What's the League of Ireland's biggest problem right now? | OTB AM

We hear from the SSE Airtricity League of Ireland launch and discuss the league's kickoff.
With Gillette | #BestFaceForward
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Have you downloaded the OTB App?
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PODCAST the show too - we'll timestamp it for you as well
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[@Mabrennan2012]

EASY, the FAI

[@charlieevans2002]

The LOI's biggest problem is that the league is not of national interest. GAA dominates grassroots level sport and the smallest of communities have a team that represents their village. To a man from Tipperary or wherever, he has as much of a connection to any LOI club than Liverpool, Manchester United etc. I am English and RTE funding has always confused me, having a licence fee and adverts. As the public broadcaster their LOI offering is not good enough but as they have a commercial Viewpoint, the 50k viewing figures is not enough to show more matches. Club GAA gets double, sometimes triple, that but the GAA is not where the issue lies. The soccer tradition in Ireland is to support a Premier League club or Celtic and that is the biggest barrier for the LOI to grow. Its been like that for 60 odd years. How it overcomes that is difficult to see.

[@timdawson4662]

It actually isn't the tradition. There used to be quite big crowds st games when I was a kid(80s). It used to be every second Sunday at 3pm kickoff and the crowds were 5k plus for Limerick utd. There was decent away support too. Then in the 90s it seemed to lose its way. They messed around with kick off times and days and sky sports super Sunday arrived on the scene.

[@zombievikinggaming4258]

GAA dominates grassroots interest as it should, it's our native games and the ties with communities, the tribalism, it's ingrained. Soccer will always be seen as a foreign import, and if that's the case why wouldn't you support foreign teams like in England, that are better to watch? You want top local talent, the beat of their profession competing? You watch GAA

[@ne270]

@@zombievikinggaming4258 Why can’t an ‘imported’ sport also become deep rooted in culture too? Like it has in the rest of the world. People are allowed to like GAA and soccer too you know? Soccers been in Ireland for over 100 years now and it’s a global sport, no need for us to be so backwards.

[@slickboxingidentityveritas1932]

@@ne270 Too small a country really. Often one or the other when it comes to community team sports. Look at New Zealand for rugby. I doubt rugby would be as successful a sport for them if they had the same obsession for soccer as Brazil

[@Orielparadise]

@@slickboxingidentityveritas1932 i mean you can look at any country like Croatia or Sweden, water polo, basketball & Ice hockey are all massive sports there but their football excels.

[@EannaWithAFada]

maybe people would watch the LOI if it actually got any coverage

[@zombievikinggaming4258]

Why would LOI get coverage if there's no interest?

[@jermeniahd4323]

@@zombievikinggaming4258 there is interest

[@shamrockgerry]

Media tv and streaming services. Needs to be maintained and profitable by marketing of sponsorship and development with clubs and thoses who contributed to the media of there club

[@shamrockgerry]

The facility's. Stadium of 6,000 to 10,000 seater stadium s. Family friendly.. Training facilities. Contact and age limit on players leaving to foreign clubs.. Revenue's of investment back into clubs and leagues.. Women's league

[@marcfitzgerald7027]

Where’s the agression

[@slickboxingidentityveritas1932]

It's not the GAA, really that simple

[@paulkelly7305]

Return league to winter time, support lost in the thousands because of summer season.Thousands of gaa followers always went to soccer games during winter season as didn't clash with their games.I have first hand experience of seeing this happening.No excuse now with all weather pitches,also bring back the terraces,much better atmosphere.

[@jermeniahd4323]

yeah when the all ireland is happening at the same time dont expect to sell ticketa

[@raymonddixon7603]

Maybe get rid of Duffer. He manages to antagonise everybody. Lack of maturity??

[@Irish780]

There unless that's it

[@youarefreetodoaswetellyou1371]

RTÉ is a joke

[@barrypower6822]

Why should they show matches that have no viewers. Club gaa is clearly more popular to the viewers than loi is thats a fact of life

[@whodouthinkuare]

All they care about is racing and GAA

[@timdawson4662]

@@whodouthinkuare nope, they care shout tv ratings snd numbers. They cover what people watch in the numbers that make covering it viable .

[@zombievikinggaming4258]

@@timdawson4662 Look at the stadium turnouts for GAA matches vs soccer, and i don't mean Croke Park only. LOI has no grassroots support and gets the coverage it deserves