I think a move back to winter football would only be feasible if every club moved to plastic pitches. That’s the only major stumbling block , I’d be in favour of a move back to the traditional season.
I haven't seen anyone suggest a return to a winter league except very briefly in reference to the North not wanting to lose their Christmas games in an AIL.
Winter football is far too cold for me to even consider it as much as I love the idea of Christmas games. Don't think there's enough money in the league or public interest for it to be viable
https://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...-39131307.htmlShamrock Rovers players are taking a 25 per cent wage cut to allow the club to cope with the impact of the Covid-19 crisis.
In reality there's not a hope the LOI will be allowed to return on June 19th with crowds.
If it went to a vote would clubs be for or against behind closed doors games? If not, then the season will most likely be binned and best case scenario is starting 2021 on schedule next February. That would give the 4 European clubs a headache this season if UEFA go ahead behind closed doors with Euro leagues and UEFA competition.
Could go behind doors, stream games and charge to view, but some problems there - people could pool in together to buy a stream between them, and the bigger issue is that very few clubs are actually equipped or capable of providing a proper stream (may be rights issues too with RTE, eir, maybe Trackchamp too).
Probably not financially rewarding enough to bother with it in any case. How many would you realistically get subscribing per game?
Clubs need to start making decisions soon. Bohs' decision was admirable but not sure it will actually work out in making financial sense in hindsight. Only Cork and Sligo announced cuts, but at least one other club in the Premier has done the same. Maybe others have too and just not announced it?
At least it's the players taking a cut as opposed to any other staff (who might already be on the labour, who knows) I think in our little (insignificant to europe) league we're going to struggle when things start up again, will we have missed the qualifying games timeline for euro, or will they re-allign?Originally Posted by Ezeikial
Death, Taxes,...
Don't think there'd be a rights issue going by the Cork and Dundalk pilot last season. RTE and eir could still show their games too. You'd imagine too in that scenario people pooling together to buy games would also be breaching social distancing rules so you'd hope that would deter most people and those it didn't would probably find a way around it no matter what you did.
I'm personally against behind closed doors games, can't imagine any fan wanting to see their team in a Derby or win something and not be there but if it's that or clubs start to go under then I know which I'd choose.
It was on Off the Ball AM yesterday morning as they were discussing it. They said there was a lot of talk about it but didnt say where.
They said that financially the move to summer soccer hasnt made the loi clubs any richer.
Last edited by Martinho II; 16/04/2020 at 8:51 AM.
Gary Cronin is he the right man to manage Longford Town?
https://nypost.com/2020/04/15/anthon...avirus-crisis/
It’s not just the LOI in trouble I would keep a eye on the GAA on how they handle things. It’s starting to become clear that only well financed pro sports can start up again behind closed doors with their players isolated in hotels. I have no hope uefa won’t throw the smaller leagues under the bus with all this , if you aren’t able to fulfil your uefa fixtures I’m not not sure how they will handle it.
Last edited by D24Saint; 16/04/2020 at 11:32 AM.
That may or may not be true, I'd err more on the side of not. But I think the reasons that clubs don't have much if any money are reasons other than the league moving to summer season and if the league was still played in the winter I'd put my money on the clubs being in a worse position financially.
Last edited by RathfarnhamHoop; 16/04/2020 at 12:58 PM.
I totally agree with this, what about the maintenance on pitches for example and the multiple postponements in bad weather, all you need to do is look at the NI leauge, the state of some of their pitches in the depth of winter. Have most also forgotten about Euro prep for teams, and suiting so well for fans as its mid season and not the first game back.
Besides, all of this, just who would want to venture out in the open from 7.30 to 10pm in total darkness and coldest part of the day compared to say a lovely day like it is today? For me there is nothing like coming out of a LOI game in mid summer, light clothes on, still bright and compare that to mid winter, no thanks !
A lot of people have rose tinted glasses on about winter football, apart from the xmas games, not sure I recall bigger crowds either, maybe they haven't increased as much as winter to summer was predicted, but summer and better weather and euro prep are the key plus points for me.
Last edited by oriel; 16/04/2020 at 2:44 PM.
#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).
100% agree Oriel , the lack of sponsorship and TV money wont change by moving to the winter , the only change will be smaller crowds.
Any time the weather is cat the attendances take a hit particularly small kids / families so move to winter is nuts.
Euro preparation is also a huge thing which given we have 4 European places means 40% of the clubs in the premier have a yearly boost to their chances in what is at the end of the day the only decent money we play for
If crowds did not increase when we moved to summer, why would they decrease when we moved to winter?
Don't think we should be building the league schedule around 4 clubs either TBH.
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
I can't understand why anyone would even want to consider a return for winter football, is there not enough depression for months of darkness before 6pm and in some months 4pm. If this is to facilitate one transition season until we return to summer season, I`ll buy that as a temp stop.
As for the 4 clubs, I`ll assume this is the euro regulars, did summer 2016 not increase the profile of the league enough for you? even one of your former players mentioned Dundalk in EL after a PL game that year, Seamus Coleman.
Also before this Rovers making the EL group in 2011 was another big feat, and to be fair on Cork, they also played in 3 rounds, as McNulty roared out in his superb cup final celebration speech in 2016!
Of course I get it when other clubs say euro teams make big cash out of it, so even more incentive for others to try and get that lucrative 4th spot, it can be done also, DFC started with very little but a manager to re-prove himself and mostly cast offs in 2013 and came second to qualify for Europe. Bohs got back to Europe (hopefully) this season after a fair old absence.
#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).
Great way to pass those depressing evenings though! I used to love those bitter evenings standing in FP....Probably looking with rose tinted glasses tbf! Also would love Harps games to go back to a Sat night but that's a different story altogether
Because there's other factors at play, just because the attendances didn't increase when one thing happened doesn't mean that it didn't help attendances, other factors could have just leveled it out. There were a million different things that started to go (even more) against the league around the same time.
Nothing wrong with a game on a clear, cold night under the lights in fairness.
But Mr A is right that, while summer football helps clubs in Europe, building the league format around those four clubs is entirely the wrong way to go.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - the move to summer football for the LoI only was the stupidest, most short-sighted thing the FAI ever did for the league. The divide it's created between the rest of the league is pretty much the reason why the LoI is dying from the bottom up.
But I guess that's ok so long as it helps Cork muster a narrow away goals defeat in Luxembourg.
Absolutely, been a huge increase in crowds at Finn Park because of something Dundalk did..
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
The move to a summer league was not a bad decision in the slightest. As with most things in this country its how it was done that's the big problem.
There are many flaws in it but in terms of attracting people to games its much easier to say "do you want to go to the pub, have a few pints then stroll down to tallaght to see Rovers play harps" when it's a sunny Friday evening in July than when it's 3 degrees and ****ing rain in January.
If the whole of football in the country moved, I'd probably agree with you. That said, hard to entice someone to a game if they're on summer holidays, which is a big counter-issue.
But the split it's left is utterly farcical and a big problem for the league. That's why the move was so short-sighted (imo)
(Summer suits me better fwiw)
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