LOI U17

UCD are holding trials for U17 LOI on this Saturday

quick question are players 1999 able to play next season at U17 LOI staring inApril was told theY couldn't.  

Very disappointing there is no kerry league side after there was so much talk that there would be. Also the fact there's no mayo team is a joke. Maybe rovers will take the best of the talent from there.
The groups also seem very strange surely rovers Mervue Salthill harps and derry and possibly even mons/cavan should be in the same group.
Despite that I think this is the best idea in a very long time. It was ridiculous that there hasn't been a proper youth structure in the league.
The monaghan/cavan partnership looks very promising. Hopefully it's the foundation for their return to senior football.
The setting down of financial payment between loi and junior clubs is welcome too and the fact they have a stake in the player if he's sold on in a big transfer makes it in junior clubs interests to produce loi players

Edited by Bitored - 30 Jun 2015 at 2:30am

MayoMark wrote: Bitored wrote: Also the fact there's no mayo team is a joke. Maybe rovers will take the best of the talent from there. No maybe about it. Their last 3 years of U19 have been by far made up of a majority Mayo lads. I find it incredible that a club who haven't had a youth team in their near 100 year existence can get into this over a club who has been producing most of their young talent. Absolutely ridiculous.

Sligo rovers has a lot of supporters in mayo so it's not that ridiculous and until mayo has a club in the LOI Rovers are the nearest senior club

Edited by Bitored - 30 Jun 2015 at 2:39am

I have absolutely nothing to do with the FAI or their decisions so I can't answer that. The only guess I can make is funding would be a big issue or perhaps they thought there was a pathway there already for players in mayo/sligo/leitrim with rovers. The point of the U17 league is to feed players into senior league of Ireland sides. Until there's a senior alternative based in mayo rovers are the next best thing. My reference to the fan base is very relevant as I'm sure rovers supporters in mayo of which their are many would be much happier with local players playing for rovers and progressing into the senior team like boylan has recently rather than going to some other club they don't support.
I believe there should be a mayo team in the league it's just too big of a county with a good underage structure not to have a senior side. I doubt Castlebar Celtic or Mayo league would be out of their depth in the first division. Saying that a team from there would always be up against with GAA. That's unfortunately why it hasnt happened. I'd love to see a kerry and tipp team too but they won't happen for the same reasons.


Edited by Bitored - 30 Jun 2015 at 3:15am

MayoMark wrote: It's not ridiculous that they looked for expressions of interest from clubs and rejected ours on no grounds whatsoever? What on earth has fan base got to do with an U17 league? Is this about development or what? We are working our holes off down here and it's not so we can be a feeder club for Sligo Rovers.

Nah Nah Nah Nah wrote: MayoMark wrote: It's not ridiculous that they looked for expressions of interest from clubs and rejected ours on no grounds whatsoever? What on earth has fan base got to do with an U17 league? Is this about development or what? We are working our holes off down here and it's not so we can be a feeder club for Sligo Rovers. Not having a dig here but have ye ever contemplated trying to join the league? Obviously would be a massive expense but was just wondering.

Yeah I think that's the point here. What is needed is an integrated approach from u17 through u19 to senior in the one club. Afaik u15 is on the cards too down the line.

However, as Mon/Cavan and the GUFC, Salthill & Mervue situation already provide anomalies to this then perhaps a Mayo team should have been entered. That said, I have it on impeccable authority that the Fai have no time whatsoever for Castlebar Celtic. Not sure what happened but was told so in the past in relation to another matter.

As for dual registrations, it couldn't be allowed in Kerry and then not throughout the league. I'm glad they haven't been allowed as it would have resulted in clubs just fielding teams and not actually having any underage structure in place at all.

Many scouts at these games lads?

I was playing with Kilkenny City in the old under 20s LOI league a good few years back and there were plenty of scouts attending games.

MayoMark wrote: the reason there is no LOI team in Mayo is not because of the GAA. It is because of expense. We tried our luck in the LOI A Championship. It was a pathetic competition. Terribly run, a total shambles. And with the expense (Not least the ridiculous affiliation fees) nearly floored us.

I agree with you about the A championship. It was a joke to put reserve sides in with LOI. Proper provincial/regional leagues with promotion into the first division would have been much more useful. The affiliation fees are crippling long established league clubs so there's no way new teams could afford them.
But GAA is the reason there is no interest in a league club in mayo apart from with committed people like yourself. Obviously it's not as simple as that and the leagues problems have alot to do too