All-Ireland League

by Daniel O'Connell

Although Ireland as a whole may be a small island there is a massive interest if the footballing game in the country (or as some may say soccer). Despite that fact,  the state of the game in both the League of Ireland and Irish League isn't in a  great position...

Personally, the only way I could ever see a league doing well as for both the League Of Ireland and Irish League to merge for an All-Ireland league.

An example of a League I would use is:
 1.Bohemians 2. Ballymena Utd 3.Cliftonville 4.Coleraine 5.Cork City 6.Crusadors 7.Derry City 8. Dundalk 9. Drogheda 10.Galway(Shall they make their comeback, as expected) 11.Glenavon 12.Glentoran  13. Linfield 14.Limerick 15. Portadown 16.St.Pats 17.Shamrock Rovers 18.Shelbourne 19. Sligo Rovers 20.Waterford Utd. 

You could then have regionalised leagues north and south with the rest of the clubs of each sides making up two regionalised leagues with one each going up from the two Leagues and two getting relegated from the Top tier.

Sky Sports, Setanta Sports, RTE, BBC could all possibly be interested which would give coverage of the league, something both leagues certainly lacks. The key would be marketing the whole idea.  Tv broadcasters would pay sides money to show the games.  More sponsors would be looking to join up leading to more money leading to clubs... This then leads to clubs being able to improve facilities....which to it being more attractive to the general public...More people going to games leads to more money...Which leads to better standard of footballers being  brought in and a better standard of football.

Many aren't appealed due to such poor stadia and facilities. The likes of the Showgrounds (Sligo Rovers), Tallaght Stadium(Shamrock Rovers), Turners Cross(Cork City),Eamon Deacy Park(Galway),Windsor Park (Linfield), are all of a decent standard and If more clubs could get their grounds to a standard of such as those it would help and appeal to getting new fans..

Both leagues currently have just 12 teams each in their top tier. The fact teams are playing their rivals so many times during the season can take the novelty off sometimes on such games. If there was a big league like those i mentioned and with some clubs with a good fan base things would be more exciting. 
As a Dundalk fan personally, I could imagine playing Shamrock Rovers one week, Drogheda the next, Linfield, Cliftonville,Bohemians...Fans would look forward to things a whole lot more and interest would be developed by many I'm sure if a numbers of things were to happen.

They are a few of the reasons why I feel an All-Ireland League would boost football in this nation.. 

Get your act together FAI and IFA and give it a go...