Match Attendances

bingobus · May 22, 2009, 04:21:47 PM

I can only use my club as an example and will not comment on other clubs as I'm sure that they are those that have received GAA money eg Breffini, Omagh, Clones etc etc. You said clubs benefit from the €25 paid into the game, I totally disagree. The county board will benefit, no club in Monaghan will. Absoulute fact. I know of very little evidence of GAA putting money into clubs.

In Louth for example the County Board have requested clubs to refrain from promoting their own club lotto's or fundraising until they launch the Louth County Board Lotto to pay for the grounds in Darver which they totally misread the running costs of.

In the 9 Ulster counties, 6 county boards retained the €250k that was allocated to each county from Croke Park from the Soccer and Rugby money. This was heralded as money for the Grass roots of the game by croke park. In Monaghan it was used for Cloghan (training grounds for county). This was to light a third pitch and put up spectator facilities (so far lights have went up). For 5 years the clubs had paid a levy towards cloghan and its costs, then this money was denied to them. Then the supporters where asked to pay a €2 levy on all county board tickets last year.

I still don;t see why a GAA man should be ashamed for not attending their county teams game. Alot of people are desenchanted with county's setup at present and the money that is spent. Its alot more common that you may appreciate. The difference it is taking to run say Monaghan, Carlow and Kerry may not be that far apart and once you set standards now it is very difficult to row back on them and its filtering down to clubs.

Apologies for using foul language, was purely intended to make me look hard

INDIANA · May 22, 2009, 04:24:46 PM

But bogball you'd pay 60 sterling to watch a live premiership game and 80 quid to watch the rish rugby team live. 25 quid is pretty good for an adult for the so called elite level of the games.
The childrens prices are a seperate issue- they are a joke in my view. But they are a joke in all codes. Soccer and rugby don't distinguish either. But the Gaa could show a bit of lateral thinking on the subject. We all face the same problem in the coming weeks. But I don't have an issue over adult prices- they are very reasonable in my view.

bingobus · May 22, 2009, 04:30:45 PM

The prices won't be my gripe at all bar the children prices. Its a free choice and isn't bad value if you get down for the minor match. The facilities you pay into is a bigger issue and service you get in them but thats another issue.

In relation to soccer, I pay about stg£35 when I watch liverpool, so its not stg60 unless you go to chelsea. For that I can buy hot food, drinks of a wide choice, have a bet, take a shit in comfort and will be guaranteed to be dry coming out after it unless I'm very front rows. Plus the game itself will be 20 minutes longer

Rossfan · May 22, 2009, 05:03:26 PM

Quote from: bingobus on May 22, 2009, 04:30:45 PM

In relation to soccer, I pay about stg£35 when I watch liverpool, . For that I can buy hot food, drinks of a wide choice, have a bet, take a shit in comfort and will be guaranteed to be dry coming out after it unless I'm very front rows. Plus the game itself will be 20 minutes longer

Dont forget 90 minutes of total boredom from 22 lads earning 2 years pay every week compared to 70 minutes of entertainment from ordinary lads giving their all for their parish/village/town/district/county or whatever.
When I go to a game I go to see the game. If I want to bet I can go to a bookies.If I want to ate or have a hot drink I'll go to a restaurant and will always try and ensure I've moved my bowels before the game. If I want a wide choice of drinks I'll go the thoul' pub when I get home.

bingobus · May 22, 2009, 05:10:10 PM

Quote from: Rossfan on May 22, 2009, 05:03:26 PM
Quote from: bingobus on May 22, 2009, 04:30:45 PM

In relation to soccer, I pay about stg£35 when I watch liverpool, . For that I can buy hot food, drinks of a wide choice, have a bet, take a shit in comfort and will be guaranteed to be dry coming out after it unless I'm very front rows. Plus the game itself will be 20 minutes longer

Dont forget 90 minutes of total boredom from 22 lads earning 2 years pay every week compared to 70 minutes of entertainment from ordinary lads giving their all for their parish/village/town/district/county or whatever.
When I go to a game I go to see the game. If I want to bet I can go to a bookies.If I want to ate or have a hot drink I'll go to a restaurant and will always try and ensure I've moved my bowels before the game. If I want a wide choice of drinks I'll go the thoul' pub when I get home.

What if Cork are playing

Plus entertainment is never guaranteed in any sport. I sat through Kildare and Fermanagh last year after spending two days at the Galway races, if scotty had beamed up back to galway there and then, I'd have chewed his arm off. And then some. Boredom is the eye of the beholder and thats only your opinion.

Yeah, lets live in the 20th century and leave the games in the dark ages. Its about spectator comfort now and providing a day out with basic facilities. Its about more than the 70 championship minutes, Croke Park is a perfect example of this and it is the way forward. We are trying to attract people to the game not create a elite band of diehard supporters.

INDIANA · May 22, 2009, 05:19:17 PM

But sure I've got pissed on in croker several times since it was redone . At the end of the day you're comparing a billion euro industry in premiership soccer to an indigenous amateur sport of a small country. You're not going to get royalty services. I've been to sports grounds in some parts of the world and I've been snowed on in the States at american football games, pissed on at super 14 rugby games and burnt to a crisp at aussie rules matches. Most GAA grounds compare reasonably favourably to them. Granted that shitholes like Pairc Ui Chaoimh and Clones don't. But I think most counties have one good ground now. Can't put all our resources into bricks and mortar- you'll have no players to play in them.

bingobus · May 22, 2009, 05:44:53 PM

Well it was you that brought up the comparison and its one thing using a stick to beat one argument and then dismissing it when a comparison is thrown back within that boundary.

Its a great GAA trick to say that we are ameteur this and that and then and then talk in other instances of how professional we are and now it is run like better than the FAI or IRFU.

Why can't we have proper stadiums to gather for crowds in a comfortable manner? Just cause the americans/Aussies/ however have facilities that let you wet than that doesn;t mean we do? Plus realistically our grounds require less capacity (unless you are the Limierick County board) and therefore the emphasis should be on comfort. But this bypasses alot of County boards.

Also if the games in the rain and snow where in Ireland the game be called off. Unplayable pitch.

Zulu · May 22, 2009, 06:05:57 PM

QuoteWhy can't we have proper stadiums to gather for crowds in a comfortable manner?

While I completely agree that we should have at least one mini CP in the other 3 provinces and a few more grounds that have better facilities only we can change that, if more people went to the games then we could better afford to build better facilities. Like I said I'm going to a game which will only have 5 or 6K and you aren't going to support your team, so you can't have it both ways. GAA people can't on the one hand complain about facilities and on the other say I'm staying at home cause the game's on the box, the weather is bad, it's too far away etc. The GAA is the only sports organization in this country that has provided decent facilities the length and breath of this country, and places like Thomond Park were absolute kips with hardly any cover yet it sold out for HC games. The IC championship is a celebration of the GAA and IMO people should make an effort to physically support their county players who put such effort into representing your county.

INDIANA · May 22, 2009, 06:11:07 PM

Its not as simple as that. There is only a certain amount of money that can be put into bricks and mortar, we don't have the ancilliary revenue streams that professional sport has. Some of the stadiums are rarely full and never in some cases. The Gaelci Grounds is a prime example- a complete white elephant.
You can't expect 32, 25,000 seater stadiums -its not economically viable. I see what you're saying but its not realistic.

armaghniac · May 22, 2009, 06:12:32 PM

QuoteWhy can't we have proper stadiums to gather for crowds in a comfortable manner?

We should have. But there is not much point if GAA people don't want to go to games. And it you can't disagree with county boards retaining money if you also want them to invest in stadia.

Zulu · May 22, 2009, 06:46:21 PM

QuoteYou can't expect 32, 25,000 seater stadiums -its not economically viable. I see what you're saying but its not realistic.

Ah well I know that Indiana and I agree we shouldn't have 32 Thomond Parks but we have what we have now so we should look to improve some of them to a higher a standard. In saying that the stadiums that I have been to aren't bad and like Rossfan says you're there to watch a match and I've never been to a stadium anywhere in the world that had anymore than sufficient facilities. I just can't understand how anyone wouldn't want to attend their county's championship game, there are so few, they are reasonably priced and few matches are a serious distance from home.

INDIANA · May 22, 2009, 08:09:21 PM

I agree but one 50,000 stadium per province would be enough supplemented by another 30,000 one for each province. The rest should be 10-15k with decent facilities. Anything beyond that is wasting money in my view.
There should be onus on county boards to have one 15,000 stadium per county with good facilities but not a stadium bigger than that. Down and Fermanagh couldn't fill it last week and I doubt any of these weekends games will be full either.

bingobus · May 22, 2009, 09:54:58 PM

Quote from: Zulu on May 22, 2009, 06:05:57 PM
QuoteWhy can't we have proper stadiums to gather for crowds in a comfortable manner?

While I completely agree that we should have at least one mini CP in the other 3 provinces and a few more grounds that have better facilities only we can change that, if more people went to the games then we could better afford to build better facilities. Like I said I'm going to a game which will only have 5 or 6K and you aren't going to support your team, so you can't have it both ways. GAA people can't on the one hand complain about facilities and on the other say I'm staying at home cause the game's on the box, the weather is bad, it's too far away etc. The GAA is the only sports organization in this country that has provided decent facilities the length and breath of this country, and places like Thomond Park were absolute kips with hardly any cover yet it sold out for HC games. The IC championship is a celebration of the GAA and IMO people should make an effort to physically support their county players who put such effort into representing your county.

I would agree 3 mini CP per province and a few other quality stadia - 10-15k at the very max. Once in place these would form an excellent portfolio and will far surpass the IRFU or FAI could ever dream of. It'll not happen over night but it should be happening within next 10 years.

The GAA are light years ahead of the other sports in ireland but its not time to pat each other back but time to really drive home the advantage. I still think the coaching network is poor and most of primary schools I know don't have any GAA coaching from the GAA. We have put our own coach in out local scholl one day a week. He's a current county player and very supportive of the club.

I may not attend this week but to be honest of they win, no doubt I'll end up at semi. Call me a glory hunter or whatever. They are my county not my team. Club players are also putting in massive efforts and county players don't have a monopoly in the gAA of putting in huge effort.

armaghniac · May 22, 2009, 10:10:07 PM

There is a lot to be said for 3 mini CP class stadia and smaller venues in each county with plenty of cover and seats. The provincial stadia would be big enough to cater for games and have family tickets etc, while the county ones would be ideal for the league. However for this to work teams have to be willing to play games in these venues and not insist on home advantage, just as Armagh and Tyrone are playing in Clones.

Tyrone Dreamer · May 22, 2009, 11:49:59 PM

Quote from: bingobus on May 22, 2009, 04:30:45 PM
The prices won't be my gripe at all bar the children prices. Its a free choice and isn't bad value if you get down for the minor match. The facilities you pay into is a bigger issue and service you get in them but thats another issue.

In relation to soccer, I pay about stg£35 when I watch liverpool, so its not stg60 unless you go to chelsea. For that I can buy hot food, drinks of a wide choice, have a bet, take a shit in comfort and will be guaranteed to be dry coming out after it unless I'm very front rows. Plus the game itself will be 20 minutes longer

So you can pay £35 to watch Liverpool and are happy for the money to go back to millionaire soccer players. But £13 to go to Derry (with no flight costs) is too expensive and your not happy with the ticket prices even though the money goes back into the gaa. Also the fact that your county on average will play around 3-4 championship games a year compared to Liverpools 50 still doesnt make it worthwhile. What do you want from the gaa? Some people wouldnt be happy if they were getting lifted from their front door and into the game for free, they'd still find something to complain about.