Ireland is a pretend football country

Did you smash it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120279043#Comment_120279043

And foolishly I didn’t remember the ongoing loan repayments the FAI need to repay.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120277570#Comment_120277570

The problem for the FAI is that for all the soccer fans in Ireland they still have no revenue streams.

The GAA have their fans, they pay for tickets, they contribute locally to fundraising to improve local facilities, they buy merch, they buy local club ottery tickets.

Rugby has a much smaller fan base but a much richer one than soccer, they are well funded with high end advertising and high ticket prices, plus their player development is handled by private schools.

Soccer has nothing, because for all of its massive fan base soccer has very little is spent locally.

It's all English, European and world merch, it's all trips to the UK or Europe for games, it's all UK subscription TV for viewing etc.

So the FAI or local soccer in general get so little from their fan base.

And that will never change.

It likely that in most Irish towns the biggest soccer fans contribute more to the local GAA club in the form of lotto tickets, local fundraising or trips to local games than they do to soccer in Ireland.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120278928#Comment_120278928

Ballingarry AFC got €150,000 for a new pitch and floodlights.

Bruff RFC got €150,000 for a dressing room extension and shower renovations.

And that's just some doozys from a list of many. GAA get everything is just bar stool expert talk. I better you also believe the GAA play for draws for the replay money.

randd1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120278928#Comment_120278928

Hogwash. If soccer can't get it's act together, that's on soccer.

No amount of moaning about the GAA, and what the GAA can generate for itself, will change that.

As for GAA facilities, well so what if they get some funding? They actually make use of it. Never mind there's plenty of soccer clubs and other sports clubs in the country using GAA facilities like all-weather pitches for training. These projects are rarely just for the GAA use only, there's usually a community element to it.

Which ignores the fact that soccer gets plenty of funding in itself. It just does nothing worthwhile with it. Hardly the GAA's fault.

But again, It's easier to blame the GAA for soccer's problems.

Did you smash it

Even when football clubs propose to build their own facilities they don’t get permission to or even much of a hearing https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/league-of-ireland/st-pats-unhappy-with-dublin-city-councils-decision-to-ignore-proposals-to-build-12000-seater-richmond-arena-38020235.html

no doubt it’s a complex issue but those saying soccer lads are just looking for handouts fail to acknowledge the reality of the situation

Did you smash it

The whole GAA vs Soccer funding thing is a load of bollocks by the way. They both get screwed by the funding they receive.

for the incredible levels of money provided by GAA events and events held in croke park to the revenue, the GAA should get loads more funding than they do. The GAA probably gets about 10 million at most I would say from the government annually for local and national projects. The amounts provided to the revenue by GAA crowds attending games and concerts in croker would be a high multiple of 10 million.

I just don’t think sports bodies in Ireland including the GAA make this clear enough.

Nermal

Have groupings of smaller nations - say Ireland, Scotland, perhaps Scandinavia - ever explored creating pan-national 'domestic' leagues containing a smaller number of richer teams? How else would they ever be competitive at European level?

Did you smash it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120280196#Comment_120280196

Seems a far more viable concept for the GAA counties that make up the numbers in all irelands year in and year out to join up than Irish clubs.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120280196#Comment_120280196

It's been mentioned over the years in conjunction with the idea of a European Super League.

The idea that the best of the rest would create some second tier European league rather than continuing to play in diminished national leagues.

But a club or clubs from Ireland would only be part of it if it was four or five levels deep, because that's where they are quality wise.

landofthetree

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120280196#Comment_120280196

Yes.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_League_%28football%29

breezy1985

Joining up leagues from different associations can't really be done due to access to European competitions.

Also the Scandinavian and Scottish leagues would not want us anywhere near it.

osarusan

Existing Irish clubs would get nowhere near any pan-national league. It would end up being new clubs like Munster Leinster, etc, like the rubgy.

And even then, those clubs might start of providing a platform for Irish players but if their place in the league was in jeopardy, they'd have no chocie to sign anybody who could help them survive - central contracts not really an option like they are in the rugby.

It would destroy the clubs left behind in the LOI.

And that's before we get to the fact that for some kind of Atlantic League to get off the ground, it would have to be good for the biggest clubs in it, good enough for them to leave their own leagues. For clubs like Ajax or Benfica to leave their leagues, they'd want to be up against a higher calibre of team than Munster United.

Thelonious Monk

Just back from Bohs. Hadn't been in a while. Fantastic evening out. Amazing free kick. The bars are hopping. Nice beers on tap. What more would you want?

Have to say I enjoy it far more than Crystal Palace and Fulham games which I'm more used to. Oh and it was sold out. Also top of the league 😍😍

Did you smash it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120285634#Comment_120285634

Watching it back here, Jesus Stevie Odonnell is some man for gesticulating

landofthetree

Man city do the treble.

Awkward. Man U,Arsenal and Torypool are finished long term without oil money. Glorious.

Hopefully Newcastle can pull ahead as well. Virtually no City or Newcastle fans in Ireland. What will happen long term? Will plastic irish fans lose interest?

EmmetSpiceland

Isn’t United on the verge of being “bought out” with oil money? If that happens, and they get back on top, it will be a disaster for the LoI.

All the ex-fan who stopped following them when they went shít will jump back on the bandwagon, saw a few of them walking around with the jerseys on for the FA cup final. This was while the match was on, they weren’t watching it, just wanted to be ready to “celebrate” after in case they won.

FIFA and the Saudis will get their “Super League” before too long anyway, that will change the landscape for real supporters.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120700727#Comment_120700727

No, because all premier league clubs will eventually be bought with oil money.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120703433#Comment_120703433

why wouldn't they? 🤔

Strumms

the GAA tell us that over €21m in state funding and supports were received during the year 2022.

over 20-25 year period well over 100 million… the government even give clubs abroad direct funding like New York to upgrade their facilities.

meanwhile, soccer, cricket, athletics, tennis and more besides here, get chump change.

GAA have access to seriously lucrative revenue streams. But still want to and are allowed to have their cake and eat it, the taxpayers slice too.