All Island Professional Soccer Franchise

[rosnarun]

With time and professional marketing, improved facilities, extensive tv coverage etc, I still maintain an all island soccer franchise could work. Obviously it would never grow to rival the English Premiership, but there's no reason why it couldn't mirror the Scottish Premiership for example, with a sustainable league and one or two big clubs in contention for the Champions League group stages every season. Champions League status would bring in more money and investors etc, and enhance sustainability, allowing clubs to build their own academies etc.

The market is there and Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne have bought out big crowds in recent times for big European fixtures.

Might take ten years, but it could happen and is better than the existing arrangements North and South

this could be true but  'time and professional marketing' equates to Money
would you be willing to put money into a Irish soccer club . any one who has tried over the last ten years has had great sucess for a couple of years and ended up winning the league followed almost immediately by banruptcy (see my list above) as the rewards are just not there . as soccerheads and the FAI prefer to see a bunch of 2nd rate english players in an ireland shirt to doing the hard work of gettting a proper league going,

also if my understanding is correct . it would mean only one national team could represnt the League in other words this move would enfore a 32 county soccer team.
maybe thats the motivation behind this thread?

[deiseach]

Surely these Manchester United supporters would then start supporting more successful clubs from the North West like City, Everton, Blackpool, Wrexham, Chester, Tranmere, Wigan, Bolton, Blackburn, Burnley, Stockport ect...you know,all the famous ones?

Surely Wrexham is in the North East?

[Billys Boots]

Em, it's in Wales deiseach. 

[deiseach]

Em, it's in Wales deiseach.

That's right. It's in the North East . . .

[Billys Boots]

Wales is in the West; it is East of Ireland if that's helpful. 

[deiseach]

Wales is in the West; it is East of Ireland if that's helpful. 

Wrexham is in the North East of Wales.

[AZOffaly]

I knew what you meant deiseach. Too subtle

[deiseach]

I knew what you meant deiseach. Too subtle

If you're explaining, you're losing. Oh well.

[ballinaman]

I knew what you meant deiseach. Too subtle

If you're explaining, you're losing. Oh well.

North West in football league terms...shit, am I explaining now too..bollox.

[deiseach]

I knew what you meant deiseach. Too subtle

If you're explaining, you're losing. Oh well.

North West in football league terms...shit, am I explaining now too..bollox.

[Billys Boots]

I knew what you meant deiseach. Too subtle

Not subtle, obtuse. 

[deiseach]

I knew what you meant deiseach. Too subtle

Not subtle, obtuse. 

Harsh but fair.

[Billys Boots]

I knew what you meant deiseach. Too subtle

Not subtle, obtuse. 

Harsh but fair.

Not a criticism, rather an explanation of why Manure fans might be confused. 

[From the Bunker]

Fair dues to Kevin Doyle!

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/doyles-generosity-to-youths-a-nice-touch-29639503.html