Light up nights with domestic football
THE SSE Airtricity League returned to light up our Friday nights at the weekend, although most will have barely given it a second glance.
The colour, passion and atmosphere is very much real though, as die-hards flock to their grounds of choice to fervently back a squad made up of battle-hardened warriors and developing talent, looking to make their mark at the highest level domestically.
There’s no doubting that the League of Ireland has its faults, with reports of skirmishes in the vicinity of grounds an all too frequent occurrence, while the sight of flares billowing from the stands is rather unseemly and, for many, scuppers the chance of it becoming a family-friendly indulgence.
There’s plenty that will turn their noses up at the prospect of even tuning in to domestic football on their television, never mind actually being there in the flesh.
The non-believers simply don’t understand the joy it can bring, and most likely never will.
The aficionados are the lucky ones though. They’ll soak up all the emotion - the highs and the inevitable lows - and most importantly they’ll share their real experiences with like-minded souls.
That’s something that a few trips a season across the Irish Sea to cheer on your favourite franchise will never bring you. You may be walking on air after your team of cherry-picked talent earns a thrilling victory, but it’s a far cry from the down-to-earth reality of being part of the journey as your local club achieves something tangible.
If you allow it to, your local League of Ireland club can be part of your being and an important thread of the fabric of your community, and that’s where the problem lies; many just refuse to let it in.
Junior clubs all over the country look down on the league with suspicion, while prospective fans refuse to give it a go, often because of an ill-judged view that the football on show is too agricultural in nature, and a belief that hardearned cash would be better spent on a few pints down the local, while an EFL Championship clash beams from the corner of the bar.
The reality is that League of Ireland football is reasonably priced in comparison to most sporting events. Forking out €10 or €15 fortnightly to cheer on your home club is within the realms of most, or if you’re willing to make a greater commitment, a season ticket will offer even better value.
In the League of Ireland you can be a real part of your club, instead of just being a wide-eyed fan looking in. The opportunities are there to really make a contribution in a voluntary capacity, and firm friendships can be forged through a common bond.
For some, following their local club is an almost reverential, religious experience where you can bow down at the altar and fanatically cheer on local heroes, rather than some twinkle-toed multi-millionaire plying his trade across the water.
It’s not surprising that the paying, baying faithful couldn’t wait to get their teeth back into their fix of live action, given that Irish fans have to endure the longest off season in European football. It seems like an age since Dundalk saw off Cork City in the FAI Cup final to secure the double, mainly because it has been an age.
Absence certainly made the hearts grow fonder for excited League of Ireland fans, with Waterford’s RSC, for example, rocking for the visit of Shamrock Rovers as the new season kicked off with a bang.
Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy and members of his backroom team were in attendance at various League of Ireland games on Friday night, but whether that proves just to be a PR exercise remains to be seen.
Stephen Kenny moving into the Irish U-21 hotseat as a stepping stone to the Senior job can only bring the league into greater focus, and nobody knows the domestic scene better than the former Dundalk supremo.
The Declan Rice debacle illustrated the importance of developing our own players from a young age instead of trying to gather ones that fall through the cracks elsewhere.
The importance of a strong, vibrant domestic league can’t be underestimated in finding, nurturing and bringing through top young talent.
Every football fan in the country can be a part of that journey if they’re willing to go through the turnstiles and give it a try.