With the start of the 2026 season the proposed introduction of the new FAI National League is close. While in principal the idea of a third league of Ireland division to widen the football pyramid is a welcome development several key issues remain with the proposed implementation model.
Firstly this idea has been tried before. Cobh Ramblers spent four desperate years in the infamous A Championship between 2008 and 2011 before that third tier was abandoned. That league was hardly a success. Supporters ignored it and it quickly became irrelevant.
Structure and Selection Concerns
With the proposed FAI National League scheduled to commence in August 2026 several key issues remain. While the stated structure of 20 teams split into North and South divisions is a good suggestion, with travel expenses often being crippling for regional clubs, how the participating clubs were selected remains a mystery. While as of December 2024 the FAI had reportedly received almost 70 applications from interested clubs only 15 have been ultimately selected. Where are the other 5 teams coming from?
The Issue of Second Teams
The suggestion of second teams from League of Ireland Premier Division clubs been added is one which will ultimately only be of detriment to the league. This allows bigger clubs to warehouse more of the best young talent, players who otherwise could be playing for First Division clubs.
This further allows the big clubs to get stronger at the cost of the smaller clubs. If Shamrock Rovers wants more playing time for their younger players why not loan them out. Not only would these player get real development in highly competitive football but supporters of First Division teams would get the possibility of seeing stars of the future.
Geographic Balance Questions
The geographical mix also seems very strange. Donegal is represented by three clubs, Bonagee United F.C., Cockhill Celtic F.C. and Letterkenny Rovers F.C. The question arises how the county can sustain that many clubs when the current single Donegal club, Finn Harps, have routinely struggled to stay afloat, even going as far as suggesting they may join the Northern Ireland Football League. Further issues regarding the cutting of solidarity payments and the flat travel expenses model only make the situation worse.
A second Kerry team in the form of Killarney Celtic F.C. also seems strange considering Kerry FC, based in Tralee, have only been in existence for three years and are still establishing themselves in League of Ireland Football. Mervue United and Salthill Devon F.C. would triple the number of clubs in Galway. Galway United played in the First Division from 2017 to 2023 and in the 2025 season finished 8th only avoiding the promotion/relegation playoff on goal difference.
The addition of four more Dublin clubs, Home Farm F.C., St. Francis F.C., Lucan United F.C. and Technological University Dublin also seems excessive. This would bring the number of League of Ireland clubs in Dublin to 10 out of a total of 35 so far proposed (10 Premier, 10 First Division and 15 FAI National League) representing nearly 30% of the entire League of Ireland. Newbridge Town F.C. is located 23 miles from the Dublin border. Bray Wanderers are also located very close to the greater Dublin area.
Universities and Financial Disparity
The inclusion of educational institutions in University College Cork and Technological University Dublin also seems curious. Currently UCD are the only university represented in the League of Ireland and with the greatest respect it is hard to say that they are thriving. Their average attendance is just over 300 spectators per game. The funding model for these teams is also worth questioning. University College Dublin reported a total income of €848.4 million for 2024 while University College Cork recorded a total turnover of €479.6 million for 2023. How are the smaller regional clubs like Kerry FC and Cobh Ramblers to compete with such financial strength?
The Munster Senior League, currently the next most senior level below the League of Ireland First Division (along with the Leinster Senior League) consists of ten Cork based teams. Despite this only UCC have been selected. Conversely Villa FC who play in the Waterford & District Junior League have been selected. Killarney Celtic play in Kerry District League.
Promotion, Relegation and Licensing Issues
Further issues arise with the FAI National League’s structure and the promotion/relegation playoffs. The current plan is to introduce promotion from the FAI National League to the First Division in 2027. The winners of the North and South section will play each other. The winner of this match will then play the bottom team in the First Division. Several issues immediately arise. Very few of the proposed FAI National League teams would qualify for a First Division Licence.
The licencing system in the League of Ireland is notoriously complex. In 2025 Dundalk were given an extra week beyond the deadline to make their First Division License application. A courtesy that wasn’t extended to other clubs in the past. First Division clubs would be left in a situation where they would only have weeks notice of whether they were being relegated to the third tier or retaining their First Division Status.
As part of First Division licensing clubs are required to have an academy for the development of young players. Once again very few of the proposed club would be in a position to meet this requirement.
To be fair to CK United and Mayo FC they have spent several years competing in the underage structure of the League of Ireland. First Division clubs that have spent long periods of time and large sums of money developing their academies would be torn apart if relegated. Do they then close their academies? What happens to the full time academy employees they will now have under the recently announced government funding plan? Ground facility requirements would be equally problematic.
Contracts and Player Welfare
Ultimately the question remains what is the purpose of this new third tier? The argument could be legitimately made that further investment in the First Division would be a better approach. The gap between the First and Premier Division is wide and only getting wider.
At a time when interest in the League of Ireland is at an all time high the moment seems perfect to strengthen the league we have. Concerns remain that the FAI National League may simply be a mechanism by which the FAI can promote clubs that align more with a profitability model, placing more clubs in areas of population growth at the expense of regional clubs. If this is the case it would be a terrible waste to see so much tradition and history sacrificed on the altar of financial gain.
As stated earlier the concept of a new third tier of the League of Ireland is in theory a good one. Junior sides should be commended for showing ambition and a willingness to develop and I in no way wish to be perceived as criticising such ambition. However, as I have suggested many relevant questions remain.
The FAI, as the often do, seem to be operating in a veil of secrecy with no answers being provided to such inquiries. Maybe they believe the FAI National League can be developed as it is implemented, eventually resulting in a model that works for all clubs. We can only hope.
Piece Written by Kenneth Hickey
Kenneth Hickey is a Cobh Ramblers Season Ticket Holder
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