We have a lot of work to do in order to meet UEFA's licence thingy...

**UCD_4_Life** · 14/12/2002, 2:41 PM

I've just been to FAI.ie and had a look at what you have to do in order to stay a Premier Division (or become one) club.

First off, we'll have to increase our covered seating capacity to 1,500 (I don't think it's that now). Toilets will have to be built on the other side of the ground and another shop to be put up down the other end.

Exits have to be painted bright yellow, the doors must open out instead of in, there'll be a 5% area of the ground set aside for away fans.

The club will also have to employ 3 youth teams with coaches for all, a Head coach, a general manager, an event manager and lots of other staff which I'm not sure we have. There's also a good few other things.

It'll be good for the fans, but I'm not sure how U.C.D. will be able to afford the building of new stands, toilets, employing new staff etc.

**Schumi** · 16/12/2002, 10:50 AM

Originally posted by UCD_4_Life
We'll have to increase our covered seating capacity to 1,500 (I don't think it's that now).

It's officially 1200 but that seems a little high to me. Brendan Dillon was telling us about plans to build a 3000 (I think) all seater stadium on foot of this licencing thing. Apparently though this wouldn't be the first time that something like this has been promised.

Toilets will have to be built on the other side of the ground

Good.

another shop to be put up down the other end.

That seems like an odd thing to require, maybe they'll get a chipper van in!!

Exits have to be painted bright yellow, the doors must open out instead of in

Doesn't sound like too much of a problem.

there'll be a 5% area of the ground set aside for away fans.

I don't imagine that will be difficult

The club will also have to employ 3 youth teams with coaches for all

We have some sort of association with Tempelogue United (or something like that) so we can probably use them to pass that bit.

a Head coach, a general manager, an event manager and lots of other staff which I'm not sure we have. There's also a good few other things.

Do these have to be full time? If not we'll probably be OK but if they do, we could have problems.

@ndy · 16/12/2002, 4:39 PM

I don't think there'll be a problem. I don't think Dillon will mess it up. I think the idea is for uefa to help clubs make the step, not to try and get rid of clubs who can't so i'm sure if there are any major problems then there'll be options around them. This will be great for the el. Im quite hopeful for this whole scheme. The nite of the greece match there was a uefa rep on newstalk about it. The el has loads of room for improvement. In my mind i think basically when the young players can be given a high enough standard of football so that the best of them stay here to play until they are in their late teens/early 20s, and then if they are good enough make the leap to a higher level on a foreign front, thats when the el will have reached it's natural resource limit. For this to happen, which, i'm sure it could over a 10 year period, the league would have to work hard to promote itself. More fans at the games is really the fundamental factor. More money means higher wages means better players means better facilities means better football means more public interest.

As for UCD, the way i see it we are worlds apart right now. These changes will be great for the league, but if we can't start bringing fans through the gates then we won't be able to sustain it. I hope the club are planning for this.

Andy.

**UCD_4_Life** · 16/12/2002, 5:42 PM

One of my friends is a Drogheda fan (Who have around 100 covered seats) so you can imagine his reaction to this whole thing.

I heard that the new stadium (I'm not sure where mind) was gonna be used for rugby, athletics etc. too, is this true? I don't like the idea of being something like 12 or 13 feet from the pitch.

**Schumi** · 16/12/2002, 5:49 PM

Originally posted by UCD_4_Life
I heard that the new stadium (I'm not sure where mind) was gonna be used for rugby, athletics etc. too, is this true? I don't like the idea of being something like 12 or 13 feet from the pitch.

As far as I know, it will be Belfield Park moved away from the wall by 10 metres or so with seats around 3 sides (all other than the hill).

@ndy · 13/01/2003, 12:41 PM

Dillon seems optimistic and not in a hopeful way, he seems confident that we're in a grand position. A quote from him on Friday nite...'so you'll have a new venue to visit next season lads'

As for Drogheda...they're not in such a good position...if rumours are correct they might not be a football league team for much longer...

**Schumi** · 13/01/2003, 3:59 PM

Originally posted by @ndy
'so you'll have a new venue to visit next season lads'

I thought he meant the RSC in Waterford.

**UCD_4_Life** · 13/01/2003, 6:01 PM

Originally posted by @ndy
Dillon seems optimistic and not in a hopeful way, he seems confident that we're in a grand position. A quote from him on Friday nite...'so you'll have a new venue to visit next season lads'

As for Drogheda...they're not in such a good position...if rumours are correct they might not be a football league team for much longer...

I'd say they'll pull through.

I hope they do, anybody who'll protect the rest of the country from owning Myler deserves praise in my opinion.

Also, I'm a fan of Fabio and Gary Rogers.

**pineapple stu** · 13/01/2003, 6:02 PM

Jayz, @ndy - what was going on in that car on Friday night?! (And don't take that the wrong way...) Seems I've loads of news to catch up on on Friday. Really annoyed that I missed the trip now.

**Aberdonian Stu** · 15/01/2003, 7:03 PM

Reliable sources, ie "The Bard" who drove our car tell me that we're going up for planning permission in less than a fortnight. He said 3800 was the official capacity of the new ground.

I genuinely hope all the clubs meet the licence, at least all those who own their own grounds. I feel that any club that doesn't currently have a home should not be allowed hop from one ground to another depending on which way the tide is going.