Setanta Cup - what does the future hold?

You wouldn’t have guessed it judging by the celebrations at Turner’s Cross on Monday, as Billy Dennehy raced towards the away support to celebrate his last gasp away goal to send Shamrock Rovers through, but the Setanta Cup is entering  a period of uncertainty.  

The Hoops are now just 90 minutes away from pocketing a sum of close to €70,000 for winning a tournament consisting of seven games. However, if you peek behind the curtain and delve a little deeper, this is a competition being smothered by increasing doubts.

When you consider this year's league winners will earn a paltry €100,000, the Setanta cash pool is quite healthy:  €50,000 for the winners is topped with close to €20,000 in TV  and win bonuses.  

Yet it’s difficult to ignore the coughing and wheezing. The public's imagination is wavering. The title sponsors’ deal is reaching a conclusion and, most importantly, the commitment of some clubs must also be questioned.

When it all kicked-off in 2005, many claimed it was a stepping-stone towards an All-Ireland league. Now, heading for the conclusion of its eighth renewal, that seems like wishful thinking. Sure it has lasted longer than some of its predecessors, but obvious stumbling blocks are halting it from making the leap from  good idea to a competition that fully engages supporters.

That this year’s last four are all from the Airtricity League is one indicator of how clubs in the Irish League view it in terms of importance. It barely registers. Newly-crowned champions Cliftonville were torn to shreds by Cork City in the opening round. Yet it was entirely unfair to be critical of their players in the aftermath, simply because it was a reserves side.

Nine changes were made by Tommy Breslin because the tie was sandwiched between two decisive games in competitions they ranked of much higher importance. City, on the other hand, said they were treating it as a pre-season friendly - even though their heartbreak on Monday night would indicate that, when teams progress and the sight of silverware appears on the horizon, it means a little bit more.

Scheduling is an ongoing conundrum, with structural changes failing to yield the desired effect of satisfying both sides. It has been tampered with constantly - the number of teams, the time of the year the games are played, group stages to knock-out, but gripes remain. Attendances have been down all over the island in comparison to clubs’ league games.

Take the first leg of the semi-final at Tallaght where a meagre 1,250 bothered to turn up. Two weeks earlier, for the two sides’ league game, there were 3,500  in situ at the same venue. The other tie presented even worse figures. Less than 800 bothered with the first leg in Drogheda, while in Sligo on Monday, the official total was less than half the Bit O’Red’s average league total this season so far. That doesn’t augur well and the trend is only heading downwards.

Setanta, particularly during a time of financial uncertainty for the broadcaster in 2009, should be commended for their support of the competition at a difficult time - but their coverage now mirrors the fans’ opinion. Just one game was televised a week this year, while it proved more than a tad difficult to find out some information on their own website. It’s quite a contrast to 2005, where there was comprehensive coverage online and on TV.

Whoever wins next month’s final, a repeat of last season’s EA Sports Cup climax, will bask in their moment of glory, but when the Airtricity League season comes to a close in the autumn, they will be the least remembered on the roll of honour. Then again, if a title sponsor isn’t found for next year, they might even be immortalised as the final winners. Hopefully that isn’t the case, but something needs to be done to stop it from heading to the mire.