Originally Posted by paudie
QuoteI haven't seen the ad in the Examiner myself, but the gist of it is reported in the Limerick Chronicle today (back page). Colm Kinsella reporting, says the FAI are looking for "...an initial indication of interest, along with an outline of how it might meet the Club Licensing Criteria" to be submitted by 2 January.
That's quite vague, and seems to leave plenty of scope. But obviously, they would be looking for some meat to be put on those bones quite quickly. If there are two or more submissions, the strongest and most concrete proposal should get the FAI's backing.
BUT, I don't see junior clubs clambering for senior status (I have no connections whatsoever with junior football, so I could be way off the mark here). Given the recent history of Limerick FC (in football and business), it doesn't seem to me to be a very attractive business venture, so I don't expect any saviours from the local business community.
HOWEVER, I do think this is a fantastic opportunity for the supporters to take over the running of the club. (So many people here call it "our" club, but the reality is that it has been Drew's club for the last 2 years.) This would, imo, provide the strongest guarantee for the continuation of senior soccer in Limerick into the future.
I think there should be an initial meeting of supporters to discuss the various options for the club. Given the FAI's 2 Jan deadline, this initial meeting should happen by saturday at the very latest.
Everyone would then have a few days to think about the situation, and there'll be people home for the christmas who might be interested and who might be good to bounce some ideas off for feedback.
Then there should be a meeting on 29/30 Dec to put together a proposal for submission to the FAI.
This timescale would still leave room for a meeting on the night of 1 Jan if there were still some important issues to sort out, or some emergency croppped up (hopefully hangovers would be cured by afternoon!).
My personal preference would be for a supporters' trust to own 100% of the club. If there are genuine soccer supporters in Limerick with wads of cash to throw around, then the merits of a partnership should be discussed, but I think it would be better if such people were involved in the trust. The club should be about football -- not business. And your level of influence should be based on your passion for football/the club and the merit of any proposals you have, rather than the size of the cheques you can write.
After speaking to him briefly during the City Budget Meeting last night, Cllr John Gilligan raised the plight of Limerick FC. Although there's no money in the Council's budget for this year to help the club, if it was in the control of the supporters, we could lobby for some financial assistance from them in the future. The Mayor gave verbal support to trying to maintain a senior club based in the city, so any influence his position might have should be used. So when a submission is formulated, he should be asked for his endorsement. (A few of the Cllrs have strong rugby connections, and there was a lot of fuss made about how great the Munster team's exploits were for the image of Limerick as a "sporting city", so there are opportunities here.)
BTW, Gilligan also mentioned (unprompted) a possible return to the Market Field. Aren't the greyhound shower building a new stadium for themselves? If so, then that's not a complete non-runner (though obviously a few years down the line).
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