Three of its clubs being present in the FAI Cup quarter-final draw last night may give the notion to casual observers that the first division is in a relatively healthy state.

The reality, however, is something quite different as clubs struggle increasingly to make it work in a division that, some would debate, has long since lost its relevance.

The 10-team Premier Division that came into being last season, coupled with the introduction of summer football, has seen a further alienation of the second tier and the question of where it goes from here needs to be addressed.

Should the radical step be made to scrap the first division altogether with a single division league of 16 or 18 clubs be brought about? Or can the first division be restructured on a regional basis with some sort of pyramid system, as throughout the professional/semi-professional game in England, be adopted?

The league's newest club, Kildare County - whose novelty factor hasn't worn off yet due its relative success on the pitch, and who attract some of the bigger crowds in the division - are present in the last eight of the FAI Cup courtesy of two wins over non-league sides while Sligo Rovers, who also knocked out an intermediate club in the second round, are unlikely to upset Shelbourne in their third round replay at Tolka Park on Thursday, their manager Don O'Riordan's cup nous aside.

Whether the playing standard between the two divisions has widened as far as some observers may suggest is a moot point, but there is no doubt the level of interest has fallen off considerably. Clubs are trying to survive on crowds of a couple of hundred, or even less, while media coverage of the first division has descended to the level of being almost a chore.

The fact Galway United, potentially one of the biggest clubs in the division, seemed reasonably pleased by the official attendance of 828 for Sunday's FAI Cup third-round tie with Derry City perhaps highlights the dire straits the division is in. The win was seen as a huge boost to Galway who have struggled this season to recapture the form that saw them reach the play-off final last term.

"It's very good for us as all first division clubs have been struggling," said Galway United manager Tony Mannion after his side's shock 2-1 defeat of the cup holders. "It's something that the club needed as it's in a bit of trouble. We've been finding it very hard to keep going. We've been getting very small crowds and summer soccer hasn't been a huge success for the first division clubs.

"I think all the clubs in the first division would say the same thing. We haven't got the amount of (media) coverage or the amount of support we need."

That the effective creation of an elite Premier Division was going to be a worry for the first division has proved to be well founded. A smaller number of bigger, better run professional clubs would snap up the best talent, on and off the field, and thus attract the benefits of a larger slice of the commercial options available and get bigger crowds. The irony is that the ever-improving Premier Division has further diminished the significance of the first division, posing the question: is the league as a whole the better for it?

As it stands, the lop-sided geographical mix of the two divisions is a constant financial burden on the lower tier, as its clubs face greater travelling costs.

Cobh Ramblers have to go to the likes of Donegal, Sligo, Dundalk, Dublin and Galway while their nearest match, Limerick, is 70 miles away. Finn Harps are scarcely better off, travelling in the opposite direction, a nuisance - and financial burden - half the clubs in the Premier Division don't have due to its dominance by Dublin clubs.

While the 10-team Premier Division and the switch to a summer season may be working for the betterment of the senior domestic game, there are few who would argue against the obvious fact that the first division has been the casualty. The standard of football has continued to fall and interest has waned to dangerously low levels.

The UEFA licensing system, due to be enforced from the start of next season, whereby clubs must adhere to certain financial and services criteria, is likely to find first division clubs seriously wanting, perhaps providing the league with just that extra little bit of legislative weight they may need to make a radical change.

Seen as a widely welcomed addition to the league on its introduction in 1985, the first division has lost its way. The domestic game simply can't support two semi-professional divisions. A serious rethink on the two-tier structure of the league is needed.