Shamrock Rovers in the Europa League- Good for Ireland?

First of all,a big congrats to Shamrock Rovers on making the Europa League group stages last night. They have fought through a difficult draw and their players deserve a big reward for escaping through the cauldron that is the Stadion Fk Partizan. Rovers have created some Irish sporting history and finally brokethrough the European door that Irish teams have been banging on for a long time. This is great for Rovers and the FAI but is it good for the rest of the league? Rovers are already the most financially stable team in the league thanks to the success of their 400 Club,where the fans own quite a substantial part of the club. Rovers have also benefitted from outside investment. A mere 6 years ago,they were €2 million in debt and in the First division of the league of Ireland. The commitment shown by their fans,is surely a model that many fans who own their club(including myself) wish to follow.


But is their success good for Ireland? The money gained from making the group stages is somewhere close to a million. This doesn't include Television rights and due to drawing Spurs,I'm sure Rovers could make a killing. I think the LOI is in danger of becoming a monopoly where Rovers could dominate for a long time to come. Personally,I think Rovers have underacheived i nthe domestic league this year,their dour brand of football under the management of Michael O'Neil is a lot worse than the players he has are capable of. They should be coasting this league but are joint first, albeit with a game in hand. With the right management Rovers could easily return to their heady heights of the 60's where they won 6 FAI cups in a row. Or even the early eightys where they won 4 league titles in a row and 3 FAI Cups.

While the success of Rovers could help promote the game in Ireland I think that their financial resources could make the LOI turn into a two tier league like Scotland where very few sides have a hope of winning or European involvement.


Hope you enjoyed the read. Would appreciate any thoughts/comments on the article.

The FAI needs to make a rule that a certain amount of the money made from a team entering the Champions League or in this case the Europa League should be redistributed within the league and to improving grounds and training facilitys.

Great article. Fantastic for my Irish soccer team. Is it good for Irish football? Yes. Heighens its profile and brings money into a wrecked ecomony. If Rovers can do it, why not Cork, Derry et al. Hopefully this is the breakthrough that may spark it. Like Munster did for Irish rugby.

Also, there is no point in having a League Of Ireland setup with one or two teams walking it. Competition is key to development. Just look at the state of the Scottish League now with only Rangers and Celtic dominating. Not one playing in Europe now.

I agree that supporter involvement is the way to go for Irish soccer. It ensures that the club is run in the right manner. Who better than the fans to ensure this happens? They wont want their hard-earned wasted or misused and have the say to ensure it doesnt happen. Big problem is - who has the shekels these days? If just 10% of the people, who spend millions each year, on foreign English sides with foreign players - and spent it on their local sides, our league would benefit so much. The Irish soccer crowd are fickle and hypocritcal. This needs changing via marketing.

I think a good mix of sponsorship and supporters investment is the way to go. Getting Spurs will ensure massive interest. I just hope they do themselves and Irish football justice now and move on up from this by qualifying next year again. Hopefully, along with another Irish side.
Well done the Hoops.

As an Ireland fan, besides liking other nations, I'm happy for them.

I generally support the UK and NI but I also keep an eye on the ROI too.