Okay this is your chance to roll out all of those energy-related puns that you had stored up as everyone attempts to get familiar with the name of the Airtricity League.

The new sponsor of the League of the Ireland brings in some fresh attention, although it is not yet clear if the deal will be as profitable as when eircom were on board a few years ago.

Then again eircom did little to show any interest in the domestic game, so this is a chance for Airtricity to really exploit their involvement with the league by steaming ahead with marketing campaigns and having a visible presence over the course of their three-year deal.

Prizemoney from the FAI may not be as high this year, but shouldn't that be expected as the entire economy tries to get back to a stable footing? A reality check in the domestic game has been a long time in coming.

Breathing new life into Cork football

Everyone has been scribbling their sorry notes and saying how sad it is that Cork City have gone, but there was little sympathy or support shown to the players and staff who went unpaid for large periods last season.

Perhaps, this blog could be accused of the same thing, although posts published here over the past year warned that trouble was brewing down by the Lee and it was only a matter of time before the club imploded.

The good news is that Tom Coughlan is now gone (hopefully never to be seen in charge of a football club again) and FORAS, the supporter group, have a chance of starting from scratch with Cork City FORAS Co-op.

Don't be fooled though. It won't be easy for the new Cork City to replicate the success that Shamrock Rovers are currently revelling in following their own takeover a few years back. It will take time to get a structure in place, but at least they are starting with the right intentions.

Let's focus on the football

With the new season comes a new hope that the stories generated in the media over the coming months can derive from the positive impact that is made on the pitch by League of Ireland teams.

Of course, that is wishful thinking although there is a chance to spin the perception of the league back towards a positive one if the Premier Division is competitive, the First Division title race is gripping, Cork and Derry City are re-emerge as strong forces and European progression is made.

One of the main reasons why the league switched to summer football was to help Irish clubs advance on the European front. While there have been some great strides made by Shelbourne, Drogheda United, Derry and St Patrick's Athletic, this year could be a little different.

Bohemians, Shamrock Rovers and Sporting Fingal arguably have squads better equipped to deal with the demands of the European game and they could just triumph.......let's hope so anyway!