Quote from: yellowcard on March 11, 2024, 06:40:09 PMQuote from: Ed Ricketts on March 11, 2024, 05:01:07 PMQuote from: yellowcard on March 11, 2024, 01:23:36 PMQuote from: tonto1888 on March 11, 2024, 07:33:59 AMQuote from: Wildweasel74 on March 10, 2024, 05:45:29 PMBoring,? U watch much soccer?
yes. It is boring but less boring than rugby union
Rugby is a game based primarily on physical strength and brute force. There can't be many sports where the level of technical skill required is much lesser than rugby. Massive amounts of hype, sponsorship and clever marketing shouldn't cover up that fact. The reality is that for an awful lot of supporters it's just about the big occasion rather than the actual game itself. Otherwise the game would be flourishing at club level. I'd say the majority of people tuning in for the big internationals watch very little, if any rugby in between.
Soccer can be boring but the balance is much more towards technical ability rather than physical attributes.
Is that phenomenon really unique to rugby in Ireland? What percentage of Irish soccer viewers are making their way to Oriel, the Brandywell, or the Showgrounds of a Friday evening?
The League of Ireland is in a much better place than it has been in a long time. Attendances are up across the board and it is much more authentic than what you see in the big League across the water. No doubt there are plenty who just follow the big English sides but as a proportion I'd say there are significantly more LOI match going fans following the Irish soccer side than AIL fans following Irish rugby.
https://www.extratime.com/articles/32963/loi-attendances-2024---growing-pains-in-the-league-of-irelands-increase-in-popularity/
Why compare with the AIL? The URC is the league competition for Irish rugby clubs.
Average ROI soccer international home attendance 2023: 42,000
Average total LOI round attendance 2023: 22,000
Drop off = 48%
Average Ireland rugby international home attendance 2023: 49,500
Average total URC round attendance for Irish clubs (- Ulster) 22/23: 37,500
Drop off = 24%
Both sports could do a better job attracting event junkies to lower profile club games, but there's clearly a very strong appetite for watching rugby in Ireland beyond the heavily marketed national side.