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's a fair point, I was there myself actually. But I think you have to consider the unique attractor of a final for a club like Limerick, who were on one of their infrequent popular streaks at the time as well. Judging the attractiveness of a tournament overall based solely on interest in its final I don't think is the best approach: looking at Wiki Limerick got in around a quarter of the final attendance for the 1/4 final against Galway for example. The lack of noise about its potential return is sign enough really.
Maybe the League Cup means more for FD clubs and those outside of the very top of the PD? I just think if there's a carrot like Euro qualification there it's the simplest way to make it important. Hard to do with our current allocation though. Best I can think of is giving LC winners a play-off with 3rd in the league for Conference entry.
Author of Never Felt Better (History, Film Reviews).
its a joke it wasnt brought back this season.
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.
I really like that format too legendz - Or schedule high profile league games eg derbies on those holiday weekends and LC on the vacated league slots, if it was felt that the LC wouldnt get the interest and maybe waste what could be bumper crowds on those weekends
Having just 2 trophies available to every club - only one of which is via a knock-out format (i.e. increases chances of new/novel finalists and winners) - is too few in my opinion. Our league can well manage 3 trophies. Pretty much every other league seems to do it.
The NI League Cup Final this year attracted 11,000 to Windsor Park - through good pricing, two teams with decent support, and a bit of a media push. I wouldn't have our LC Final at Lansdowne (at least not until crowds across the league are better), but it shows what could potentially be done with the LOI LC. It's really never been treated all that seriously by anyone here, when it could and should be.
What's the prize money for our League Cup does anyone know? Be interesting to see how it compares to the NI equivalent.
Author of Never Felt Better (History, Film Reviews).
In general nobody cares about it unless they make the semis. I quite like it myself (first trophy I saw Limerick win, up in Derry, 20 years ago now) but I can understand why the clubs aren't too bothered tbh.
#DundalkFC - First Irish club to win an away game in Europe (1963), first Irish club to win points in a group stage in Europe (2016).
Yeah, it was handy for giving young players early games (if that was your thing) but in general it was very low key and you'd wonder what the point really was. Most European countries don't have a League Cup.
That said, I agree that I'd like to see it back, but the LSC can quietly be ignored.
Didn't they scrap it in France as well? Obviously the LC & LSC were great for young players but I'd prefer the focus to be on establishing the third tier where there will be more opportunities for younger players than the odd cup game that nobody has any interest in
its not just young players who playi n LC though? few more games for squad players who may not have played in the opening few games etc. i think its madness to scrap it. is the lsc gone too? msc is still going
Probably depends on the club. UCD would often blood new players in the League Cup (and the LSC). Probably a lot of the First Division would as well because it's a fairly young league. For the bigger clubs, it probably is handy as a squad rotation.
The LSC was dropped at the same time as the League Cup. That was a joke of a competition to be honest and we're better off without it, even allowing for its long history. Athlone had to extend their season about six weeks to play a semi-final a couple of years back.
Reinstating the LC or not is debatable and that's fair enough. Scrapping away goals wasn't a universally popular decision but a decision that was made.
Any LoI team that qualifies for Europe, will have the high profile that goes with that. A league cup without the European teams can afford those who get to the latter stages of it, an opportunity for a sellout. Like the Markets Field a few years back.
As mentioned previously, there is a debatable suggestion to give European teams and LC semi-finalists a bye until the FAI Cup round of 16. It would be an added incentive for progress in the early rounds of the LC. As a previous contributer mentioned, the semi-finals by their nature will gain attention by themselves.
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.
The League Cup has been a platform by which a number of good sides kicked off with. When top of the heap, European games maybe an FAI Cup run also then yeah its a low priority. But it shouldnt be underestimated as a senior trophy to win either. The opportunity it gave to Wexford Youths v Derry is probably one of the better more recent examples of some worth. There are plenty of Dundalk fans that would bemoan missing out on a domestic clean sweep and of course Derry will point to being the only side to have done that particular domestic treble.
As we all know in a match situation, there can be a moment that sparks the game or a team into life. A cup run can breathe life into a club as well.
If a cup run is seen as a hindrance, it might be lacking a fair reward for progression or structured better if possible and sensible.
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.
At times the reward is just simply that there is another addition to a roll of honour. Im greedy and would want to win every trophy available to my club (European comps may just be an expectation too far), it annoys me a small bit that Dundalk were a couple of penalty shoot-outs away from possibly ticking that box. Its a rare achievement so in some way that is the incentive itself. I dont think there should be any play-offs for a place in Europe that could include LC winners, but if there is ever a sustainable cross border or celtc cup type competition where there is decent participation money, LC winners should be in the hat. As it does serve a purpose in giving youth players a taste of senior football, similarly with the provincial senior cups, I dont think it should be scrapped. If it is it will be due to a couldnt be bothered attitude by the FAI and not because of some strategy on fixture congestion or player welfare etc.
I'd like to see the League Cup return, but I'd guess the clubs wouldn't be too happy with more midweek fixtures.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
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