Galway United may have had famous support in the shape of President Michael D Higgins, seen here at Terryland Park in 2011, however the county is still without a team in the top flight of Irish football

THE battle to establish one recognised League of Ireland (LOI) club in Galway may be dragging on to the point of boredom but it is hugely important, as the problems are a microcosm of Irish football's dysfunction.

As it stands, the status quo is laughable. Mervue United and Salthill Devon, clubs with thriving schoolboy sections and decent facilities, are competing at senior level in the First Division with no support because they don't have an identity with which fans in the city and county can empathise.

Their club was Galway United, who departed the league in 2011 after a turbulent period which started when they were effectively promoted to the Premier Division on the basis of an impressive DVD. If there's one thing that has improved in Irish football in recent years, it's the ability to package a DVD that masks the 24/7 reality.

In other parts of the country – Cork and Derry, for example – the demise of the city's senior club has been quickly followed by the establishment of a new trading company and a rebirth. The decision to allow Mervue and Salthill into the First Division complicated matters in Tribesman territory.

The FAI realised the absurdity and encouraged the establishment of an independent working group to try and solve the conundrum. Tonight, the plan could be completely derailed when the Galway United Supporters' Trust (GUST) meet to decide if they will continue with a process that started 14 months ago. In their view, they are no closer to a solution.

Irony

Organisers of tonight's meeting in Claddagh have noted the irony of an inadvertent clash with the lure of Manchester United and Chelsea.

It means that the attendees will be the hardcore, the fans who will provide the backbone for a club that is supposed to pave the way for a brighter future in Galway. Every LOI entity relies on that devoted group because, without them, they simply cannot survive. Without GUST, the Galway project is doomed.

It would be a desperately sad end to a concept that could set a promising trend if it worked. The disconnect between schoolboy football and the LOI is a nationwide problem that is unique to this country with top nurseries not affiliated to a professional club.

They nurture talent with the aim of producing a star that makes it across the water so they can generate the cash to do it all over again. LOI clubs pick up the best of the rest when they reach adult age. Today's teenagers at the likes of Home Farm, Belvedere and St Joseph's Boys are more likely to provide the core of the next generation of Bohs, St Pat's and Shels players than the current schoolboys lining out in those colours.

The issue of compensation becomes a thorny issue if a late developer succeeds in making a move across the water, with the respective parties squabbling over their piece of the pie. It always comes back to money.

Mervue and Salthill are determined to continue to produce players and fear a loss of independence if they are integrated into a single club structure at senior level.

In an ideal world, the unearthing of a gem would be good news for everybody in Galway but the division of the proceeds would reveal conflict.

The schoolboy club that produced him would look for their cut, fearing that if the funds were directed through a senior semi-professional side, they would be squandered on player wages and running costs rather than development.

To appease Mervue and Salthill concerns, one aspect of the proposed arrangement that has been discussed is the retention of their sides in the LOI U-19 division with the new club unable to field a team; even though that is completely at odds with what the U-19 league is supposed to achieve.

GUST want the Galway United name to be reintroduced but, after being prevented from entering the league themselves in 2012, they feel that the upper echelons want to restrict their influence.

On the flip side, some of the other protagonists are of the opinion that GUST are intent on running the whole show, and will settle for nothing less than 100pc of their demands when, in reality, all parties have to compromise.

It is messy and the longer the impasse, the more the Galway public will become accustomed to the lack of a proper LOI side on their doorstep. As Connacht rugby grows in a county where GAA sets the agenda, it would represent a failure of the FAI's stewardship if it slips away.

Around the league, Galwegians such as Stephen O'Donnell, Pat Hoban, John Russell and Alan Keane continue to make their mark, proving there is no shortage of talent in the county.

Channelling it in the right direction is the responsibility of the administrators who have to put petty differences to one side for the greater good.

Indo Sport