The FAI’s prize fund for the 2010 Airtricity League, only announced hours before the new season kicked off on Friday, doesn’t quite add up.
Of the total allocation of €911K, the Premier Division champions will get €200,000, which would barely cover John Terry’s time-out with the missus in Dubai, but it’s better than a kick in the arse, I guess.
However, the First Division winners will only receive €50,000 — just ten grand more than the club which finishes last in the Dublin-dominated top flight, despite having to play a lot more games, thus incurring extra costs.
Seeing as Waterford United estimate the transport toll of travelling the length and breadth of Ireland several times over to try and win promotion will come to €42,000, they’d better hope they finish top of the table and not second, seeing as the runners-up will only get €20,000. And all of the above amounts are before the Taxman takes his cut.
Not much of an incentive is it. And there goes Pat Dolan calling for Airtricity League outfits to pay players wages commensurate with Championship clubs in England in order to raise standards here. April 1st is a few weeks away yet.
