Apologies accepted.
(Amd while "Offensive" might be a bit strong, no-one likes to see their neighbours nipping over the fence to pinch apples from their tree, or eggs from their henhouse!)
Belfast Celtic [sic] are hardly West of the Bann!
Meanwhile regarding Senior football in NI, West of the Bann clubs include Dungannon Swifts in the Premiership (plus Colreaine on the Bann!); the Championship has Ballinamallard, Dergview and Institute; and from the Premier Intermediate League, there are Limavady, Moyola Park and Tobermore.
While the two westernmost of the four 4th tier Intermediate leagues have another 13 teams from West of the Bann.
And while I don't know how many Junior teams from the West there are, it must be close to 3 figures, eg the Fermanagh and Western alone has 30 separate teams in three divisions plus the same in three Reserve divisions.
In addition, a surprising number of the players at those clubs actually come from the border regions of ROI, since football is often better organised on the NI side than in their home counties.
Compare that level of represntation with that of whole swathes of Connacht in the LOI system, for instance.
Meanwhile, the Ulster Senior League has, I believe, a grand total of seven clubs, including the Reserve teams of Derry City and Finn Harps.
Therefore if there was to be any migration of clubs across the border, it would actually make more sense for the USL clubs to move into the NI system, before their league dies on its arse. (I'm not suggesting such a move, btw).
There are excellent relations between clubs on both sides of the border - and long may it continue.
But that would very soon disappear if the LOI were to start "enticing" IL clubs to switch.
I mean, Ukraine got along fine with Russia until, well, you know where I'm going! (Joke, btw)
Last edited by EalingGreen; 12/07/2022 at 10:48 PM.
"Under the Good Friday Agreement, Irish passports can be held by Irish citizens born on either side of the border."
CAS agreed that the above allows players from all 32 counties represent the Republic of Ireland.
If clubs identify with a 32 county Ireland, if they want to join the League of Ireland, if they meet the criteria and ifthe LoI/FAI are open to allowing them to join; should they be allowed to join?
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.
Are we leaving aside the fact that the FAI was admitted to FIFA with an explicit mandate for just the 26 counties? (Derry being a one-off exception for well-discussed reasons, none of which are close to relevant now)
Belfast Celtic left the Irish League for political reasons, less than 40 years before Derry City joined the League of Ireland. It's a pity there wasn't foresight in 1949 to allow Belfast Celtic join the League of Ireland.
The GFA arguably gives a new mandate for 32 county Republic of Ireland representation. Why exclude clubs who would associate with the Republic of Ireland?
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.
Why not Glasgow Celtic Colts for the shiny, new Mega A Championship National League then?
The Good Friday Agreement has nothing to do with UEFA/FIFA
What you identify as or how excluded you feel don't really have anything to do with the real world.
Indeed.
Meanwhile:
https://www.nifootballleague.com/all...ry-city-women/
Donegal Celtic were denied access to the Irish League for years. Lurgan Celtic also had problems with the IFA. An opportunity was lost to welcome them to the League of Ireland?
I'll keep discussion on these clubs to a minimum. The desire to join the League of Ireland should come from these clubs, if they are supporters of the Republic of Ireland and if they want to be part of a 32 county league.
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.
Alrighty, I'll try and carve up intermediate football myself then. This is built on the assumption that junior clubs want to play at a higher level.
Mid-West Football League.
Feeder leagues; Galway, Mayo,Roscommon, Combined Counties (Midlands)
Seems pretty straight forward to me, maybe some midlands clubs already in the LSL would object but the recent good performances of Connacht sides in the FAI Junior Cup should ease their worries.
North-West Football League.
Feeder leagues: Sligo & Leitrm, Donegal, Inishowen, Monaghan & Cavan.
Essentially just the USL plus Sligo & Leitrim.
Promotion and relegation should be easy enough seeing as it's only four feeder leagues in each. Idk enough about Leinster & Munster to pontificate on those leagues, but I really wish the LSL would do a bit of a rebrand. Cut this Major 1A Premier Senior Alliance Tuesday crap and just have a single Premier Division, no day of the week mentioned please. It'd be nice if everything below that was simply first, second, third etc.
oh boy I'm not good at football forums
The opening post of a 2005 thread entitled: "Potential New EL Teams"
"The thread on re-election to the first division got me thinking about potential areas/clubs for new EL clubs. Kildare Countys recent addition has been a success and they are certainly a positive addition to the league. With good community backing there is certainly a few potential areas/clubs who could also be an addition to the league.
Mullingar currently have two teams competing separately in the Under 21 EL which would suggest the potential is there.
The Kerry League and Mayo League have also got teams at EL under 21 level and perhaps places such as Tralee/Killarney or Castlebar might have the population to be able to sustain a local team.
The Wexford league are making great strides at underage level under the astute guidance of Mick Wallace.
And perhaps other towns/citys such as Ennis, Cavan and or in Tipp (in Thurles/Roscrea or Nenagh) would have the potential as well.
Also with the growing population of Dublin satelite towns there could be the potential for an EL team in the likes of Navan, Naas, Maynooth and Wicklow Town.
Obviously forming an EL team from scratch would be no easy task, and huge work and investment would be required. But it would be great to see the EL diversify a little (especially with there being only ten teams in Division one)."
https://foot.ie/threads/26166-Potent...l+new+EL+Teams
Haven't we seen this movie before?
😉
Very sensible. An extra step would be for your North-West and Mid-West leagues to then to offer promotion to one Western League.
Munster could have a South-West League (Clare, Kerry and 2 Limerick district leagues) and a South-East League (2 Tipperary district leagues and 2 Waterford district leagues). An extra step here then would be for the South-West and South-East leagues to then to offer promotion to one Southern League. As you say, these structures would require a desire from district leagues to play at a higher level.
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.
That's where the FAI should step in, as they did with senior football in the early 2000s, saying there would be a short transitional season in the autumn, in order for all the intermediate and junior leagues to align to the summer football calendar.
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