Eircom League set to join country’s football association

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The lower-division Eircom League appears headed for integration with the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) after a vote by league members. Eighteen of the league’s 22 clubs backed a “Declaration of Intent” favouring the merger at a meeting held in Limerick.

Final passage of the resolution will be voted on at a future meeting, although, its passage appears certain. Also, there would be no relegation or promotion this season, a move supported by the clubs. However, the clubs would have to reapply for membership to the FAI-run league in 2007 with this year’s finishing positions a determining factor into which leagues teams would be placed.

Currently there are 12 Premiere League and 10 First Division sides in the Eircom. Final standings wouldn’t be the only determining factor, though, with clubs’ stadia and financial situation also being considered. “I think the need for change was recognised which is welcome,” league director John Byrne told The Irish Times. “Obviously a few clubs have concerns about their own futures in the Premier Division but the basis on which the decisions regarding membership will be made is all to be decided between now and July or August. What we have to do is to get things right between now and then so as to ensure that the standards we adopt are fair and help to move the game here on.” Eircom also announced that attendance had risen by six percent in 2005, with an aggregate 336,689 attending Premier Division games, an average of 1,700 spectators per game. The high was the 8,058 sell out at Cork City when the home team played Derry City in the final game of the season. A total of 77,405 attended First Division matches, an average of 430 per game. --------------------------