FAI Junior Cup and Umbro

**PiltownAFC** · 22/05/2007, 11:17 AM

Heard word last night that as of next season, following Umbro investment in the competition, all teams will HAVE to use Umbro footballs to play in the FJC and that from the following season ALL gear will have to be Umbro in order to play.

I dunno about other clubs but if enforced I can see an awful lot of clubs dropping out. Who's going to pay �500-1000 to by a new kit just to enter the competition, apart from maybe the bigger clubs who are guaranteed to progress.

Anyone else heard about this absolute madness!!

**passinginterest** · 22/05/2007, 12:45 PM

Sounds a bit crazy alright. Might it be that the all Umbro kit thing only applies to the final? I noticed that for the U18 Inter league final everthing was Umbro for all officials and both teams. This despite Wexford having worn Puma up to this and Wexford Youths FC wearing O'Neills. Might be a similar thing. I'd assume the kits are free of charge at that stage too, as a prize for getting so far.

If it is for the full competition surely balls and kits would have to be supplied by Umbro either free or at a drastically reduced cost.

**PiltownAFC** · 22/05/2007, 1:52 PM

Well this is as it was described to us by our league at a meeting last night. That's why I'm interested to know if others had heard anything about it, maybe the league got the wrong end of the stick, it just sounds too stupid to be true.

**Super Rovers** · 22/05/2007, 1:55 PM

id say its just for the final because when we played in the u17 fai final before it was sponsered by the evening echo and both teams wore jerseys sponsered by evening echo which were free.

**teckno** · 22/05/2007, 2:00 PM

Nope it was clearly announced at our delegate meeting an official issue from the FAI:
Season 2007-2008: All teams playing in FAI Junior Cup must use an Umbro Football from round 1

Season 2008-2009: All teams playing in FAI Junior Cup must use an Umbro kit FROM ROUND 1

An incredible decision which was almost met with laughter it is that ridiculous.

**PiltownAFC** · 22/05/2007, 2:01 PM

Again that's possibly it, but they did say Umbro were putting 1 million euro into the competition, so they're more than just sponsoring the final. Maybe the entire competition......

**PiltownAFC** · 22/05/2007, 2:21 PM

So I'm not mad then....... they are!

>>Nope it was clearly announced at our delegate meeting an official issue from the FAI:
Season 2007-2008: All teams playing in FAI Junior Cup must use an Umbro Football from round 1

Season 2008-2009: All teams playing in FAI Junior Cup must use an Umbro kit FROM ROUND 1

An incredible decision which was almost met with laughter it is that ridiculous.

**Roadend** · 22/05/2007, 2:22 PM

Tape some cut out umbro labels to your jerseys. Problem sorted.

**passinginterest** · 22/05/2007, 2:26 PM

Googled it and it sounds like Umbro will be supplying all the gear. Giving something like 700,000 euro to the competition. I can't see what else they're going to spend it on.

**drummerboy** · 22/05/2007, 3:57 PM

Yes I got a call on Friday morning from a sports company selling footballs at a really knock down price. I ordered a batch. Then I opened the mail to discover that the FAI Intermediate Cup is being sponsored by UMBRO and that all games played in the cup had to use umbro balls.

**littleman** · 22/05/2007, 10:39 PM

No 1 : I pressume for all Fai 1st round games, Umbro will supply 2 match balls for each game...................I think not.

No 2 :The same applies to each team bein supplied a set of gear to each team for the 1srt round............I also think not.

No 3 : Your team sponsor gets you a set of gear from another gear maker other than Umbro,what do you do,tell him you ca'nt use his gear because its not umbro..................Again i think not.

The Fai can agree a deal with UMBRO for the sponsorship if the various Fai cups and from the open rounds they can ask clubs to use Umbro balls if they can.But its only from the quater finals on in the junior or intermediate that they actually ask or insist on you usin Umbro balls.

My club use Mitre balls,have done and will always.We buy gear that is a good deal for us not Umbro.The FAI seem to forget that junior football survives on what we are given by supporters or sponsors as in a set of gear or a few match balls and as soon as we start turnin our nose's up at a free set of gear or a few match balls whatever the make we might as well jack it in.

Shame on Merrion Square.

**whitestripe** · 23/05/2007, 10:31 AM

Tell me its not those white cabbages that Mitre churn out - you know the ones that get water logged and bent out of shape after one game. End up looking like a gaa ball, the ball of choice when GOLA was the boot of choice. A brain haemorrhage or your money back. Those yokes should be decommissioned.

**Raheen** · 23/05/2007, 10:35 AM

Originally Posted by teckno

Nope it was clearly announced at our delegate meeting an official issue from the FAI:
Season 2007-2008: All teams playing in FAI Junior Cup must use an Umbro Football from round 1

Season 2008-2009: All teams playing in FAI Junior Cup must use an Umbro kit FROM ROUND 1

An incredible decision which was almost met with laughter it is that ridiculous.

I suggest the arrangement proposed by the FAI/Umbro may be of interest to the the Competition Authority. It's up to other manufacturers and/or the clubs to ask them to examine it.

**leather** · 23/05/2007, 10:57 AM

we got some of the umbro balls and they lasted no time at all..

best balls we have used in the last few years were (in no order) Mitre pro-max and the nike premier balls

**Athenryboy** · 23/05/2007, 12:03 PM

once you qualify for the last 64 in the FAI junior you recieve 3 umbro footballs for every round you make it into after that. I know we got a lot of good quality umbro balls last season, and umbro sponsored our kit in the final.

But asking clubs to wear umbro for all the rounds is madness, smaller clubs can just about afford 1 set and training gear(bibs, cones, etc..) We found it tough in the good old days.

Im sure someone will clarify this and see the impracticalities of the situation and get it sorted

**littleman** · 23/05/2007, 1:05 PM

I was at the Grattan game V Villa (quater finals) and the AUL guy whose on the FAI council gave Grattan 2 UMBRO balls,just 2.And the previous rounds back to the last 64 their was'nt a sniff of an UMBRO ball.I'd say the FAI must have a big stock pile up in Dublin somewhere.

Whitestripe we use the Max or Monde from Mitre.Great to use and hold their shape to no matter what the weather.The ones your on about are the Multiplex,crack your skull with one on a winters mornin they would.only the bog trotters use them.

**littleman** · 25/05/2007, 9:51 AM

A buddy of mine showed me the letter he got from the FAI and all it said that from next season on for all FAI junior or intermediate games UMBRO balls have to be used.

That is a total joke,Umbro balls are some of the worst and most expensive and what exactly will UMBRO be doin for the junior game in Ireland . What more importantly what will the junior clubs in Ireland be gettin for the loyalty

.

**PiltownAFC** · 25/05/2007, 10:28 AM

I got this letter yesterday too and as I suspected no mention of any subsidy. It also said it would be "strictly enforced by the Junior Council" whatever that means. They only mentioned about the footballs and didn't say anything about all Umbro gear the following season. What ever about forking out for 2 footballs if they really expect all clubs to fork out for an entire Umbro kit they must be mental! Seriously, what head-the-ball sat down and thought that one up? There are no words to describe how stupid this is and I fear it'll kill the competition if it goes ahead!

**littleman** · 25/05/2007, 12:18 PM

The more time those eejits have on their hands the worse the ideas are.

So in their divine wisdom to help junior football improve each club has to fork out a minimum of 80 euro for 2 balls at the start of the season AND as luck will have it your bound to loose 1 or 2 so thats another 80 euro.Thanks again for that Mr Cruize an Co.

Tops marks for UMBRO though for makin a fool out of junior football in Ireland.

Here's a thought for you,what if the only matchballs UMBRO have cost 65 euro and only come in PINK and then DUREX or VIAGRA start to sponsor us,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,

Will the FAI insist on us usin them too,gob****es

**littleman** · 25/05/2007, 2:45 PM

We take it then that the roughly 700 teams that enter the FAI junior and the roughly 100 sides that enter the Intermediate all have to use UMBRO balls (and we take it that each team will by 2 balls).

The cost at the minute for 2 UMBRO balls is roughly 80 euro.

That works out at 800 by 80 which ends up bein again roughly 64000 euro.

Add to this that probably a quater of the clubs will have to get 1 replacement ball durin the cup run,thats 200 by 40 which is 8000 euro.

UMBRO stand to make 72000 euro for sponsoring our FAI junior and intermediate cups.

I would love to know whos bright idea this was, I dont think it is the best deal in the world to accept a sponsorship deal (

for what 100000 or 150000 )and give 72000 back