Clubs and FAI need an appetite to grow
Consultation plan suggests not enough is being done
THE MAN who compiled the latest League of Ireland consultation plan has demanded the ‘generation of oomph’ following the publication of his report, and admitted he would be disappointed if his findings were not acted upon by the FAI and 20 SSE Airtricity League clubs.
Exactly 10 years and 10 days since the Genesis Report called for ‘a whole new ball game’, Declan Conroy presented his latest recommendations but confirmed he will not have any direct say in which, if any, of his plans are put into place.
‘This is now out of my hands. I just hope that there is a movement and an appetite [to progress]. If I got that report and I was sitting in club A or B, I would want to talk to people but does that take a week or two or three?
‘A huge amount centres on peoples’ appetite. I’ll be very disappointed if it sits on a shelf, to say the least, but I don’t think it will. Who needs to drive it? The clubs and the FAI,’ he continued.
‘For me, there is plenty in there to consider. At the end of the day, the clubs are, of their nature, selfish. We all are in business. They’re going to look at this from their perspective.’
Conroy, who spoke to almost 200 people during the six-month process — although only seven mangers of the league clubs met him — has called on the 20 Premier and First Division sides to work in tandem but also demanded that the FAI have dedicated professionals within the association who deal with the SSE Airtricity League’s marketing and media duties.
‘To a certain extent what I’m appealing for, and this could see me accused of naivety, is a new sense of collegiality. That may well be achievable or not. I’m trying to suggest a generation of oomph, fairly sharpishly.
‘We need to get more people into grounds, to get more interesting games and to get more at stake for as longg as possible in the season. n. I don’t know what thee exact formula for that is but I’ve come up with a particular one.’
With the current merger between the FAI and League off Ireland clubs due to o end at the completion on of the 2016 season, Con-Conroy put forward four recommendations f or the f uture: keeping the status quo, disbanding the merger entirely, and starting from scratch with a new franchise model.
However, his preferred sugges- tion is the rebranding and restructuring of the league from 2017 with a 10- team two- division model. Conroy is also insistent that overall prize money, which has been slashed by some 80 per cent over the last nu number of years, needs to be increased and more evenly spread but gave no indicat i on as t o what would be a suitable figure to allow for clubs to thrive. The 5 6 - y e ar- ol d D Dubliner is adamant tha that both the FAI and clubs need to do more to increas increase attendances and that the popularity of the English Premier League is not a barrier to improving gate receipts.
‘I don’t believe that for a moment. If we have planned visits to schools on a regular basis, do I believe there is potential to increase attendances? Unquestionably, because I don’t believe the maximum is being achieved.
‘I am not being over-ambitious about it but there are more people there who could be coming to games.
‘The prize money has to go up. It is inadequate. Is there more money available in the marketplace in terms of commercial? Yes, I have no doubt about that. Can I put a number on it? No.
‘I can be accused of being aspirational and unspecific but we are where we are and we have to be somewhere else. There is room for having a go.’
The FAI welcomed the report last night with chief executive John Delaney confirming that they ‘will be writing to the clubs this week to establish a timetable to move forward.’
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Conroy recommends having two leagues with ten teams in
each