Welsh look to follow the eL

gimmick

See here

Im not sure is it a myth that Summer Ball has increased gates, but it certainly has improved eL performances, as shown by CCFC, Shels, and Shams last season.

It still in its infacy though, and hopefully the coming season will be a big success gates wise for all clubs (though I doubt it will be for Shels! sorry couldnt help that dig. I await your rant seansouth/slash-ed and all the others Shels folk!))

cournioni

That link isn't working...

gimmick

PORNAPSTER wrote:

That link isn't working...

Works for me, but here it is

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Hunter gets behind summer campaign Jan 14 2005




Flintshire Chronicle


CONNAH'S Quay Nomads secretary Bobby Hunter has thrown his weight behind proposals to make the Welsh Premier League a summer competition.

The Quay's match with Llanelli on Saturday was postponed on a weekend when six of the nine top flight fixtures were called off due to the heavy rain across the country.

And though Hunter agrees the sheer volume of postponements in the winter months is a reason for changing the Premier's schedule, he feels there are more pressing concerns for the future of the league - namely the size of attendances and the poor performances of Welsh clubs in Europe.

Hunter was speaking to the Chronicle at a time when officials are discussing ways of taking the league forward - with summer football high on their agenda.

He said: 'I've always been an advocate of summer football.

'It's been suggested for a number of reasons. Take our game against Llanelli. Even if it had gone ahead we wouldn't have got a big crowd because Everton were on the television later that day and we can't compete with them because of the support they've got round here.

'But if there are no games to go to in the summer, like Everton or Liverpool, we may have more of a chance.'

Hunter is keen to follow the example of the Irish Eircom League, which runs from March-November each season.

Since switching to a summer league, Irish football attendances have improved, while Hunter thinks the greatest example of the shift's benefit came when Premier Division Shelbourne held Spanish giants Deportivo La Coruna to a 0-0 draw in this season's UEFA Champions League third qualifying round in August.

He said: 'The Irish have had major success with regards to how they've done in Europe. Shelbourne made the qualifying stages as they were ready for them, as their season was well under way.

'But if you look at the likes of Rhyl and TNS - and hopefully ourselves one day - we don't do well because our season has just finished when the preliminary rounds begin. As all the teams apart from TNS are part-time that makes it very difficult.

'But I fully understand that Ireland is different to Wales in the way football is run, and there's no doubt there'd be problems if we changed.

'A summer league is all hypothetical but it's an idea that won't go away, and I'm definitely behind it.'

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Nice find gimmick.

I am in fact quite a fan of the Welsh Premier in the absence of the eL. I'm heading over on friday, and hope to take in a Caernarfon Town game on saturday, or possibly Bangor, whichever is at home.

I hope they do switch, as I feel it would improve the quality of the game in Wales.

Since Barry Town had a little success a couple of years ago in Europe, they have gone bankrupt and ended up in the lowest of the low of LOW football

Corporate sponsorship has made the league a little bit more competitive, teams like T.N.S and Airbus UK (promoted last season) will become the dominant forces in the LOW over the next couple of seasons.

Also, there are plans to expand the Setanta Cup once the Welsh teams are up to a standard that would mean they could at least compete in it.

Slash/ED

Are Welsh teams really that far behind teams from the North? I would have had them at a fairly similar standard in fact the Welsh league at least has one fully pro team which is more than the North do.