Time for eL breakway.....

[pete]

....from the FAI?

Aside from some funding waht has the FAI ever done for the eL?

Are there any downsides to a breakaway league?

[UCD_4_Life]

Originally posted by pete
....from the FAI?

Aside from some funding waht has the FAI ever done for the eL?

Are there any downsides to a breakaway league?

Legally can it be done?

[Macy]

Didn't Adrian Duncan, former chairman of LTFC, propose a breakaway last season - proposal put before the board of management....... I think it got lost in the Fat Pat vs Oily debacle...... simple answer is yes we should breakaway.....

[pete]

Its been done in other countries so i don't suppose there any problems with regards european competition. Sure the FAI don't really care about the eL so they'd hardly fight it either?

Pros
- no more FAI fiascos.

Cons
- less or no more FAI funding.
- could the eL get monies directly from the government?

Would it just be the Premier division to split from the FAI?

[citylove]

There would be no problem breaking away from the FAI. The FAI is basically only an association setup to head Soccer in Ireland, there is no reason why another organisation can't be setup. The only problem would be funding.

[crc]

if the leading clubs broke away, like they have in other countries, would it be possible to get some of the leading clubs in Northern Ireland to break away also and then set up a league that would get a lot more people watching?

Perhaps even the threat of the major clubs breaking away might spur some reform by the FAI, as the 10 'other' Scottish Premier teams tried to do.

[Éanna]

I think the threat of it would be sufficient- look at what happened in England with the Premirship. Something is needed to force the FAI´s hand on this, and i think a breakaway would be a good suggestion.

[Jaime]

I think with the Genesis report promising to change Irish soccer for good and summer football being tested properly next season, now is not the time to breakaway.

We could be in the verge of something, no point in going it alone now. And without the little bit of funding that we get from the FAI, where would we be? Go to the q&a forums with Bernstein, there is a little optimism and vibrance that was missing for a long time. I'm gone as cynical as the rest of you, but I don't think breaking away is the immediate answer.

[Éanna]

good point Jaime, it´s just there´s a lot of scepticism about whether anything will come out of the genesis report- we are talking about the FAI here after all

If the genesis report is going to be a catalyst for change, I´d be willing to give the FAI, say 2 years, to sort things out, if there´s still no acceptable level of progress, then a breakaway is the only option.

[pete]

That Genesis Report didn't tell us anything we didn't know already, was focused on the National team & the World Cup & really has little if anything to do with thr eL.

[patsh]

I would think a more worthwhile avenue to explore would be trying to get an All-Ireland league.
I think massive money, from the British government, the US and the shower of cnuts here, would be available to get this going.
There are about 4 clubs in Norn Iron league, 4 from Dublin, Derry, Cork, Longford and Waterford (just suggestions) who could get the crowds and have the grounds to make this work. A 12 team summer league, (a bit dodgy around the 12th , I suppose) and a major cup competition should be something seriously considered by both leagues. Let the IFA and FAI look after their "national" teams, and the two leagues get the domestic game organised.

What do ye reckon?

[fosterdollar]

Originally posted by oddboy
Let the IFA ... look after their "national" teams

Well i suppose even the farmers could do a better job than the FAI any day!!!

[paudie]

I think the all ireland league route would be the way to go.

There would be some security problems for a while but nothing impossible to deal with.

You'd be guaranteed a TV deal and massive publicity. Ireland is too small for 2 semi pro leagues to do well. Every other sport I think of is all ireland organised.
The problems is that one association means half the people lose the power they have now.

A breakaway league isn't a great idea I think. That would mean no european soccer, no capital grants from the FAI(which is the only decent thing the eL has got from the FAI)

"Football is a game you play with your head" Johan Cruyff

[crc]

Originally posted by oddboy
4 clubs in Norn Iron league, 4 from Dublin, Derry, Cork, Longford and Waterford (just suggestions)

Let the IFA and FAI look after their "national" teams, and the two leagues get the domestic game organised.

That would be a good idea;
I'd say you could have a 14 or 16 team top division (equal no from each):
4 Dublin, Derry, Cork, Waterford, Longford.
Glentoran, Coleraine, Linfield, Cliftonville, Portadown, Glenavon, Institute, Ards...

The two leagues can't continue to exist separately, neither will achieve the potential that a joint league would. Perhaps there should be a joint cup first (to replace the crap league cups either side of the border) to test the water for a few seasons before going
ahead with a full league.

[Éanna]

There´s enormous potential waiting to be released if the two leagues were to merge or at least set-up some kind of supercup- maybe the best way to start and test the water, so to speak. Problem is, I can´t see the FAI or the IFA agreeing to it, we´ve already seen among supporters both here and in the six counties that there is a huge appetite for some all-ireland competition, but as usual we´re being held back by the idiots in the blazers