Question Re First Division Make Up

**Lim till i die** · 06/12/2006, 1:46 PM

Ok folks assuming Limerick go to the wall what do you think the FAI will do about the first division

That Wexford team looks like a runner but having 20 teams left would be agonisingly close to a 16 team superleague............

**Ash** · 06/12/2006, 1:56 PM

Originally Posted by Lim till i die

Ok folks assuming Limerick go to the wall what do you think the FAI will do about the first division

That Wexford team looks like a runner but having 20 teams left would be agonisingly close to a 16 team superleague............

I'd say they might keep it as 2 divisions of 10.
The less for them to manage the better!

**jebus** · 06/12/2006, 2:02 PM

I think if Limerick go to the wall they will leave it at 20 teams for this season at least, although the 1st Division would then comprise of 8 teams for next year, but sure it's not like this league is well run anyway is it?

They would then cut it back to two leagues of ten the year after, although if I were them I'd look to installing Wexford and possibly Kerry instead of ourselves and Dublin

**Conor H** · 06/12/2006, 2:04 PM

Limerick will more than likely still be here so i'd say this could turn out to be a pretty pointless thread.
Also there'd be nothing super about a league where Derry,Shels etc would be playing the likes of Kilkenny etc.No dis-respect to Kilkenny and the likes but they'd be getting hammerings every week.Surely that wouldn't be good for the league?

**gufct** · 06/12/2006, 2:35 PM

A sixteen team premier playing each other twice makes more sense than a 10 team playing each other 4 times.

Ive said this on another Forum that Athlones Facilities would be as good as most premier Teams and with Ourselves,Dundalk,Cobh & Harps all having developments in the pipeline why not a 16 team premier.

**Poor Student** · 06/12/2006, 2:41 PM

There aren't enough European places in eL football to make a 16 team league interesting. When the top pack break off how interesting is it for the other teams to fight for places in the massive midtable?

**dcfcsteve** · 06/12/2006, 2:47 PM

Originally Posted by gufct

A sixteen team premier playing each other twice makes more sense than a 10 team playing each other 4 times.

Ive said this on another Forum that Athlones Facilities would be as good as most premier Teams and with Ourselves,Dundalk,Cobh & Harps all having developments in the pipeline why not a 16 team premier.

How would it be better ? You'd have no relegation, the same 4 teams battling for the title/Europe/Setanta, and then 12 teams just going through the motions week-in week-out with nothing at all to play for.

And how would the league benefit from teams like Monaghan and Kilkenny getting whipped five or six nil by at least a third of the other teams....?

Also - developments in the pipeline....? How often have we heard about them in our league ?

I don't doubt some will happen. But some also won't happen, whilst others will take years to come to fruition. Meanwhile, a 16 team league would go from farce to farce using the rubbish facilities that those clubs currently have.

EL football has made small but steady improvements since the millenium. Lumping all the teams together in some sort of 16 team 'super league' would be a massive step backwards.

P.S. Who would you propose booting-out to make a 16 team league ?

**jebus** · 06/12/2006, 2:49 PM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

P.S. Who would you propose booting-out to make a 16 team league ?

Galway, Dundalk, Cobh and Rovers would be a start

but thats just a personal viewpoint

**Conor H** · 06/12/2006, 3:39 PM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

How would it be better ? You'd have no relegation, the same 4 teams battling for the title/Europe/Setanta, and then 12 teams just going through the motions week-in week-out with nothing at all to play for.

And how would the league benefit from teams like Monaghan and Kilkenny getting whipped five or six nil by at least a third of the other teams....?

Also - developments in the pipeline....? How often have we heard about them in our league ?

I don't doubt some will happen. But some also won't happen, whilst others will take years to come to fruition. Meanwhile, a 16 team league would go from farce to farce using the rubbish facilities that those clubs currently have.

EL football has made small but steady improvements since the millenium. Lumping all the teams together in some sort of 16 team 'super league' would be a massive step backwards.

P.S. Who would you propose booting-out to make a 16 team league ?

Agree with all the sentiments above.

You need a 1st Divison.Without that only around 4 teams will have something to play for each year.
It wouldn't benefit the league at all.For example lets say GUFC were lying in 10th position(out of 16) with nothing to play for but mid table medriocisy.This would put crowds off as there's nothing to get excited about.However lets say we were 15th and in a promotion/relegation playoff the Galway public would come out in droves as a playoff captures the imagination.Even without a playoff if you're struggling down near the bottom of the table and have a few big games coming up where vistories would keep your team up-crowds would come out.
It's the same situation in the 1st Divison-if there's something to play for crowds come out-as was seen dramatically with GUFC and Dundalk this year.

A 16 team super league is not the way to go.There needs to be a ten team premier and a ten team 1st wherby most clubs have something to play for.

**Mr A** · 06/12/2006, 4:02 PM

Why not have structures under a 16 team league though- maybe a ten team first division with a fair few clubs stepping up? Or two regional first divisions perhaps with the top teams coming up and the next few in playoffs with the third last in the premier?

People should remember that in its heyday the league had 16 teams and no first division. It would spread the benefits of being in the top flight around and would ensure more parts of the country are represented rather than the somewhat capital centric setup we have now.

Not the FAI are gonna buy it mind you, so it's all pretty academic!

**harpskid** · 06/12/2006, 6:17 PM

There will be a 12 team Premier next season regardless of whether Limerick go to the wall or not. That's what everyone signed up to and that's the way it'll be.

If Limerick go bust, they'll either bring in two new teams or could run with an 8-team first division and bring back the first division cup. In the league then teams would play each other four times to bring themselves up to the same number of games as their premier counterparts.

**harpskid** · 06/12/2006, 6:21 PM

Originally Posted by Galway Harps

Why not have structures under a 16 team league though- maybe a ten team first division with a fair few clubs stepping up? Or two regional first divisions perhaps with the top teams coming up and the next few in playoffs with the third last in the premier? !

You have to remember though that there are very few Intermediate teams who would even want to play in the League of Ireland. I know, personally, from being involved in one of the top clubs in the USL that it's a struggle where we are let alone to move up to a regional first division or some such league.

**passerrby** · 06/12/2006, 6:22 PM

Originally Posted by gufct

A

Ive said this on another Forum that Athlones Facilities would be as good as most premier Teams and with Ourselves,Dundalk,Cobh & Harps all having developments in the pipeline why not a 16 team premier.

century homes park is undergoing major work and will be amonug the best facuilities in the country it will aslo hold a regional development center unlike some plans that are nothing more than pipe dreams