COLUMN: Mayo FC entering League of Ireland at a good time

By the time you read this, it could already be official: Mayo FC may have been named as one of the teams to compete in the ‘third division’ of the Airtricity League of Ireland (LoI).

The Mayo News understands that the club has been told they will be part of the new tier when it kicks off next year.

The league is enjoying boom times recently, and it is a great time for Mayo to join. The trigger for the boom was probably the appointment of Damien Duff as manager of Shelbourne in 2021.

Though he has since departed, his presence while it lasted, raised the profile of the League hugely. Suddenly, everyone was interested in the League.

Duff was a celebrity manager having performed at a high level in the UK as a player and had played for Ireland at senior international level. He had played for Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Fulham.

And not just a handful of appearances here and there; he was a major figure at each, scoring 61 goals along the way. And then there was the small matter of his 100 international caps for Ireland, to take into account.

There have been other Irish internationals managing in the League of Ireland down the years.

His replacement in the Shelbourne dug-out, Joey O’Brien, played for Bolton Wanderers, Sheffield Wednesday and West Ham United, but he hasn’t anywhere near the profile of Duff.

Another Irish international, Jeff Kenna, had a season in charge at Galway United, and in the rear view mirror, Johnny Giles and Liam Brady both managed Shamrock Rovers at different times.

But it was the arrival of Duff that kick-started the current LoI revival. The media swarmed to him and he didn’t disappoint – offering interviews and soundbites to sate the craving.

Attendances across the League of Ireland soared to record-breaking levels last year, surpassing the one-million mark for the first time in the league’s history. Television viewership figures have also risen in recent years.

This is a remarkable period of growth for the league, which has seen sustained increases in match-day support, enhanced media coverage and greater national interest over the last number of seasons.

The strong attendance figures come during a period of significant investment in football infrastructure nationwide.

Bohemians received almost €25 million under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund for the redevelopment of Dalymount Park, a long-awaited project that will completely transform the iconic venue.

Sligo Rovers also secured a major boost for their ambitious Showgrounds redevelopment, with €16.4 million allocated to the project.

Wexford FC received €2 million to support their planned move from Ferrycarrig Park to a new stadium located closer to the town. Finn Harps are hoping to get planning for a new stadium in the new year, while Galway United are likely to keep pursuing their plans to build a training facility at Athenry.

And of recent, LoI players have been transferred to the UK for record fees.

Mason Melia set the record when he agreed to leave St Patrick's Athletic to join Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur for a reported €2m up-front fee, rising to €4 million with add-ons, plus a 20% sell-on clause.

And then Victor Ozhianvuna signed for Arsenal from Shamrock Rovers also for €2m. These transfers highlight a growing trend of top League of Ireland youth talent moving to Premier League clubs.

The fees for Ozhianvuna and Melia are seen as significant breakthroughs, marking the first time players from the league have commanded multi-million euro fees.

While everything is far from perfect at a lot of clubs and the league in general, things are better than they were, and improving all the time. Mayo FC is joining at a great time for the game nationally.

By the time the third-tier league starts, the Mayo U-20 squad will have most of their debut season completed, and some of those players might make the breakthrough to the senior team.

The Under-20 project is certainly a showcase for their individual and team talent. It is also a good test run for all facets of Mayo FC.

The team will come up against stiff opposition from established clubs at this level; clubs that will be able to play experienced players – some with Airtricity League senior games behind them, in the underage competition.

It will also bring the administration and financing of the project into sharp focus. And whatever the Under 20s cost, the senior side will cost a lot more.

The board of administrators will learn from the Under-20 apprenticeship and this will stand to them when they join the new third tier.

It will be interesting too, to see what sort of attendances, the club gets in the League. Kerry FC which is the nearest comparable example, draws around 650 on average.

The others at the lower end are Wexford FC (629), Longford Town (552), Athlone Town (543) and UCD (329). Galway United and Sligo Rovers both attract around 2,800.

The big Dublin clubs, Bohemians, Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne and St Pat’s are the biggest draws, with Derry City and Cork City also getting decent crowds.

The attraction of the third tier has not been tested, but Mayo FC will need to wash its face financially from the off. It will need the support of the people of Mayo to achieve this.

Manager, Anthony O’Neill, hasn’t finalised his Under-20 squad yet. I wonder when he eventually does, will he be speculating on some of his players making the step-up to full senior football, later in the year.

As trials progress, will he be signing players with potential to develop? Will he be looking for players from around the county, to spread the attendance appeal to help balance the books?

Or will he be simply looking at the best players available on the day? And, when Mayo FC kicks off their first match in the Third Tier, will O’Neill be the man in the dugout?

Mayo FC men’s’ sides in the various underage sections of the LoI in which they have competed to date, have found wins hard enough to come by.

The Under-20s will face very capable opposition and unless O’Neill can recruit players with LoI experience, may also find wins elusive.

While winning isn’t everything, it is still a big thing, and ideally, the Under-20s would have a good season to give the senior side a radiant glow when it takes its fledgling steps later in the year.