Cork City join chorus of clubs disappointed with league’s expansion plan

CORK CITY are among the clubs disappointed at proposals to expand the Airtricity League Premier Division by just two for the 2012 season.

Although nothing will be ratified until the FAI Board of Management gives its final approval on December 10, a meeting of the National League Executive Committee at Abbotstown has recommended that the Premier Division be expanded from 10 clubs to 12 in 2012, which would likely mean that one club would be relegated and three promoted from the First Division at the end of next season.

In an earlier submission, Cork City had proposed a move to a 16-team top flight and while a source at the club yesterday described the more modest expansion as “a step in the right direction”, there was disappointment that a more radical shake-up of the domestic game was not imminent.

Instead, a document circulated at a meeting of the clubs and the executive committee has recommended an expansion to 12 teams in the Premier Division for 2012 with a possible further expansion to 14 in 2015.

If the 12-team proposal is ratified next month, it means that two teams would automatically be promoted from the First Division at the end of next season with the bottom side in the Premier Division and the third-placed team in the First Division meeting in a relegation/promotion play-off to fill the third vacancy.

The situation with regard to the shape of the First Division from 2011 on is much less clear with one proposal for a regionalised division failing to garner much support despite the reduction in travel costs which such a move would entail.

Critical voices within the First Division argue that traditionally bigger clubs in that tier — like Cork, Shelbourne, Limerick and Athlone — are currently caught in a vicious circle whereby their position outside the top flight gives them little opportunity to play the kind of bigger, well-supported opposition which would allow them to maximise gates and grow attendances.

However, while admitting that a much-enlarged Premier Division would have boosted the club’s chances of going up next season, a spokesman for Cork City said that, even if the 12-team plan is approved, it would still be their goal to “leave nothing to chance and aim for automatic promotion next year anyway”.