Tomorrow is a very important date in the Irish football calendar.
No, it’s not the anniversary of Roy Keane and Martin O’Neill’s first date, but the start of the League of Ireland season.
Unfortunately many Irish football fans still hold apathy towards the league, because of false notions of what it’s all about.
Those misinformed people are usually very quick to spout the following false claims about the League of Ireland.
There’s no talent in the league
Séamus Coleman (Sligo Rovers), Wes Hoolahan (Shelbourne), James McClean (Derry City) and Shane Long (Cork City) all got their start in the League of Ireland.
Current LOI players Jason Byrne, Colin Healy and Keith Tracey have all stepped out for Ireland too.
You have stars of the future and former internationals mixing it in your back yard.
That’s not bad talent, is it?
The facilities aren’t up to scratch
Fair enough, there’s room for improvement here. But you don’t go to football matches to rate the gents.
It’s football, not Upstairs/Downstairs.
Besides, it’s not that bad anyway. The likes of Tallaght Stadium and Athlone Town Stadium are fantastic football grounds and there’s several other great ones in the league too.
The atmosphere is terrible
Well that’s just not true.
Go along to any League of Ireland game and you will see supporters that are as passionate as fans anywhere.
Last season’s Bohemians v Shamrock Rovers’s crowd was as electric as anything you’d see in the English Premier League.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0wyub6z8is
All the goals are tap-ins or goalmouth scrambles
I am probably better off answering this one with videos.
League of Ireland… sure it’s only Dublin teams involved
Last year Dundalk came first and Cork finished second. That’s hardly Dublin-centric.
This year in the Premier League there are teams from the four corners of the island competing and it’s absolutely fantastic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMJtwfVcUJE
We’ve a great product and it’s massively under-appreciated.
Get out onto the terraces and see for yourselves. I’ll definitely won’t wait another ten years to go back.
