Norn Iron Local Saccer - What is the point?

[Schofield]

Having recently met with a few irish league premiership players through work and such i've started to have a little more respect for this league. Grantd its no more professional than a top club gaelic team. i realise that they do indeeed put in a lot of effort. The agenda itself lies with the bbc and utv. We have to excuse the Mirror as they have decided to waste money by sponsoring it. While each county championship obviously attracts more of an audience the media outlets portray thy probably cant afford each he same coverage as the the irsh league.irish league has what?? 10 teams but each gaa championship has 15 at least with each county. Can't put them all on tv. Some coverage would be nice tho.

[Evil Genius]

Jesus H Christ, Why O Why O Why do BBC NI, UTV, Radio Ulster, The Belfast Telegraph & The Daily Mirror continue to give blanket coverage to these Mickey Mouse clubs and their crappy wee competitions that no -one goes to.
Enough is Enough, at Pairc Esler last night the stand was full, and a good crowd on the far side for a warm up competition in the pouring rain, but if 35 people turn up next Wednesday night to see the neighbours play some other crappy saccer team, you can guarantee they will get more coverage.  There is more people on the pitch than there are in the stands at some local soccer matches.

If you don't like the B.Telegraph/D.Mirror coverage, you don't have to buy them.

As for the BBC, where is this "blanket coverage" you refer to? Saturday was Irish Cup day, and BBC NI gave a grand total of four minutes coverage to the games (including the presenter's links back in the studio), which is typical of their weekly coverage. Plus their 4 or 5 minutes highlights on a Saturday only comes from games in the greater Belfast area; also they never show anything from the Championship (i.e. Second Division) or lower. And they show a grand total of one domestic game per season live (Irish Cup Final).

By comparison, all of this amounts to a tiny fraction of eg the coverage given by RTE to the League of Ireland.

From now on if Newry v Distillery is being reported on the news, then I want to know why the likes of Dorsey v Forkhill, or Drumgath v Shamrocks is not being reported on the same bulletin.

You're not comparing like-with-like. The IL is the highest level of the game in NI, so the GAA equivalent is County football. And Im open to correction on this, bu I understand the BBC cannot show inter-County games live, since the GAA sold the rights to another broadcaster.

I've had enough of GAA not being given fair play.

Aye, you and Jermoan Quinn.

And when he put the case to an independent Tribunal, they told him to p1ss off and stop wasting everybody's time...

[Evil Genius]

It has its moments

Certainly does!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/irish/9357334.stm

(If you've not actually seen Burrows' goal, make sure and watch until the very end of the clip to see it properly)

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

It has its moments

Certainly does!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/irish/9357334.stm

(If you've not actually seen Burrows' goal, make sure and watch until the very end of the clip to see it properly)

And how many men and their dogs were there to witness it? 

[Evil Genius]

It has its moments

Certainly does!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/irish/9357334.stm

(If you've not actually seen Burrows' goal, make sure and watch until the very end of the clip to see it properly)

And how many men and their dogs were there to witness it? 

~No idea, but it's had over 3 million hits on YouTube.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

~No idea, but it's had over 3 million hits on YouTube.

And that pays for the coverage?

[Main Street]

And how many men and their dogs were there to witness it? 

My heart goes out to the dogs.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

And how many men and their dogs were there to witness it? 

My heart goes out to the dogs.

It's believed the USPCA were on overtime.

[Main Street]

Getting the dog out for the game.

[ziggysego]

Linfield's biggest supporter

[Evil Genius]

~No idea, but it's had over 3 million hits on YouTube.

And that pays for the coverage?

Of course not. Then again, neither does the attendance, which you brought up, whether the stadium be full or empty.

As for GAA fans citing of low attendances ar soccer games, soccer fans could equally point eg to greater playing participation in soccer in NI than GAA.

But that would be no more relevant to the debate, either, since neither spectator numbers or player numbers is the primary factor in determining coverage.

Instead, as a licence-funded public broadcaster, the BBC's remit is to cover all sports, albeit with the "bigger" sports getting more of the coverage, and certain "important" events getting particular coverage.

Therefore the Ulster Schools Rugby Cup Final gets covered live, despite only attracting around 20 entrants, mostly from the same "Protestant" Grammar schools. Ditto the MacRory Cup Final, which I think has even fewer teams(?), all of them from the "Catholic" Grammar sector.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00rlb7m

By contrast, the NI soccer equivalent now attracts around 70 or 80 entrants annually, drawn from every sector and part of NI (including even the Irish Language school sector), but gets no live coverage:
http://www.irishfa.com/news/item/6164/ni-umbro-schools-cup-draw/
http://www.irishfa.com/grassroots/item/3398/record-entry-in-senior-cup/
http://www.irishfa.com/grassroots/item/2623/senior-cup/

As for how fairly the BBC meets its remit re sport in NI, the recent Unfair Dismissal case at Jermoan Quinn's Tribunal examined this closely and concluded that GAA was NOT discriminated against by comparison with soccer (or any other sport), for which we thank him sincerely...

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Instead, as a licence-funded public broadcaster, the BBC's remit is to cover all sports, albeit with the "bigger" sports getting more of the coverage, and certain "important" events getting particular coverage.

And therein lies the rub, the "bigger" sports and the associated coverage: how the BBC defines both the "bigger" and "important" events.

All factors should be taken into consideration, but attendances should be primary determinant (for adult sports), since that is directly reflective of interest in the game in general.

Edit And canine spectators shouldn't figure in attendance calculations.

[Evil Genius]

Instead, as a licence-funded public broadcaster, the BBC's remit is to cover all sports, albeit with the "bigger" sports getting more of the coverage, and certain "important" events getting particular coverage.

And therein lies the rub, the "bigger" sports and the associated coverage: how the BBC defines both the "bigger" and "important" events.

And an independent, legal Tribunal has already determined that when deciding what is "biggest" and most "important" etc, BBC NI is entirely fair in its judgment re local sport.

Just because you and Jermoan don't like it doesn't alter that fact.

All factors should be taken into consideration,

All factors are  taken into consideration.

... but attendances should be primary determinant (for adult sports), since that is directly reflective of interest in the game in general.

Wrong.

Otherwise the BBC wouldn't ever televise eg the Winter Olympics, on the basis that 90% of the events aren't even staged in the UK, never mind attended by crowds of spectators.

Or in the local context, since the Irish league clubs attract as many spectators between them as the Ulster Rugby team does at Ravenhill, does that mean that the IL should get the same live coverage on TV as Ulster does? That would certainly please the IL.

In the end, your qualification re adult sport shows that you are just choosing the argument which best suits GAA. I could do the same for my sport eg by pointing to the greater participation, or the fact that it is genuinely cross-community, (unlike the monocultural GAA). And I would be equally wrong.

Anyhow, your posts just go to show that if Mopery was a recognised sport, you (and Jermoan) would get a dedicated BBC channel all of your own...

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

And therein lies the rub, the "bigger" sports and the associated coverage: how the BBC defines both the "bigger" and "important" events.

And an independent, legal Tribunal has already determined that when deciding what is "biggest" and most "important" etc, BBC NI is entirely fair in its judgment re local sport.

Just because you and Jermoan don't like it doesn't alter that fact.

[/quote]

The Tribunal decided no such thing. Its deliberations were to determine whether Jerome Quinn was legally dismissed, not what were the rights and wrongs of local sports coverage.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Otherwise the BBC wouldn't ever televise eg the Winter Olympics, on the basis that 90% of the events aren't even staged in the UK, never mind attended by crowds of spectators.

Not just wrong, totally irrelevant. There are some occasions that transcend such fundamentals as local attendance figures, the Winter Olympics being one, given that it's of global interest. So we can safely assume that any sporting occasions of global significance rise above local considerations (except in your mind, perhaps).

And your Tribunal claim is bullshit.

Or in the local context, since the Irish league clubs attract as many spectators between them as the Ulster Rugby team does at Ravenhill, does that mean that the IL should get the same live coverage on TV as Ulster does? That would certainly please the IL.

"...between them" Get a grip man, we can come up with all sorts of aggregate combinations once we start combining attendances.

In the end, your qualification re adult sport shows that you are just choosing the argument which best suits GAA. I could do the same for my sport eg by pointing to the greater participation, or the fact that it is genuinely cross-community, (unlike the monocultural GAA). And I would be equally wrong.

You repeat the 'greater participation' like it's an established fact, where is your proof? Any chance to get a (childish) dig at the GAA, eh?

Anyhow, your posts just go to show that if Mopery was a recognised sport, you (and Jermoan) would get a dedicated BBC channel all of your own...

Very grown-up.