Attendances this year

[donelli]

Looking at the games on tv this afternoon, attendances seem dismal.
HQ gotta get this issue addressed soon before it spirrals further.

[Maguire01]

Very poor crowd in Casement and even then hardly an Antrim supporter left before the final whistle.

A poor attendance in Croke Park for the first game and the main stand in Salthill was far from full.  It looks like the bubble has burst.  The amount of disposable income for most families has fallen drastically since last year and it is bound to affect attendance.  The cost of travel has rocketed.  Top this with a 17% fall in the value of the pound against the euro and a day out at a championship game begins to look quite expensive!

Come on, be realistic!  If the same teams had been playing each other 5 years ago, would the crowds have been any bigger? The Meath and Galway games were always expected to be mis-matches and Cavan v Antrim or Kildare v Wicklow were never expected to attract mammoth crowds. As for Ulster, you'll see big crowds now for all the quarter-final games: Monaghan v Fermanagh, Armagh v Cavan, Tyrone v Down and Derry v Donegal will all pull in close to 20,000 each.

Also, the value of the pound - what difference is that going to make?  Will that not just effect people travelling from the north to the republic? Even so, how many euros does the average northern family have to spend on a trip down south? You can pay in Sterling at Clones matches, and fuel is still cheaper in the Republic, is it not?

[FermGael]

Very poor crowd in Casement and even then hardly an Antrim supporter left before the final whistle.

A poor attendance in Croke Park for the first game and the main stand in Salthill was far from full.  It looks like the bubble has burst.  The amount of disposable income for most families has fallen drastically since last year and it is bound to affect attendance.  The cost of travel has rocketed.  Top this with a 17% fall in the value of the pound against the euro and a day out at a championship game begins to look quite expensive!

Come on, be realistic!  If the same teams had been playing each other 5 years ago, would the crowds have been any bigger? The Meath and Galway games were always expected to be mis-matches and Cavan v Antrim or Kildare v Wicklow were never expected to attract mammoth crowds. As for Ulster, you'll see big crowds now for all the quarter-final games: Monaghan v Fermanagh, Armagh v Cavan, Tyrone v Down and Derry v Donegal will all pull in close to 20,000 each.

Also, the value of the pound - what difference is that going to make?  Will that not just effect people travelling from the north to the republic? Even so, how many euros does the average northern family have to spend on a trip down south? You can pay in Sterling at Clones matches, and fuel is still cheaper in the Republic, is it not?

Would think that you will be doing very well to get 15'000 next weekend. And that would be a very optimisic figure with a good day.  Would not be surprised if the attendance was nearer 12'000 

[Maguire01]

Even so, how many euros does the average northern family have to spend on a trip down south? You can pay in Sterling at Clones matches, and fuel is still cheaper in the Republic, is it not?

For those of us who have been regular travellers to Clones and Croke Park over the last 10 years, we have left a considerable amount of euros in the republic. The value of the euro has left fuel virtually the same price North or South.

Fair enough.  But anyone travelling from north to south doesn't have to spend a lot of Euro. Petrol can be bought on either side of the border, packed lunch can be bought, sterling can be paid into the match (at Ulster games anyway).  Basically, i'm not sure what difference the value of £ vs € makes - unless you eating/drinking out/staying over when travelling to matches.
The general cost of living might make a difference, but surely not the exchange rate?

Would think that you will be doing very well to get 15'000 next weekend. And that would be a very optimisic figure with a good day.  Would not be surprised if the attendance was nearer 12'000 

That would be very disappointing for a local derby. As it's all-ticket, is it not true that such arrangements are made only if there is danger of demand outstriping supply?  If we have a day like today next week, i'd expect close to 20,000 - it's expected to be a tight contest with both teams optimistic of a result, and no one has that far to travel.

[ExiledGael]

Would imagine it'll be well into the teens.
Are all tickets gone from ticketmaster? How many did they have?

[Gnevin]

League attendance where not noticeably down this year. As for the games today what should of been 4 mismatches where never  going to draw massive crowds.

[magickingdom]

seriously anyone expecting a big crowd at any of todays games was deluded, a few years ago some double/trible header at croke park at the start of the championship drew 17k and people were saying attendances were going to plummet and it didnt happen. there will be great crowds as the year goes on as usual. cant understand the logic of holding todays double header at cp tho..

[Bogball XV]

seriously anyone expecting a big crowd at any of todays games was deluded, a few years ago some double/trible header at croke park at the start of the championship drew 17k and people were saying attendances were going to plummet and it didnt happen. there will be great crowds as the year goes on as usual. cant understand the logic of holding todays double header at cp tho..

Would have been much better off playing them in Aughrim and Carlow respectively. 

[johnpower]

I agree the local venues would draw the crowds Kildare fans are a mystery to me great down in thurles but light on the ground today still people would be giving out if Croke Park was closed today

[Maguire01]

I agree the local venues would draw the crowds Kildare fans are a mystery to me great down in thurles but light on the ground today still people would be giving out if Croke Park was closed today

Who would be giving out?  I would never have expected these games to be in Croke Park.  Surely they could have played the league finals at HQ and given Croke Park the extra few weeks at the start of the Championship?

[johnpower]

I agree the local venues would draw the crowds Kildare fans are a mystery to me great down in thurles but light on the ground today still people would be giving out if Croke Park was closed today

Who would be giving out?  I would never have expected these games to be in Croke Park.  Surely they could have played the league finals at HQ and given Croke Park the extra few weeks at the start of the Championship?

Well for one the Carlow and Wicklow fans , Leinster needs a smaller stadium to cater for the smaller crowds

[Bogball XV]

I agree the local venues would draw the crowds Kildare fans are a mystery to me great down in thurles but light on the ground today still people would be giving out if Croke Park was closed today

Who would be giving out?  I would never have expected these games to be in Croke Park.  Surely they could have played the league finals at HQ and given Croke Park the extra few weeks at the start of the Championship?

Well for one the Carlow and Wicklow fans , Leinster needs a smaller stadium to cater for the smaller crowds

They have quite a few tbh - from Navan down to Nowlan Park, Dublin could do with a nice modern 30K stadium all the same - would be great for the likes of today's games etc.  As for the league finals being in Croke Park, why??  9,800 people in Croker makes for a great atmosphere doesn't it?

[magickingdom]

i think you might get a much bigger crowd then 9,800 if it was in croker, believe it or not presentation counts and pp was not suitable for a league final. might have been fine for kildare/wicklow today tho if they couldnt agree on a home venue..

[Maguire01]

Exactly.  Demand was higher than supply in the likes of Fermanagh for the league final. Also, given the day of the league final, you may well have had more turning up on the day.

[Dinny Breen]

I agree the local venues would draw the crowds Kildare fans are a mystery to me great down in thurles but light on the ground today still people would be giving out if Croke Park was closed today

Did you think, even though it was a poor crowd I thought the majority support were Kildare, just didn't have a whole lot to shot about. Carlow would have been a far better venue for Kildare v Wicklow and Newbridge for Meath v Carlow. Ah well at least I got one trip to Croke Park.