Sort out the local game first - top Irish League manager responds to Taoiseach's all-Ireland football call
A top local manager has said improvements must be made to football in Northern Ireland before any attempts to create an all-Ireland league, after comments by the Irish prime minister Micheál Martin.
Stephen Baxter, who led Crusaders FC to an all-island cup victory in 2012 and now manages Carrick Rangers in the Northern Ireland Football League, says any changes to the structure of the game “would have to be really thought through”.
The Taoiseach has said that he would like to see opportunities to grow football on an all-island basis, following Derry City FC winning of the FAI League Cup. The Northern Ireland team has played in the Republic of Ireland’s league since the 1980s, after leaving the Irish league.
Asked about football across the island, Mr Martin said he believes the two football associations, the FAI in the Republic and IFA in Northern Ireland, could work together to look at potential initiatives.
“Soccer was very working class, strongly supported by working class communities.
“Belfast would have been probably the industrial capital at that particular time, and so you would have had a significant Unionist and Loyalist participation in soccer and in the IFA, so in many ways, the divide almost predated independence, or it became a natural occurrence with the Football Association of Ireland being established,” he said.
“But I think I think Derry’s win last week does remind us of the degree to which competition can enhance the standard of football and enhance teams with opportunities to players on both sides of the border.
“I’d like to see opportunities to grow football on an all-island basis, but to do it in an agreed way through work between the two associations, whilst they retain their traditions and their various competitions.
“There must be opportunities to develop this more effectively.”
Asked would he support the return of a cross-border championship following the ending of the Setanta Sports Cup, Mr Martin suggested there was potential.
That tournament ran from 2005 to 2014, with clubs in the League of Ireland from the Republic of Ireland and the NIFL Premiership from Northern Ireland competing.
Stephen Baxter was the Crusaders FC manager who won the all-Ireland tournament in 2012. Now Carrick Rangers manager, he says any such tournament would present difficulties for the local game.
“There's been a lot of hard work put in by all the Irish league teams over the last 30-40 years in this country, through all the dark days, all the the clubs have kept this whole thing going.
“I think there needs to be some serious investment into the local game with regards to facilities and helping the local game here, before we could even start thinking about all Ireland leagues and all that sort of stuff.
“Yeah, that's something that could be workable in the future, if huge sponsors come in. And you would need huge sponsors to make this all work. But that I think that's a wee while away”, he said.
The Carrick Rangers boss said the logistics of such a plan would really need to be thought through.
“Facilities, fans, all of those things will will need to be really taken into consideration”, he said.
Mr Baxter added: “There's no point taking out the best four teams in the Premier League, and saying ‘let's form an all Ireland League’ – what what happens to the rest of the clubs?”
NI Football League CEO Gerard Lawlor described the Taoiseach’s comments as “interesting” in a post on the social media platform, X.
“We already enjoy an excellent working relationship with our colleagues in the South, collaborating on a daily basis around youth and the women’s game. His reference to Shared Island funding is also worth exploring, including potential opportunities to work alongside TNIFF.
“Any future initiatives must be built on mutual agreement, with clear benefits and commercial sustainability for everyone involved and led by Football.
“The question is, are there opportunities to grow the game, create new revenue streams and deliver lasting benefits for clubs, players and supporters.
“It’s a conversation I feel we should always be conscious of, keeping an open mind and taking a practical approach”, the football chief said.