With the unfortunate demise of Friday Sportsnight on RTÉ Radio 1 this season, I've been in a position to attend many more games each weekend than previously, and I have to say it's been the silver lining to that particular dark cloud.
For instance last Friday, myself and the other half Lorraine headed west to watch Galway United versus Shamrock Rovers at Terryland Park, and it turned out to be a fantastic excursion.
For the first time in ages, it didn't rain in Galway on a matchday where I've been in attendance. The atmosphere created by the visiting supporters was tremendous, and there were plenty of goals to enjoy in the game.
I was a little disappointed with the home support, not so much with those who turned up at Terryland, who got right behind their team, but with the no-shows. I thought with the club having made such a good start to the campaign and the visit of one of the league's big guns, that the main stand would be packed, but in actual fact there were plenty of empty seats.
It has to be said that as we drove into Galway from Dublin there were signs along the roadside promoting upcoming rugby matches, but nothing to tell us about the big League of Ireland game happening that evening, and no signage to direct drivers to Terryland Park.
If you go to any big city in Europe, or even any small city, there are countless signs with a simple logo on them. A football. And that sign directs you to the football stadium. It's a very basic thing, but finding the ground should be the last step.
Selling the match in the first place by virtue of simple roadside signs, or flyers in the bars and hotels of the city, would surely be a big first step in the right direction in terms of getting more bums on seats.
Because I was on a busman's holiday, I watched the Galway-Hoops match from the small stand across from the main stand, alongside the Shamrock Rovers fans, and it was great.
It reminded me yet again how brilliant it is to be a League of Ireland supporter. For €15 we were entertained not only by the 22 players on the pitch, but also by the other Rovers fans who sang their hearts out for the 90 minutes, and the communal sense of togetherness was very special.
It was another great example to me of what fun there is to be had following a League of Ireland team. The songs were sometimes funny, and the mix of men, women, and children was lovely to be a part of.
All ages, with a common bond holding them together. In this case, a love of Shamrock Rovers. But for Shamrock Rovers, read Bohemians, Dundalk, Cork City, Limerick, Shelbourne, or whatever team you fancy.
There is a uniqueness to following a League of Ireland team up and down the highways and byways of the country that is great to be a part of. I recently met four generations of one family who were attending a match in Tallaght, and what a fantastic way for the family to spend time together. It's people like them who should be used in advertising campaigns for the league.
It's been very heartening to get so many photos of kids in their club's colours for the Fanscope section, and not just the ones of kids either. Unfortunately we can't use all the photos e-mailed to us because time and space won't allow, but to everyone who has taken the time to send their snaps in, many thanks.
We've also received some videos, most of which are not broadcastable for one reason or another, but if you do have any shortish video clips relating to the league that you think we might be able to include on the show feel free to send them in to mns@rte.ie.
I recently read Adrian Chiles' excellent account of the trials and tribulations of being a West Brom supporter, 'We don't know what we're doing', and he captured the essence of what supporting your local team is all about. (Yes I know WBA are not in the League of Ireland but the principal is the same). If you haven't read the book, it should be on your hit list.
Actually, I was quite reassured when I heard Adrian talk so frequently about his beloved West Brom, and it reminded me that one of his predecessors at the BBC, Des Lynam, was a big Brighton fan, and another of his colleagues Gary Lineker is a massive Leicester City supporter.
For a while I wondered was it ok for me to be a Shamrock Rovers fan and still present MNS, but then I thought it better to be a fan of a club, and embrace the league than someone with a mere passing interest. So I hope you'll forgive the odd lapse into green and white Hoop-ism in my presentation of the programme.
Pat Morley and Damien regularly give me stick for wearing green and white glasses when asking about aspects of the weekend's games, but I think Damien still has a grá for the Hoops and Pat wishes that he could have played for Rovers at some point in his career.
I didn't realise that Sean Prunty had participated in a debate on radio the day before MNS, about the merits of various rappers. Sean apparently sided with 2Pac ahead of Notorious Big. This from a man who's related to the Bronte sisters. When our editor Brummie Steve christened Sean 'Choons', he had no idea that Mr Prunty was such an expert on rappers worldwide. And yes, before you ask, we will undoubtedly have the 'Notorious Choons Prunty' do a League of Ireland rap before season's end.
Speaking of which, I believe a graphic came up while Damien was talking this week, promising that he'll do a Karaoke King before the season ends.
He could turn out to be our Susan Boyle for 2009. Now that he has people ringing the show telling us that he's getting younger looking, he could blow Choons Prunty and the other young pretenders out of the water with his rendition of Snow Patrol's 'Chasing Cars'.
We already have some Karaoke Kings in the can for later in the series, and I've been told that a special one will be recorded this week. (I believe the club in question have put a lot of work into their routine but you'll have to tune in next week to see the fruits of their labour).
With one more match to go before the first series of matches are complete, it's going to be interesting to see how the table looks with all the clubs having played each other once, with three more rounds of games to go.
The debate about whether four matches against each team over the course of the season is too much will be had as the campaign progresses. I'd be slightly concerned that it is too much and the hype that surrounds local derbies will be dissipated by the frequency of the encounters. I hope I'm proved wrong.
