Wallace - Amateur model the way forward

Wexford Youths FC manager and owner Mick Wallace has expressed his views and spoken at length about a number of key issues concerning soccer in Ireland, including the structure of the game in this country; current problems facing the League of Ireland; his own club Wexford Youths, and changes he would like to see in the the First Division.

"2008 was a difficult year for League of Ireland football but most of the problems were of a particular nature, mainly financial and not indicative of the overall health of the game in Ireland, Wallace said. "For a number of years, several of the senior clubs have been living beyond their means and '08 just happened to be the year that it caught up with them. The policy of paying more money to players than what was achievable on overall income was unlikely to last forever. It was not a good business plan.

"Necessity is the mother of invention and there's little doubt but that clubs will be run in a more efficient manner in the coming years. At present there are about 200 full time professionals in the league and 200 semi-pro's – small numbers when you consider it is the largest participated sport in the country with 450,000 registered players. For me, in reality, it remains an amateur sport and without a shadow of a doubt, is thriving in most parts of the country. The standard of the game at underage level was never as high as the level of enthusiasm among the young people for the game of football is phenomenal. Looking at the crowds of kids aged 4 to 14 braving the cold, attending the 5 day soccer camp at Ferrycarrig this Christmas would warm anyone's heart.

"The contribution of so many volunteers towards the health of our society should not be underestimated. And it should be added that their success in enriching their community garners little oxygen from the national media which seems fixed on a different agenda with many of them, all they have to offer the sport is criticism, and more often than not, they use the over hyped and bloated English Premier League as a stick to beat our beautiful game with.

"Though it hardly merited a mention in the papers sporting review of the year, the Wexford Youths, amateurs one and all, reached three premier national finals in 2008, winning both u-18 all Ireland finals, the FAI interleague youths and the FAI youth cup, and losing the League cup final to Derry City. Our game is blossoming without the blessing of media coverage & likewise our young people are growing on the feel good factor that participation in the game brings them.

"Returning to the problems of our senior game, there's little doubt that many of our clubs will move closer to the amateur setup rather than the professional, and that for me, will be a healthy move. Apart from the common sense of it, maintaining players at amateur status mould also allow clubs a better opportunity of using available funds to improve infrastructure & put in place a more professional approach all round – amateur players in a professional setup.

"The Wexford Youths will again participate in the league of Ireland First Division which is likely to contain 12 teams and instead of the planned 33 league games: I would strongly recommend 22 instead. It's all very well playing 30 games plus in a professional setup but the First Division is made up of a mixture of part-time professionals & amateurs and having so many games doesn't make sense. The running cost of clubs is already high and playing less games will certainly help the situation. This would also facilitate a real break in the summer of a month instead of a week, giving players the opportunity to fit in a holiday if they so wish, doing away with another bone of contention in the present long season.

"From our own clubs point of view, I have noticed that for the two seasons we've participated in the League of Ireland, our average attendance is between 800 & 1000 for the first half of the season and around 500 for the second half – clearly showing that the season is too long for the spectators as well. Closing the First Division down for a month in the summer, a shorter season, moving closer to the amateur model, greater investment in local players and stronger links with the local community, has to be the way forward."