League of Ireland 2016 in review

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    The year is review is about Dundalk, Dundalk and more Dundalk. 1st Dundalk won 3^rd title in a row. This is a huge achievement since it is so hard to keep the same roster from they year before. They started out front and remained there all year.....very similar to the previous year. Cork chased them all year just like the previous year. They (Dundalk) also reached the FAI Cup final for the 2^nd year in a row. Cork City who placed 2^nd for 3 years in a row finally beat Dundalk F.C. in the 2016 FAI Cup final. The final had a huge turnout of 26,400 spectators. This was second best at the Aviva since it was built in 2010. (1^st FAI Cup Final in the Aviva).

            Cork City, Derry City and Shamrock Rovers will all be playing in the Europa League 2017-18. These teams will earn about half their budget playing international games so they all will be favorites to challenge for the League title in 2017.

Limerick FC won the First division and they will play in the premier division in 2017. Longford Town will be regulated to the First Division. Wexford Youths lost the playoff games to Drogheda United. Drogheda U will play in the Premier League to keep the League fresh will 2 new clubs.

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            Top scorers: The top scorer was Cork City’s  Sean Maguire. He was followed closely by Derry City’s Rory Patterson and Dundalk’s David McMillan. Not 
surprising all their clubs will be playing in Europe next year. 

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 Stephen Kenney phenomenal coaching Dundalk to their 3 consecutive Championships. He also guided them in 3 rounds of the Champions league and group stage of the Europa League. He turned Dundalk around in 2013 after a 4-8-18 in 2012 record. They were supposed to be regulated. Monaghan United withdrew from the league saving Dundalk Premier League status. Kenney led his players to a 2^nd place in 2013; thus qualifying them for Europe League games and money Dundalk spends wisely to acquire players.  

                 
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Player of the year: Daryl Hogan was named Player of the year. Stephen Kenney was named manager of the year. Other outstanding players who were nominated for POTY were Stephen O’Donnell (Dunalk), Sean Maguire(Cork), Greg Bolger (Cork) and Gerard Doherty GK (Derry City).

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European Success: Dundalk entered the Champions League and beat Iceland Champion. Third qualifying round they had to play Belarus Champion BATE Borisov. They beat them 3-1 aggregate. Dundalk then entered the Champions Route against Polish giant Legia Warsaw. This game was so big Dundalk had to play in Dublin’s Aviva stadium. 30,417 fans showed in the Aviva to cheer on Dundalk in Europe’s Champions League. Unfortunatly this is where Dundalk fairy tail play ended in the Champions League. The losers at this stage get placed in the group stage of the Europa League.

Dundalk was seeded into this formittable group. Zenit Saint Perersburg were a great team and their fans were as scary as their team. Many Russian Zenit fans followed thier team to Tallaght stadium and made quite a spectacle of themselves. Dundalk play very well against all this competition but the wear and tear finally caught Dundalk. This was the most spectatular season any LOI club ever had.

Money Earned: It is estimated Dundalk earned $5.4 Million in the Champions League. By enter into the group stage of the Europa League they earned 360,000 for their win and 120,000 for their tie. After astronomical expenses Dundalk will pocket 2.5 to 3 Million of the $5.4 Million earned. Their priority is to sort out the lease with the owner of Oriel Park. They will make no investment. The thought is the will but the Park from the owner, and place a new pitch before they invest in a new stand. They will invest in their youth development plan and try to keep Stephen Kenney who has guided this miraculous run since 2013.

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Finally a few stories in 2016 that did not involve Dundalk...

Stadium redevelopment: Tallaght Stadium just got the go ahead to add a 3^rd stand behind one of the goals. This will make Tallaght a UEFA category 4 stadium enabling any LOI club play European matches there if need be. When Dundalk played in the Europa Group stage against Russia, Netherlands and Isreal clubs Tallaght was near capacity. Maybe the council are hoping there can be a repeat each year for other LOI teams!?!?!?

Artist picture of Tallaght Stadium 3rd stand. to make Tallaght a UEFA Category 4 Stadium (8,128 capacity)

League Restructuring

Yes most of the talk about the League is about Dundalk FC. Dundalk 3 League Title in a row, the Champions League success, the Europe League group game win and tie and the money windfall from such progress.  There were a few other stories like being player of the year in Dundalk leaving for England. There was Corks City’s frustrating 3 years of chasing Dundalk and not catching them.

           There is also talk about contracting the Premier division going from 12 to 10 clubs and the first division increasing for 8 clubs to 10.  There is a huge push back from Premier Clubs resisting this change. Shamrock Rovers, Dundalk, Sligo Rovers and Derry City were in favor of reducing to 10 teams. I find it funny that 4 out of the 5 clubs that want to reduce to 10 are the ones playing in the European tournaments. As we all know they clubs boost up their roster since they will have more money for playing in the European tournaments. The teams that against dropping 3 out of the league at the end of this year are the clubs that are in jeopardy of failing to remain in the Premier division.

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Year	Avg Att
2007	1,715
2008	1,796
2009	2,032
2010	1,612
2011	1,613
2012	1,645
2013	1,546
2014	1,558
2015	1,685
2016	1,472

Attendance is also reached a 10 year low with average attendance at only 1,472 for the 2016 season. This is troubling at face value. There was a drop off with the league leaders and the lower teams. I believe 2017 will bounce back to 1,500 average. First the 2 lowest clubs were regulated. Limerick averaged attendance was above the premier league average in the first division so they will help immediately. Also Dundalk and Cork never seem to relinquish their old on the #1 and #2 spots. The almost repeat of the 2015 season got a little old for the followers and it stayed that way all year. This did not create excitement in other clubs when teams change position in the standings.

Outlook: Well I believe the teams who have the bigger budgets will get the better players. Since about 1/2 the budget can come from the Europa League and exponentially more from the Champions League--- look for Dundalk, Shamrock Rovers, Derry City and Cork City to be the favorites at the start of the season. Limerick F.C will be a nice addition back with just the City drawing more attention to the league. Drogheda United will bring back the Louth Derby. Doesnt sound to exciting but i dont care.... I like the LEaguie of Ireland...why ...well I am Irish. I dont care about the Premier League.... I like this League. I like the history behind it, I like the clubs that play in it and i Like the fans that support it.  I am hoping for another Club like Dundalk to make the 3rd round in the Champions League and pack the Aviva again.

Ranking the League of Ireland Stadiums

Ranking the League of Ireland Stadiums

Ranking the League of Ireland Stadiums
Rank	Stadium	Tenant	Capacity	Avg fans 2014	Built/redeveloped
1	Turners Cross	Cork City	7,365	3,777	2009
2	Tallaght Stadium	Shamrock Rovers	6,000	2,319
3	The Showgrounds	Sligo Rovers	4,500	2,087
4	Deacy Park	Galway United	5,000	970
5	Richmond Park	St. Patrick’s Ath.	5,340	1,359
6	Brandywell	Derry City	7,700	1,298
7	Dalymount Park	Bohemians FC	3,193	1,480
8	City Calling Stadium	Longford Town	6,850	693	2001
9	Carlisle Grounds	Bray Wanders	7,000	855
10	Oriel Park	Dundalk	4,500	2,534
11	United Park	Drogheda United	2,000	1,023
12	Market's Field	Limerick FC

1.      Turners Cross in Cork redeveloped their stadium in 2009. The Cross seats 7,365 and is the only stadium that has covering for all the seats (the other being Aviva Stadium). Cork City F.C. led the league in attendance before Tallaght was built. Cork also had the highest attendance last year with 3,777.  This view is from the newest St. Ann's End. This end seats 1,600, The main stand to the right is the Donie Forte Stand which seats 1,900 and is the biggest section. Directly across from the Main stand is the Derryane stand (1,185) where supporters gather. The other end zone which is straight across from this picture is the Curragh Road Stand (1,500). The record attendance was in 1991 with 12000. 

2.      Tallaght Stadium was built and owned by the South Dublin County Council.  The Shamrock Rovers are their main tenant. Tallaght is the newest LOI stadium for soccer. Shamrock Rovers have had the best attendance in the league since Tallaght Stadium opened in 2009, until last year. The Stadium is new, clean and has room for expansion.Each stand has capacity for 3,000 spectators and runs the length of the pitch. They have lighting for night games and meets all EUFA requirements. Once they close in the end zones with stands, this will make for a great cozy feeling. There is room on the land for expansion near the stadium and room for stadium expansion itself. 

3.      Sligo Rovers F.C. play in the very comfy stadium called the Showgrounds. The main stand is where this pic was taken from. It holds 1,853. The  recent development of the Showgrounds was the new Volkswagon Bank End stand with 1,300 seats, pictures to the left. This replaces the former railway End terrace. The cost was 200,000 Euro’s and this increases total seating to 4,000. The opposite stand is the Jinks Av Stand with a capacity of 847. The other end of the stadium behind the net does not have any stands. This stadium has been built one stand at a time, as the need arose. Sligo is a very well run club and attendance shows.

4.      Deacy Park is the home field of Galway United. Galway United have a really nice stadium set up that has stands on 3 sides. The far end has a 10 to 12 foot cinder block wall where fans stand in front of to watch game.  The new largest stand was built in 2007 with 1,500 seats.  The opposite side is the older stands that fortunately run the length of the pitch. The other end zone has a few row of seats. Deacy Park also has one of the best pitches the players like to play on. It is always well groomed and it is hard to find a better pitch.

5.      Richmond Park is the home field for St. Patrick’s Athletic Club located in Inchicore, Ireland. There are 2 good stands, The main stand that holds 1,800 fans. The hard core fans have traditionally meandered in the opposite end under the Shed. However many of these vocal fans have moved to the newer stand at the far end of this picture. This new end stand seats 1,000 and is known as the West or New stand. Unfortunately it is uncovered. The opposite side does not have seating sort to speak but could have standing room if the need arose. The opposite side of the main stand has standing room but this seems to work for the Saints fr big games capacity can increase.

6. Brandywell Stadium is located in the north and has an old dog track around the field. The stadium looks pretty cool with the curve of the stadium but fans want to be closer to the pitch. Derry City has received funding to redevelop the stadium but  there are always problems in Ireland when it come to building.

7. Dalymount Park built in 1901 has been redeveloped the ground to some extent. In 1999 the old main stand was replaced by a modern structure with 2,742 seats, known as the "Jodi Stand". This was at a cost of £1.1 million.  Half of the terrace on the opposite side was knocked down, the remainder had seats installed on the terracing (pictured on your right)is closed due to health and safety concerns. This is a big eye sore for Bohemians, The League of Ireland and the fans. The old "Shed End", now called "The Des Kelly Carpets Stand" has similarly had seats added and now has a capacity of 1,485. The terrace behind the opposite goal (or "Tramway End") has been sold and is therefore closed. The modern capacity of Dalymount that is in use is 3,193. There is no designated stand for away fans with traveling support accommodated in different stands depending on the numbers expected. 

8. Calling City Stadium is the home to newly promoted Longford Town. This stadium is similar to Oriel Park, in the fact that it has one main stand and an enclosed field surrounded by a very small seating section. has an odd looking shape. It has one big stand, but it has seating around the entire field. I do not know how comfortable these seating are.

9 Carlile Grounds is the field for Bray Wanders. It has a long stand that has a roof over it. one the left side. There is a newer stand on the opposite side with no roof.

10 Oriel Park is the home to Dundalk, the reigning Champions of the League of Ireland. Oriel Park  has one big stand and is surrounded by stands on each side. The stadium this resembles Longford Town's  Calling City Stadium.

Aerial Park 

11 United Park  home to Drogheda United seems to have a patch work of stands and building that surround the field.Below is the main stand. IT is covered.

  .below is the opposite side of United park..there seems to be a missing section in the best part of the field. This club need a new stand however attendance doesn't dictate the need. 

12. Markets Field will soon be the home of Limerick FC. This spiritual home need a lot of work. The pitch looks great however there is only one stand. This could have a similar set up as Longford Town and Dundalk's stadium. Markets field still does not have the surround seating that makes for a better atmospheres.  This stadium just needs seating and get by safety issues and Limerick will be in business.

LA Galaxy vs Shamrock Rovers at Tallagh Stadium

 

Tallaght Stadium with the Stands behind the goal.....this made for a great "enclosed" stadium

There was quite a build up leading up to this game. First Irish Captain Robbie Keane was coming to the Irish Capitol. Not only is he the Irish Captain he was also born in Dublin. Fan's wanted to see their local hero who receives so much press in America.


The’ chairman of the Shamrock Rovers Jonathan Roche was thrilled to have the MLS Champions and Robbie Keane play at Tallaght....

“Shamrock Rovers are delighted to be playing host to LA Galaxy at Tallaght. We very much look forward to welcoming everyone from the club here, and particularly to welcoming Robbie Keane home. We know Robbie spends a lot of time in the area when he’s home from the US, so I’m sure it will be great for him to finally play in Tallaght Stadium.

“We have had quite a few great players grace the Tallaght Stadium pitch against us, including Ronaldo and Del Piero, but to have our own local footballing hero play here will be even more special. It should be a great occasion.

Secondly is the fact that the reigning Champions of MLS, the LA Galaxy were coming to town. Walking around Dublin you would see a few LA jerseys being worn by fans. Thirdly the proud Shamrock Rovers supporters wanted to attend Tallaght Stadium for this event.

The event was sold out. 6,000 fans packed Tallaght stadium to view this event. This is almost double the hoops average attendance during a league game. More events like this should be scheduled to promote the clubs and the league itself.


Maybe the League could promote itself overseas, like play in NEw York Red Bull Stadium or in Boston.