Athlone may "drop out of League of Ireland football for the foreseeable future"

[gufct]

where are you getting 18 viable teams

[The Lilywhites]

where are you getting 18 viable teams

You'd need 19

[dcfcsteve]

Id love to see the FAI "wildcard" Athlone into the Premier next year. There should be a wildcard slot every year out of the first division based on the clubs off the field strucutes / community work. The year in the premier would then be on the basis of the wages etc being scrutinised by the FAI to make sure they are not living beyond their means. The year or two if they survived in the Premier would be a shot in the arm of clubs like Athlone.

The last thing clubs like Athlone would need would be a year in the Premier division. They're nowhere up to the standard, so would either get humped on a weekly basis (= serious reduction in interest in the club) or they'd get carried away with 'the dream' and keeping up with the big boys and put themselves even further into financial ruin.

It's no coincidence that the better supported First Division clubs are the ones usually pushing for promotion (Dundalk, Shels, Waterford). Part of off-the-field structures is having the fan-base to sustain football at a higher level. Athlone simply do not have that at the moment, so shouldn't be allowed within a mile of the Premier.

[Cici900]

Gutted for Athlone. Only in my teens but had the pleasure of being to both St Mels and Lissywoollen. Great club. Good History but most of all Eircom league die hard fans like myself would hate to see Athlone die for the fans. C'mon people of Athlone! Save your club!

Best of luck Athlone! Rooting for ye!

[Red&White Rover]

Know a few of the players from Athlone. From what I've heard Seem to very much doubt, from a few weeks back, that there'll be a team in LOI next season.

Shame really. Too big an area to not have a team.

[AnnaghRed]

Gonna have to cut your cloth accordingly and quit trying to aspire to a place in the champions league....bankrupting half your clubs has hardly leapt you up the UEFA co-efficiency table this past few seasons.

Move to a 16 team top division, with a meaningful "a" league for p&r before its too late...clubs with potentially decent support like Athlone need the visits of the likes of Derry to help keep their head above water.

[Student Mullet]

where are you getting 18 viable teams

10 teams, 4 rounds.

All legal and financial disputed decided in multi-ball over-time.

[Dodge]

Gonna have to cut your cloth accordingly and quit trying to aspire to a place in the champions league....bankrupting half your clubs has hardly leapt you up the UEFA co-efficiency table this past few seasons

IN all fairness there's no way clubs like Cobh and Athlone can be accused of overspending in the dream of making Champions League

[1895ringsend]

Its sad to see athlone in such a bad way especially with their history! They prob have the best stand in the league and i know there was plans in place to further develope the ground not so long ago. You'd have to fear the worst for them unfortunatley but best of luck to them and i hope they survive.

[Dassa]

What sort of crowds are Athlone town getting? The new stand looks fantastic.

Is there potential for Athlone to be a big club or is it a GAA area?

[eelmonster]

What sort of crowds are Athlone town getting? The new stand looks fantastic.

Is there potential for Athlone to be a big club or is it a GAA area?

Athlone is a football town (like Dundalk and Sligo, it's one of the old garrison towns where 'soccer' has always been more popular than the gah), and ATFC were one of the first (the first? Does anyone know where Midland Athletic were based?) provincial town sides to enter the League of Ireland. They've been in the First Division doldrums for far too long (over ten years now! That's hard to believe) which has just about killed off their support. If they were playing in the Premier they'd probably attract a decent support, of course, the same could be said of Longford, Limerick, Waterford and Shels ()

I'd hate to see Athlone Town go under, I hope they can rescue their club.

[citybone]

There'll be 33 games in the First Division next season. You've just reduced that by one.

Though I like the idea of teams fighting to come bottom half!

i kopt on to my mistake when i was offline, oops! ya the 1 game less would not make a big differemnce. also i find it hard to understand why a team would want to finish in the bottom 6 and get less prize money & prob lower gates as well.

[dcfcsteve]

and ATFC were one of the first (the first? Does anyone know where Midland Athletic were based?) provincial town sides to enter the League of Ireland.

Despite their name, Midland Athletic were a Dublin side.

Played in a ground called 'The Thatch', though no idea which part of town that was.

[eelmonster]

Despite their name, Midland Athletic were a Dublin side.

Played in a ground called 'The Thatch', though no idea which part of town that was.

Cheers, Steve. So Athlone Town were the first team from outside of Dublin to be elected to the LoI? It would be a real shame if they didn't get a licence, perhaps the FAI cound buy Lissywoollen too to help them out.

[oriel]

The current plight of Athlone is another example of the existing structure that is the 2 team league not working. Athlone got a crowd fo 4,000 for the fai cup v Rovers only 2 years ago, this proves there is a support in the town.

The first div is a joke, no media interest and even less with fans.

A 16 team Prem league with a regional feeder lge beneath would be the way forward in my opinion.

This way we could cater for clubs stuck in the first with a decent history like Athlone, Waterford, Limerick, (Finn Harps) and Shels

[Martinho II]

Athlone are not the only club in bother, at least 3 other first div sides are stuggling and calling for the season to be cut.

At Tuesdays meeting, 3 first division clubs called for each team to play each other twice leaving only 22 game season.
When it was suggested they also wanted out of the League cup and said they would not participate in a League sheild competition.

If its come to a stage where they feel they can only pay out for 22 games a season and no cup competitions then its painting a bleak picture.

i would safely say that we were one of the clubs as our costs are gone up hugely with less income to meet increasing debts.

Cheers, Steve. So Athlone Town were the first team from outside of Dublin to be elected to the LoI? It would be a real shame if they didn't get a licence, perhaps the FAI cound buy Lissywoollen too to help them out.

athlone town were the founding members in 1924 but then resigned and didnt come back into the league till the late sixties.

[eamo1]

Im a Galway Utd fan but ill be gutted if they go.One of the few clubs with a real tradition in the league and ive good memories of going to see us against them in the old old old old old old Mels Park.I REALLY hope they can be saved.

[atfconline]

athlone town were the founding members in 1924 but then resigned and didnt come back into the league till the late sixties.

Nope. League was founded in 1921, we joined the year after. We did play in the first Free State Cup though, and won that in 1924.

[Sam_Heggy]

The current plight of Athlone is another example of the existing structure that is the 2 team league not working. Athlone got a crowd fo 4,000 for the fai cup v Rovers only 2 years ago, this proves there is a support in the town.

The first div is a joke, no media interest and even less with fans.

A 16 team Prem league with a regional feeder lge beneath would be the way forward in my opinion.

This way we could cater for clubs stuck in the first with a decent history like Athlone, Waterford, Limerick, (Finn Harps) and Shels

Why have you got Harps in brackets?

[brianw82]

Why have you got Harps in brackets?

Coz they may or may not be in the First next year.