New League Proposals

**lefty** · 30/05/2006, 6:29 PM

Lads not going through that forum in the General section running on this topic. From a purely UCD fanbase only what do we think about it. Good points, bad points etc. My view is that it would be great and everything about it is great except the fact that teams next year will be based on a load of waffle instead of finishing places this year, i can understand the reason behind this but i cant agree with it. Also im wondering what happens if the FAI gets bored with its new toy and/or that ruling regarding payment of players wages by National teams is passed leaving the FAI with a big hole in their newly found wallets

**pineapple stu** · 30/05/2006, 6:44 PM

Originally Posted by lefty

My view is that[...]everything about it is great except the fact that teams next year will be based on a load of waffle instead of finishing places this year.

Pretty much, yeah.

Increased prize money - good. Extra division to allow new clubs into the league if they want - good. Don't agree with the ten-team Premier - it was voted out for a reason. Wage cap - good, altough very difficult to enforce in reality, I suppose. Strict licencing - good, though we should have that already. The E10k to clubs for marketing sounds like a catch 22 - sounds a bit like they want the money to help you employ a new marketing person, which would cost much more than E10k.

Merger between the league and the FAI - absolutely opposed. The FAI have shown themselves incapable of running Irish football without bias, corruption and other shady dealings, and the league could do without that.

**Bald Student** · 30/05/2006, 7:11 PM

Thinking over it I'm not sure about the wage cap. It'll bring finances in the league back under control but it will also see the top players being offered a lot less money so I don't know if full time football will survive under it.

The prize money is increasing and also being concentrated amoung the top clubs with the middle & bottom clubs paying for it through increased participation fees. That could lead to a bigger gap between the haves and the have-nots whcih has both advantages and disadvanteges.

The U20 league is going back to winter football which looks like a demotion to me.

Overall they're a step in the right direction if the name change is reconsidered.

**pineapple stu** · 30/05/2006, 7:25 PM

Originally Posted by Bald Student

Thinking over it I'm not sure about the wage cap. It'll bring finances in the league back under control but it will also see the top players being offered a lot less money so I don't know if full time football will survive under it.

I don't agree on that. Full-time football won't survive where you have clubs paying players money they can't afford. Unfortunately, most clubs have little or no cop on when it comes to money and have to be forced, it seems. If the league can't afford full-time football, then so be it. It's better than clubs imploding every couple of years.

Not happy with the prize money split actually - forgot about that.

**CollegeTillIDie** · 30/05/2006, 7:28 PM

Well according to a very reliable source, the Prize Money on offer is being found from €1,000,000 per year which has been paid by Eircom for the past number of years to the FAI specifically for sponsoring the League. However to date none of this money has been passed on to the League in any meaningful way. And the same source is also of the view that the broad thrust of the proposal is to shaft Dublin City and UCD.

**lefty** · 31/05/2006, 8:42 AM

Yes were going to be shafted big time. But im wondering if we go down then bounce back, will the FAI have some excuse to then kick us again or will it be a case of well they are there on merit, agree with pineapple stu dont trust the fai as far as i could throw them

**John83** · 31/05/2006, 10:27 AM

I'm kind of hesitant to rehash all of my arguments in the general thread on this, but I guess a quick summary.

I don't like the cherry picking of clubs. I don't think it will achieve anything. I don't think it's fair. It's certainly possible that UCD will be one of the clubs affected.
I don't like the fact that the FAI is going to take on the powers it will. I don't think I need to write an essay on why.
I don't like the way wealth will be moved to the top clubs via the entry fees and prize money. They already make a lot of money in Europe, and this is just going to hurt competition in the league.

I'm either in favour of or not bothered by the remainder of the proposals.

**lefty** · 31/05/2006, 11:51 AM

[QUOTE=John83]
I don't like the way wealth will be moved to the top clubs via the entry fees [QUOTE]

What entry fees?

**pineapple stu** · 31/05/2006, 12:24 PM

To play in the Premier will now cost E17k as compared to E10k this year. First Division is up from E8k to E5k.

The more you actually look at the implications of the proposals, the worse they become, to be honest.

**Schumi** · 31/05/2006, 12:58 PM

Originally Posted by Bald Student

Thinking over it I'm not sure about the wage cap. It'll bring finances in the league back under control but it will also see the top players being offered a lot less money so I don't know if full time football will survive under it.

If full-time football doesn't survive it, then it wasn't really viable before.

**lefty** · 31/05/2006, 3:01 PM

So its gonna be 17k - Premiership
8k - 1st Division
5k - A Championship

Do we have enough money to pay 22,000 euro? Anyone got a list comparing prize moneys as per now vis a vis in fai league, for lower finishers in the league and 1st division teams in particular

**pineapple stu** · 31/05/2006, 4:24 PM

It's on the FAI website - the document is downloadable. Prize money for 9th in the Premier goes up from 5k to 6k. You have to finish top half to make the prize money actually worth the increase in league fees. Bit silly alright.

**CollegeTillIDie** · 31/05/2006, 7:27 PM

Yes a 9th place finish would see membership of the Premier Division actually costing you money before you even begin to factor in player's wages,and the costs of staging home fixtures and travelling to away fixtures!

**lefty** · 01/06/2006, 11:32 AM

Devils Advocate - Big teams big spending need to finish top half to make money and keep players, anything less = selling players. Small team like ucd finishes mid table we would make big money as our expenses would be minimal compared to the big teams.

**John83** · 01/06/2006, 11:36 AM

Originally Posted by lefty

Devils Advocate - Big teams big spending need to finish top half to make money and keep players, anything less = selling players. Small team like ucd finishes mid table we would make big money as our expenses would be minimal compared to the big teams.

Okay, I'll bite. Being a top half team doesn't give you any divine right to get more money to maintain that position.

They already have increased gates and a European adventure to show for their success, and shifting more money from a lower team to them does nothing but garuantee further domination by the same few clubs.

Unless, of course, the idea is to make a Rosenberg-type club top the league and make enough money to get further in Europe. I don't think many people are in favour of that model though.

**lefty** · 01/06/2006, 11:46 AM

Thats football, do you think for a second that Portsmouth or Villa got the same money this year as West Ham or Wigan? Should they have? Off topic slightly i know but the money they are talking about will not turn teams in our league into Chelsea, the gap wont be that big and the money is there for anyone to get a hold of it. If we were to finish fourth again would you like to see us give the money back as its unfair to 9th place who lost money overall and dont have the gate receipts like well have for Setanta Cup and European adventure. If you would advocate doing that id shoot you

**pineapple stu** · 01/06/2006, 12:38 PM

More money should go to clubs the higher up the table they finish (although there's actually no reason why this should be so - the higher up the table you finish, the more likely you are to have good crowds (relative to your own average) or qualify for Europe and make more money other ways). However, the balance in the new proposals is excessively weighted towards the top. I'd suggest something like...

1st - 100000
2nd - 80000
3rd - 65000
4th - 50000
5th - 40000
6th - 30000
7th - 25000
8th - 20000
9th - 10000
10th - 10000
11th - 10000
12th - 10000

Far fairer. Rewards success and doesn't punish (relative) failure. Plus, it took me just 30 seconds to devise.

As an encore, I'll devise a system for picking the league teams next season. I'd say the top ten teams in the Premier should be in there, together with the First Division winners. I'd say a play-off between 4th, 3rd and 2nd in the First Division, and 11th in the Premier - as was successful a few years back - with the ultimate winners being in the Premier.

Easy, non? I should take Delaney's job - I can (self-)evidently do a better job than he!