New Ireland U23 team!

**Shelsman** · 10/10/2007, 12:41 PM

Lads,
Take a look:

http://www.eleven-a-side.com/boysing...p?newsid=29516

What do you think? Sounds like a good idea to me, especially as there are so many other nations interested too. Presumably Devo can forget about the 'B' team now that he did such a fabulous job of ....

Presumably Fenlon will be found out ( again ). More 4-5-1 longball / inferiority complex I'd say.

**TheBoss** · 10/10/2007, 1:15 PM

A very good idea, could help the players in the league hugely.

**Pablo** · 10/10/2007, 2:11 PM

Fenlon as manager...........Oh dear. Doomed to failure from the start!

**ofjames** · 10/10/2007, 6:42 PM

arent olympic football teams u-23's? could this idea be targeted at having a team compete at the 2012 olympics in London?

I know i'm in dreamland but it would be special to have an all-ireland team compete at those games, especially as Belfast is getting some of the football games

**EalingGreen** · 10/10/2007, 7:55 PM

Originally Posted by ofjames

arent olympic football teams u-23's? could this idea be targeted at having a team compete at the 2012 olympics in London?

I know i'm in dreamland but it would be special to have an all-ireland team compete at those games, especially as Belfast is getting some of the football games

Afaik, Olympic teams are U-21, (with two overage players allowed?)

There will NOT be an all-ireland team competing. At present, the IOC is trying to persuade the four "home" Associations to enter a UK team; the FA is keen, the IFA looks willing to go along with them, but the SFA and FAW have said they want absolutely nothing to do with it.

Belfast is not "getting some of the football games".

Dream on...

**viagogo** · 10/10/2007, 7:59 PM

Originally Posted by ofjames

arent olympic football teams u-23's? could this idea be targeted at having a team compete at the 2012 olympics in London?

I know i'm in dreamland but it would be special to have an all-ireland team compete at those games, especially as Belfast is getting some of the football games

What anthem would be played?

**DmanDmythDledge** · 10/10/2007, 10:24 PM

Originally Posted by EalingGreen

Afaik, Olympic teams are U-21, (with two overage players allowed?)

No, it's U-23 with three overage players allowed.

**Dodge** · 10/10/2007, 10:49 PM

The qualifying tournament for the Olympics is the European u21 championship. Ireland is eligible.

In the finals its u23 with 3 overage players

**SkStu** · 11/10/2007, 6:24 AM

Originally Posted by viagogo

What anthem would be played?

irelands call of course

and the GBR anthem would be Vindaloo ive heard... or else the theme music from Eastenders. Im not sure. But i am drunk.

**ofjames** · 11/10/2007, 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by EalingGreen

Belfast is not "getting some of the football games".

Dream on...

I'm pretty sure i heard that some of the group games would be played in NI if they get their National Stadium built in the Maze

**Lionel Ritchie** · 11/10/2007, 1:03 PM

Originally Posted by viagogo

What anthem would be played?

Straight down the substantive issues ha.

**EalingGreen** · 11/10/2007, 7:52 PM

Originally Posted by ofjames

I'm pretty sure i heard that some of the group games would be played in NI if they get their National Stadium built in the Maze

Yes and you probably heard it from the people who are agitating for the Maze. It's total ******, frankly. When years back, the British Olympic Association was seeking Govt backing for the London bid, they wanted to gain as much support as possible from the rest of the UK. Football is the only sport allowed by the IOC to stage events away from the Host City (other than sailing, rowing etc, if there isn't suitable water available nearby).

Therefore, they told the three other Associations (Scot, Wales & NI) that they could host some games. They even suggested some stadia, including Windsor Park(!) - since withdrawn from the London 2012 Website...

Anyhow, although the English FA is keen, the SFA and FAW told them to bugger off, since they don't want anything to do with a UK team in case it jeopardised their own separate identity. NI was different, however, since the IFA is so desperate for the Govt to build them a stadium - any stadium - that they agreed to participate in a UK team. And the charlatans behind the Maze stadium rowed in with "promises" that NI would stage Olympic games* there.

But the simple fact is that we don't even know whether there will even be a "GB" football team participating (presumably 11 Englishmen), never mind why they should favour the Maze over any one of literally dozens of excellent and modern stadia in England. Stadia which, btw, are already built. Nor is there any guarantee that the Maze will ever be built. And even if it is, we are already nearly in 2008. All venues for all events have to be completed at least 12 months before the Games, so that test events can be staged. So unless the Maze is actually started within the next year and a half, there probably won't be time. And it's already two years or more since it was first proposed, without any tangible agreement to proceed, never mind the cheque signed, or a brick laid.

Oh, and these same people behind the Maze have also promised that they could host a UEFA Cup Final! This is despite the fact that all UEFA Cup Final venues must have a minimum 40k seats, and the latest configuration for the Maze is to have 35k seats and 7k standing. And the fact that there must be a minimum number of hotel rooms (several thousands, in fact) in the city where the stadium is located. The "city" of Lisburn has precisely one hotel. And if the Maze ever does get built, they will be competing with dozens of other stadia in UEFA's 52 Member Associations. To give an example, the next UEFA Final to be allocated is 2011. Already, eight venues have applied for this, including Arsenal's brand new 60k seater Emirates, Lansdowne Road(!), plus stadia in Germany, Portugal, Spain and three Eastern European cities.
To give an idea how sought after, therefore competitive, this is, the Mayor of London has pledged �100k to support the Arsenal bid.

Still, there's every chance someone will persuade UEFA to bring the Final to a field in an industrial estate, on the site of a former prison, three miles from the grand City of Lisburn. Along with Olympic football.

* - As if we'll all be queuing up in our thousands to watch say, Ghana U-21's play China U-21's...

**Shelsman** · 12/10/2007, 8:09 AM

Originally Posted by EalingGreen

Yes and you probably heard it from the people who are agitating for the Maze. It's total ******, frankly. When years back, the British Olympic Association was seeking Govt backing for the London bid, .................................................. .................

What has this to do with the Ireland U23 team please?

**Dodge** · 12/10/2007, 9:39 AM

Relax, it came about due the Olympic discussion. Anymore on the Maze can go in the Irish league section though...

**gspain** · 12/10/2007, 10:20 AM

We've been competing in the Olympic qualifiers for many years. Since 1992 they have doubled as the U21 championship. A LoI XI competed in the 1988 qualifiers. We've never come close to qualifying though. Poland beat us 2-0 in 1991 to qualify and they had live tv coverage and huge celebrations when they won.

**Dr. Ogba** · 12/10/2007, 10:21 AM

Bloody hell EalingGreen, you just don't do 1 line answers do you?

**gspain** · 12/10/2007, 10:23 AM

just to followup also we played i nthe 1924 Olympics beating Bulgaria 1-0 and losing 2-1 AET to Holland. Holland also put us out of the 1948 Olympics by beating us at Fratton Park.

The old qualifiers used to be amateur Internationals. We tried to qualify in 1960 lost to Great Britain or holland, 1968 lost to Great Britain, 1972 lost to Yugoslavia (home game in Ballybofey), 76 lost to Czechoslovakia and 1980 lost to Norway. I can't think of any others off the top of my head.

**Sheridan** · 12/10/2007, 3:59 PM

I've got all those Olympic details in an FAI yearbook somewhere, gspain, might have a look for it later.

This sounds like a very exciting departure. If it comes to pass along the lines described, it would be only legitimate Irish national team in my book.