Covid 19 - LOI Ramifications

[Nesta99]

Well anyone still on probation (employed for less than 11 months, unless advised they've passed probation) in any job can be let go pretty much immediately.

And yeah, if you make someone redundant - which explicitly has to be because the job doesn't exist any more, not because you want to change the person in the role - can be cut loose with no redundancy as well. That's general employment law, not just LoI. I don't know how 39 week contracts work - are you back to square 1 in terms of length of service if you "leave" the club during pre-season and sign back up in Feb?

Really? I knew that there were implications with making a 'position' rather than a person redundant but wouldnt have thought that the person could be made walk without the prospect of redundancy especially with any sort of length of service. I'd have thought that would be open to abuse eg if a person is wanted rid of then make the position redundant and an alternative position if it could be made just sufficiently different in the whole role and responsibility from the previous position - well its a way of sacking an unsackable.

I dont know how it would work for the higer rate social welfare of covid related job loss, but players would be able to apply for the regular rate especially if waiting times are being waived currently in the event of contracts stopping. Part-timers you assume have other employment so its a loss of income rather than loss of a job if ye know what I mean. For full time players i'd imagine there will need to be a lot of trust where contracts are mutually terminated on the basis that they will be renewed as soon as things are back on the road. It would be very complex for anyone to be applying for social welfare support if they are still fully contracted (proper contracts rather than casual or 0 hour efforts which Im sure are not allowed by licencing) but payment deferred or suspended - especially when its all about trying to keep the club alive.

[Nesta99]

UCD will be grand. The money from the uni effectively is, for the most part, just written off against the scholarships they give out, its all very academic the only real question is how many of each scholarship they choose to award.

The only stuff UCD need external cash for is stuff like food, transport, kit, equipment. Most of which has either been sorted already or is only needed on match day so if they're needed you can reasonably assume there'll be income as closed doors games seem to be off the table.

As for the amateurs bit for all extensive purposes UCD players are amateurs in that they don't actually get paid any cash for playing football but their contracts are more complex than most other football clubs through a mix of the summer season and scholarship system.

Thats what I was kinda thinking. Matchday expenses are only there if matchdays happen. For UCD then the relative cost of the playing squad would be low. Possibly answered before but are any/all of UCDAFC staff just on the clubs books or paid by the college? The break in the summer for UCD without having home games could work in favour as it would have been budgeted for a gap with more home games weighted latter part of the season.

[pineapple stu]

Really? I knew that there were implications with making a 'position' rather than a person redundant but wouldnt have thought that the person could be made walk without the prospect of redundancy especially with any sort of length of service. I'd have thought that would be open to abuse eg if a person is wanted rid of then make the position redundant and an alternative position if it could be made just sufficiently different in the whole role and responsibility from the previous position - well its a way of sacking an unsackable.

If you hire someone new, even for a "new role", you're leaving yourself open to legal challenges. It's a risky route. But that's what probation is for - you can end a contact much easier in probation.

If you don't create a new role - if the tasks are all taken over by existing people for example - then yes, you can get rid of an employee with less than two years' service and no redundancy is due. (You'd have to pay notice though)

[RathfarnhamHoop]

Possibly answered before but are any/all of UCDAFC staff just on the clubs books or paid by the college?

The only answer is that really nobody outside the club knows since there's such a combination of contracts involved in the club from college staff to volunteers and it changes so often.

So in short some might be getting paid by the club but it's minimal amounts if they are

[Nesta99]

It sounds like there could be similarities with interdepartmental billing in Local Authorities then, so reimbursing a department for time staff are off working elsewhere and no adjustment to salary. Would make sense that any college teams would utilise expertise already there rather than bring someone in specially in certain roles. That, crossover of jobs, volunteers, well it makes for a complex staffing set up but could also help protect the club itself if staff are on NUI payroll.

[pineapple stu]

Barnet in the English Conference have laid off their 60 non-footballing staff.

Really puts the English game in perspective - 60 non-footballing staff. Bloody heck. I presume Rovers, even with their academy, wouldn't be close to that?

[D24Saint]

https://www.the42.ie/drogheda-player...48435-Mar2020/

#Greatestleagueintheworld

[D24Saint]

https://www.echolive.ie/corksport/Co...c8c47604107-ds

Cork City doing a fundraiser.

[redobit]

Survival of clubs is obviously top priority for LOI and hopefully all clubs get through this. But no way this is going to be cleared up by March 29th ... so where does this leave this season. Mass gatherings will be the last thing to get back to normal and if this goes on for a good few months there will have to be some decisions made. There is literally a handful of games played by each team so they might restart the season with a two-week pre-season and a reduced number of games (home and away!). They could chop a series of games off the season either if it doesn't go on too long.

[El-Pietro]

https://www.echolive.ie/corksport/Co...c8c47604107-ds

Cork City doing a fundraiser.

Its a nice idea and I'm looking forward to watching the games as they are released, but so far there are just 25 subscribers. Thats €625 a month. It will help but its not going to solve the problem, at least not on its own.

[El-Pietro]

Survival of clubs is obviously top priority for LOI and hopefully all clubs get through this. But no way this is going to be cleared up by March 29th ... so where does this leave this season. Mass gatherings will be the last thing to get back to normal and if this goes on for a good few months there will have to be some decisions made. There is literally a handful of games played by each team so they might restart the season with a two-week pre-season and a reduced number of games (home and away!). They could chop a series of games off the season either if it doesn't go on too long.

I'd genuinely bet against there being any football in Ireland before August. If this drags on long enough we might be looking at a cancelled season.
In the UK and other European leagues it makes more sense to finish the current season out even if that is at the expense of 2020/21. Liverpool are effectively champions already, Leeds and WBA etc are basically promoted and several teams are already basically relegated. You can't just end the season now though because some spots are still up for grabs and yo'dbe looking at years of lawsuits. To my mind it makes more sense to finish the season no matter how long it takes given how deep into them they are.

For us though? We're a handful of games in. Nothing is decided. Rovers off to a good start but a single injury to a key player could change that. I realise I'm probably somewhat biased as a cancellaiton of the season would benefit City on the pitch (though off field could have disastrous ramifications for all clubs, City included). The alternative is if it does take until July or August to play a shortened season (18 games rather than 36 in the PD) and then have a shortened offseason /start later in 2021. None of these is ideal. Christmas football would be fun though.

[Risteard]

With all the LOI social media initiatives, really think Ramblers are missing the boat. They should be running in-depth profiles of their under 19s team.

[D24Saint]

https://www.the42.ie/league-of-irela...50266-Mar2020/

[NeverFeltBetter]

I wonder if there will be a temptation to use the circumstances to switch back to winter football?

[The Lilywhites]

https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soc...mpression=true

June 6th reported to be the revised date for the earliest return. From March 13th to June 6th is a total of 16 league games missed out on. Possible 18 game season mentioned in the article too or the season scrapped completely - where would that leave European competition and money.

Worrying times.

[Mr A]

D-Day. Kind of appropriate in that we'll all be waiting hard for it but a lot of us maybe won't make it through.

[D24Saint]

https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soc...mpression=true

June 6th reported to be the revised date for the earliest return. From March 13th to June 6th is a total of 16 league games missed out on. Possible 18 game season mentioned in the article too or the season scrapped completely - where would that leave European competition and money.

Worrying times.

Very worrying times. A layoff of that length combined with a reduction of games will definitely send some clubs to the wall and the nuclear option of canceling the league this year isnt worth even contemplating.

[RathfarnhamHoop]

Cancelling the league would be an unmitigated disaster for all clubs unless the government, FAI, or UEFA said they'd come out and pay the wages of all players for the season. Even the ones that survive would lose more money than its worth thinking about.

Playing some games would be better than playing none. Even with less games clubs could cut their losses with good marketing increasing crowds at those games. You'd imagine some clubs would still need loans to keep going in the meantime at least. Obviously likes of Bohs and Dundalk who are close to capacity most weeks anyway would have less room for an increase in crowds but I'm sure they could find other avenues to gain extra income with some smart marketing.

[seand]

I don't understand the talk of cancelling the season at all, and while there is obviously a massive problem with the current lack of games getting this season done should not pose any problem to the LoI. The winter leagues like England are under pressure to get leagues finished before contracts expire (generally at end of June) and to decide on Champions/Europa League qualifiers for 2020-21. Euro qualification is s all sorted for us. And there's nothing really stopping us just extending the season into November, December even January. Of course we'd have to rework contracts etc, but time is on our side, certainly relative to the winter leagues.

[redobit]

Sligo Rovers have today reached the extremely difficult decision to implement temporary layoffs for all management, players and administration staff due to the shutdown of the League of Ireland for the past two weeks and foreseeable future.

More here:

https://www.sligorovers.com/club-statement-update-from-management-committee/