The End Of Full-Time Football?

The Last Word by Brendan White

(first published in the September 2010 Finn Harps match programme)

With the League of Ireland season almost over, its ending will probably also bring about the end of full-time football. In any case, surely part-time football is the way the League of Ireland is going to have to go to sustain the teams. This season has seen just four sides marked as full-time - Shamrock Rovers, Bohemians, Sporting Fingal and Sligo Rovers - remain more-or-less full-time, but include part-time players as well.

Shamrock Rovers look like the only side that can sustain a full-time set up into the future with crowds of up to 4000 regular visitors to Tallaght Stadium. With Rovers fighting for the League title, they have been able to consistently keep crowds sizes toward a maximum.

Sligo Rovers are also a club that have the possibility of staying full-time, or almost full-time. EA Sports Cup champions, and looking most likely to grab third spot in the table, it has proved to be quite a good season on the field for Paul Cook’s team.

Sporting Fingal are a team about whom doubts have been raised in some quarters, as backers of the club from the start could potentially be distracted by the current problems the economy holds, but it must be said that for now full-time football seems to be working well for them.

Bohemians have all but admitted that part-time football is the only option available with crowds having dropped severely over the course of the season. Having won the League two years in a row, the club’s wages have gone up as they looked to make a break in Europe, a competition which proved fruitless as they exited with very little challenge.

Other Premier Division teams have struggled as well, with Galway United an example of how financial woes can come hand in hand with a poor season on the pitch.

With all teams in the First Division playing off part-time, this has to be seen as the way to keep teams alive. No clubs have asked fans for more money, to take out loans, or anything to indicate that financial problems have arisen this season.

Cork City and Derry City have shown that despite moving from full-time football to part-time, it hasn’t stopped quality players from joining their clubs and playing in the First Division. Shane Barrett, George O’Callaghan, Mark Farren and Barry Molloy are Premier Division footballers plying their trade in the lower division.

These are players who are willing to drop a League, get their heads down and work for their team for part-time wages which shows that the days of players earning enormous sums are well and truly gone.

With the majority of League of Ireland players out of contract come the last game of the season, next season is likely to see a surge of players dropping from full-time football to part-time, most of whom will have no other choice as full-time options are severely scarce.

The downside to this is the potential emigration of our top talents who may have to go onto to England and further in search of full-time contracts to make a living.

Eamon Zayed and Alan Kirby are prime examples of footballers who could see the trend and went back to college to get degrees knowing that full-time football mightn’t be sustainable. They chose to give themselves another option come next season when contract offers may not be on the table.

Part-time football and furthering your education seems to be the smart option for League of Ireland players as the League takes the drop. Full-time football doesn’t look to be sustainable at present, so next season’s rush for part-time players is sure to be frantic.