by Kieran Burke - @KieranBTS/@BetweenStripes.
The FAI’s controversial restructure to two sets of 10-team divisions has faced much criticism in recent times, particularly from followers of the elite Premier Division clubs, who cite repetitive fixtures and a front loaded schedule before the mid-season break leading to player burn out and unappealing midweek matches.
However, for the majority of First Division fans, the new league format in the second tier has been a breath of fresh air. With more to play for, thanks to extra play-off places, it means ultra-competitive fixtures week in week out and a lack of repetitiveness, thanks to the decision to only play each side three times as opposed to four.
Last seasons First Division campaign was quite simply a blow out. With the FAI’s new vision needing to be implemented, it meant there was only one promotion place on offer from the second tier and that was decided almost from the get go as free spending Waterford FC cake-walked their way to the league title. With nothing else left to battle for in the division often described as the ‘’Graveyard of Irish football,” attendances dropped across the entire division and interest in the second tier was at an all-time low with little to no media coverage outside of the usual reliables and local sources.
However, the First Divisions loss was the Premier Divisions gain as the necessity of three automatic relegation places made for one hell of a ding dong battle at the foot of the top-flight. Attendances, media and TV coverage increased and when it was all said and done and the identity of the three clubs to fall through the trap door was known, it also meant the 2018 First Division campaign was going to earn three big name clubs with decent support bases, making for an intriguing new season in the second tier.
And that is exactly what has transpired since the start of the new season at the end of February. Yet despite just ten points separating first and sixth position in the league table, increased media coverage of this ultra-competitive division has failed to materialise. Compare the situation at the top of the Premier Division to that of its ignored sibling and the gap between leaders Dundalk and sixth placed Shamrock Rovers is an unrecoverable seventeen points.
And yes, while the Premier Division may have carrot of European places and a relegation battle to keep interests high, all but two of the First Divisions ten clubs still find themselves in with a promotion shout after just twelve games. That is something you will find in very few if any leagues around the world yet that story remains untold by our national press or even some of the dedicated League of Ireland outlets charged with trying to promote our countries domestic leagues.
Naturally interest and coverage will pick up as the First Division turns into its final stages and the play-off picture starts to become clearer but at the moment both the national and untraditional media are doing this Division a great disservice. More coverage means more interest, and with it greater attendances and of course while the clubs themselves need to do more to self-promote, some great efforts are going totally unnoticed.
Take Longford Town for example, a club heavily criticised in the past for not moving with the times or making enough effort to attract a younger generation of online fans to its games. This season the clubs newly established media team has produced match highlights, video and audio interviews and increased online content for all of its league and cup matches. As a result of that and manager Neale Fenn’s attractive style of play, combined with increased work in the local community and forming a bond between supporters and players that had been terribly served for many years, there has been a 40% increase in the number of people coming through the City Calling Stadium turnstiles.
Look at Shelbourne too, a club financially crippled for a decade has finally seen new blood pumped into it in the form of a youthful new set of investors, who have immediately set about resorting fans faith in the club after twelve months of hardcore fan boycotts and general apathy towards the once great Dublin club. On the field, Owen Heary’s ‘Reds’ have thrilled thanks to exciting additions such as that of First Division goal machine David O’Sullivan. He currently tops the league scoring charts ahead of last seasons golden boot winner Georgie Kelly. Again this is another hugely interesting subplot that has gone unwritten and as a result the work being done by clubs such as Longford and ‘Shels’ is not reaching the maximum levels of potential it could or should have.
In short, the 2018 League of Ireland First Division is the best thing to happen to the second tier since the days of Cork City and Derry touring the ‘discover Ireland’ league as it is often known due to its wide geographical spread. But, if our national press and online media outlets continue to shine their bright lights elsewhere, the First Division will never be able to shrug off its tag of being a place clubs go to die and that would be a fatal blow to everyone involved in a division with so much potential.
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