More teams for league!

**Pablo Escobar** · 20/05/2003, 5:50 PM

Here are the towns that need to be tackled:

Castlebar-Mayo County
Tralee-Kerry County
Mallow
Midleton
Birr
Navan
Port Laoise/Abbeyleix
Ennis
Wexford
Thurlas/Cashel/Tipperary
Cavan
Tuam

I think that their all Maybe's!

**eoinh** · 20/05/2003, 6:19 PM

Originally posted by Pablo Escobar
Here are the towns that need to be tackled:

Castlebar-Mayo County
Tralee-Kerry County
Mallow
Midleton
Birr
Navan
Port Laoise/Abbeyleix
Ennis
Wexford
Thurlas/Cashel/Tipperary
Cavan
Tuam

I think that their all Maybe's!

ill have to think about your list but Mallow NO and Midleton, you must be joking!
I think teams from small towns should call themselves after their counties rather than the name of the town. Better chance of attracting more people.

**tiktok** · 20/05/2003, 7:07 PM

kerry has been moving toward a loi team for a few years now, the introduction of the u21 league has helped the progression.

tralee is a town of 30,000 or thereabouts and the local leagues are well run and well supported showing an interest if nothing els. there are people there who will bankroll it and there is a stadium that needs work but isn't too far off. i thinm it's likely to happen sooner rather than later.

apparently the fai are most interested in developing a team in the west, to draw in those regions (between sligo and galway, and west of limerick).

**Pablo Escobar** · 20/05/2003, 9:49 PM

Mallow has a population of 35,000 and Midleton 25,000!
They're big towns!

**Estar** · 21/05/2003, 5:53 AM

Originally posted by Pablo Escobar
Here are the towns that need to be tackled:

Some good suggestions but,

Tuam- don't think they have a soccer pitch in the town.

I

**TommyT** · 21/05/2003, 10:20 PM

Pablo that list is a good starting point even if some of them are non-runners.

Mallow OR Midleton-Cork County
Castlebar-Mayo County;maybe but I doubt it
Tralee-Kerry County; in u-21s , are Dynamo's in the MSL ?
Navan; Increasing population, Dub refugees bringing football with them, Parkvilla already reasonably good in LSL
Thurlas;former members remember, also close to several other towns, Peakvilla in u-21 leagur

You left out the top candidate: Mullingar; 2 teams in u-21s, 2 intermediate teams also (same clubs), long established soccer tradition.

To my mind you have to look at 5 factors (1) Population (2) Are there many top non-league sides currently in the town/area (3) Is the town/area producing many players who go pro here and abroad (4) Number of junior/schoolboy players/clubs as a sign of support for the game (5) How much competition is there from othersports ? Is it a ''dual county'' in gaaaaa for example ? or is thugby a factor ?

**tiktok** · 21/05/2003, 10:42 PM

good points tommyt

mullingar is one we all forgot, they have money behind them too, as i was talking about kerry already, i'll try your questions

1) tralee might not be the largest of the towns mentioned, but it is the county town and therefore has other smaller towns peppered about it which would bring the poulation in the region up to 80-100000 if you factor in killarney.
2)no competition at all (which i think is a good thing)
3)there are a good few lads gone abroad and playing in the loi but no more or less than any other region i'd say.
4)loads, maybe not the highest standard but well run, good interest and the ground is there too.
5)no rugby or hurling competition, but gaelic football is big, having said that kerry gaa fans are notoriuosly bad travellers, always waiting for the final, so there should be plenty about on friday evenings.

**sadloserkid** · 22/05/2003, 9:04 AM

Originally posted by TommyT
are Dynamo's in the MSL ?

AFAIK they've gone back to Kerry League because of the travel costs? Not 100% sure of that but almost...

martinho · 22/05/2003, 12:42 PM

I see David Jeffries manager of linfield came out with an interesting comment. He said that the NI league and the Eircom League should come together as one. NI League is as not as good as it used to be and The Eircom League players are far fitter than their Northern counterparts.
Dermot Keelys article in the Sun had a piece on this. According to Keely, Linfields budget is the exact same as Longford Towns!
I think it is the way forward. The rugby and GAAA is all Ireland so should all of us.

**tiktok** · 22/05/2003, 3:05 PM

sorry, give the cup a try and see how it works , but i don't buy into an all-ireland league,

it'll add a huge amount of travelling and expense for the clubs, stretching budgets even further, and i don't think that LOI crowds will improve because of it. Derry and Harps might be saved an extra bit of travelling, expense and would draw more away fans to games but they would be the only clubs i'd see having a huge advantage.

i'm not well versed on the irish league but from what i hear they would only drag the LOI standard down. i think there would be an initial interest that would die off as the suggested difference in standard left the 'new' clubs behind, also how would you decide how to amalgamate the leagues, join both top flights together and a few years down the line have maybe five out of twenty clubs from the north?

Are any more people going to watch Kilkenny City -v- Distillery than watched Kilkenny City -v- Ramblers?

**TommyT** · 23/05/2003, 2:07 AM

Originally posted by tiktok

2)no competition at all (which i think is a good thing)
3)there are a good few lads gone abroad and playing in the loi but no more or less than any other region i'd say.

I always think having some sort of non-league tradition is an advantage, Limerick being the exception as there seems to be too much focus, producing local players is a must for clubs I feel particularly one in Kerry where part-time players would have a long way to travel.

SLK and crew won't like this but if the league were to extend maybe Limerick should withdraw and Pike, Fairview and maybe Ballynatty be let in, they might get better support.

As for an all-Ireland league the nordies would improve greatly in a better league. They've plenty of dormant support etc to tap into.

**sadloserkid** · 23/05/2003, 8:50 AM

Originally posted by TommyT
SLK and crew won't like this but if the league were to extend maybe Limerick should withdraw and Pike, Fairview and maybe Ballynatty be let in, they might get better support.

You're right I don't like it one bit. Ballynanty? You must be joking right? Whatever about Pike and Fairview they're nobodies. And while we're at it Pike couldn't cope with the travel and having watched them this season they'd be absolutely mauled. Besides big games aside their home support is no bigger than ours. Ditto for Fairview who are happy to be a big fish in a small pond anyway.

If we're trying to free up a few spaces in the league maybe we should get rid of the club that causes the most hassle for opposition fans???

**James** · 23/05/2003, 8:59 AM

exactly get rid of scumrock rovers
maybe they could join a seperate league for cup specialists, or they could just concentrate on the cup

(they might win it more often then ..oh when was their last win.. sometime in the 80's wasnt it )

**drummer boy** · 23/05/2003, 11:24 AM

Maybe they should set up a second division for mayo league and kerry league teams like mervue and castlebar celtic could join i'd say there are lots of other teams around the country that have a good set up. every county should have a team. Sure when you get relegated from the first division all you have to do i reapply and your back in that crap. Trust me longford done it lots of times and its stupid.

**Schumi** · 23/05/2003, 12:01 PM

But would any teams want to join a second division? Remember all the hassle there was getting a team into the first to replace St. Francis, I don't think there'd be enough teams interested.

**A face** · 23/05/2003, 3:07 PM

Originally posted by TommyT
SLK and crew won't like this but if the league were to extend maybe Limerick should withdraw and Pike, Fairview and maybe Ballynatty be let in, they might get better support.

I'd say there is the makings of a kick áss team there if they united ..... With all of them merged you would have an unreal youth structure aswell.

No that is an idea worth giving some thought !!

**sadloserkid** · 23/05/2003, 3:12 PM

Originally posted by A face
I'd say there is the makings of a kick áss team there if they united .....

Yes, while we're at it let's merge Bohs and Rovers, Cork and Queenstown, Athlone and Longford, Drogheda and Dundalk etc.

It's about that likely...

I know they're junior clubs but they're all independant and have a massive rivalry going between them. Great idea in principle I'll agree but never going to happen . Never.

**TommyT** · 24/05/2003, 6:13 AM

Originally posted by sadloserkid
If we're trying to free up a few spaces in the league maybe we should get rid of the club that causes the most hassle for opposition fans???

Much as I hate the *******s throwing Bohs out of the league would be a bit harsh

**ramsie** · 24/05/2003, 6:01 PM

soko there are worse teams than ramblers why should we be replaced where doing good for a small town

Ramblers will never join up with cork. Remember back in the 1980's when cork city were comming into the league they wanted to join up with ramblers and have 1 team from cork what did ramblers say fu*k off and then cork wanted to put there name in as cork county and ramblers objected so they were called cork city

There will never be a Cork County

**TommyT** · 25/05/2003, 9:45 AM

Originally posted by sadloserkid
Yes, while we're at it let's merge Bohs and Rovers, Cork and Queenstown, Athlone and Longford, Drogheda and Dundalk etc.

It's about that likely...

I know they're junior clubs but they're all independant and have a massive rivalry going between them. Great idea in principle I'll agree but never going to happen . Never.

Also if we did merge them what would they be called, Limerick FC perhaps ?

Then someone would have to start up Junior clubs t o cater for amateur footballers in Limerick and... we'd be back to square one.

At least if both were in the league they could feed off the rivalry with each other.