Merged national leagues — pie in the sky?

If you accept that full-time clubs were essential for the future of Irish football there’s an obvious follow-up question: how do we create sustainable full-time clubs in Ireland?

Examining the past is a good place to start. Full-time football in Ireland is linked with reckless mismanagement, financial difficulties and has been the killer of many League of Ireland clubs. We need only look at the near demise of Cork City, Shelbourne, Derry City and Drogheda to see why there’s such a mistrust of full-time football on this island.

The Cork club is nearest my heart. Looking at Cork clubs over the last 100 years offers another, subtly different, explanation why League of Ireland clubs fail.