Celtic Cup?

**Mr A** · 13/06/2007, 2:05 PM

Report suggests that the Welsh are in favour of one:

Ambitious plans to set up a Celtic Cup

Jun 13 2007

Terry Phillips, South Wales Echo

WELSH soccer bosses today unveiled top secret plans for a new Celtic Cup competition involving teams from Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

They are keen to revamp the FAW Premier Cup, which has a prize of �100,000 on offer for the winners, by bringing in Scottish and Irish sides.

That could mean Kilmarnock, who just missed out on European qualification in the Scottish Premier League, plus clubs like Portadown or Linfield from the Irish League taking on Cardiff City, Wrexham, Swansea, Llanelli and The New Saints.

It looks an exciting opportunity to add new zest to a competition which has been a reasonable success over the last decade.

Full story:

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0600s...name_page.html

Mention of eL clubs not being invited due to Summer season- may impact the Setanta Cup.

**BohsPartisan** · 13/06/2007, 2:13 PM

Stupid idea anyway. I've always been against this type of tournament. I see Setanta as a step towards an AIL, this would be pointless.

**jebus** · 13/06/2007, 2:14 PM

Not going to happen, for the many, many reasons given in the many, many threads already devoted to this subject

**alltogethernow** · 13/06/2007, 2:15 PM

Originally Posted by BohsPartisan

Stupid idea anyway. I've always been against this type of tournament. I see Setanta as a step towards an AIL, this would be pointless.

Have to agree here with BP, would big a big cost to EL clubs having to travel and the Setanta Cup is building to be a good competition and this would dent it, would much prefare an all Ireland league

**Cymro** · 13/06/2007, 3:20 PM

If it happens it would be a nice boost to the competition, but I can't see Kilmarnock (who are one of the teams being mentioned) fancying a wet Tuesday trip to Porthmadog.

Irish League sides might be attracted by the chance to play SPL sides and Swansea

and the (presumably) increased prize money. I think at best though we'd be able to attract lower SPL sides to this.

**OneRedArmy** · 13/06/2007, 3:35 PM

Originally Posted by Cymro

If it happens it would be a nice boost to the competition, but I can't see Kilmarnock (who are one of the teams being mentioned) fancying a wet Tuesday trip to Porthmadog.

Irish League sides might be attracted by the chance to play SPL sides and Swansea

and the (presumably) increased prize money. I think at best though we'd be able to attract lower SPL sides to this.

I don't think any of the SPL teams would go for it. Celtic and Rangers wealth spreads around the SPL and even the clubs at the bottom are on very big budgets compared with EL, never mind the IL and Welsh league.

Without the Scots I can't see the IL clubs going for it as its a worse standard than the Setanta with significantly higher travel costs.

**Midgit** · 13/06/2007, 3:41 PM

This is for the Irish League anyway. Says nothing about eircon league in it. Didn't expect there to be anything about eircom league in it though.
I thought that would have been a good idea years ago, but when they brought in Setanta cup i thought any chance of this kind of cup wouldn't work.

**Shelsman** · 13/06/2007, 4:47 PM

Couldn't be an Celtic league without the Irish!

Though some pedantic spanner out there will counter that there was a lot more to the Celts than Ireland.

Why not just expand the Setanta Cup? I'd be all for it.

**Cymro** · 13/06/2007, 5:09 PM

I think the idea is that this will be played as a pre-season thing before Europe, or possibly around Christmas time. It probably would not clash with the current Setanta Cup.

And Shelsman, we were the original and best of the Celts.

**SolitudeRed** · 13/06/2007, 7:22 PM

Seems like a silly idea to me most IL fans can't be bothered travelling 30 miles to watch their team never mind to Wales! whats the quality in the Welsh league like anyway? not that great I suspect, The Setanta cup is the way forward!

**Cymro** · 13/06/2007, 8:22 PM

Originally Posted by SolitudeRed

Seems like a silly idea to me most IL fans can't be bothered travelling 30 miles to watch their team never mind to Wales! whats the quality in the Welsh league like anyway? not that great I suspect, The Setanta cup is the way forward!

Well, two points there, firstly I'd say the quality in the Welsh Premier is probably close to on a par with the Irish League. The UEFA coefficients are roughly similar and whenever there have friendlies between sides from either league the Welsh Premier teams have always fared well enough.

All a bit of a moot point though, because secondly, there'd probably only be something like two representatives from the Welsh Premier.

It's likely the FAW would enter Cardiff, ourselves and Wrexham, and then maybe the top handful of Welsh Premier teams, depending on how the tournament was structured.

Say we had 4 reps from Scotland four from NI and 4 from Wales.

The first stage could be done in national groups to ease the travelling difficulties.

The group winners plus best runner-up could then progress to a knockout or something.

It's likely the total prize money would be more than doubled from the present �250k pot on the FAW Premier Cup, so that would more than pay the travelling costs.

I have to be honest and say I don't see this happening, but I wouldn't mind seeing it even if it were just a one off.

**CharlesThompson** · 13/06/2007, 10:07 PM

So what's this got to do with the eL?

**dcfcsteve** · 14/06/2007, 12:09 AM

Originally Posted by Cymro

And Shelsman, we were the original and best of the Celts.

Ehhh ?

So how'd you end up being the biggest county in England then....?

**Cymro** · 14/06/2007, 12:47 AM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

Ehhh ?

So how'd you end up being the biggest county in England then....?

Because some people are ignorant of the fact that we are a seperate consituent nation of the UK.

OK, most people.......

**Kivlehan** · 14/06/2007, 1:24 AM

Expanding the Setanta Cup and including LOI teams would be the better way to go. It will probably attract more attention and a bigger cash prize for all leagues invovled.

**Snoop Drog** · 14/06/2007, 3:58 AM

I think the Scots, even lower premier teams, would have some appeal for EL fans.

**dcfcsteve** · 14/06/2007, 9:47 AM

Originally Posted by Cymro

Because some people are ignorant of the fact that we are a seperate consituent nation of the UK.

OK, most people.......

An easy mistake to make - given you're the only constituent part of the UK who's legal, educational etc structures are tied to England's. Hence why you see things referring to 'England and Wales only'.

"Big county in England ! You're just a big county in England...!"

Anyways - can't see the Celtic Cup idea working, as don't see what's in it for the Scottish clubs really. Also - why would the likes of Cardiff or Swansea want to get involved in it on a going basis ?

**Soper** · 14/06/2007, 11:42 AM

Well, I could only predict that whatever ties Cardiff etc to the FAW Premier Cup would contribute to them taking part in this....

**Cymro** · 14/06/2007, 1:20 PM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

An easy mistake to make - given you're the only constituent part of the UK who's legal, educational etc structures are tied to England's. Hence why you see things referring to 'England and Wales only'.

"Big county in England ! You're just a big county in England...!"

Anyways - can't see the Celtic Cup idea working, as don't see what's in it for the Scottish clubs really. Also - why would the likes of Cardiff or Swansea want to get involved in it on a going basis ?

Actually now (as of last month) the assembly has law-making powers albeit we have to go to Westminster for the all-clear, so our laws will not automatcially be English law.

Also, as Soper said, we're in the FAW Premier Cup anyway until 2009 so I assume this is a move by the FAW to make it more attractive in the long term by adding Scottish/Irish teams.