*Eddie Crowe of Sporting Ennistymon flagged how they played 9 matches in 28 days in May. Photograph: Joe Buckley
AN AUGUST start will remain for the upcoming Clare District Soccer League (CDSL) season but a move towards summer soccer and a February 2028 start is on the horizon.
Moving to summer soccer and falling into line with FAI directives dominated the bulk of Monday’s AGM of the CDSL.
Fern Celtic tabled a proposal that a committee representing both rural and urban clubs be formed to agree a format for a change to calendar soccer in 2028. Ennis Town FC proposed that the 2026/27 season run in full.
CDSL Chairman, Donal Magee admitted, “I don’t know if it will happen or not. We can chat about it tonight, do we hold off till 2028, I don’t see it going ahead myself”.
Registrar Nigel Bradish questioned if it was “common knowledge about FAI delegates that it will be put off or is just a rumour”. Magee replied, “Munster will stay the way it is according to Barry Cotter until further notice. Some FAI members feel the FAI Junior Cup has been very disruptive this year with how it has been run”.
Following questioning from Lifford AFC’s John O’Neill on plans for the forthcoming season, the Chairman advised, “we are talking about running a 26/27 season as normal, that is the feedback from clubs on what they want. We wrote to the clubs on numerous occasions, eight clubs came back, we send stuff out all the time, some clubs are good to come back, some don’t bother”.
Co-founder of Fern Celtic, Leonard Meaney said, “We’re happy to go with whatever is agreed. I believe we’re not set up to start in 2027, what is the format between now and December 26, the season would have to finish in December to be ready to start in 2027, there is a lot to be discussed between the clubs”.
Availability of facilities and referees is “the big elephant in the room” with regards to any move, Magee flagged. “We don’t have the numbers or referees for more leagues”. He said he was happy for a committee to be formed to try plan ahead.
Recalling his involvement when the CSSL moved to summer soccer, Meaney said, “it has been a huge success”. He added, “I’d like to know what other delegates think, I’m open on whether it goes to calendar soccer or not but we need to be prepared for it”.
Sporting Ennistymon’s Eddie Crowe told the AGM, “in the month of May, in twenty eight days we played nine matches, that is mad, we could have finished our league in two months is what that means, if we had summer soccer it would have ran over another three months”. He continued, “to play nine matches in 28 days is madness, players got injured and didn’t recover within three days, it was mad, I don’t think any other club would have put up with it or went through that cycle”.
Crowe suggested, “when the league starts play for three or four months, take a break and play the remainder at the end, this thing of trying to play matches in December, January and February, we played no games in December, two in January and no match in February, what is the point when you play three matches in three months”.
Clare is “missing a trick by not playing adult soccer in the summer,” Eddie believed. He said an underage game could be followed by an adult game on the same evening.
Lifford’s O’Neill acknowledged, “the weather is having a big impact. Games in the CSSL were cancelled due to extreme heat”. He felt an earlier start of the CDSL season “would be appropriate”.
Problems exist with the winter season, said Mike Moloney who recently stepped down as Tulla Utd manager. “We have a season which last eleven months but with virtually no matches in December, January and February. Are we going to continue to do this year after year, telling lads they have a game at 11am on a Sunday and knowing it won’t go ahead. Teams that propgress in the FAI are now at a disadvantage because that is done as calendar season”.
Clubs are going without games “for three or four months then have loads of fixtures in eleven days which is no reflection on David O’Grady who did a tremendous job,” Moloney said. “The quality of football to be played in June, July, August where pitches in good shape, play any day of the week and the evening time, there’s lots of advantages, we seem to be only looking at disadvantages”.
Aaron Cleary of Ennis Dons questioned if the CDSL were giving the go ahead in 2027 or “not at all” to which Magee replied, “Not at all, I’ve been told by people high up. The original plan was 2028 but Munster are not changing schedule and staying as they are”.
Length of the season needs to be reviewed, Cleary stressed. “Eleven months is too long, it is becoming unenjoyable for people involved” and Magee acknowledged, “it is difficult”.
Robert Clancy of Kilrush Rangers asked, “do the FAI have the power to say to us all ‘this is it’ and you have to do it” with Magee confirming, “They do but general consensus is a lot of people not happy with it, the next few months will tell a lot”. This requires the CDSL to plan, Moloney said, “If we’re going to end up with a road where the FAI pushes it through, we need a contingency plan on what summer soccer looks like. We need a contingency there for if it does happen, when do we want to start, when do we take a break”.
Magee again voiced his willingness to sit down with club representatives and try form a committee.
“Where are we at on this, is it to be implemented by the FAI,” queried Brendan Wall of Shannon Hibs. “Not at the moment,” replied Magee to which Wall remarked, “that’s not the question, have they given a directive”. The FAI have outlined that summer soccer is to be in place for 2028, the Chairman stated with Wall responding, “That is a directive, there isn’t a case, we are switching over then”. Magee replied, “I’m told it won’t be enforced” with Wall perplexed, “what does that mean,” he asked. “It won’t happen,” Magee said, “Munster have said it won’t happen”. Former CSSL Chair Wall observed, “they are acting independent of the FAI”.
Clancy stated, “We play the 26/27 as normal then a short season and start in February 2028, that is what we’ve to look at and we’ve no choice” with the Chairman responding, “correct”.
Lack of information from the FAI is not helping the situation, Rhine Rovers’ Ger O’Halloran believed. “Munster won’t take a directive from the FAI, Carolann said eight clubs replied to her, the lack of information and directive from the FAI is causing this, we need to decide tonight that we’re starting in six or seven weeks or we’re not, there’s too much uncertainty, we need to be sure of our start date so clubs can plan accordingly, clubs need to get out now at the end of June signing players and be back training”. PRO Eoghan McNulty said the FAI did issue a calendar “with all this in place” and believed a CDSL specific calendar needed to be created.
Thomas Lineen of St Pat’s AFC in Kilmihil noted, “There’s not enough of a lead-in to rush in a short season this year but we need to start the discussions so we’re ready to go next year, go with a full season for 26/27, we won’t get this thrashed out in six or seven weeks”.
Magee told the meeting, “I’m only telling ye what I’ve been told, it is a directive. We will play the 2026/27 season, then do a short season in 2027 if we need to with the directive to start in February or March 2028. A decision will be made in next few months to say if we’re going ahead or rowing back”.
Vice Chairman Ronnie Pyne warned there is “a lot of work to switch over” and felt it was “too late” to even try run a shorter season. “We finished on June 7th this year and that is too late, we should be looking at the end of April or May to finish. Lads will be burnt out”.
Alan Murphy, manager of Fern Celtic said any shorter season has to take into account promotion and relegation. “We will do work behind the scenes, go through a structure for having a shorter season,” the Chairman replied with Wall interjecting, “We should know tonight”. Magee confirmed the 26/27 would follow the traditional format.
Offering more clarity, Magee said the League Cup would commence on August 22nd/23rd. “We will continue as we are for 2026/27 season and do a short league running into 2027 if that directive is pushed through for a February 2028 start date”.
To allow the season to finish earlier, consideration needs to be given to scrapping the League Cup, Ennis Dons’ Cleary flagged.
Clubs were reminded that they could have submitted motions if seeking major changes by McNulty. “We’re asking for rule changes and motions, then there’s silence from the clubs, we’ve great suggestions for this, we could have been prepared for this if Ennis Dons had motions in, Mike (Moloney) had great suggestions too. We didn’t get any rule changes, nothing has come back until now from the floor, although it is not new information technically it is”.
O’Neill replied, “I was of the opinion it was a directive from the FAI that we would be going with calendar year” with McNulty pointing out, “Regardless, we don’t have to go until 2028, we still have 18 months, no one has to run a half season”.
Meaney suggested it be agreed by all clubs to “go as we are for next season and finish whenever, between now and then a group can put a few proposals together”. If there is a shorter season from August to December of 2027, he said it would “be harsh” to promote and relegate teams. Pyne pointed out, “the CSSL is a shorter league but still a full league, there was promotion and relegation” and McNulty commented, “If it is a season where there is no promotion or relegation then teams will not bother their bollox”.
Former FAI development officer, Denis Hynes said to put the models given by the FAI up on the CDSL website. He quipped, “Can the FAI commit to anything, we were to play Israel at home and it is now on in Serbia”. The Ennistymon native added, “Ringmahon gave a walkover in the FAI because they think Cork will get to the All-Ireland hurling final. You’re in charge of your league until someone says otherwise”.
Crowe asked if the upcoming season will have a break in December and January to which Treasurer Gormley pointed out, “that will catch us then if we want to finish the season”. McNulty flagged, “There is three weeks of a winter break” with Wall observing, “the year after needs the planning”.
“We’re talking good stuff but if we don’t have a Fixtures Secretary we can’t kick off anything,” Vice Chairman Pyne reminded the meeting.
Vote on running traditional season as is for 2026/27
Avenue Utd – for
Bridge Utd – for
Connolly Celtic – for
Coole FC – for
Ennis Dons – against
Ennis Town FC – for
Fern Celtic – for
Hermitage FC – for
Kilrush Rangers – for
Lifford AFC – for
Moher Celtic – for
Rhine Rovers – for
Shannon Hibs – for
Tulla Utd – for
Shannon Olympic – for
St Pat’s AFC – for
