Any publicity is good publicity for league

The exhibition match between an Airtricity League selection and Manchester United might be frowned on by some, but it is crucial to promoting the domestic game. It was around this time last year when the hype machine went into overload as the Real Madrid circus rolled into Dublin for a pre-season stop-over.

Swarms of curious onlookers flocked to Carton House to see the Spanish giants in training, while journalists (not just sport) tripped over each other in a rush to snatch a decent quote with someone connected to the club.

Plantinum One were the ringmasters behind it all and Shamrock Rovers benefitted from the fact that they had a newly-built stadium that could serve as the ideal platform for Cristiano Ronaldo & co to play a match.

There were few complaints back then about the one-off friendly being needless and a waste of time – even when it meant that Rovers had to play a ‘home’ league game against Sligo Rovers at Tolka Park due to not being allowed to damage the pitch at Tallaght Stadium.

So what is the difference between Rovers hosting Real Madrid and an Airtricity League XI playing Manchester United in the Aviva Stadium? Well, not much and quite a lot actually.

In terms of it being an exhibition match that will delight sponsors, yes there is no denying that, however it also serves a purpose as promoting the league much more than the Rovers game did.

Damien Richardson’s squad have a chance to convince neutral day-tripper football fans that the standard of players in the Airtricity League is quite good. And a good showing from them is needed after some disappointing results from clubs in Europe. Rovers did brilliantly to dump Bnei Yehuda out of the Europa League and set up a mammoth clash with Juventus, but that fixture has overshadowed Bohemians’ exit in the Champions League qualifiers as well as Sporting Fingal’s and Dundalk’s defeats in the Europa League second round.

The league could do with a good news story and an entertaining showdown at the redeveloped Lansdowne Road would provide that, so long as Richardson’s side can match whatever team Man United send out.

A scan through the Airtricity League squad reveals some top class players, but more importantly it is a roster that is nicely balanced with every position covered and that should allow them to gel quickly for this one-off game.

The worst that could happen would be a heavy defeat to the Red Devils and a poor turn-out for the first ever football game at the Aviva Stadium. While the best outcome would be for a competitive game that sees an attractive brand of football played by both sides and a big crowd leaving with the thought bubbling in their heads that ‘this Airtricity League may not be so bad after all’.

An extra large slice of positive publicity would act as a well-timed treat for the league as the FAI try to keep interest levels high before the English Premier League season kicks off.

This exhibition match is a window of opportunity and it should be the first of many used as a marketing ploy to attract new fans to the domestic game.