20 Teams, 2 Divisions, 1 National League

[Kiki Balboa]

Really what you are seeing is proof LOI is the development hub (Top-Down Knowledge sharing / player development) for soccer in the country, instead of soccer developing and growing from the bottom up, ending up in LOI. Things like ETP and inter-league squads and other FAI schemes, while still beneficial, are nowhere near as effective in developing regions as being involved with LOI at any level. Football in Ireland is going to develop differently than other countries, and I dont think we should be scared of building 'down' approach. In a way, unlike nearly all other countries, we are still starting from scratch.

Also, CK United is a stupid name. But Kilkenny used to have a LOI side, and have two of the strongest Junior clubs in the country (Evergreen and Freebooters). Carlow is desperate to have had one with FC Carlow and SETU. Tullamore was in the A Championship and Portlaoise AFC does sometimes have a strong enough Leinster Senior League side. So there is definitely an appetite in the South West Leinster for a LOI team. There is no county identity to tie it all together, so it is interesting to see how it develops there.

Football in Monaghan has gone way backwards in my opinion. Monaghan Town were beating Monaghan United for a while too. Both pulled out of the Cavan League and are now in the NEFL, playing in division 3 (Carrick Rovers are in the Premier). I would say interest and club development in Meath is surpassing Monaghan right now.

Most surprising to me was there being no re-iteration of 'Sporting Fingal' (ie. team somewhere in Fingal). Glebe North, Malahide United and Swords Celtic are all huge clubs, I would have thought one of them would have been big enough to enter.

[ger121]

Shame no Wicklow or Wexford side made the cut. Thought a club like Gorey Rangers might be included.

[legendz]

Tipperary has some very strong Junior clubs, with good facilities as well, but anything that isn't a Gaa style county model here will struggle to get support across the county, and likely never be viable as a 1st Division (or above) club, so again maybe it's a good thing that the likes of St. Michael's, Peake Villa, Clonmel Town or Nenagh have made it into this league so far.

Too soon to talk about the next tier but getting 20 or so for active promotion and relegation should be a high enough priority. 15 clubs announced have got a jump on everyone else. Clare, Limerick and Tipperary clubs mentioned looking at Killarney and Villa FC might want to give a fourth tier serious consideration, if the FAI invite expressions of interest for that as the next phase.
The top 5 in First Division qualify for playoffs as a "lifeline". National League of 8 to 10 in each regional division with winners only going to a playoff is very narrow. A conundrum for FAI to solve.
Can Division winners be exactly that, division winners. The end of year playoff to crown National League champions being something like a 6 team playoff, with division winners direct to semi finals. Just musing. One for the FAI and NL clubs to tease out. FD clubs have got the playoffs they want.

[culloty82]

Shame no Wicklow or Wexford side made the cut. Thought a club like Gorey Rangers might be included.

Or North End FC, who seem to doing well in Junior Cups of late. Still not beyond the bounds of possiblity that Newmarket or one of the Tipp clubs could be one of the five late entrants, depending on where you place the Dublin clubs, you've seven Northern, and four Southern teams otherwise.

[Roones26]

For a lot of these clubs mentioned from a sporting perspective, I'd wonder in the short term what the upside is? If you're ambitious, there is a future as a competitive First Division Club, but based on the FAI Cup ( is Maynooth in 2021 the last non-league win ? A Covid year on top of everything else), I would think even for a reasonably competitive intermediate club thats a medium term asperation.

So, perhaps the barrier ultimately for many of the bigger intermediate clubs listed here, if they did in fact opt out, is that they are too far away, sporting-wise?

[Buckett]

Just on the topic of people worrying about having three teams in Galway again. Firstly, Mervue Utd and Salthill Devon being in the A Championship had nothing to do with Galways exit from the League in 2012 and 2013, the club was a basket case run by a convicted fraud and would have collapsed regardless of the other two clubs.

I think Mervue will thrive in this. They represent a big area, Wellpark, Mervue, Ballybane and Castlepark which would have a population similar to Cobh or Longford Town. They will get a few hundred into their games easily.

Salthill Devon are quite a wealthy club but their ground is very isolated. They couldn't get anybody to go and watch their games even while they were using Terryland.

Comparisons with the A Championship are a bit unfair I think because there'll be no B teams. I'm a big critic of the FAI but this could potentially be the most positive thing to happen Irish football in the 30 years or so that I've been following the LOI.

My hope is that this is a success, obviously, and that LSL and MSL clubs recognise that it's a success and that that will lead to an expansion or an integration to a proper pyramid structure within the next 10 years.