Mayo Senator renews calls for All-Island league in Oireachtas address

Mayo Senator Mark Duffy reignited discussions around an All-Island football league in speech in Seanad Eireann.

The recently elected senator noted the growing appetite for domestic football, citing increased attendance across the country for the start of the League of Ireland season while also noting the potential benefits of a cross-border competition.

Speaking in the chamber, Duffy pointed to the surge in attendance figures across the opening weekend of the League of Ireland season, with over 30,000 fans flocking to watch Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers renew hostilities in the Aviva Stadium.

Duffy, who once kept goal for Ballina Town FC – a club where his brother Mick now serves as manager – took a moment to congratulate his former teammate and fellow Mayo man John Mountney, who played his part in Bohemian's win over Shamrock Rovers.

But the broader focus of Duffy’s address was the long-running conversation around an All-Island league, an idea that has flickered at various points in recent years without ever gathering the necessary consensus to progress.

The Senator was previously involved in a technical working group alongside former Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr, tech entrepreneur Kieran Lucid, and Dutch consultancy firm Hypercube – a group that explored the feasibility of merging the Republic of Ireland’s Premier Division and Northern Ireland’s Premiership into a unified top flight.

The proposed league was created to maintain autonomy for both separate leagues while importantly keeping the coveted European qualification spots for both.

“The energy around the League of Ireland is growing, and we need to harness that momentum,” Duffy stated. “The Dublin Derby showed the appetite is there. If we are serious about improving the standard of football on this island, then an All-Island league has to be back on the agenda if both leagues are open to it.”

The concept of an All-Island league has long been a divisive issue, with concerns over logistical, political, and financial obstacles. But proponents argue that uniting the leagues could bring greater commercial investment, increased broadcasting revenue, and an improved pathway for Irish players.

Mark Duffy is a member of the Mayo FC board who have lodged a proposal to join the League of Ireland’s third tier, the National League which will be an amateur league consisting of two separate geographic divisions, north and south. It was reported 67 teams expressed an interest in joining this league but it was noted there was a distinct lack of response from Ulster and Connaught sides.

While any formal progress on an All Island League remains distant, Irish domestic football is enjoying an upward trajectory, the question remains whether the footballing authorities north and south of the border would be willing to embrace change.