All Ireland League

                                                    All-Ireland League

                              'Difficult child of the Organisation' – FAI CEO John Delaney

The appetite for soccer in Ireland is enormous and it remains our most popular sport, despite this, domestic football is the “difficult child” of the FAI. The league seems destined to fall into oblivion; some would argue it is there already. It is beset by problems such as paltry crowds, poor finances, inadequate facilities and struggles to find enough teams to operate a two tier league. But is there hope for salvation?

The fabled all Ireland league bears its head once more. This idea has been doing the rounds in many shapes and forms since national leagues were established either side of the border. Despite this it remains a compelling idea. The most concrete proposal to date was brought by Platinum One, a sports company interested in founding an AIL, in the mid to late `00`s. While clubs showed tentative interest, the firm found little interest from both associations and the proposal was binned.

The reasons to support an All-Ireland League are numerous. "League" "of" "Ireland" are almost dirty words among the general soccer community, an arena where only its list of problems catches the headlines. As my friend Keith put it recently “why would I support a club that may not exist next week?” It is hard to argue with a statement that is painfully based in fact. Keith also echoes the sentiment of the larger Irish soccer community. League of Ireland isn’t associated with success and enjoyment, it`s a by word for points deduction, floodlight failure, poor facilities among other unflattering descriptions.

An All-Ireland League could help rebrand domestic soccer. A twelve team league with the likes of Glentoran, Linfield, Clivtonville, Shamrock Rovers, St.Pats and Cork City competing for honours and worthwhile prize money would hopefully capture the public’s imagination. A place for teams deemed surplus to requirements in the premier division could be found in a vibrant regionalised first division where premier division status could be a worthwhile goal and not a poisoned chalice as it currently is. Underneath this a league pyramid could be developed incorporating local junior sides and college teams.

The successes of other sports encapsulating the whole island of Ireland, clearly shows what can be achieved. GAA, Rugby, Cricket and a whole host of sports have achieved enormous national and international success. In fact Soccer, the islands most played sport, is the only major sport not to incorporate an all Ireland approach.

An All-Ireland League sounds extremely enticing with its promises of riches and increased exposure; but there are many obstacles to a merger. They are likely to be all found on these shores as UEFA would welcome such a move with open arms. A well presented proposal to UEFA involving buzz words such as reconciliation and co-operation through football should win favour.

A leap into the unknown is a big stumbling block. Joining two national leagues has rarely been done, so the template would be entirely new and unproven. The cost of failure would be certain oblivion if the investment and faith of the clubs was not repaid. The possibility of attendances not improving and perhaps increased crowd trouble would spell disaster for the league brand only now on a larger scale. Crowd trouble is an issue for many of the best leagues around the world. The best way to deal with it is improved infrastructure with designated away ends which would be one of the aims of an AIL anyway.

Loss of European places would be a sensitive issue for both leagues. Currently the LOI and Irish league each sends one team into the Champion’s League and three into the Europa League. In an AIL this would be the combined total for the north and south, effectively halving the European participation of clubs from the island. Teams that have become accustomed to European football and its benefits would see their chances of getting there greatly reduced. One possible solution would be a team from each nation being guaranteed a Europa league slot, similar to the system operated in the Rugby Celtic league. The most teams from either side of the border that could compete in European competition in any given season would be three, the remaining place would go to the highest placed team from the less fortunate side of the border. The overall goal would be to send teams equipped to compete with other European clubs, which despite generally positive results is not happening currently.

The possibility of an imbalance in the league may also cause problems. The ideal scenario would be three to four top teams ,with at least one team from northern Ireland, in  an overall competitive league. The nightmare scenario is a pair of teams from either side of the border dominating the league and reducing interest on one side of the border and/or areas of the country.

The most obvious obstacle to an AIL is that it has been trailed and failed. This trial came in the shape of the Setanta Sports Cup. A cross border competition which has not caught the public imagination in a way that was envisaged and has subsequently lost significance. The competition has been beset by the same problems which afflict the participating leagues. It has been re-formatted on numerous occasion and the current format bears very little resemblance to the original completion in 2005. The prize money has been gradually reduced. In 2007, the prize of £100,000 was on offer to the eventual competition winner, with the runner-up receiving £55,000. A substantial prize fund for either a LOI or IL side, however the prize fund has steadily decreased and the current total prize fund divided between the 8 teams competing is £55,000. Unsurprisingly sides are losing interest in the competition as shown by Linfield and Cliftonville`s refusal to compete in the 2014 edition. These problems reflect the flaws of both leagues rather then the flaws in an AIL. This competition was doomed from the very beginning as neither teams had anything to win other then prize money. It was seen as a distraction by IL sides competing for European places in their domestic league who believed its format favoured LOI sides. By the time these issue were addressed the prize money available had dropped and with it the chance of a competitive tournament.

Despite these factors, The biggest obstacle may come from the football associations north and south. A successful All-Ireland league would create a tide of public opinion in favour of a combined international side. This would be bad news for both associations. An all-Ireland international side would require only one association which would result in job losses within both organisations. This would pose a clear case of turkeys voting for Christmas.

Many Irish clubs , both sides of the border, support an AIL and believe it will happen. It is one of the stated reasons behind Drogheda Uniteds drive to build a new stadium. It more than likely will occur, sadly it may require both leagues to further decline and have nothing to lose before it does.