Belfast United and Dublin Athletic

Often i look at soccer and think, god surely ireland can get on the big stage at club level.

The one i was talking with a mate about the other day is, what if amalgamated Belfast and Dublin teams under similar form of Ice hockey with belfast, where to find investers and create teams and apply to play in the scottish league?

The Belfast Team could play between the new casement and NewWindsor so its a proper stadium with the Dublin team playing out of the aviva.

Could an idea like this work? Would private investment be able to capture the imagination of playing in the same league as celtic, rangers, hearts, aberdeen, dundee etc?

Its just a bit of a bar conversation for soccer heads, im not particulary a big follower of the sport but the mate is.

North Side Gael wrote:Often i look at soccer and think, god surely ireland can get on the big stage at club level.

The opening sentence triggered alarm bells with me and so it came to pass.......
Notwithstanding the fact that the project, as outlined, is a truly wonderful aspiration, it's unlikely to come to fruition.

The main drawback lies in the fact that the current Government here are formulating an Olympic bid, aimed at 2024. The main stadia are therefore earmarked for the track and field events, with the Gowran Park pencilled in for the equestrian programme.
Water sports, in particular the diving events, are tenuously fixed for an Ulster venue to be fair to all.
Archery, shooting etc., are likely to go to Limerick (possibly O'Malley Park).
Chugging and begging are likely to be included for the first time, Dublin have this one nailed down and we're guaranteed the Gold.

A marvellous idea though, well worth the establishment of a task force. (We already have 486 of these).....

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North Side Gael wrote: Would private investment be able to capture the imagination of playing in the same league as celtic, rangers, hearts, aberdeen, dundee etc?

I assume this is a wind-up?

This idea was mooted back in the mid 80s when Wimbledon became homeless and the owner Sam Hammam suggested they re-locate to Dublin. There was huge debate around the issue with Eamon Dunphy a big supporter of the idea as was Paul McGuinness. The main anti-lobby was from the League of Ireland - and they ultimately won out arguing that it would kill the League.

This proved to be a correct move with the LoI going from strength to strength with Bohs winning the Champs League four times since, Cork once and Pat's twice. UCD and Finn Harps have won the Europa League with Shamrock Rovers runners up twice. In addition the Irish national team has won one Euro C'ship and got to the WC semis twice - with players based only in the LoI ........

Rangers won't be in that league for long anyway!!!

I actually put a bet on with a mate of mine about 15 years ago that in 20 years the Premier League would become a UK and Ireland Super League with there being franchise teams from Dublin and Belfast in this also! When Sam Hamman started looking into moving Wimbledon FC to Dublin as the Dublin Dons he stupidly paid up the fee of 5 pints and i was declared the winner!

If this is not a wind up, then reality will state that this would never happen! No side is ever granted a licence to play in any leagues top division, Celtic & Rangers keep making eyes at the Premier League but the truth is that they will never get allowed straight in there unless something like Portsmouth FC are disolved and Celtic or Rangers buy the league status of them, this would likely never be allowed to happen.

Some ask, why are Swansea allowed in the PL and soon to be Cardiff. Well the answer is simple, they came up through the english pyramid system and never gained a shortcut, in fact Swansea almost went out of the football league less that 15 years ago and a lot of the current squad are still playing for them!

To answer your point about a Belfast or Dublin side in the SPL, one reason against it is that is would never be financially worth it, secondly i wouldn't go to watch rangers, hearts, aberdeen, dundee in the back garden, and the third would be that the rest of the Scots league teams would more than likely never vote them into their third division ahead of some of their own highland league teams, especially not ahead of Edinburgh FC who were unluck not to get voted in last time.

i see a possibility for a British and Irish Super League where you could have a team from Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, maybe three from London and then the biggest one from each of the larger English cities eg City in Manchester, Everton in Liverpool etc.

Parouisa wrote:i see a possibility for a British and Irish Super League where you could have a team from Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, maybe three from London and then the biggest one from each of the larger English cities eg City in Manchester, Everton in Liverpool etc.

This is back to ice-hockey, again, isn't it?!