It’s time for an all-Ireland football association

dublincc2

With a united Ireland looking increasingly likely within the next 25 years I believe this is an issue that needs to be discussed. It’s not the most important issue that would need to be resolved but it is one that matters to a lot of people.

The suggestion that there should be an all-Ireland team has been going around for ages, but I believe that as a gesture of goodwill towards the unionist community that the FAI should merge with the IFA, and the IFA is the main footballing body for the entire island as it was pre-independence. I honestly don’t see the harm in this for reasonable people, it has historical continuity with things like the Irish Cup etc. Not to mention the joke that is the FAI as an entity.

It is also one of the four founding Football Associations and has special privilege at FIFA in deciding the laws of the game alongside The English, Welsh and Scottish FA’s. Why would we want to decline such a major privilege?

I know there is an emotional connection to the Republic of Ireland team, but let’s be honest aside from Jackie’s Army we have been at best average and at worst complete and utter horseshïte. Not saying the GAWA are any better but what harm would their incorporation do?

I think it would obviously go a long way to uniting the communities of the 6 counties in a future united Ireland for us all to cheer the same team. The IFA is the original association for Ireland and should retain its place as such.

Fr Tod Umptious

No chance.

The sets of supporters hate each other.

The republic fans are by and large working class, Dublin based with many having a great affinity for Celtic.

The northern fans are by and large working class, Belfast based with many having a great affinity for Rangers.

Soccer is a odd sport in the way that home and away fans have to be kept apart to prevent violence, fans bases are primarily made up of Neanderthals.

If Ireland had a single team, they would have to keep the home support apart.

One thing I like about the Republic of Ireland soccer is that they fly the national flag and sing the national anthem.

We'd have to get rid of that all to appeas a bunch of loyalist knuckle draggers.

dublincc2

The point I’m making is that when a united Ireland is achieved the situation would be improved if we had both sides of that divide cheering the same team and being governed by the same organisation.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120676477#Comment_120676477

Why on earth would there be two governing bodies after a United Ireland anyway? It will happen then and very much not before - the appetite for a UI football team would map quite well onto the appetite for a UI in general I would think (if not slightly lag it).

dublincc2

That’s my point. A united Ireland on a political front is a separate issue, as part of planning ahead for that quite likely possibility I think we should look at moving towards a unity of the football associations and teams in advance, so when the time comes for a border poll there will already be a sense of unity and camaraderie formed with the soccer team.

Brussels Sprout

If I was a unionist Northern Ireland supporter I'd be extremely wary of any merger based purely on what happens in rugby. How many internationals have the Irish rugby team played in the North this century? Every major match is played in Dublin and the Irish national anthem is played (with Ireland's Call being a sop to the North). It's basically a Republic of Ireland team with the bonus of being able to select people from the unionist community as well.

For that reason I can't see it happening.

I also think that Reunification in the next 25 years is being optimistic for several reasons:

• Yes the Unionist community is in demographic decline but that doesn't mean that the rest of the population of the North is necessarily going to want to go for a united Ireland. You have a growing population of people who neither see themselves as British or Irish but specifically Northern Irish. There are also many migrants who don't have the same historical family ties to one community or the other.
• A Yes vote in the Republic in any referendum is far from a foregone conclusion. Polls have shown that a majority of people will vote Yes to a simple question. However when you start applying constraints (New flag, new anthem, taking over London's subvention etc etc) the numbers drop off. All of those things would need to be agreed prior to any referendum (nobody wants another post-Brexit scenario). Any polls have to take that sort of stuff into account.

NIMAN

Can't see half the staff of the 2 associations agreeing to become unemployed.

They are all in cushy little jobs, with good incomes.

dublincc2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120676697#Comment_120676697

That’s just ridiculous. A UI is almost certain by 2050 if a border poll is done on the basis of 50%+1. As for the ROI voting against, I honestly can’t take such an idea seriously. Yes there may be concerns over the financial element and the symbols, but if you think the 26 counties are going to vote less than 70% for unity you are deluded.

An all-Ireland team is clearly the way forward, so why not make a start now?

As I said above; the benefits of this are immense, not least the IFA being one of the four FA’s to decide with FIFA the laws of the game.

Brussels Sprout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120676800#Comment_120676800

Why do you think that is almost certain by 2050? If you could back up your answer with data then that'd be even better.

I can categorically tell you that the 26 counties wll not vote for Reunification with greater than 70%. The Irish Times commissioned a large survey on this in December where they asked a simple Yes/No question with no additional details and that got 66%. As soon as the actual details of what would be required are unveiled then that number is only going to drop.

Also, check out the numbers for Reunification for Catholics (55%) and Other (20%) in the north. Other is the fastest growing community in the North.

source

dublincc2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120677078#Comment_120677078

I’m not interested in the political side, this is purely about merging the two football associations. I honestly don’t see the issue with my proposal

Palmach

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120676697#Comment_120676697

A Yes vote down South is guaranteed. 100%. I'd put my house on it. Once people enter the polling booth the chance to right 800 years of wrong will take over.

Tippex

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120677200#Comment_120677200

I think the first issue with your proposal is that it cannot happen before a United Ireland happens.

I seem to remember there being some fifa rules that you can only have an affiliated football association if there is an internationally recognised government (country) I may be wrong on this but this is how I remember it.

Brussels Sprout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120677200#Comment_120677200

You made political assumptions as the basis for your proposal. If we instead assume that a United Ireland isn't going to happen anytime soon then it makes the likelihood of the merging of the international teams a lot less likely also.

BattleCorp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120677209#Comment_120677209

I don't share your optimism.

I like the idea of a United Ireland but if there was a vote tomorrow on a United Ireland, I'm not sure I'd vote yes because of the following:

Being realistic, how would we afford a United Ireland? You'll say who cares but I care as do many other people. 1 in 4 workers in the North work for the Government, many in makey-uppey jobs such as community workers etc. How would we pay for that? Public Sector expenditure for Northern Ireland in 2021 was £36.4 billion. We'd have to make up that, and more each year.

Then there's the legal differences, do we make everyone in the North follow our laws, or do we follow their laws, or do we draft a totally new set of laws that will cause mayhem? For instance gun laws. Do we use our laws, or NI laws or what do we use? Or the age of consent. It's 16 in the North. It's 17 here. These are minor areas (pardon the pun), but I'm sure there's 1000's of examples of more complicated legislation that would cause serious trouble. Look at the shyte Brexit has caused, and that's only a small area of the law.

And then there's the matter of splinter groups who don't agree with a United Ireland. Some of them would undoubtedly form terrorist groups. How would we manage that seeing as we can hardly effectively police what we have at the moment.

There's an awful lot more to consider than blah blah blah 800 years blah blah when pondering the ramifications of a United Ireland. And a football team would be pretty near the bottom of the list.

Brussels Sprout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120677794#Comment_120677794

I suspect that that isn't the case as there are quite a few FIFA members that are not independent countries. Apart from the 4 "home" nations making up the UK there are the likes of:

• Taihiti, New Caledonia (France)
• Faroe Islands (Denmark)
• Curacao, Aruba (Netherlands)
• Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman islands, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos, Gibraltar (UK)
• Guam, American Samoa, US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico (USA)
• Hong Kong, Macau (China)
• Cook Islands (New Zealand)

Palmach

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120677891#Comment_120677891

According to ARINS at Notre Dame the amount needed to be spent was "rounding figure". They broke it down why. We can easily afford it. The splinter groups have nowhere to go if there is a vote. Who's going to support them? As an added bonus we'd have a potentially bigger soccer league and pick of players.

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120676477#Comment_120676477

Right and you think that the negative views you have expressed about one of the organisations in your proposal is the way to go about it.... you have already lost the argument.

Brussels Sprout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120686413#Comment_120686413

The substantial public sector bill alone is certainly not a "rounding error". We cannot easily afford it.

The threat of loyalist insurgencies in a united Ireland cannot be casually dismissed out of hand either.

We already have a pick of all of the Norther Ireland players who were born in the 6 counties but want to play for us.

I myself would vote for Reunification regardless of the costs but I think it does a disservice for people to ignore the very real difficulties it would present and announce it as a fait accompli.

artanevilla

European spots in the relevant leagues would be halved, can't see it happening anytime soon.

dublincc2

There could be some compromise in terms of how many games are played in Windsor Park and how many in Aviva etc. Both could have joint Irish national stadium status and rotate Irish Cup fixtures.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120686850#Comment_120686850

+1.

Whenever a proposal to unify the 2 leagues comes up, this is the argument that shoots it down. Can’t ever see 1 league for the whole island because of this.

dublincc2

Coming back on this, it’s the right time to look at the two FAs on the island forming one. Both teams are pretty crap atm and the FAI in particular is very badly run.

The IFA is the Irish Football Association, it still has the original Irish league and it is one of the four rule-making football associations in FIFA, along with the English, Welsh and Scottish FAs. This would give us great influence in international soccer.

Honestly I think the sectarian BS would go away after a generation post-reunification, even today we can field an all-Ireland rugby team without major issues.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121990733#Comment_121990733

What value is this influence to us ?

Would ig allow us to change the rules to allow carrying the ball 4 steps and then either hopping or soloing it ?

Would it allow us to extending the goal posts upwards so that anything over the bar counts as one point and under it counts as three ?

A united Ireland is 25 years away, a generation after that is another 25 years.

So the sectarian BS as you call it is still 50 years away from disappearing according to yourself, but you still think now is the time for a united team ?

The fan bases of both teams would have nothing to do with it, why ?, because like all soccer fan bases they are knuckle dragging neanderthals, brought up to hate everyone but their own team, and especially hate anyone in close proximity that may have cultural differences from them.

You can't compare it with rugby, it's completely different.

One eyed Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120677200#Comment_120677200

I’m not interested in the political side, this is purely about merging the two football associations. I honestly don’t see the issue with my proposal

You clearly do, precisely because you claim you’re not interested in the political side, knowing full well that’s precisely the reason there isn’t a snowballs chance in hell of it happening.

kowloonkev

I think such is the hatred between the two sets of supporters that even if there was some kind of united Ireland it wouldn't guarantee an all Ireland football team for generations after.

It would end up more like a United Kingdom of Ireland I reckon, with most things remaining separate.

keeponhurling

For the governing bodies, two national teams becoming one reduces matches, revenue and maybe jobs.

What should happen first would be an All-Ireland league. That would be beneficial to everybody and raise the overall level of the league (and maybe the popularity of the sport too).

ELM327

The IFA was the original football association for the whole island, similar to the IRFU for rugby. We'd be merging the FAI into the IFA not the other way around

Mullinabreena

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120677200#Comment_120677200

Football is political, you can escape that. It's largely an urban working class sport. Look up the history on how and why the FAI were formed, not much has changed. Forget the armchair fans that follow foreign football on subscription chanels, its the active fans that will be sway any decisions. One Football Association means one league. There is no way Linfield or the other Protestant clubs of Belfast will ever be in favour of one association.

dublincc2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121991592#Comment_121991592

This is what I mean. The IFA was the original Irish team, and as a gesture to Ulster Protestants we should return to their governing all-Ireland football, preferably with HQ in Belfast.

There is no love for the FAI here (John Delaney and all the other BS) so I don’t see why people would care. It’s governance, simple as that.

dublincc2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121991729#Comment_121991729

They can put up with it or just focus on SFL or whatever. We shouldn’t be bending over backwards to accommodate Irish people in denial of the constitutional reality.

BaywatchHQ

I don't support either team. Supporting Northern Ireland is no different to supporting Glasgow Rangers. I wonder why some Catholics play for them, I suppose they are willing to do it for the fame and money. If I was in that situation I would sacrifice playing international football.