"Under John Delaney, the League of Ireland has been amazing"
That's the view of branding expert Jonathan Gabay.
He presented his 18,500 word report to the clubs and the media at The Aviva Stadium on Thursday evening.
Among his array of stats, he revealed 366,929 fans attended games in 2016.
Gabay, who was worked with Google among others, says the league's brand is in a very good place.
Among his suggestions were
- the appointment of a new "brand liaison director" from the FAI to help clubs
- to improve stadium facilities and toilets
- to reintroduce a dedicated "club promotion officer" for each club
- to invent a dedicated League of Ireland app and improve the current website
- how clubs should stop fans lighting flares
- how clubs should invest more into club shops and half-time entertainment
- And how the league overall should be more "showbiz"
It was met with mixed reaction from those in the room and on social media.
The Londonder, who spent three months conducting interviews and writing his report, claimed the League of Ireland "delivers as a brand" and is "cool"
SSE Airtricity League Director Fran Gavin gave his initial reaction to 98FM Sport.
Gavin says himself and FAI colleagues will need more time to digest the 18,500 word report, before implementing any of it's findings.
It's given us some food for thought if nothing else!
We'll have full interviews with Gabay and Gavin on Now That's What I Call Sport this Sunday morning from 9am.
