March 2015, meaning it had to demolished and re-built, thereby delaying the Regional stage. And iirc, that meant the Regional money wasn't allocated and begun to be spent before the Assembly collapsed in January 2017.
I personally can't claim any insight into the latest state of play over this money, but the pessimist in me fears that it may be reduced, or even pulled/diverted, such is the present crisis in public finance. But tbf, there hasn't been anything announced on these lines, so maybe it's just a matter of time before it begins to be distributed.
* - Being fairly new, a new Kop wasn't originally planned to be part of the redevelopment of Windsor, but the damage meant it had to be. The IFA sued for the cost of this additional work. And according to the Sunday Life at the w/e:
The case taken against Belfast City Council, a contractor and engineering firm was settled in Belfast High Court last November, and Sunday Life Sport understands the compensation was paid in the last fortnight.
"Both the IFA and Linfield took cases following the forced closure of the West Stand at the National Stadium," explained a Windsor insider. "Linfield's payout was a five-figure sum while the IFA's payout was much greater, in the millions."
Last edited by EalingGreen; 21/05/2020 at 11:03 PM.
Arguments against All Island League proposal:
- NIFL clubs all earn the same embarrassing and pathetic amount as LOI clubs do in prize money, when all costs are added up.
- It could never happen, Lucid is pulling figures out of the air.
- The NIFL is very strong right now and we dont need it because our clubs never go bust.
- We definitely wont be able to access Peace funds because the list looking for a slice of the 400m on offer is huge.
Arguments for All Island League proposal:
- Modeling shows it could create a league valued 10 times higher than either league within 5 years.
- Even in the inaugural year, its likely worth 4 times more value. Unnamed TV companies and sponsors Lucid have talked to backed this up with pre-bids. Conservatively, the initial year could have a prize fund in excess of €2m. An All Island League is a very tasty proposition.
- If a minimum pool of prize money from negotiations is not got (€2m was mentioned in the AIL meeting I attended) the league would not go ahead.
- With increased wages, youth can stay in Ireland longer, and our teams do better in Europe.
- Far bigger chance of regular access to Europa Conference League prize money (which is rumoured to be similar to Europa League prizemoney)
All he's asking is the FAI and IFA to approach UEFA for sanctioning it, so that TV companies and sponsors could bid. Its chicken and egg without that. Proof of concept.
So the argument is that we should definitely not try, even though there's nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Last edited by Buller; 21/05/2020 at 11:11 PM.
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