National League Restructuring: Representatives of the 22 Eircom National League clubs last night ratified a decision to hand control of the league over to the Football Association of Ireland.
The association's proposal to revamp the league from its current guise - as recommended in the Genesis report - comfortably achieved the two-thirds majority required at a meeting in Dublin although Dublin City FC did oppose.
Acceptance followed a consultative programme over recent weeks driven by the FAI chief executive John Delaney and Eircom League chairman Paddy McCaul.
"Tonight's vote will bring the league to a whole new level, not overnight, but within three years we should have a fundamentally changed and improved senior domestic league," Delaney said.
There will be no promotion to or relegation from the Premier Division this season. Instead, clubs are invited to apply for membership to the new 12-team "Premiership" and 10-team First Division next season, for which there will a significant increase in prize money.
An Independent Assessment Group, chaired by Uefa member Des Casey and including former international Niall Quinn, will use on and off-field criteria to determine which clubs enter the top-flight ahead of the 2007 season. It is this particular aspect of the revamp that has proved most controversial and the reason why Dublin City voted against the plans.
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