FAI DIRECTOR OF Competitions Fran Gavin has written an open letter to SSE Airtricity League clubs with the 2016 domestic season wrapped up.
As well as congratulating the various league and cup winners in the two top divisions and the underage levels, it has been revealed that the campaign will begin at an earlier date of Friday, 24 February next year.
The President’s Cup between Dundalk and Cork City is set to be played prior to that, although no date has been confirmed.
The mid-season break, which will run from 3 June to 15 June, is also one week shorter, while the FAI Cup will only have replays from the quarter-finals onwards.
These changes have been made in order to prevent a situation similar to Dundalk’s in 2016, when the Lilywhites had a congested fixture list for the latter stages of the campaign due to their participation in the Europa League and the FAI Cup.
Gavin has also outlined plans for a new marketing executive and marketing group.
It’s over a year since the release of findings from the Conroy Report and clubs will meet with the association to discuss the league structure from 2018 onwards and put forward their five-year strategic plans in between now and the end of the year.
“Looking forward to next season, the FAI has begun the process of recruiting a full-time Marketing Executive for the SSE Airtricity League, as recommended in the SSE Airtricity League Consultation Process Report,” the letter reads.
“This appointed person will work within our newly founded League marketing group, which will include two club nominated representatives, as proposed to the clubs by their representative Michael Cush.
The marketing group will be tasked with delivering an overall plan for the league which, in turn, will take account of the community pillars in the clubs five-year strategic business plans, which will be presented to the FAI prior to 18 November, as communicated by Michael Cush.
“The first meeting of the marketing group will take place on 21 November. The association and the club representatives will continue to meet over the coming weeks regarding the Conroy Report recommendations, including the structure of the League from 2018 season onwards, with a view to concluding discussions by end of year.”
It adds: ”An international branding expert is currently reviewing the SSE Airtricity League with a view to delivering a report to the FAI Board, which has been convened for the sole purpose of discussing these findings.
“The report is being compiled following meetings with many key stakeholders, clubs, administrators, supporters and volunteers, across the length and breadth of the country, while attending league, cup and European games, over the final months of the season.”
The letter goes on to list several incidents which have caused the association concern over this past year, including crowd trouble, anti-social behaviour and flares at a number of matches.
Clubs are being encouraged to highlight the dangers of violent behaviour and pyrotechnics, while the FAI has promised to travel around the country to help improve safety at grounds by stamping out such incidents.
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