Sorry I can't post it but Paddy Heaney's column in the Irish News today was concerning the alarmingly poor turnouts at Championship games across the country so far, he thinks a lot of bandwagon jumpers exist who would rather sit in and moan when their team's struggling.
I think the cost of a game these days has a lot to do with it, 27 euro into parts of Clones to sit!!
Surely the GAA bubble hasn't burst?
Maybe Sunday in Ballybofey will help :-\
I read that today. I think that Paddy is reading too much into it.
Unfortunately I couldn't get to the game on Sunday, due to sickness, but from what I'm told the tickets were far too high. The GAA need to remember that yes, Gaelic games are popular in Ireland, but that does not mean that they can price the ordinary members out of the games.
I know a few Tyrone ones that couldn't get to the game at the weekend and a high percentage of them, it was for real reasons. I'm sure it is the same of gaels the length and breath of the country.
I posted this on the Meath v Dublin thread
"I do a lot of work in Meath and by jaysis you would think by some of them up there all they have to do is turn up against Dublin,One fella said to me in the wholesalers that the good days are back,When i asked him what he thought of sundays game he said Dunno I haven't been to a Meath match in years but the papers said they played well ,I can't wait till we hammer the Dubs he said then
You can't bate the bandwagon brigade can ya!"
last year kerrys first game of the champ they had around 500 supporters. they only seem to show up on a big day
Heaney's point about the Cavan support having tailed off alarmingly in the last few years was well made though in my opinion. The McHugh years saw the last mobilisation of what's generally regarded as one of the largest and most fervent supports around.
The lean fortunes since then haven't helpednumbers-wise but they aren't solely to blame for poor followings at Cavan games of late. I think the fan as a consumer has alot more diversions and distractions when it comes to spending free time and for many, Sunday is the only day they get to spend a few hours with the family. Socially, GAA games aren't the escape or diversionary outlet, weekly treat even, that they once were in a country that had less entertainment options and less money sloshing around it once upon a time than it does now.
Quotelast year kerrys first game of the champ they had around 500 supporters. they only seem to show up on a big day
Kerry are no different to any county that has had success. The less glamorous ties seem less attractive once you've experienced the big day in croker. The big difference is that we are not hypocrites about it and dont proclaim ourselves the greatest supporters in the country just because a bunch of us turn up for the glory days in Croke park.
Quote from: Mike Sheehy on May 22, 2007, 08:22:48 PM
Quotelast year kerrys first game of the champ they had around 500 supporters. they only seem to show up on a big day
Kerry are no different to any county that has had success. The less glamorous ties seem less attractive once you've experienced the big day in croker. The big difference is that we are not hypocrites about it and dont proclaim ourselves the greatest supporters in the country just because a bunch of us turn up for the glory days in Croke park.
wel said mike. and the man who made the original point "oakleaf stateside" im guessing by your name you're a derry man. wel you could look at our own county before going any further. i was celtic park this year for the mc kenna cup against cavan, the turnout was embarrassing, there was more at an under 14 game i was at last week. if we had about 150 supporters in salthill for the galway game in the league it was about the height of it and i wouldnt expect a massive followin an the antrim game either.
but on paper we should get to the ulster final this year.......if we do........which i sincerely hope.........wait to you see the increase, and dare i say it, should we possibly scrape through til a quarter final in croke park they amount of supporters who'll be there and not even know half the players will be very high
I can't wait to see a full house at the weekend in Ballybofey, and also the Ulster final back in Clones.
It makes a huge difference to the atmosphere and the overall attraction to be part of a full house, really feel like you are part of the Championship
as a derry man urself u should no we never carry a big crew with any game we play. but as for the kerry fans 500 first game last game 20000 and then all u hear (we r the gratest)
i know we dont have a big support, i was just merely stating we are as bad for bandwagoners as everyone else, but we'll out fall out over it, i'll reserve that for tyrone who fight with each other (literally!) over tickets! ;)
I have to say that, for me, Tyrone's success in '02, '03 and '05 has dimmed the absolute neccessity to attend every championship game. I think that, apart from the real diehards, it's a natural feeling. I'd also say the birth of my children also changed my priorities in life. The butterflies aren't the same. In saying that they'll return but not to the same extent. I remember thinking, as I stood in the Canal End as Dooher lifted it, that I was finally satisfied when it comes to my county's achievement. I know that time dims that memory and you want more but that manic yearning throughout the 80s and 90s has diminished for now.
we will see when its Tyrone v Armagh/Donegal in the next round.
Demand for tickets for that game will be massive
Well I hope that everyone who went on Sunday has no problem getting tickets!
The loyalty card idea from soccer is a great idea, but probably 5/10 years ahead of the GAA
There'll be a full house in Croker on June 3rd. That'll get the ball rolling. ;)
Sad but true! :-\
I think we all know there'll be people jumping on the bandwagon in every county
back on to the price of tickets, £17 into the pat mcgrane (sp) for the first round of the ulster championship was a bit steep i thought! and no student discounts? Is the same pricing scheme used for all games? do the Ulster Council release info at the start of the championship in regards to entry fees??
Also, something that quite annoys me every year at clones, why don't they give you a ticket once you've paid in? How do they count the number of people that were at the game?
It would be a pity to say i didnt trust the guy i gave my £17 to, but i didnt! I heard stories in the past about people making financial gains at the gates, wouldn't like to think its still happening.
Well I asked about a student fare when paying into the hill on Sunday for two people. Price was twelve quid (sterling) each and he said "give me £20 and that will do yiz".
I've long thought these people are pocketing a lot themselves, and as for the actual attendance figures they are total crap.
Are the under 16's counted?
It would be fascinating to see the financial reports after a big game at a ground like Clones, how they reach their figures etc
Two observations, while there has undoubtedly been a massive decline in attendances at County Games this year, there appears to be a corresponding increase in attendances at Club games, at least here in Down. I think there are three reasons for the fall in support for Co.Teams. 1. Excessive prices, for what is after all an ameteur game, and the failure of the relevant bodies to even attempt to justify their pricing structure, which leaves some fans feeling ripped off. 2. Increased Television coverage. 3. Unusual starting times, which are dictated by the needs of the television companies. Why the rise of interest in the Club scene, its cheap,convenient,and often more competitive
The GAA can't afford to become complacent. There was a boost to hurling attendances with backdoor games, but this is now largely gone. The likes of Armagh and Tyrone having unprecedented success brought crowds and there was some innovation like the Croke Pk Ulster finals. The GAA has "thrown away" crowds with badly timed games and odd decisions on location. Great if they are going to club games, but there is also a danger that they won't go to any game!
Quoteas a derry man urself u should no we never carry a big crew with any game we play. but as for the kerry fans 500 first game last game 20000 and then all u hear (we r the gratest)
So you are saying if Derry reached the AI they would have the same "crew" they had for earlier rounds ? ....`93 AI...remember that....
Right this shite about only 500 people turning up for the first round game v Waterford is the typical bullshit that keeps getting thrown at us the 'worst fans in Ireland'.......The fact that nearly 6 times the number were at the game seems irrelevant as the BBC said there was only 500 there.
The fact that the whole province was in Cardiff the day before watching Munster win the European Cup is conveniently ignored as well.
There was a little homecoming for the Munster team on in Limerick the same day as the game too.
Oh yea and the game was a foregone conclusion which people were being asked to pay €20 to attend (even if waterford did put it up to Kerry for 55mins)
Kerry are the same as everyone else the further the team goes the more the support grows.
Say what you want about us being the worst fans in Ireland but at least get the basic facts right.
Sunday, May 21
Kerry 0-16 Waterford 0-8
KERRY: D Murphy; A O'Mahony, M O'Se, T O'Sullivan; T O'Se, S Moynihan, M Lyons; D O'Se, K Donaghy; P Galvin (0-2), E Fitzmaurice (0-1), E Brosnan; C Cooper(0-2, 2fs), Declan O'Sullivan (0-4), B Sheehan (0-6, 4fs). Subs: M McCarthy for T O'Se, Darren O'Sullivan for E Brosnan, R O'Connor for E Fitzmaurice, P O'Connor (0-1) for C Cooper, T Griffin for A O'Mahony.
WATERFORD: T Wall; E Walsh, J Phelan, S Briggs; B Wall, E Rockett, P Ogle; A Aherne, M Aherne (0-1); A Hobbard, K Power, G Power (0-1); S Cunningham, G Hurney (0-1), J Ryan (0-4, 4fs). Subs: W Hennessy for A Aherne, L O'Lionain (0-1) for K Power, J Hurney for A Hobbard.
Referee: Pat McGovern (Galway).
Red cards: None.
Yellow cards: Kerry – 0. Waterford - G Power, P Ogle, E Rockett and G Hurney.
Wides: Kerry – 7. Waterford – 10.
Frees: Kerry – 16. Waterford – 16.
Attendance: 2,925.
Last year a huge deal was made of a Drop of 100,000 or something like that , Which of course ignore the lack of replays last year of the fact with a world cup it's only a decrease on 2,000 fair weather fans over 50 games . It's bull . I know Dublin is different but i didnt waste any time put my ticket order in .
Quote from: Mike Sheehy on May 22, 2007, 08:22:48 PM
Quotelast year kerrys first game of the champ they had around 500 supporters. they only seem to show up on a big day
Kerry are no different to any county that has had success. The less glamorous ties seem less attractive once you've experienced the big day in croker. The big difference is that we are not hypocrites about it and dont proclaim ourselves the greatest supporters in the country just because a bunch of us turn up for the glory days in Croke park.
I agree with Mike here,same thing happens in Kilkenny,but saying that no matter how many Munsters and All Irelands Cork hurlers win we always get a massive support
Well one thing that many people that live near me, and this is just in East-Meath, many people with young families cant afford to go. Croke park used to be a great day out for families (such as it was when i was a young teenager) one of my neighbours has 6 kids who are aged between 10 and 19. They are all eager to go to Croke park, but with the cost of the tickets, petrol, parking and food it would cost a fortune to bring that many kids. And this is just in Meath where its only a reletivley into Dublin.
(Speaking as a business man) The GAA think they can charge more for the same product they were selling for alot cheaper 10 years ago. The games havent changed. you still get the same product but its costing more now. The stadiums bigger and better but people dont feel like paying more for what was an affordable day out. Same with young lads who want to travell up.
I think alot of young lads between 20-25 have moved away, it used to be a cheap ticket and a few beers in Quinns before and after the game. Tickets are too expensive now.
Quote from: Gnevin on May 23, 2007, 09:29:06 AM
Last year a huge deal was made of a Drop of 100,000 or something like that , Which of course ignore the lack of replays last year of the fact with a world cup it's only a decrease on 2,000 fair weather fans over 50 games . It's bull . I know Dublin is different but i didnt waste any time put my ticket order in .
The previous year you had Tyrone replaying Dublin and Armagh. Both games brought massive crowds to the replay.
I dont think the attendances have been that bad, you'll always get a smaller crowd at games between two counties that are struggling for a few years.
The GAA earned 50% more from this years leagues then last year.
Quote from: thejuice on May 23, 2007, 09:37:59 AM
Well one thing that many people that live near me, and this is just in East-Meath, many people with young families cant afford to go. Croke park used to be a great day out for families (such as it was when i was a young teenager) one of my neighbours has 6 kids who are aged between 10 and 19. They are all eager to go to Croke park, but with the cost of the tickets, petrol, parking and food it would cost a fortune to bring that many kids. And this is just in Meath where its only a reletivley into Dublin.
(Speaking as a business man) The GAA think they can charge more for the same product they were selling for alot cheaper 10 years ago. The games havent changed. you still get the same product but its costing more now. The stadiums bigger and better but people dont feel like paying more for what was an affordable day out. Same with young lads who want to travell up.
I think alot of young lads between 20-25 have moved away, it used to be a cheap ticket and a few beers in Quinns before and after the game. Tickets are too expensive now.
FFS 15 Euro for a hill and 25 is not dearer . I paid 150 Euro for a Rugby world cup ticket in the crappiest part of the stadium and this was from an official source . While I'm aware family have to pay for multiple tickets you'd get 5 for price of one crap WRC ticket
Quote from: thejuice on May 23, 2007, 09:37:59 AM
Well one thing that many people that live near me, and this is just in East-Meath, many people with young families cant afford to go. Croke park used to be a great day out for families (such as it was when i was a young teenager) one of my neighbours has 6 kids who are aged between 10 and 19. They are all eager to go to Croke park, but with the cost of the tickets, petrol, parking and food it would cost a fortune to bring that many kids. And this is just in Meath where its only a reletivley into Dublin.
(Speaking as a business man) The GAA think they can charge more for the same product they were selling for alot cheaper 10 years ago. The games havent changed. you still get the same product but its costing more now. The stadiums bigger and better but people dont feel like paying more for what was an affordable day out. Same with young lads who want to travell up.
I think alot of young lads between 20-25 have moved away, it used to be a cheap ticket and a few beers in Quinns before and after the game. Tickets are too expensive now.
15 Euro for a Hill ticket and 25 Euro for a stand ticket isn't that much.....which is more important the GAA or the booze?????? Considering most guys would have no problem spending 100+ on a Sat night that excuse doesn't wash.....
Heaney's article is as usual fairly well written and makes some very valid points on the nature of attendances at matches.
However, he compares soccer supporters to GAA supporters and draws the conclusion that the GAA supporter in comparison falls short in levels of commitment. I don't think Paddy is being fair in his analysis. He does not take into condideration the fact many GAA supporters have two teams to follow, that is club and county.If you were to go to every club game and county game you would be a poor man indeed and you would get feck all done around the house.
Quote from: Blue Island on May 23, 2007, 10:42:39 AM
Heaney's article is as usual fairly well written and makes some very valid points on the nature of attendances at matches.
However, he compares soccer supporters to GAA supporters and draws the conclusion that the GAA supporter in comparison falls short in levels of commitment. I don't think Paddy is being fair in his analysis. He does not take into condideration the fact many GAA supporters have two teams to follow, that is club and county.If you were to go to every club game and county game you would be a poor man indeed and you would get feck all done around the house.
4 for some lets not forget the small ball.
Quote from: ONeill on May 22, 2007, 08:56:17 PM
I have to say that, for me, Tyrone's success in '02, '03 and '05 has dimmed the absolute neccessity to attend every championship game. I think that, apart from the real diehards, it's a natural feeling. I'd also say the birth of my children also changed my priorities in life. The butterflies aren't the same. In saying that they'll return but not to the same extent. I remember thinking, as I stood in the Canal End as Dooher lifted it, that I was finally satisfied when it comes to my county's achievement. I know that time dims that memory and you want more but that manic yearning throughout the 80s and 90s has diminished for now.
Ditto O'Neill. Hard to admit that you wouldn't want to follow your county, but other things become a priority. I hope I don't miss too many games this summer (I haven't got a ticket for Sunday though), but if I do it won't be the disaster it was a couple of years ago.
Quote from: thejuice on May 23, 2007, 09:37:59 AM
Well one thing that many people that live near me, and this is just in East-Meath,
. Where exactly is East-Meath, I heard of Westmeath alright, but never Eastmeath ;) ;)
A couple of things. I was talking to a chap who was at the Down-Cavan replay in Newry. He went to go into the new stand with his 13 or 14 year old daughter and was asked for £18 apiece. No free admission for under 16's into this stand. He went across to the other side and paid £12 for himself and the daughter got in for nothing. Bad organisation, considering the new stand was half empty and as a result it looked very bad. No sense at all.
Also for Paddy Heaney (who always writes great articles including Tuesdays, but lot of the times tries to get a rise out of people of the Off The Fence colum) to compare Gaelic supporters to soccer ones is silly. The population of Ireland is in the region of 5 million, alot of the teams that he is referring to would come from cities where the population is over 2 million (this is a guess as I haven't done any research). Plain and simple, numbers, to compare these two situations is ludicrous.
On the Kerry note, I used to think that they were badly supported. However after Armagh's sucess since 1999 I now think that they are well supported because the same hunger can't remain after success.
PS, (and don't anyone bother giving me a telling off for this) its becomming increasingly hard to support a team which has Ciaran McKeever and Malachy Mackin in its ranks >:( >:(
most years at this time someone runs a story about falling attendances but its bull. unlike the league the championship starts with a wimper and ends with a bang and i bet at the end of the season the crowds will have been great. one thing that makes my blood boil is the constant dig at kerry supporters. were boasting if we state the obivious and bandwaggon jumpers who only go to the big games ffs. what do you want? we'll beat waterford (maybe it'll be close for 25 or 55 minutes) but were still supposed to go and look. there are plenty of club games in kerry i'd rather go to....
Quoteunlike the league the championship starts with a wimper and ends with a bang and i bet at the end of the season the crowds will have been great.
Of course the attendances (as we move through the summer) will increase as alot of the dead wood will be out of the Championship and we will be moving towards the games that count
Quote from: magickingdom on May 23, 2007, 11:38:48 AM
most years at this time someone runs a story about falling attendances but its bull. unlike the league the championship starts with a wimper and ends with a bang and i bet at the end of the season the crowds will have been great. one thing that makes my blood boil is the constant dig at kerry supporters. were boasting if we state the obivious and bandwaggon jumpers who only go to the big games ffs. what do you want? we'll beat waterford (maybe it'll be close for 25 or 55 minutes) but were still supposed to go and look. there are plenty of club games in kerry i'd rather go to....
I think it's when 10,000 of you turn up for an AI semi final is when people know your bandwaggon jumpers
It the usual story every year about Kerry we will always have a poor following early in the year. There were 3000 in Killarney last year for the first round which was good considering the events in Cardiff and Limerick that weekend, and I was one of those in both locations.
Kerry Cork games seemed to have suffered most over the years and now average about 25k per game, its poor but with Kerry usually expected to win there will be apathy from both sets of supporters.
The Longford game was poor last year at just over 18k, people were fed up with the Kerry display in Munster and did not see the potential developing in the team and also with respect to Longford they were seen as an easy win for Kerry.
I think there is about a 20k core Kerry supporters base out of a population of about 180k, half the population is either old or young to travel while there are lots of people in Kerry who will never travel to follow the county team and success over the years makes it harder to attract these people to games they would prefer to stay at home to watch on TV which is fair. The cost and distance to Dublin in particular makes it difficult for the real supporters to travel. People will cherry pick games in the hope that Kerry will make it to a following round and depending on how the team is playing at a particular time the crowds will rise and drop accordingly. There are many other factors where people will not travel.
Full attendances for 2006 Kerry games below
Kerry v Waterford 3000
Kerry v Tipperary 7545
Kerry v Cork 26200
Kerry v Cork 23693
Kerry v Longford 18335
Kerry v Armagh 51169
Kerry v Cork 58000
Kerry v Mayo 82289
But Kerry are not alone , there were less than 7k at the Cork Limerick football game last weekend and the double header in Croke Park looked very small given the 4 counties involved are neighbouring counties of the pale and have relatively big populations. Clones also only had a 1/4 of its capacity for a high profile game between Tyrone and Fermanagh. But no need to panic yet, it will be a long interesting GAA summer with many twists and turns and every county will have their bandwagons, even the Dubs once the hype starts.
KerryMike
Your forgetting Dublin are the one county whos allocation of supporters gets reduced the further into the summer as the other counties start demanding more and more tickets even though they didn't sell that many early on in the championship....
It all just takes a bit longer to heat up nowadays with the back door and so on, those attendances for Kerry are respectable enough for a county with it's population. You only had 6,000 at Cork v Limerick but both those counties are primarily hurling counties and as such that's not a bad crowd for a reasonibly predictable first round game.
QuoteYour forgetting Dublin are the one county whos allocation of supporters gets reduced the further into the summer as the other counties start demanding more and more tickets even though they didn't sell that many early on in the championship....
You have a valid point but other counties have a right to attend games to follows their counties too, and it is not based on previous games, where would the fairness be in playing in a full Croke park if 60000 or more were Dubs supporters. There are lots of factors in going to the games and these days cost and time are the biggest things people with families will think of. The Dubs are lucky that Croke Park is on their door step, not their home ground by the way so they have no more rights to any more tickets than anyone else, There is no huge expense for a Jackeen to go to a game in Croker besides the match tickets, which is not the case for counties with much smaller populations. A weekend trip to Dublin for a family of 4 from Kerry for a big game will not leave much change out of 500 Euro.
Just a question was Parnell Park sold out for all the Dubs League games and what about their away games how many Jackeens travelled? Its easy to say the Dubs will sell out Croke Park in the Summer which they will because of the huge population but also because the Dublin based media will hype it up as we saw last year, hype will always brings in the crowds as we saw in the first league game against Tyrone, but where are these supporters in the winter and spring when needed.
This was the inevitable fallout from putting a back door onto the Championship.
I would think that every GAA fan would like to see their county in action once during the summer time, no matter how poor they are. But there is no longer any point in cancelling everything to traipse halfway across your province on day one, as no matter what happens on that day, there will always be a day two. And it might suit better. Combine that with blanket TV coverage, and there really isn't much incentive for people who are humming and haaing about going along.
Quote from: Kerry Mike on May 23, 2007, 12:52:44 PM
Quotealso because the Dublin based media will hype it up
perhaps this needs to be done in all other counties. Dont know if I ever heard LMFM hyping up Meath or Louth games very much. FM104 and 98FM always do bits on the Dubs. same with the papers. I think its a shining example wheather or not such hype is warrented it creates a great buzz.
i see jack o connor in todays irish times saying that the gaa need to do a better job at marketing, how right he is. two years ago the national league final betweeb kerry and galway was played in the gaelic grounds in limerick at 5pm in the evening just after the munster heineken cup final! about 7000 turned up. now 1) do you think the gaa didnt know there were a lot of munster rugby supporteds in kerry or 2) they didnt care/bother about it. of course they knew but the attitude was to get the game over and done with and feck the supporters. hopefully that attitude is now in the bin...
ps 58000 at the kerry v cork semi last year was up from 42000 at the same stage when they met the previous year (or was it 2004) and i think 18k for the longford match was good considering the poor displays before that...
Quote from: Kerry Mike on May 23, 2007, 12:52:44 PM
QuoteYour forgetting Dublin are the one county whos allocation of supporters gets reduced the further into the summer as the other counties start demanding more and more tickets even though they didn't sell that many early on in the championship....
You have a valid point but other counties have a right to attend games to follows their counties too, and it is not based on previous games, where would the fairness be in playing in a full Croke park if 60000 or more were Dubs supporters. There are lots of factors in going to the games and these days cost and time are the biggest things people with families will think of. The Dubs are lucky that Croke Park is on their door step, not their home ground by the way so they have no more rights to any more tickets than anyone else, There is no huge expense for a Jackeen to go to a game in Croker besides the match tickets, which is not the case for counties with much smaller populations. A weekend trip to Dublin for a family of 4 from Kerry for a big game will not leave much change out of 500 Euro.
Just a question was Parnell Park sold out for all the Dubs League games and what about their away games how many Jackeens travelled? Its easy to say the Dubs will sell out Croke Park in the Summer which they will because of the huge population but also because the Dublin based media will hype it up as we saw last year, hype will always brings in the crowds as we saw in the first league game against Tyrone, but where are these supporters in the winter and spring when needed.
I can tell you there where even or more "Jackeens" in Cork and Kerry for Dublin's away games last year. I think the GAA should find a way to reward loyalty across the county, So loyal fans don't end up scrambling for ticket like last years Semi. While i was sitting on my own i had a f88kin tool in a Celtic Jersey to me left and someone who came for a day out to my right and thats what they said them self .While 2 of my friends who went to the league and championship where left in the pub with out tickets
Would it be fair to say that the start of the championship being exam time takes out alot of people between the age of 15 and 22 who would surely make up a large proportion of the crowds who attend in late June, July and August, and of course September as well if your county happens to be so lucky? As regards ticket prices, I know that over here Stade Francais rarely fail to fill Le Parc des Prince which has a capacity of over 40,000 because they sell student and family tickets at 5 and 10 euro each! They also fill Stade de France on a regular basis because of the number of families they attract. And that's not just Eoropean Cup, that's French League as well. There's a bit of a difference in payin 5 euro or 25 euro if you have a 16, 17, and 19 year-old plus yourself and a spouse.
An all ireland winning campaign will cost a committed supporter an absolute minimum of £1500. Now in anyones eyes thats a 1 week holiday in Mexico with all the trimmings. Irelands economy on the ground is not as virile as it once was. There is less money about and people are nervous. This is affecting spending and the odd first round match will be a victim like everything else. What O Neill says for Tyrone and Armagh fans is also true - we have lost that all ireland virginity and then Tyrone made a tart out of ourselves by going back for more of the good thing. Armagh bless them would only try anything the once.
More seriously the GAA is about participation not just about watching. The county games are about watching the greats of the game become greater or less great, tis a great day out and great craic and it can be taken as seriously as you wish. But there is too much county football at the moment, Mc Kenna cup, minors under 21s league, provincial - they all take money and time to support. At the moment there is too much emphasis on quantity not quality of games. far too many intercounty games and too many neutral venues, not enough respect of the home towns tradition to championship football. Back to the paticipation, people ultimately participate more with their club ayt various activities and ultimately develop their community more , get more pride and staisfaction. The county scene has been taking this time, effort and indeed money for many years at the expense of the clubs. I believe the books are balancing now slightly. Also in reference to last weekend- ticket prices for a low maintenance concrete bowl with amateur players on show are currently way too high. the facilites dont compare to other events yet the prices do.
Quote from: neutral on May 23, 2007, 04:29:49 PM
I believe the books are balancing now slightly. Also in reference to last weekend- ticket prices for a low maintenance concrete bowl with amateur players on show are currently way too high. the facilites dont compare to other events yet the prices do.
Wise up lads.Tickets to see Leinster play in a 2nd rate competition namely the Mangers league are 18 Euro, 30 for the group stages of the H cup . And if you've been to d'broke you'll know all about facility's . The player get changed in a room which is partitioned off with chip board . You people need to catch a grip a realise that the GAA offers value for money. Last weekend in Croker you could of seen 2 games, ditto Galway , not sure about up north . GAA stadiums aren't like the soccer stadiums in the UK which are temples to cash more than their games . Also a LOI ticket costs 15 euro last time i heard and their stadiums are poxy .
Neutral has raised an good point re.neutral venues, in most cases they are un-necessary and impact negatively on attendance. I am becoming increasingly concerned that un-necessarily high admission charges are corroding the family base of the association. Children under 16 must be admitted free or for a nominal charge
12,000 plus in Clones;35,000 in HQ;15,500 in Newry; 24,500 in Salthill;6,700 by the Lee and 1,500 in Fraher's field.
That's over 95,000 in May for first round games. Nearly €2m in Receipts.
Some apathy. Some crisis.
Next Weekend probably 60 to 70,000.
More apathy ??
Bet the LOI lads are laughing at our small crowds. :P