| An Introduction to the Crazy World of Irish Soccer |
By Geariod Devitt
August 10, 2010
Reader’s Note: To avoid confusion I will try and stick to the following rule of thumb: Soccer will
refer to association football and football will refer to Gaelic football(G.A.A. football). Unfortunately, I
usually cringe at the use of the word soccer so apologies if I fail to maintain my intentions.
The past week has seen a major milestone in the history of Irish soccer. The opening of the new
Landsdowne Road (or Aviva Stadium if you want to submit to capitalism) means the F.A.I.
(Football Association of Ireland) has a stake in the national team’s home for the first time and will
now give the association the chance to compete financially with its two big rivals, the I.R.F.U. (Irish
rugby’s governing body) and the G.A.A.. It should be a time of optimism for the future of Irish
football, a time for a fresh start after the “Hand of Thierry” affair and the embarrassing aftermath.
As well as the stadium in the past few years they have also required an official HQ in Abbotstown
completing all executive infrastructure yet the commonplace saying among supporters and
followers of Irish football remains more valid now, more than ever: “You can’t spell failure without
the F.A.I.”
Their rugby counterparts, who have reaped the rewards in recent years due to exemplary
management since the advent of the professional game, had the right to open the new stadium as
they were the traditional owners. They chose to showcase the best in upcoming Irish talent as they
organized a mixed game with two of the four professional franchises in the country providing
players for each side. The result was a mismatch as a much stronger Leinster/Ulster side
hammered a Connacht/Munster selection 68-0. However the intention was exemplary and showed
that maybe there is the talent coming through to replace the current “Golden Generation” at senior
level. Surely the football association would follow suit and organize a marquee Premier Division
League fixture in the new ground to re-open their residency?
Alas no. As an active supporter and patron of a local club for a number of years my heart sank
when it was announced last May that instead of a top-of-the-clash from the domestic league,
Manchester United (PLC) would be facing an Airtricity League XI. For those of you unfamiliar with
Irish soccer, this guaranteed a number of embarrassing moments would ensue.
Firstly, the presence of a Manchester United eleven (even if it was their third choice side) would
guarantee a crowd that would by far outnumber the combined attendances for three weeks of
fixtures in the domestic league as the “football mad” Irish public leave their barstools and
armchairs to support “their” team. This unfortunate tradition of importing our football culture from
Britain can be traced back to the arrival of television on this island. Once BBC’s flagship soccer
programme, “Match of the Day”, reached these shores this led to most Irish men and women
adopting an English club side to follow and the inferior product of the domestic game, which can
never match the financial muscle of the U.K. leagues, suffered drastically. The league has
recovered significantly in profile in the last decade and has a provided a number of internationals
to the senior side, most notably Kevin Doyle and a side made up of those ex-Airtricity players now
plying their trade in the U.K. could have been a significant advertisement for the league.
Next, the composition of the side to face United was a recipe for disaster. This is the middle of the
domestic season and dragging three or four players from each club for one week of preparation
before facing a very strong Premiership side would always be a hiding in waiting (the match
finished 7-1 in favour of the Red Devils ™ ). Results in Europe in recent years have highlighted the
League position and choosing last season’s champions, Bohemians or cup winners, Sporting
Fingal would have provided a more telling challenge for United and in turn promoted the league in
a positive light. Instead the Airtricity XI performed like a side that had just met (because they had)
and this led to some comical defending which will gratify the “barstoolers” view of the game here
for years to come. In fact the friendly game completly overshadowed an admirable showing by last-
seasons league runners-up, Shamrock Rovers, who lost no honour in losing 3-0 on aggregate to
Italian giants Juventus in a Europa League qualifier.
Finally, it explained the motives of the recent arrival of league sponsor Airtrictiy and their
intentions. They seem to have decided to sponsor the league as a front for amassing publicity in
fixtures when the wider football public are forced to be aware of domestic soccer’s presence. This
is not a major negative as prize money has increased since they have become involved but it fits
in with the F.A.I.’s tradition of selling product to the highest bidder with no consideration of the long-
term benefits.
The improvement in standard over recent years has been underlined by some embarrassing
financial collapses of big sides like Shelbourne, Derry City, Drogheda United and Cork City as
they over-reached for the Holy Grail that is qualification for the group stage of one of the major
European competitions. Unfortunately those sides’ budgets were unsustainable on meagre
attendances (consistently below 5,000 paying customers) and poor financial management led to
their demise but some very good results were achieved on the continent with mostly Irish players.
Bohemians were the latest standard bearers but after a disastrous result against the Welsh
champions could spell the end of their extravagant squad and the mantel will pass on again to
Shamrock Rovers, a club with a somewhat chequered financial history itself, to put it mildly. In the
last two years a rule where only 65% of club overturn can be spent on wages has been introduced
and coupled with the recession the recklessness has been checked but not completely eradicated.
The national team has always been the cash-cow or saving grace of the F.A.I. but again at key
times the executive have let the nation and players down. The Saipan debacle led to probably
Ireland’s greatest ever player, Roy Keane, leaving a World Cup squad on the eve of the
tournament in 2002. The appointment of the inexperienced Steve Staunton led to dismal
performances and basically nullified two years of international careers for what has proven to be a
very competitive side before and afterwards. There are worries now that they have also
mismanaged their ticket sales for the premier seating at the new venue, offering major discounts
on unsold seats leaving a bitter taste for those who got in early. When you see the financial
crippling cost of a stadium which will only 50,000 people you will see why the C.E.O. and chief
incompetent, John Delaney, was so desperate for inclusion at the World Cup that he memorably
asked FIFA to allow Ireland compete as a 33rd team!
Just another reason why, although soccer is the most participated sport in the country, the F.A.I.
remains black sheep of the Irish sporting family.
August 10, 2010
Reader’s Note: To avoid confusion I will try and stick to the following rule of thumb: Soccer will
refer to association football and football will refer to Gaelic football(G.A.A. football). Unfortunately, I
usually cringe at the use of the word soccer so apologies if I fail to maintain my intentions.
The past week has seen a major milestone in the history of Irish soccer. The opening of the new
Landsdowne Road (or Aviva Stadium if you want to submit to capitalism) means the F.A.I.
(Football Association of Ireland) has a stake in the national team’s home for the first time and will
now give the association the chance to compete financially with its two big rivals, the I.R.F.U. (Irish
rugby’s governing body) and the G.A.A.. It should be a time of optimism for the future of Irish
football, a time for a fresh start after the “Hand of Thierry” affair and the embarrassing aftermath.
As well as the stadium in the past few years they have also required an official HQ in Abbotstown
completing all executive infrastructure yet the commonplace saying among supporters and
followers of Irish football remains more valid now, more than ever: “You can’t spell failure without
the F.A.I.”
Their rugby counterparts, who have reaped the rewards in recent years due to exemplary
management since the advent of the professional game, had the right to open the new stadium as
they were the traditional owners. They chose to showcase the best in upcoming Irish talent as they
organized a mixed game with two of the four professional franchises in the country providing
players for each side. The result was a mismatch as a much stronger Leinster/Ulster side
hammered a Connacht/Munster selection 68-0. However the intention was exemplary and showed
that maybe there is the talent coming through to replace the current “Golden Generation” at senior
level. Surely the football association would follow suit and organize a marquee Premier Division
League fixture in the new ground to re-open their residency?
Alas no. As an active supporter and patron of a local club for a number of years my heart sank
when it was announced last May that instead of a top-of-the-clash from the domestic league,
Manchester United (PLC) would be facing an Airtricity League XI. For those of you unfamiliar with
Irish soccer, this guaranteed a number of embarrassing moments would ensue.
Firstly, the presence of a Manchester United eleven (even if it was their third choice side) would
guarantee a crowd that would by far outnumber the combined attendances for three weeks of
fixtures in the domestic league as the “football mad” Irish public leave their barstools and
armchairs to support “their” team. This unfortunate tradition of importing our football culture from
Britain can be traced back to the arrival of television on this island. Once BBC’s flagship soccer
programme, “Match of the Day”, reached these shores this led to most Irish men and women
adopting an English club side to follow and the inferior product of the domestic game, which can
never match the financial muscle of the U.K. leagues, suffered drastically. The league has
recovered significantly in profile in the last decade and has a provided a number of internationals
to the senior side, most notably Kevin Doyle and a side made up of those ex-Airtricity players now
plying their trade in the U.K. could have been a significant advertisement for the league.
Next, the composition of the side to face United was a recipe for disaster. This is the middle of the
domestic season and dragging three or four players from each club for one week of preparation
before facing a very strong Premiership side would always be a hiding in waiting (the match
finished 7-1 in favour of the Red Devils ™ ). Results in Europe in recent years have highlighted the
League position and choosing last season’s champions, Bohemians or cup winners, Sporting
Fingal would have provided a more telling challenge for United and in turn promoted the league in
a positive light. Instead the Airtricity XI performed like a side that had just met (because they had)
and this led to some comical defending which will gratify the “barstoolers” view of the game here
for years to come. In fact the friendly game completly overshadowed an admirable showing by last-
seasons league runners-up, Shamrock Rovers, who lost no honour in losing 3-0 on aggregate to
Italian giants Juventus in a Europa League qualifier.
Finally, it explained the motives of the recent arrival of league sponsor Airtrictiy and their
intentions. They seem to have decided to sponsor the league as a front for amassing publicity in
fixtures when the wider football public are forced to be aware of domestic soccer’s presence. This
is not a major negative as prize money has increased since they have become involved but it fits
in with the F.A.I.’s tradition of selling product to the highest bidder with no consideration of the long-
term benefits.
The improvement in standard over recent years has been underlined by some embarrassing
financial collapses of big sides like Shelbourne, Derry City, Drogheda United and Cork City as
they over-reached for the Holy Grail that is qualification for the group stage of one of the major
European competitions. Unfortunately those sides’ budgets were unsustainable on meagre
attendances (consistently below 5,000 paying customers) and poor financial management led to
their demise but some very good results were achieved on the continent with mostly Irish players.
Bohemians were the latest standard bearers but after a disastrous result against the Welsh
champions could spell the end of their extravagant squad and the mantel will pass on again to
Shamrock Rovers, a club with a somewhat chequered financial history itself, to put it mildly. In the
last two years a rule where only 65% of club overturn can be spent on wages has been introduced
and coupled with the recession the recklessness has been checked but not completely eradicated.
The national team has always been the cash-cow or saving grace of the F.A.I. but again at key
times the executive have let the nation and players down. The Saipan debacle led to probably
Ireland’s greatest ever player, Roy Keane, leaving a World Cup squad on the eve of the
tournament in 2002. The appointment of the inexperienced Steve Staunton led to dismal
performances and basically nullified two years of international careers for what has proven to be a
very competitive side before and afterwards. There are worries now that they have also
mismanaged their ticket sales for the premier seating at the new venue, offering major discounts
on unsold seats leaving a bitter taste for those who got in early. When you see the financial
crippling cost of a stadium which will only 50,000 people you will see why the C.E.O. and chief
incompetent, John Delaney, was so desperate for inclusion at the World Cup that he memorably
asked FIFA to allow Ireland compete as a 33rd team!
Just another reason why, although soccer is the most participated sport in the country, the F.A.I.
remains black sheep of the Irish sporting family.
Search this site
