Booze at GAA games

[Armagh18]

At the weekend there we seen fights in Clones ad fights on the Hill. What can we do to stop young ones congregating to matches full of Drink and drugs acting like soccer hooligans.

Drugs are a problem in society these days. Ds to be tackled in general. Not just at GAA games

Very true.

[Truthsayer]

Segregation is frowned upon when suggested but personally think for big games it makes perfect sense and would create a better atmosphere. All Ireland final day used to be one got the hill the other the canal end and it worked just fine and looked a better spectacle in the context of colour etc

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This arrangement was introduced in 1977 in the Dublin-Armagh final, as the whole Hill thing had started with Heffo's army, and there had been fights etc there, and it was felt that some of the Armagh supporters were not shrinking violets.

Not true though... if you look at the Hill for '74, 75, 76 finals was also mass of Dublin supporters. 'First '74 unreal when they made the breakthrough was very 'soccerish' tho.. banners and you'll never walk alone etc... traditionalists didn't like that!
'77 was first all ticket All Ireland final.
Was pragmatic '77 Dubs on the Hill; and Canal End like a big fire of orange... the supporters all came down the road together was no trouble. I was there.. in the Cusack Stand.

[Norm-Peterson]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there was no public sale of tickets for the UF?
Were the various drunken dickheads Club members then?

Yes people can't seem to get their head around that GAA club members can be rowdy drunks too. They just want to blame the band wagon fan. By the way it is possible to be both a club member and a band wagon fan. Having a club membership doesn't necessarily mean you go to games regularly.

[lurganblue]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there was no public sale of tickets for the UF?
Were the various drunken dickheads Club members then?

Yes people can't seem to get their head around that GAA club members can be rowdy drunks too. They just want to blame the band wagon fan.

Club members dig the head off each other on occasion too, and little drink involved

[Armagh18]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there was no public sale of tickets for the UF?
Were the various drunken dickheads Club members then?

Yes people can't seem to get their head around that GAA club members can be rowdy drunks too. They just want to blame the band wagon fan.

Club members can be band wagoners too.

[Fogarty]

The people causing trouble are likely to be soccer fans going to their first GAA game of the year.

[armaghniac]

'77 was first all ticket All Ireland final.

Exactly. An all ticket final with distribution of tickets in different parts of the ground ensures segregation.

[BigGreenField]

If ye turn up to a professional soccer or rugby ground langered you don't get in nor do you get to bring drinks/projectiles in, if you do sneak one in and get caught you get ejected.

The cute hoorism that says it's only a bit of craic needs to go.

Easy to laugh it off as a minority, less easy when there is eventually a serious incident.

We need to get our house in order on this stuff.

[GraceO’Malley]

If ye turn up to a professional soccer or rugby ground langered you don't get in nor do you get to bring drinks/projectiles in, if you do sneak one in and get caught you get ejected.

The cute hoorism that says it's only a bit of craic needs to go.

Easy to laugh it off as a minority, less easy when there is eventually a serious incident.

We need to get our house in order on this stuff.

I've been going to matches all over the country since I was a child, some of the happiest memories of my childhood. Lucky to be doing the same thing with my own children now and the love it too. I'd love to think one day they'll do the same with their own but if this continues I think you'll start to see families thinking twice. Took some non GAA friends once to a match years ago and the thing they noticed most was how it was men, women and all ages sitting together, from opposing sides too , something so unique to the GAA it was would be sad to lose that.

[tonto1888]

If ye turn up to a professional soccer or rugby ground langered you don't get in nor do you get to bring drinks/projectiles in, if you do sneak one in and get caught you get ejected.

The cute hoorism that says it's only a bit of craic needs to go.

Easy to laugh it off as a minority, less easy when there is eventually a serious incident.

We need to get our house in order on this stuff.

I've been going to matches all over the country since I was a child, some of the happiest memories of my childhood. Lucky to be doing the same thing with my own children now and the love it too. I'd love to think one day they'll do the same with their own but if this continues I think you'll start to see families thinking twice. Took some non GAA friends once to a match years ago and the thing they noticed most was how it was men, women and all ages sitting together, from opposing sides too , something so unique to the GAA it was would be sad to lose that.

No segregation in rugby league in England. Union also if I remember

[Minus15]

Football fans that actually want to watch football will do just that. They will take their families to the game, and treat the kids to a great day out, creating memories, just like the generation before did with them.
Then you have young lads jumping on a bus for a day on the drink buying their county jersey the day before with no notion or care for what's happening on the pitch.
The occasion is no better for having the latter anywhere near it.
In 2023 and 2024, both of Down's Ulster semi finals versus Armagh were the same. The party atmosphere was overshadowed as you walked through the town by moronic drunks making a show of themselves.
Wouldn't make me think twice about taking my kids to the game but would much prefer not to have that shite either.

[Truthsayer]

'77 was first all ticket All Ireland final.

Exactly. An all ticket final with distribution of tickets in different parts of the ground ensures segregation.

Was because of the huge demand for tickets not specifically to segregate supporters. Dubs wud have went to the Hill anyway.
We don't need segregation because 4 or 5 lads out of over 65,000 people can't behave at a match. The other incident was in a shop.
I was in Croke Park yesterday was fantastic and safe friendly atmosphere..

[Wildweasel74]

Plenty of diversity on show for the row in the Hill.Used have plenty of Garda on show in there years ago.

[Armagh_Ball]

I honestly don't see the drinking as a problem. People can go to a game and have a few drinks. Youngsters these days are blasting themselves full off Coke Caine and think they can do what they want. It's a massive massive problem in Ireland currently and nobody seams to know how fix it....

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

People have acted the complete ballbag with too much drink in them since time began.
Young men drinking too much and kicking the dung out of each other by the end of the night has been pretty much standard across Ireland for a long time.
Laying the blame solely on cocaine is simply wrong but convenient.