Mr. Fran Gavin:

The FAI took over the running of the league in 2007. There was agreement between the clubs and the FAI for the FAI to run it. I have since that time been the director of the league and director of competitions. We can clearly see that the league is now in a better place than it was then. The clubs are stable, up to a point, but as they are individual businesses, they decide who to sign. Their performances on the field have been particularly good in Europe. Dundalk, Shamrock Rovers and Cork have shown it and many clubs are doing much better now. There are healthy attendances, and this season our attendances in the Premier Division have increased by nearly 24% this year. There are many full-time clubs in the Premier Division.

As our president mentioned, we have introduced underage national leagues. These are for players under 19, under 17, under 15 and under 13, and they have been very positive not only for the players, as there is an elite player pathway, but the communities the clubs are in. More people are feeling an affiliation to a club at all levels. Going to matches, there are visibly more families and children, with bigger attendances and great football being played. The work done by clubs and people at the coalface in this area is tremendous and they really have come on leaps and bounds over the past few years. It is really difficult to run a League of Ireland club but the majority of clubs have excelled. We can see the proof today on a Friday night or a Saturday in Sligo.