Eircom League clubs asked for proposals on structure...

[Mr A]

Ah, but would those 10 be the same as the current top 10? I think not......

[CollegeTillIDie]

I've re read the report and frankly the need to promote matches as "events" and the 10 team league proposal as favoured by genesis or 12 team premier do not sit well.

One option they skimmed over is a 16 team league but obviously that would leave the first division at 6 teams. However genesis propose 8 regional teams have access to the second tier but dont apply it to the 16 team league example.

A 30 game premier division would bring back the once off nature of each game even if it initially meant a few crapper team in it.
The 26 game first division is also ideal for a part time / amateur structure. It could easily be extended to include 2 more teams if the clubs felt they needed more revenue and that is just 2 more than Genesis recommend anyway.

Another issue is the UEFA License requirements and the need for all premier clubs to have premier licenses. If the clubs are serious the 16 team premier and 16 team first division could be a runner. However if they dont bother it looks like we will have a 10 team premier however much we moan.

Well said, in fact if they implement the Licencing requirement strictly in 2006 we could be left with one 16 team Division !

[A face]

Well said, in fact if they implement the Licencing requirement strictly in 2006 we could be left with one 16 team Division !

How can clubs pay players wages with only 30 games .... its alright if you have good cup runs and Europe ... but if you dont ??

[thomas]

How can clubs pay players wages with only 30 games .... its alright if you have good cup runs and Europe ... but if you dont ??

The point about Genesis is to implement radical change that will make the league attractive as a spectacle. That means having 15 games that are events rather than the current 3 rounds of fixtures or the 4 that accompany a ten team league.
The FAI are told in the report to market the league properly and they have proved a willingness to tdo that with the Setanta cup which has totally showed up the leagues inept marketing performance/ budget.

Addressing your point directly, 15 well attended games is a lot better than 16, 17 or 18 **** poorly attended games. It also makes the season more realistic for part-time clubs (like Rovers, Pats etc.) and will avoid fixture congestion that usually follows European competition and the Setanta cup.

A good example of the fallacy of needing extra games to be professional is Sweden where most of the clubs are full time yet each team only has 13 home league games as the top tier consists of 14 teams.