Kerry in the EL

**LFC in Exile** · 17/10/2005, 8:59 AM

Originally Posted by 4tothefloor

Only then will the likes of Kerry and Mayo be a serious proposition as the appeal of an All-Ireland league would be a lot better.

I don't understand. Why would an All Ireland league be more of a draw in kerry than a Republic league. Unless the attendances will be hugely increased by Martin Ferris supporters going to the home games against Linfield and Portadown?

**Lim till i die** · 17/10/2005, 9:25 AM

Originally Posted by LFC in Exile

I don't understand. Why would an All Ireland league be more of a draw in kerry than a Republic league. Unless the attendances will be hugely increased by Martin Ferris supporters going to the home games against Linfield and Portadown?

FACT The Civil War is still on going in parts of Kerry

As for Michael he clearly hasn't been to Slopemans Park, or Oriel Park........ or Buckley Park...........or Century Homes Park...............or St. Mels Park

**4tothefloor** · 18/10/2005, 6:32 PM

Originally Posted by LFC in Exile

I don't understand. Why would an All Ireland league be more of a draw in kerry than a Republic league. Unless the attendances will be hugely increased by Martin Ferris supporters going to the home games against Linfield and Portadown?

Because an All-Ireland league would be more competitive and would feature a lot more hostile matches. You're talking about public interest here. There's little interest in the EL First Division from the public of established First Division clubs, never mind GAA strongholds like Mayo and Kerry.

With an All-Ireland Super League, you'd probably be talking about three Divisions, which would make a change from the current shambles of a First Division. It's a graveyard and the standard is crap. Proper promotion and play-offs would be in place because the numbers would be there to sustain it. And you're looking at a very, very strong and competitive Premier Division cos you'd be taking the best of each leagues top clubs and putting them in together. It would be a division to aspire to, full of big clubs. The middle division would be quite competitive, while the third would be for the likes of Kerry etc who are small or starting out. The media coverage of an All-Ireland league would probably be quite big, you'd expect games on tv regularly and generally a lot more money behind the game as it would attract bigger sponsorship. It's all about public interest, the right sponsorship and hype - the Premiership and Sky Sports are the best example of that in the world. Can't see the people of Kerry coming out in their droves for the EL First Division though!

**LFC in Exile** · 19/10/2005, 10:00 AM

Originally Posted by 4tothefloor

Can't see the people of Kerry coming out in their droves for the EL First Division though!

What you are proposing seems to benefit Shels, Linfield, Cork and Cliftonville etc but I can't see the people of Kerry coming out in their droves to watch All Ireland Third Division games versus Ballyclare Comrades or Harland and Wolfe Welders or Larne either.

IMO if the All-Ireland league does emerge it would mean no place for Kerry League as the existing clubs would take the "Southern" spots and it would make it even less attractive financially for Kerry where more away matches are played in the six counties.

Your ideas might make the league overall a more viable proposition (though I far from convinced about that and the argument that we should create a league to increase "hostile" matches). However it is definitely not going to help smaller. starting clubs in the south of the 26 counties.

**4tothefloor** · 19/10/2005, 11:30 PM

The third division would contain most of the current First Division, bar about three clubs maybe. So don't know where you're getting all these Northern clubs from. The middle tier would be the poor half of both the EL Premier and IL Premier, plus as I said, 2 or 3 clubs from the top of the EL First and maybe IL First. The Third would basically be the majority of the current EL First and IL First. If a league was being started from scratch, it is then or ever that Kerry would have to enter. The point is, as you go up the Divisions, the quality improves considerably and that's how it should be.

The only way your idea would work is if you have just two big divisions, which would be the equivelant of simply merging both levels of both leagues together. Or else have regional divisions, which would not work at all IMO because it would be too same-old-same, not competitive enough and basically would be worse than what we have already in terms of attractiveness. And my arguement is not that we should create a league to increase "hostile" matches

That would simply be a natural outcome of an All-Ireland league

**LFC in Exile** · 20/10/2005, 11:34 AM

I don't know how this turned into an All-Ireland league discussion but it is more interesting than the Kerry league.

I think you have an inflated idea of IL football. With the exception of a few clubs (near the top of the IL) the quality is poor. Also, why would the league be half-and-half? The 6 counties has 1.5m people. The 26 has over 4. If an All-Ireland league was to work it would involve one top tier with 14 teams. 8 southern and 6 northern. Then two regional divisions underneath. Each with 14 clubs. Real promotion and relegation between the top tier and regional divisions and between the regional divisions and amateur football.

My own view is that an All-Ireland league isn't needed to get Irish football going again. There is more than enough in the latest Genesis report to bring eL football forward.