What would you do to improve the LOI?

dreamers75

Disagree with the we need to train young players to stay in the league, we actually need them to come back from england to paid football.

So it should work like this:
7 year old kid joins his local team.
Hes is now 10 and Crumlin United steal him from his local club.
Hes now 15 and going on trial with Man City, crumlin get paid.
Hes now 17 having signed for Walsall, crumlin get paid again.
Hes 19 and a pain in his hole in england.
Signs for LOI club.
Hes now 23 and after 4 season is either a decent LOI player or good enough to go back.
Hes now 27 and never made it back, his LOI club fans have his nickname on their jerseys.


Hes gets paid to play football, hes better than me. We need this system as much as england needs our kids.

curry-muff

I know this might sound like an outlandish statement, but what about ditching the club idea and adapting to a gaa like county based system, Ive always wondered what it would be like, would certainly make me care a bit more about Irish football.

pablomakaveli

curry-muff wrote: »

I know this might sound like an outlandish statement, but what about ditching the club idea and adapting to a gaa like county based system, Ive always wondered what it would be like, would certainly make me care a bit more about Irish football.

Again that kind of ****s over the many fans who've invested time and money into supporting the current clubs.

dreamers75

curry-muff wrote: »

I know this might sound like an outlandish statement, but what about ditching the club idea and adapting to a gaa like county based system, Ive always wondered what it would be like, would certainly make me care a bit more about Irish football.

Brilliant post.

stovelid

curry-muff wrote: »

I know this might sound like an outlandish statement, but what about ditching the club idea and adapting to a gaa like county based system, Ive always wondered what it would be like, would certainly make me care a bit more about Irish football.

Would you be OK with Donegal and Sligo GAA merging to become Sligodon?

dreamers75

pablomakaveli wrote: »

Again that kind of ****s over the many fans who've invested time and money into supporting the current clubs.

In fairness his brilliant post is a good idea, how many corks have you supported? Imagine if there was a new cork just for the people of cork?

And say for Dublin we split it into regions, Bohs and say Shels on the north side inner city. Pats and rovers for the southside.Then for North county Dublin we create Fingal? For South county dublin we use UCD and futher afield Bray.

So we have Dublin sorted lets move onto Louth we need a north and south style derby so maybe Dundalk and Drogheda?

Then we regionalise by counties that can put forward a team into this new LOI. We have Sligo, Waterford, Derry, galway, Limerick, Monaghan etc:

Galway ruining it for us atm, mervue salthill et all but otherwise brilliant idea.

flahavaj

I think things like having 16 teams in the league as opposed to 10 will make little or no difference. Having more teams might make it a little less tedious for existing fans but won't really help get new ones in. Its not a deciding factor in people attending games IMO. Even things like facilities will only help up until a very limited point as well.

The problem is getting people to care about the team. Getting them involved with their local team from an early age. Getting into schools, summer camps and getting kids in at an early age. The GAA are brilliant at marketing themselves to young people. More and more top players are being employed by them to work as development oficers for the game. Kids get to be trained by their heroes and they're hooked for life.

As LuckyLloyd said, take the hit for a few years on not investing in the first team and redeploy the money into training facilities for young players, youth set ups. Think long term for once. The LOI's biggest problem is thateveryone has a short term plan - no one thinks 10 years down the line.

dreamers75

flahavaj wrote: »

The problem is getting people to care about the team. Getting them involved with their local team from an early age. Getting into schools, summer camps and getting kids in at an early age. The GAA are brilliant at marketing themselves to young people. More and more top players are being employed by them to work as development oficers for the game. Kids get to be trained by their heroes and they're hooked for life.

No they are not in Dublin anyway may explain a few things. A lot people up in the big smoke wont let their kids play GAA (myself included) some will thats their choice but for arguments sake my kids u10s and other kids u7s none of the kids play GAA. Get the odd weirdo who does tho.

Mr. Presentable

It all boils down to money. With more money you can get better facilities, better players. The best way to generate income is by getting people through the door.

So, the clubs need to actively go after punters, and for me the best way to do this is to grab the interest of the children.

Go into the schools, talk to the children, inspire them to be interested. Give them an incentive to go to the ground - meet the players, have a kickabout with them - raffle a fecking bike. Whatever it takes.

The clubs need to ingrain themselves into the psyche of their community, and the best and easiest route is through the impressionable children. When they start going to games the facilities will naturally improve over time.

Make it cool to go to a game. A big advantage the LOI has over the English clubs is the summer season when kids are at a loose end. Use that advantage and get them in the habit of going to the game. Clubs need to be responsible for their own survival by being active, not passively hoping for a good gate. Even half-price or gratis seats will provide some peripheral income.

stovelid

I should point out that while I'll simultaneously hare the GAA but greatly admire their formidable community organisation, we also have to qualify a few things:

They don't pay wages and they don't compete with bigger, better GAAs in other countries: they are, obviously, the most attractive contestant in a race of one.

And as somebody from a family (both sides and my in-laws) steeped in GAA, the normal league attendances don't sound much better than the LOI.

flahavaj

dreamers75 wrote: »

No they are not in Dublin anyway may explain a few things. A lot people up in the big smoke wont let their kids play GAA (myself included) some will thats their choice but for arguments sake my kids u10s and other kids u7s none of the kids play GAA. Get the odd weirdo who does tho.

I don't want to make this into a GAA thing as that'll only take the thread down an unfortunate road, but hurling in particular is massive at underage level up here in Dublin, the work that has been done the past few years has been phenomenal, to the stage where Dublin U-14, U-16 and minors regularly get the better of their counterparts in Kilkenny, where the game is almost religion. Your own experience with your kids and their mates is a pretty small survey group upon which to base your generalisation. But then agaon, judging by the "weirdo" comment you'd already made up your mind on the matter, no matter what anyone says.

But as I said WAY off topic.

eagle eye

dreamers75 wrote: »

No they are not in Dublin anyway may explain a few things. A lot people up in the big smoke wont let their kids play GAA (myself included) some will thats their choice but for arguments sake my kids u10s and other kids u7s none of the kids play GAA. Get the odd weirdo who does tho.

What? You are depriving your kids of the opportunity to play GAA?

I think all kids should have the opportunity to try out all sports.

dreamers75

Mr. Presentable wrote: »

It all boils down to money. With more money you can get better facilities, better players. The best way to generate income is by getting people through the door.

So, the clubs need to actively go after punters, and for me the best way to do this is to grab the interest of the children.

Go into the schools, talk to the children, inspire them to be interested. Give them an incentive to go to the ground - meet the players, have a kickabout with them - raffle a fecking bike. Whatever it takes.

The clubs need to ingrain themselves into the psyche of their community, and the best and easiest route is through the impressionable children. When they start going to games the facilities will naturally improve over time.

Make it cool to go to a game. A big advantage the LOI has over the English clubs is the summer season when kids are at a loose end. Use that advantage and get them in the habit of going to the game. Clubs need to be responsible for their own survival by being active, not passively hoping for a good gate. Even half-price or gratis seats will provide some peripheral income.

Every club does everything you posted and more.


http://stpatsfc.com/community_news.php

Thats goes back to 2004 and only cos its a website issue, we have all been doing it for years.

Kids free etc with a paying adult is the norm, it doesnt work. We have max 4000 fans one day i will see them all again at a home game.

dyl10

Improve the facilities and build from the ground up.
No more "sugar daddy" clubs.

Most of our young talent isn't making it to England anymore and the players are filtering through into the LOI.

Teams like Bray and UCD who have tried to play good football and bring young lads through, are crowded out by teams existing beyond their means.
European games have been great over the last few years but it hasn't brought attendences up and many of these high spending clubs have ended up bust (Drogheda, Cork, Bohs (soon)).

Enforce the salary cap!

dreamers75

eagle eye wrote: »

What? You are depriving your kids of the opportunity to play GAA?

I think all kids should have the opportunity to try out all sports.

WAY OT /please dont ban me

Kids can play it in school if they want(i did won 2 medals in croker woot me). They aint playing for Round Towers Clondalkin, only thing i am depriving them off is seeing bigotry and a class based system of picking players hardly things you want to teach your kids tbh.

stovelid

Quite a civil and interesting thread actually. :pac:

dreamers75

stovelid wrote: »

Quite a civil and interesting thread actually. :pac:

Pointess is the word i would use sadly i go back to my previous incarnation for this quote.

kdjacl wrote:

There is no point trying to get people who dont go to their own teams games to go to your teams. People who like football watch it on tv, football fans go to games.

Assume anyone over the age of knowing their team isnt going to go to your teams game and become one of you. But know that any kid on the street with a ball if brought enough times will.

/my kids like 9 of them were not allowed pick a foreign team until they hit 100 pats games (the ****ers all picked United and thankfully Sevilla ). My fault they picked United, theres a picture of me pissed drunk with my bro and mate trying to lift the PL trophy at OT from a game we went to years ago up on the wall.

stovelid

dreamers75 wrote: »

/my kids like 9 of them were not allowed pick a foreign team until they hit 100 pats games (the ****ers all picked United and thankfully Sevilla ).

9 kids?! Season ticket pain....

dreamers75

stovelid wrote: »

9 kids?! Season ticket pain....

only 4 but i use 9 as an exaggeration as it fukin feels like it some times


use condoms people srsly use condoms, 2 is never enough.

Gavin "shels"

Only way forward is the 16 team division, attendences in the long run will increase as you have the likes of Shams, Bohs, Dundalk, etc... bringing bring away support. Bigger attendences equals more money for the clubs to work with on and off the field.

As said before, salary caps need to be enforced properly. League T&C's need to be enforced by the FAI properly, none of this Morton Stadium is grand because they have plans to bulid a stadium in X many years, likeso has happened with United Park, etc... Morton isn't up to League standards, like Tolka was pre-season but our club had to spend thousands to get a license while also closing off the Ballybough End stand which has to be a safer and better stand than the terrace in Morton.

Whatever happens it has to start from the top imo, from the FAI and filter down.

mink_man

I think if there were some top players who wanted to start out coaching should start in the LOI, that could persuade some promising youngsters to stay in Ireland?

Fr Tod Umptious

major bill wrote: »

The crowds believe it or not were better before the FAI took over and the league was a much better spectacle to watch.

Maybe that was beacuse people had a bit more money then plus teams were building badwagons, spending money like crazy to try and get into Europe.

curry-muff wrote: »

I know this might sound like an outlandish statement, but what about ditching the club idea and adapting to a gaa like county based system, Ive always wondered what it would be like, would certainly make me care a bit more about Irish football.

The GAA county system has been around for a century and is very established. To simply transfer that to soccer would take years to become popular.

You cannot compare the two sports or how they are run, a guy playing for his local GAA team and the fans of that local GAA team have a direct link to the county team that may be playing in front of packed grounds for the summer.

A guy playing for his local soccer team and the fans of that local soccer team have more often that not lo link to a LOI team.

I do not belive ethat theeir is a big enough population in this country to make a 16 team LOI sustainable.

Merge the LOI, SPL and LOW, make franchises and introduce salary cap and revenue sharing.

pablomakaveli

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

I do not belive ethat theeir is a big enough population in this country to make a 16 team LOI sustainable.

Merge the LOI, SPL and LOW, make franchises and introduce salary cap and revenue sharing.

Given we have 27 teams spread out across the premier,first and A championship a 16 team premier division could be viable it might be worth a try.

I don't see a merger with the SPL happening though. UEFA mighnt look kindly on it and the SPL probably would'nt want it either.

stovelid

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Merge the LOI, SPL and LOW, make franchises and introduce salary cap and revenue sharing.

For a start, there would be murder about European qualification places.

antomorro-sei

stovelid wrote: »

For a start, there would be murder about European qualification places.

The SPL could just kick Celtc and Rangers out to Engerland. Happy days, some away trips to Edinburgh

Fr Tod Umptious

pablomakaveli wrote: »

Given we have 27 teams spread out across the premier,first and A championship a 16 team premier division could be viable it might be worth a try.

I don't see a merger with the SPL happening though. UEFA mighnt look kindly on it and the SPL probably would'nt want it either.

Well if you really want a sustainable league with decent crowds then you cannot afford have the too big a spread of teams.
Is not a huge market out there and people do not have a huge amount of cash to spend on sports, so 16 teams would spared a small market too thin if you ask me.

stovelid wrote: »

For a start, there would be murder about European qualification places.

Of course it cannot happen in isolation. It would be part of a bigger re-organisation of European leagues and would have to be discussed and agreed with all the stakeholders involved.

I know comparing sports is not an exact science but you have to look at what rugby did in this part of the world once the professional ear came about.

Rather than keeping current structures and seeing good players move to leagues with the bigger financial power they decided to re-invent themselves with franchises and created a a competitive league that has a decent following both at games and on TV

Soccer can learn a lot from that.

pablomakaveli

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Well if you really want a sustainable league with decent crowds then you cannot afford have the too big a spread of teams.
Is not a huge market out there and people do not have a huge amount of cash to spend on sports, so 16 teams would spared a small market too thin if you ask me.

But as it stands we have teams plying each other 4 times a season minimum. This repetition does'nt help with the crowds either.

A 16 team league could have teams only playing each other twice a season at the most.

I don't understand why you think doing this would spread the market too thin. There are 27 teams in the LOI altogether so it would'nt spread the market any thinner than what it is.

In fact the teams brought up from the first division could receive a boost in crowds and sponsorship revenue.

Fr Tod Umptious

pablomakaveli wrote: »

But as it stands we have teams plying each other 4 times a season minimum. This repetition does'nt help with the crowds either.

A 16 team league could have teams only playing each other twice a season at the most.

I don't understand why you think doing this would spread the market too thin. There are 27 teams in the LOI altogether so it would'nt spread the market any thinner than what it is.

In fact the teams brought up from the first division could receive a boost in crowds and sponsorship revenue.

The theme of this thread is that there is something wrong with the LOI.
One main point is that the league is poorly attended.

My point is that Ireland is a small market and there are just not enough people to support a sustainable 16 team league.

The solution is to be part of a larger league involving Scotland, Ni and Wales with possibly 5 to 8 teams in Ireland

Yes there may be as 27 team league at the moment but how well attended are games outside the top teams in the top division ?

pablomakaveli

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

The theme of this thread is that there is something wrong with the LOI.
One main point is that the league is poorly attended.

My point is that Ireland is a small market and there are just not enough people to support a sustainable 16 team league.

The solution is to be part of a larger league involving Scotland, Ni and Wales with possibly 5 to 8 teams in Ireland

Yes there may be as 27 team league at the moment but how well attended are games outside the top teams in the top division ?

And moving some of those into the premier division could boost attendances. I don't see any reason why a 16 team premier division would negatively impact on current attendances.

Also the merger between leagues won't happen and would'nt solve anything. It's not a realisitc solution to the problem. However a 16 team premier division is a viable prospect that could have positive results. It would at least be worth trying it for a couple of seasons.

SantryRed

I'm fcuking sick of the sight of some teams in this league the amount of times we play them. It's a joke. 16 team league rectifies this.

digme

We need to get the games onto sky or something similar, maybe even our OWN Irish sports channel?We need to launch a god dam satellite and do our own thing for a change.

pablomakaveli

digme wrote: »

We need to get the games onto sky or something similar, maybe even our OWN Irish sports channel?We need to launch a god dam satellite and do our own thing for a change.

Actually the IFA did this with their league games when negotiating the deal to show the NI matches with Sky. Sky showed a couple of games from the NI league last season.

The FAI should try and do the same thing when they are selling the rights for the internationals to Sky.

Fr Tod Umptious

pablomakaveli wrote: »

Actually the IFA did this with their league games when negotiating the deal to show the NI matches with Sky. Sky showed a couple of games from the NI league last season.

The FAI should try and do the same thing when they are selling the rights for the internationals to Sky.

How would that help ?
Surely putting games on a pay station will not attract new people to the league

Yes you may get people who sub to sky already for EPL watching LOI games but it will hardly put more bums on seats

Whippersnapper

I used to go to LOI games all the time from the early 90s right up until roughly 2002. The reason I stopped going was because the game was taking second place to a circus of events on matchday that I can only assume were there to appeal to punters.It started off with a ridiculous mascot and went on to include cheerleaders on the pitch before the game and at half-time. The final straw was when, while trying to watch the first-half of a game, a guy in a Dominoes pizza uniform kept walking up and down in front of us with a pizza box, shouting out that he was taking orders for half-time. Call me pernickety but I just want to watch the game, I’m not lacking in concentration so much that I need entertaining at half-time, that’s what the match programme is for and I’m not planning on sitting there for hours on end so that I may need to order a pizza for later.

As for facilities, I’m not fussed about them. I remember going to Longford and the toilet was in what seemed like a hastily constructed shed. It was part of the experience of going to the games, we knew the clubs were poor but the players were passionate.

Maybe I’m just an old romantic.

pablomakaveli

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

How would that help ?
Surely putting games on a pay station will not attract new people to the league

Yes you may get people who sub to sky already for EPL watching LOI games but it will hardly put more bums on seats

Because it's better than the 0 LOI games Sky shows at the moment. The FAI could make it a clause of getting the rights to screen their internationals.

A lot of people watch Sky even though it is a subscription channel. A bit of extra coverage from Sky would be no harm at all.

Fr Tod Umptious

pablomakaveli wrote: »

Because it's better than the 0 LOI games Sky shows at the moment. The FAI could make it a clause of getting the rights to screen their internationals.

A lot of people watch Sky even though it is a subscription channel. A bit of extra coverage from Sky would be no harm at all.

But there are games on RTE, and a highlights show on RTE, everyone who has a TV in Ireland has RTE.

Do you expect some sort 'Oh LOI games are now on Sky, so they must be good, I'd better take a bit more interest now' reaction from Sky viewers ?

pablomakaveli

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

But there are games on RTE, and a highlights show on RTE, everyone who has a TV in Ireland has RTE.

Do you expect some sort 'Oh LOI games are now on Sky, so they must be good, I'd better take a bit more interest now' reaction from Sky viewers ?

Having matches shown on two channels is better than matches on only one. RTE only seem to show matches around the start of the season and the end of the season so theres room to pick up mid-season matches.

They also show sky sports in a lot of pubs so when the LOI matches are on they might be shown in pubs and any extra coverage the league can get has to be welcomed.

Bob the Seducer

pablomakaveli wrote: »

Having matches shown on two channels is better than matches on only one. RTE only seem to show matches around the start of the season and the end of the season so theres room to pick up mid-season matches.

They also show sky sports in a lot of pubs so when the LOI matches are on they might be shown in pubs and any extra coverage the league can get has to be welcomed.

LoI games are shown on RTE, TG4 and Setanta under the current deal.

eightyfish

pablomakaveli wrote: »

Having matches shown on two channels is better than matches on only one.

I'm sorry but the Sky thing makes no sense. I've seen matches on RTE, TG4, Setanta Ireland and occasionally TV3 if I remember correctly. What sense would there be in bringing a pay-channel into the mix? The reason more games are not on TV is because there isn't the demand for it, and if there's not the demand on free TV people definitely arn't going to pay for it.

pablomakaveli

eightyfish wrote: »

I'm sorry but the Sky thing makes no sense. I've seen matches on RTE, TG4, Setanta Ireland and occasionally TV3 if I remember correctly. What sense would there be in bringing a pay-channel into the mix? The reason more games are not on TV is because there isn't the demand for it, and if there's not the demand on free TV people definitely arn't going to pay for it.

There was no demand for the Irish league matches either but the IFA got a deal for Sky to cover some of those matches because at the end of the day it's free publicity and coverage for their league.

Showing matches on Sky as well as RTE, TG4 and Setanta just adds more coverage and publicity. Given a lot of people in this country have Sky sports anyway i don't see any reason why not.

If the FAI made the coverage of 3 or 4 games a season by sky on sky sports 1 as a clause for the right to screen the internationals deal than thats basically extra publicity and coverage for the league at no cost to the clubs or the league itself.

How is there no sense in that?

eightyfish

pablomakaveli wrote: »

How is there no sense in that?

It costs money to film and broadcast a game, who's going to pay for it if it won't produce viewers?

pablomakaveli

eightyfish wrote: »

It costs money to film and broadcast a game, who's going to pay for it if it won't produce viewers?

I already said that in the post. With the NI matches deal Sky covered the matches at their own cost. A similar clause in a deal with the FAI for the ROI would mean there's no cost to the league or the clubs.

Dempsey

UpTheSlashers wrote: »

This. There are too many counties with no connection to the league. Tipperary is a massive county with no representation in Premier, First or even "A" division. Thats 150,000 people with no local LOI club and very few people are going follow teams in Cork, Galway or Waterford just for the sake of it unless they have some connection through family or college.
Big counties like Kerry, Clare, Kilkenny and Tipp need to be represented in the league

This is the LOI's biggest problem, there is a huge portion of the population cut off immediately because of it. The FAI need to look at this and see what can be done to get one of the junior clubs from unrepresented counties to step up. They seems to enjoy the comfort zone

Bob the Seducer

pablomakaveli wrote: »

There was no demand for the Irish league matches either but the IFA got a deal for Sky to cover some of those matches because at the end of the day it's free publicity and coverage for their league.

Showing matches on Sky as well as RTE, TG4 and Setanta just adds more coverage and publicity. Given a lot of people in this country have Sky sports anyway i don't see any reason why not.

If the FAI made the coverage of 3 or 4 games a season by sky on sky sports 1 as a clause for the right to screen the internationals deal than thats basically extra publicity and coverage for the league at no cost to the clubs or the league itself.

How is there no sense in that?

The League of Ireland RTE deal:

RTÉ Television are set to increase the coverage of live eircom League of Ireland matches as agreed in the new contract extension. Beginning in 2010, the number of live matches shown by RTÉ will grow each season culminating with 33 live matches (one-per-week) in the final year of the term - the 2013 season.

http://tvsales.rte.ie/news/

The IFA Sky Sports deal:

Five live fixtures each season from the Carnegie Premier League for five years, starting this August and running until the end of 2011-2012.

And the only reason that they even get those 5 games on Sky is because they signed over

FULL INTERNATIONALS: All home matches for four years from May 2008, including qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup Finals and 2012 European Championship Finals, plus friendly matches – exclusively live on Sky Sports.
UNDER-21 INTERNATIONALS: At least two U-21 matches each season for four years, from the start of 2008-09 until the close of 2011-12 – exclusively live on Sky Sports.

http://www.irishfa.com/news/item/3002/northern-ireland-football-lines-up-on-sky-sports/

You do remember the last time the FAI sold the exclusive international rights to Sky don't you? The Minister for Communications added them to the list of protected free to air sporting events so the biggest number of people possible could watch their national team play without paying a foreign broadcaster.

SantryRed

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

If it hasn't been suggested yet, I would change the name to LOL for a start!

Maybe we should change your name to jesus_i'm_not_funny

pablomakaveli

Bob the Seducer wrote: »

The League of Ireland RTE deal:



http://tvsales.rte.ie/news/

The IFA Sky Sports deal:



And the only reason that they even get those 5 games on Sky is because they signed over



http://www.irishfa.com/news/item/3002/northern-ireland-football-lines-up-on-sky-sports/

You do remember the last time the FAI sold the exclusive international rights to Sky don't you? The Minister for Communications added them to the list of protected free to air sporting events so the biggest number of people possible could watch their national team play without paying a foreign broadcaster.

The FAI still don't need to give Sky exclusive rights. Given they still sell rights of broadcast to Sky there's no reason why they can't negotiate some sort of clause to broadcast LOI games.

It would be worth a try because there's nothing to lose if Sky don't want the clause and a deal is negotiated anyway and something to gain if they do agree to it.

enda1

Join it with the league up North.

Dempsey

More money in exclusive rights. Why would sky pay money for rights when local terrestrial tv can show it (if the demand is ever high enough) and capture more of the target audience than sky can?

Protected Free to Air Events = Loss of Revenue for that Sport

eightyfish

pablomakaveli wrote: »

A similar clause in a deal with the FAI for the ROI would mean there's no cost to the league or the clubs.

I see what you mean. You'd need to give exclusivity to Sky for internationals in order to get the local games shown for free.

Personally, I'd rather the games didn't go onto subscription TV as I won't be able to afford it or afford to go to the pub every time a match is on.

Roaster

dreamers75 wrote: »

Every club does everything you posted and more.


http://stpatsfc.com/community_news.php

Thats goes back to 2004 and only cos its a website issue, we have all been doing it for years.

Kids free etc with a paying adult is the norm, it doesnt work. We have max 4000 fans one day i will see them all again at a home game.

A lot of clubs do this but unfortunately not many people outside of the clubs actually know about it. Marketing is the main problem. We've got to make the product sexy/attractive. You look around Dublin City Centre around the GAA Championship and there's posters everywhere. Outside of LOI fans I'd say 95% of the population wouldn't even have a clue there's a game on.

Look at Sky or even RTE's coverage of football across the pond. Ads all the time letting us know forthcoming fixtures, etc. Its imperative that the Irish media assist in trying push the product too. To many reports I read about games is just lazy journalism and you'd wonder were they even at the game. Let's put at least a minimum of one LOI game a week on TV and let's talk the product up. MNS get rid of the good, bad & ugly....even though it can be funny at times. Just gives us GOOD, GOOD and more GOOD. We're trying to attract people here.

Finally, I know most of the responsibility lies with the clubs to ensure that the club is run in a sustainable way but I don't think they get enough assistance from the FAI with regards to promotion of the league.

A quote from the FAI website:

The Football Association of Ireland is the governing body of football in Ireland. Our game is being developed and supported by the FAI and its associates; clubs, affiliates and leagues, in every townland, city street and community across Ireland, in line with our mission to foster, develop and promote football....

I'm sorry but if promoting our league is organising a friendly against vastly
superior players and making our players the laughing stock of the BARSTOOLING community then Mr. Delaney you have succeeded.