Top 20 most read articles on extratime.com – Part 2 (Counting down the top 10)

Johnny Kenny scoring for Shamrock Rovers in Europe / Ollie Horgan

Johnny Kenny scoring for Shamrock Rovers in Europe / Ollie Horgan Credit: None

We are back with the second part of our countdown of the most read articles on extratime.com in 2024. You can read part 1 here. We’ve got more prize money stories (both from domestic and European football), there are two articles on the Irish football pyramid and, of course, someone giving out about referees. 

 

10. A night with the Hoops: An insight into the Shamrock Rovers Academy

Christine Allen (14 May) 

One evening up the Shamrock Rovers Academy in Roadstone out at Kingswood, Christine Allen got a behind the scenes look at the set up on a night with the club’s under 17 women’s team.

‘Chair legs screech as the players bustle into the classroom, their animated chatter reminding this keen reporter that these girls are not just footballers - they’re also teenagers.

The flick of a light switch blankets the room in darkness, and a still image of a football match comes to life on the projector blind.’

 

9. Shamrock Rovers Euro campaign in numbers – goals, appearances, coefficient points and prize money

Macdara Ferris (24 December) 



A very late bolter into our Top 10 most read article of the year was one published only on Christmas Eve where we detailed some notable numbers around Shamrock Rovers’ European campaign. 

There was the 1.875 coefficient bonus for finishing tenth in the Conference League, on top of the win and draw coefficient points, and details on the bonus money earned from the pot of cash accrued from all the draws in the league stage of the Conference League. 

Rovers’ tenth place finish entitled them to €118,000 of that ‘draw’ pot, along with €756,000 received for their tenth placed finish.

Along with a further €200,000 for making the knockout phase play-off, that brought their overall prize money to €6.4m (with a further €750,000 likely to land from the club’s five year and ten year UEFA ranking). 

 



8.  The Irish Football Pyramid – or lack of (part 1 - Munster)

Tom Stafford (21 Nov) 

All Irish football clubs can be classed as either senior, intermediate or junior as explained by Tom Stafford in this article on the Irish footbally pyramid. Our 20 League of Ireland outfits are the sole senior clubs.

Below this you have what is effectively our present equivalent of a ‘third tier’ - the Munster Senior League (MSL) sits in this bracket and Tom outlined just where Munster stands in the Irish football system.

 

7. League of Ireland prize money increases ahead of 2024 season

Luke Jordan (7 Feb) 

The overall prize money for the League of Ireland increased for the 2024 season. Luke Jordan brought us the news from Vicar Street where, at the league launch in early February, it was announced that the prize money in the domestic league had increased by €110,000, which equates to a 17% rise. 

 

6. The Irish Football Pyramid – or lack of (part 2 - Ulster)

Tom Stafford (12 Dec) 

Tom Stafford’s second piece on the Irish football pyramid also made our Top 10 list. Tom had a look at the structure in Ulster with Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan under the FAI’s remit.

He explained how the picture of Ulster football changed drastically in 2023 with the demise of the Ulster Senior League, the sole intermediate level of football for the province. 

 

5. Tallaght Stadium goes green - and not just for St. Patrick’s Day – as new green seating plan unveiled

Macdara Ferris (17 March)

The 15-year-old west stand in Tallaght got a facelift back in March when the infamous red, yellow, white and green ‘visual liveliness’ seating design was mostly replaced by a new two tone green arrangement.

The old style ‘lego’ design only remains now in the south stand of the South Dublin County Council owned venue that is home to Shamrock Rovers – more on the arrangement between the council and football club later in our Top 10.

 

4. LOI Attendances 2024 - Growing pains in the League of Ireland's increase in popularity

Gareth Penrose (19 February)

We captured the reality of the new situation in the League of Ireland with this early season attendance article. Gone are the days of just rocking up with cash to pay in at the turnstyle. Purchasing tickets ahead of time is now a requirement with the sold out signs going up ahead of a number of games this season with Gareth Penrose writing: 

‘Since the lifting of COVID restrictions—and even during the period leading up to their creation—the League of Ireland has experienced a surge in interest, one that defies a single explanation. It's been a confluence of favourable circumstances, a veritable perfect storm of positive factors.

This season, I've been approached by individuals whom I'd never peg as league followers, enquiring about the possibility of securing tickets to the matches. There's a palpable anxiety over whether they'll be able to attend one of the fixtures over the weekend, a concern that speaks volumes about the growing allure of the league.’

 

3. Ollie Horgan: 'Walsh shouldn’t have done what he did, he shouldn’t have said what he said'

Paul Corcoran (20 Feb) 

Sure it wouldn’t be a top 10 extratime.com list without an Ollie Horgan article. Paul Corcoran caught up with the Galway United assistant manager after the Tribesmen’s first game back in the top flight of Irish football since 2017.

It was a match that ended in defeat to St. Patrick’s Athletic with United's Stephen Walsh receiving a red card from referee Eoghan O’Shea in the 78th minute.

“I spoke to Eoghan O’Shea afterwards, and I’m not saying that we were very good, but neither was he and you may as well call a spade a spade but that's not the reason we lost,” said the ever quotable Horgan afterwards.

 

2. Six candidates to replace Eileen Gleeson as Ireland manager

Dave Donnelly (12 Dec) 

Ireland are back looking for a senior manager of the national team for the third time in 18 months (one for the men’s team and two for the women’s) after the FAI decided not to renew Eileen Gleeson’ contract as Head Coach of the women’s side. 

Dave Donnelly had six names on his shortlist to replace Gleeson as he outlined in the second most read article of the year on extratime.com.

 

1. Shamrock Rovers' rent to increase 140% at Tallaght Stadium – The Hoops agree €240,000 annual deal with local council

Macdara Ferris (12 April) 

The partnership between South Dublin County Council and Shamrock Rovers has been a very successful one and this year the parties agreed a new 15 year licence arrangement for Rovers’ use of the venue of Whitestown Way. 

The council took ownership over the stadium in 2005 when there was just a shell of the main stand built on the site.

The stadium received funding from central government in 2006 with then Sports Minister John O’Donoghue facing down criticisms from the GAA at the time about not opening up the ground to gaelic games – the former TD was in Tallaght last month as a guest of the club at the unveiling of a ‘brick in the wall’ fan initiative.

The GAA lost a court case seeking to gain access to the stadium in late 2007, with builders moving back onto the site the following year.

Talk of a free stadium for Rovers is one that is heard occasionally from rival fans but Rovers always paid more than peppercorn rent in Dublin 24 even if their first payment was just €10,000 for an initial one year licence when the stadium opened in 2009.

Over the years, the council have expanded the venue with the licences granted to Rovers extending in length and increasing in cost.

The council completed a second stand in that first year and a decade later the south stand opened in 2019. The north stand opened at the start of this season bringing the capacity up to over 10,000.

The new licence arrangement meant that this year the Hoops paid €110,00 (a 140% increase on the most recent deal) which will rise to €150,000 in 2025 before a sum of €190,000 will be paid annually from year 2026 onwards.

A separate €50,000 annual rent is payable for the lease on the offices and shop area.

About Macdara Ferris

Macdara Ferris is a contributor since 2007 to Hoops Scene (Shamrock Rovers' match day programme) and is the co-author of two books on Shamrock Rovers - 'Tallaght Time: Shamrock Rovers 2009 to 2012' (with Karl … View Full Profile