GAA crowds

[Blowitupref]

4k in Carrick* and De Páirc. About what you'd expect at those 2 fixtures.
Dungarvan just over 1k, probably about what you'd expect.
Didn't see any figures for Leinster where crowds have been declining for years in a one team Competition.
Cavan v Monaghan was a pretty poor turn out for a fixture which regularly drew 5 figure crowds.

*€30 for a stand seat was a disgrace for a Qtr Final. No wonder the Stand was half empty.

Is 8k pretty poor in Clones for early April first round Ulster tie whereby the home support wouldn't overly keen to travel to another game so soon after relegation?

[AustinPowers]

The early championship doesn't help either. Bobble hats at championship just isn't right. They're going up against PL run in. And pricing fans out of it. 20 euro for a seat and 15 for terrace would be enough. U16s need to be free. The crowds were abysmal yesterday. It's 1980s attendances.  It's as if they're doing it on purpose to get rid of the provincial. The gaa do nothing to promote the championship either. Its dying a death. We only have 3 games now . The 2  AI semis and the AI final.

It's exactly this. Slowly suffocate a product so when you want to kill it, it'll be easier done. And it'll be a shame rather than trying to make them work

And oddly it'll be bad overall for the GAA. If there's one thing they understand is money. And bad attendance hits them in the pocket. They might have to move things back into summer to try and get crowds back. They need to

I understand the need for  a split season , but  the whole thing is  being handled really poorly

The hiring of Croke Park to international acts over the summer?

That's the one! 

[thewobbler]

The split season might be a factor but I don't think it's a weather related one. More that clubs around the country are getting their competitive seasons going this week and last, and there's only so much time any man/woman can give to Gaelic Games.

The ultimate factor though has to be cost. Upwards on €100 for a family to attend any match is bearable for most. But it becomes less bearable if you start thinking about doing it 8-10 times in a season. Thats when the opportunity to watch some of those on TV becomes attractive.

[Londoner89]

Great article/ piece with Jim Mcguinness in today's Irish News, a full throated defence of USFC & the provincial series. He made the point, that has been made here before, that counties trying to compete v Dublin and Kerry need financial support and development plans to make them competitive  again - as a better alternative to just scrapping them.

The provincial structure is broken and most people just want them moved to the start of the season. Most counties voted for a structure in 2021 which would see them be played first followed by a league based championship. Now we've ended up with a structure which tries to please everyone and is condensed into half the year despite having more games.

[LeoMc]

4k in Carrick* and De Páirc. About what you'd expect at those 2 fixtures.
Dungarvan just over 1k, probably about what you'd expect.
Didn't see any figures for Leinster where crowds have been declining for years in a one team Competition.
Cavan v Monaghan was a pretty poor turn out for a fixture which regularly drew 5 figure crowds.

*€30 for a stand seat was a disgrace for a Qtr Final. No wonder the Stand was half empty.

I was on the hill in Clones and there was hardly a Monaghan fan around me. Maybe they were all in the stand but it felt like there was more Cavan support at the match?

Would the lower cost of the hill have attracted more Cavan supporters. 

[armaghniac]

4k in Carrick* and De Páirc. About what you'd expect at those 2 fixtures.
Dungarvan just over 1k, probably about what you'd expect.
Didn't see any figures for Leinster where crowds have been declining for years in a one team Competition.
Cavan v Monaghan was a pretty poor turn out for a fixture which regularly drew 5 figure crowds.

*€30 for a stand seat was a disgrace for a Qtr Final. No wonder the Stand was half empty.

I was on the hill in Clones and there was hardly a Monaghan fan around me. Maybe they were all in the stand but it felt like there was more Cavan support at the match?

Would the lower cost of the hill have attracted more Cavan supporters. 

And it is nearer Cavan.

[Blowitupref]

Great article/ piece with Jim Mcguinness in today's Irish News, a full throated defence of USFC & the provincial series. He made the point, that has been made here before, that counties trying to compete v Dublin and Kerry need financial support and development plans to make them competitive  again - as a better alternative to just scrapping them.

The provincial structure is broken and most people just want them moved to the start of the season. Most counties voted for a structure in 2021 which would see them be played first followed by a league based championship. Now we've ended up with a structure which tries to please everyone and is condensed into half the year despite having more games.

If most counties voted that it would have been seen with the vote The current structure we have was voted in by Congress and any change will have to be done via Congress again.

[seafoid]

Great article/ piece with Jim Mcguinness in today's Irish News, a full throated defence of USFC & the provincial series. He made the point, that has been made here before, that counties trying to compete v Dublin and Kerry need financial support and development plans to make them competitive  again - as a better alternative to just scrapping them.

The provincial structure is broken and most people just want them moved to the start of the season. Most counties voted for a structure in 2021 which would see them be played first followed by a league based championship. Now we've ended up with a structure which tries to please everyone and is condensed into half the year despite having more games.

If most counties voted that it would have been seen with the vote The current structure we have was voted in by Congress and any change will have to be done via Congress again.

Anyone I have spoken to recently about this said that the system doesn't work. There is no objection to making time for clubs but they all say there are too many games in too short a time period. People hope Jarlath burns will put some smacht on things. 

[Rossfan]

Are any of those you talk to GAA decision makers?
Jarlath Burns isn't a dictator, only Congress can change the Rules in th'oul Treoir Oifigiúil

[clonadmad]

Great article/ piece with Jim Mcguinness in today's Irish News, a full throated defence of USFC & the provincial series. He made the point, that has been made here before, that counties trying to compete v Dublin and Kerry need financial support and development plans to make them competitive  again - as a better alternative to just scrapping them.

The provincial structure is broken and most people just want them moved to the start of the season. Most counties voted for a structure in 2021 which would see them be played first followed by a league based championship. Now we've ended up with a structure which tries to please everyone and is condensed into half the year despite having more games.

If most counties voted that it would have been seen with the vote The current structure we have was voted in by Congress and any change will have to be done via Congress again.

Anyone I have spoken to recently about this said that the system doesn't work. There is no objection to making time for clubs but they all say there are too many games in too short a time period. People hope Jarlath burns will put some smacht on things. 

You clearly don't know how things work expecting Burns to effect some sort of change in your hope that the clubs will be put back in their box

[Armagh18]

Great article/ piece with Jim Mcguinness in today's Irish News, a full throated defence of USFC & the provincial series. He made the point, that has been made here before, that counties trying to compete v Dublin and Kerry need financial support and development plans to make them competitive  again - as a better alternative to just scrapping them.

The provincial structure is broken and most people just want them moved to the start of the season. Most counties voted for a structure in 2021 which would see them be played first followed by a league based championship. Now we've ended up with a structure which tries to please everyone and is condensed into half the year despite having more games.

If most counties voted that it would have been seen with the vote The current structure we have was voted in by Congress and any change will have to be done via Congress again.

Anyone I have spoken to recently about this said that the system doesn't work. There is no objection to making time for clubs but they all say there are too many games in too short a time period. People hope Jarlath burns will put some smacht on things. 

Too many games doesn't wash. Nearly everyone thats ever played will say they'd far rather play more games rather than train for weeks on end behind games.

[clonadmad]

Cahair O'Kane rightly calls bullshit


AH, April, the GAA calendar's middle child.

Just sitting minding its business, not really bothering anyone but feeling as though it's to blame for everything.

On Sunday, Monaghan and Cavan met in Clones.

Just 8,324 people showed up.

Thanks to the explosion of commentary around the meek attendance, we've learned that this was the first GAA championship match ever to be played in middling weather.

Storm Kathleen blew straight down the field in Clones. It didn't really rain or anything, but damn you anyway April.

If only we'd waited another few weeks for our standard three months of summer sunshine to begin, then the people would have flocked. Flocked, I tell ye!

On Saturday week, Derry play Donegal in Celtic Park.

Same competition. Same month. Fair good chance it'll even lash the rain.

Club committees have been investing heavily in reinforced glass from behind which they can tell members that there just aren't enough tickets.

In Derry, clubs have been given 10 seated tickets, 50 for the main terrace and 50 more for behind the goal. Many have restricted their allocations to just one-per-person.

When those two counties met in the 1993 Ulster final, the Donegal Democrat's preview of the match began by recalling how not even 5,000 people had turned up when they'd met three years previous.

The game had clashed with Ireland's World Cup game against Egypt, just as the same two counties would clash with the 2002 penalty shootout against Spain.

On July 18, 1993, Clones was a mudbath. The rain didn't take time to fall out of the sky.

In the minor game, Cathal Scullion from Derry broke his leg.

Neither side has ever really deviated from the sentiment that the senior game should never have gone ahead.

It's nine months since Dublin and Kerry met in the 2023 All-Ireland final on the last day of July.

Every third head in the crowd was covered by a yellow mac bought on the streets outside Croke Park. It poured non-stop for two hours.

But April

Yeah, the old Club Month. Could we not go back to that utopia? Sure didn't the clubs have it great, they got their lads for a full month.

Except county training carried on, and naturally that's where they went.

And inter-county challenge games too.

And sure what odds about club games in April really? Best not to chance it in case you pick up a knock.

Who the hell would blame them for that? It was a total nonsense of an operation with no winners.

Some counties, particularly big dual counties, were so desperate for space in the calendar that they threw in two rounds of club championship in April.

By the end of game two, hundreds of young lads were off looking for their J1 visa, their footballing year over already.

Could we not go back to that though?

Because All-Ireland finals in July just don't hit the same, apparently.

Look at the thousands of empty seats in Croke Park last summer.

Of the 82,300 capacity for the All-Ireland football and hurling finals there were only... er... *checks notes*... 82,300 there.

That there were only 43,192 people at Derry's semi-final against Kerry was deemed worthy of note.

Must be because we're playing championship in April now.

2004 was the second-highest attended football championship in history, drawing in 1.157m spectators at the gates, second only to the previous year.

When Derry and Kerry met at the same stage in the stadium at The Proper Time For An All-Ireland Semi-Final, there were 35,457 at it.

Only five years ago, just 33,848 turned up for a Kerry-Tyrone semi-final in the middle of August.

But damn you April and your split season, go on out of the road with ye.

[seafoid]

Great article/ piece with Jim Mcguinness in today's Irish News, a full throated defence of USFC & the provincial series. He made the point, that has been made here before, that counties trying to compete v Dublin and Kerry need financial support and development plans to make them competitive  again - as a better alternative to just scrapping them.

The provincial structure is broken and most people just want them moved to the start of the season. Most counties voted for a structure in 2021 which would see them be played first followed by a league based championship. Now we've ended up with a structure which tries to please everyone and is condensed into half the year despite having more games.

If most counties voted that it would have been seen with the vote The current structure we have was voted in by Congress and any change will have to be done via Congress again.

Anyone I have spoken to recently about this said that the system doesn't work. There is no objection to making time for clubs but they all say there are too many games in too short a time period. People hope Jarlath burns will put some smacht on things. 

Too many games doesn't wash. Nearly everyone thats ever played will say they'd far rather play more games rather than train for weeks on end behind games.

I predict a  grassroots movement for change at the next Congress.

[clonadmad]

Great article/ piece with Jim Mcguinness in today's Irish News, a full throated defence of USFC & the provincial series. He made the point, that has been made here before, that counties trying to compete v Dublin and Kerry need financial support and development plans to make them competitive  again - as a better alternative to just scrapping them.

The provincial structure is broken and most people just want them moved to the start of the season. Most counties voted for a structure in 2021 which would see them be played first followed by a league based championship. Now we've ended up with a structure which tries to please everyone and is condensed into half the year despite having more games.

If most counties voted that it would have been seen with the vote The current structure we have was voted in by Congress and any change will have to be done via Congress again.

Anyone I have spoken to recently about this said that the system doesn't work. There is no objection to making time for clubs but they all say there are too many games in too short a time period. People hope Jarlath burns will put some smacht on things. 

Too many games doesn't wash. Nearly everyone thats ever played will say they'd far rather play more games rather than train for weeks on end behind games.

I predict a  grassroots movement for change at the next Congress.

Grassroots ?

Grassroots is the club's, son who are delighted with the defined split season

Not so happy are the paid shills and expensed intercounty managers who have had a bit of power taken away from them.

Oh and the prawn sandwich crew which live for the days in Premium in "Croker" and would struggle to find their nearest club grounds

Maybe the Club Players Association with its 25,000 members should come back into being to lobby every CLUB delegate before every county convention, should any motion to erode what has been hard won come before Congress

[seafoid]

Great article/ piece with Jim Mcguinness in today's Irish News, a full throated defence of USFC & the provincial series. He made the point, that has been made here before, that counties trying to compete v Dublin and Kerry need financial support and development plans to make them competitive  again - as a better alternative to just scrapping them.

The provincial structure is broken and most people just want them moved to the start of the season. Most counties voted for a structure in 2021 which would see them be played first followed by a league based championship. Now we've ended up with a structure which tries to please everyone and is condensed into half the year despite having more games.

If most counties voted that it would have been seen with the vote The current structure we have was voted in by Congress and any change will have to be done via Congress again.

Anyone I have spoken to recently about this said that the system doesn't work. There is no objection to making time for clubs but they all say there are too many games in too short a time period. People hope Jarlath burns will put some smacht on things. 

Too many games doesn't wash. Nearly everyone thats ever played will say they'd far rather play more games rather than train for weeks on end behind games.

I predict a  grassroots movement for change at the next Congress.

Grassroots ?

Grassroots is the club's, son who are delighted with the defined split season

Not so happy are the paid shills and expensed intercounty managers who have had a bit of power taken away from them.

Oh and the prawn sandwich crew which live for the days in Premium in "Croker" and would struggle to find their nearest club grounds

Maybe the Club Players Association with its 25,000 members should come back into being to lobby every CLUB delegate before every county convention, should any motion to erode what has been hard won come before Congress

Everybody who follows county has a club and is grassroots. It is not one or the other. People are happy with more time for clubs but not with the state of the all Ireland- things like not playing in August and September, the rushed nature of things, the lack of joined up thinking.

The current all Ireland system is not a solution. And club vs county is not a culture war. Most people are both. They want an all Ireland system that works.