Spreading the net a little wider
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The first round of the EA Sports Cup kicks off this week, which presents an opportunity to various teams to test themselves against Airtricity League opposition.
Okay, not many upsets are expected – even in a competition that the big clubs don’t take that seriously – but it acts as the perfect platform for amateur teams to show what they can do.
If a team like Kerry League can progress to the latter stages of the competition then it will give a glimpse into just how strong some of the clubs who exist just outside the professional perimeter actually are.
Perhaps it is asking a lot of those part-time clubs to lift their games against players who have experience of featuring in front of large crowds and performing in important matches, but that is the level they want to reach.
Small, steady steps have been made in recent years at clubs like Castlebar Celtic and Tullamore Town to bring them that little bit closer to the Airtricity League. If they can keep progressing and building then, perhaps, they too can ultimately join the domestic game on a full-time basis.
The best route to achieve this is through the Newstalk A Championship, which is part-Reserve League, part-Third Division. Castlebar and Tullamore play their football there along with FC Carlow and Tralee Dynamos.
While it’s not easy for them to hold their own in this two-tier league against teams who often select a mixture of fringe players, first-teamers on the comeback from injury and talented youngsters, it does give them a chance to build in a competitive division.
And making that step up to Airtricity League is not just a pipe dream as Salthill Devon and Mervue United have proved by winning promotion to the First Division in the last two years.
Both of those clubs have helped to bring an even greater interest in football to Galway and the hope is that the other teams can follow this example by making a similar breakthrough.
League director Fran Gavin thinks the A Championship is a great way for clubs to see how good they really are and to make those first steps towards professionalism.
“The A Championship offers clubs and players an entry point into the League of Ireland, and the success of Mervue United shows the importance of this division,” said Gavin.
If teams like Kerry League or Letterkenny Rovers join the more established clubs in the Airtricity League over the coming years then the domestic game would be stretched into corners of the country that it has yet to take off in.
The current Premier Division table lists eight of ten teams from one province. This can’t be a good thing for a league that represents the entire country. But it is up to the clubs to make it into the top flight.
Who knows, maybe in five years time the talk will be about the Munster derby between Tralee Dynamos and Cork City or the strength of football in Donegal with Finn Harps and Letterkenny Rovers thriving.
So as the EA Sports Cup gets underway, make sure to look out for the team with the unfamiliar name as they might be an established club in the league sooner than you might expect.
Okay, not many upsets are expected – even in a competition that the big clubs don’t take that seriously – but it acts as the perfect platform for amateur teams to show what they can do.
If a team like Kerry League can progress to the latter stages of the competition then it will give a glimpse into just how strong some of the clubs who exist just outside the professional perimeter actually are.
Perhaps it is asking a lot of those part-time clubs to lift their games against players who have experience of featuring in front of large crowds and performing in important matches, but that is the level they want to reach.
Small, steady steps have been made in recent years at clubs like Castlebar Celtic and Tullamore Town to bring them that little bit closer to the Airtricity League. If they can keep progressing and building then, perhaps, they too can ultimately join the domestic game on a full-time basis.
The best route to achieve this is through the Newstalk A Championship, which is part-Reserve League, part-Third Division. Castlebar and Tullamore play their football there along with FC Carlow and Tralee Dynamos.
While it’s not easy for them to hold their own in this two-tier league against teams who often select a mixture of fringe players, first-teamers on the comeback from injury and talented youngsters, it does give them a chance to build in a competitive division.
And making that step up to Airtricity League is not just a pipe dream as Salthill Devon and Mervue United have proved by winning promotion to the First Division in the last two years.
Both of those clubs have helped to bring an even greater interest in football to Galway and the hope is that the other teams can follow this example by making a similar breakthrough.
League director Fran Gavin thinks the A Championship is a great way for clubs to see how good they really are and to make those first steps towards professionalism.
“The A Championship offers clubs and players an entry point into the League of Ireland, and the success of Mervue United shows the importance of this division,” said Gavin.
If teams like Kerry League or Letterkenny Rovers join the more established clubs in the Airtricity League over the coming years then the domestic game would be stretched into corners of the country that it has yet to take off in.
The current Premier Division table lists eight of ten teams from one province. This can’t be a good thing for a league that represents the entire country. But it is up to the clubs to make it into the top flight.
Who knows, maybe in five years time the talk will be about the Munster derby between Tralee Dynamos and Cork City or the strength of football in Donegal with Finn Harps and Letterkenny Rovers thriving.
So as the EA Sports Cup gets underway, make sure to look out for the team with the unfamiliar name as they might be an established club in the league sooner than you might expect.
About Gareth Maher
Gareth Maher is an award-winning journalist who has covered domestic, international and women's football for the best part of a decade. Previously a columnist for the Irish Daily Mail and Football Editor for Setanta Sports, … View Full Profile