Pa Ranahan: Promotion would spark football explosion in Limerick

Rising to Division 2 in the league would capture the imagination of youngsters in the county

24 October 2020; Paul Maher of Limerick celebrates at the full-time whistle following the Allianz Football League Division 4 Round 7 match between Sligo and Limerick at Markievicz Park in Sligo. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

Former Limerick footballer Pa Ranahan believes promotion to Division 2 would lead to an explosion of interest in the game within the county.

Limerick, who currently sit second in Division 3, will rise to the League’s second tier if they overcome Fermanagh on home soil this Sunday.

Part of the last Limerick team to compete in the League’s top half back in 2007, Ranahan said involvement in Division 2 would catch the imagination of youngsters in the county and send interest levels “through the roof”.

“Division 2 is different gravy when it comes to media and what the general public think. Some of the teams that are operating in the division are household names and have many household players. To be swimming in that pool, interest levels go through the roof from the underage players when they see a match covered by RTÉ or TG4. That sort of thing is golddust, really,” Ranahan remarked.

“People say it is a hurling county and it is a hurling county, but the reality is that when a Limerick team is winning, it is amazing the amount of people that will get behind it because this is a sports mad county.

“I remember when the U21 football team got to the All-Ireland final in 2000 and the crowds that turned up after that, there were thousands of people going to games.

“Division 2 would raise the profile. If you win on Sunday, you have a League final on television then the following week. I can’t remember the last time a Limerick football team was shown live on television.

“The hurling has exploded here and you can see all the young fellas going around with hurleys because the senior team is so visible. Anything like that just catches the imagination of young people.” 

Although fully cognisant of the sizable step up in class from Division 3 to 2 and the fact that Limerick would compete in the All-Ireland championship this summer, as opposed to the Tailteann Cup, Ranahan believes the county would benefit hugely from exposure at that level, as has been the case with neighbours and six-season Division 2 residents Clare.

“Development-wise for the players, it would be massive to get into Division 2. 2007 was my second year in the panel. Playing Dublin, Tyrone, Donegal, Kerry, and Cork in that league was just unreal.

“It was kind of daunting, but it really gave you an idea of where you needed to be as a player and whether you were able for it. And I do think that team kicked on after that and were unlucky in Munster in 2009 and 2010.

“I would love to see this current group go to Division 2. If I knew for definite that they were going to get relegated back down next year, I’d still like to take that opportunity to test yourself against the better teams. But I get the point that they have been on a steady upward curve for six years now under Billy Lee and would going up to that level maybe a bit too soon be too much?

“They haven’t reached their peak, but nor are they just starting out as a group. If not now, when? The core of the team are in their mid-20s. When is this opportunity going to present itself again for those lads? I don’t think it would be too big a jump for the group that they would be out of their depth totally, if they were up there.”