Why bother developing the strongest league we can? Because it protects our game against rival codes/ leagues and ensures that the game will survive in the future.
Sydney clubs fans swore never to support 'franchise' football either but when the new club emerged, most of them realised it was for the best as their own league was dying a slow death.
I believe Irish football, which I am passionate about, is dying a slow death. Most users of this site would follow their team to the end of the earth (ie Sligo
) but I am not so sure that the rest of the numbers required to keep the game afloat would.
The Oz example is, on the face of it, 'franchising'. Supporters of Sydney Olympic, Wollongong Wolves, Marconi (the 'old' league teams) can still support their teams but they no longer play in the top league.
The FAI are considering somewhat similar criteria to determine the members of the new league. I am saying, go the whole hog and start from scratch and if someone proposes a new team to represent the whole of Dublin (or Louth for tha matter) and if that proposal is more viable and more substantial than any other proposal, then it should be considered very closely.
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