SHAMROCK ROVERS MANAGER Stephen Bradley has vented his frustration with the Irish Football Association (IFA) over their handling of the proposed all-island league.
The IFA ruled out supporting a potential all-island league via a statement in late October, outlining the “lack of guarantees” surrounding income figures in businessman Kieran Lucid’s proposal.
Yet Bradley believes the association should have been more open to the idea, describing the concept as “a no-brainer” as well as critising the timing of the IFA’s statement.
“I’m amazed the IFA came out with the statement they came out with so early in the process,” Bradley told RTÉ2fm’s Game On.
“For me, there was no need for it. Why come out with a statement like that? Let’s keep sitting down and talking.
“Nobody said it was going to be easy. Nobody said it was going to happen overnight. I really believe if we want to progress the league, not tomorrow but in 10 years time, we have to have an all-Ireland league.
“There will be teams unhappy. They are going to miss out on certain things. There is going to be people falling out. But that is something what happens when you try to create something better and bigger.
“What we can’t have is people being happy to sit in the corner and kick the can down the road for the next 20 or 30 years. I think an all-Ireland league is a no-brainer for everyone involved.”
While the IFA outlined that their current structure has helped to build increased attendances, awareness and television coverage in Northern Ireland, there was plenty of support for Lucid’s proposal in the Republic.
Bradley also said he doesn’t buy into the idea that Dundalk’s comprehensive 6-0 defeat of Linfield in the second half of the Unite the Union Cup was an indication of a problematic gap in quality between teams in the two leagues.
“I know people made a lot out of the Dundalk and Linfield game and the scoreline,” he added.
“But over time it will make teams from north and south stronger. Financially it would even out over a period of time and I think the pool of players would even out over a period of time as well. If we don’t ever take that first step, I know there are European places and financial rewards that have to be discussed, I really think we can get there.
“I think we can get an attractive league for more investors, for people from outside, for television and the neutral. It is something we definitely need to look at.”
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Shot clock, warning on first offence, then stroke penalties on repeat offenders and serial offenders get a percentage deduction on prize money.
Sent out first an hour before the first grouping ON HIS OWN and monitored. 2 nd round the same..make the cut..the same for 3 Tournaments…see how he enjoys his golf then…he’ll soon realize that golf is about sharing with your partner(s) and the craic that he’ll miss. There is a way to tackle this and ISOLATE the problem…
@Desmond Cassidy: Their is a way to tackle is but this is most definitely not it
I think it would be better if they put a time limit on a round. E.g 4hrs 30mins and anything over is 1 shot penalty, 5hrs + = 2 shot penalty. Removes a shot clock and allows them to choose how to reduce there time, so if they want more time for shots make it up else where. Removes the need to clock everyone for every shot.
@Sean Murphy: what happens if you have a fast player (or two) paired with a slow player (or two)? You seem to be suggesting penalizing the fast player.
@Joey Navinski: Don’t get you? I’m saying they should put max time on each group from their allocated tee time to a reasonable pace, which on tour for a 3 ball is no more than 4hrs 30mins I would say. So then it’s between the group to keep up to pace? If they know they will be penalised a stroke if they go over time surely it will make them play or move quicker!
@Sean Murphy: i get what you’re saying but I don’t think it’s fair to ask fast players to police slow players, especially when most groups on any given day will have no slow players so those groups would not have that extra responsibility.
Your proposal puts unnecessary pressure/responsibility on ONLY the fast players who are paired with slow players.
Lads,
Here is a simple way to start… Just have a clock on the worst shots and have a leaderboard (wall of shame). Then run a league of sham during the year…
Have award at the end of the week and end year… Then when TV shows him next week or for the next year have a turtle/guy sleeping appear in the corner.
Seems a bit more fun and might work…