The New Era Of Professionalism?

[blues six glens nil]

You know what i'm talking about, the new era of professionalism in Irish League football.

From now on, things will be handled in a professional manner. Application form a couple of minutes late? Sorry, Portadown, that'll be second division football for you.

New league season, PR launch - check. Does it get a clear run at the news?

Not really, you see, details of the new Northern Ireland kit were released the same day. Doh.

Marketing campaign - check. Nice billboards going up all over Northern Ireland, for once the IFA are actually trying to raise the profile of the game here.

There is a potential untapped market for the Irish League. Look at the crowds on Boxing Day and the Irish Cup Final. I know from experience, people who claim to have no interest in the Irish League seem to know everytime Linfield have a bad result.

Brilliant, now floating fans are taking an interest in the league, lost fans are considering returning to grounds. Is there a TV highlights programme in which their interest and the profile of the league can be maintained? Erm, no.

Doh.

Oh well, at least the league is about to kick-off.

Not quite, you see the Irish League refs are going on strike in a dispute over money with the IFA meaning no football indefinitely, starting on Saturday.

Kind of makes the IFA's 'Football For All' slogan look a bit silly if there is no football

As at time of writing, even if an agreement is reached, referees still won’t be available. Why?

People deserve to know.

I hope they don’t insult us by saying that 24 hours isn’t ample preparation time.

What were they doing up until Thursday night?

Preparing to referee a football match on Saturday.

Now it looks like the fixture list for Saturday is going to be played on Tuesday.
What about the clubs who’ll lose gate receipts as a result of the new dates?

What about supporters who were preparing to attend the matches on Saturday, but have plans on Tuesday night?

What about supporters clubs who booked transport for Saturday, having to cancel that, and arrange new ones for Tuesday?

What about the players who hold down full-time jobs, having to arrange leave to play on Tuesday night at short notice?

What about the sponsors who’ve invested in the league, awaiting the opening day of their sponsorship, only to have their big day, ruined by this.

Davy Malcolm says this has been brewing for 4 years. Why wasn’t it solved then?
It’s just like the Darron Gibson fiasco.

Why has the strike been implemented at short notice?

Why if there is an agreement, will the refs not make themselves available until Tuesday?

Why has there been so little communication from the IFA.?

Why does everything about football in Northern Ireland involve more questions than answers?

Is it too much to ask for an Irish League season to pass without the game humiliating themselves?

Registration farce, Ticketing farce, Fixture Schedule farce, No TV farce, The Maze farce, IFA suits fighting in public farce, Brian McLean farce,

It's just and endless list of farces, and worst of all, self-inflicted and easily avoideded.

We're being sold a new era of professionalism. We're being sold a dud. But in a nice shiny packet. Makes you proud, doesn’t it?