Wallace on football, the recession and the Youths

[passinginterest]

Opinion piece by Wallace in todays Irish Times, or at least the online edition. He's encouraging the government not to cut funding for football in the current climate, and sees is as vital infrastructure. Coincidentally he's looking for funding for the Youths new stand...

One thing that struck me, he states that
The capital investment then has averaged about €1 million a year while the net cost of running the club is a little over one 10th of the sum. I know the team is amateur but 100,000 to run the club for a year seems incredibly small. Or have I taken it up wrong?

Full article is here: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2009/0109/1231406004279.html

[holidaysong]

Wallace again looking to get the amount of games in the season slashed..

[garyderry]

Wallace again looking to get the amount of games in the season slashed..

if he had his way we would all play each other same
amount as the GAA counties, rediculous suggestion :confused:
very strange comment if he wreckons they are getting big gates
probably more related to fact most of there fans were more used to
the GAA.

Was pretty obvious during the league cup final, not a peep the whole game,
most dead ground ive seen in relation to the home fans.

[BohDiddley]

Brilliant piece by Wallace. Wexford are a bright spot on an otherwise sorry landscape. So what if their crowds aren't huge yet. Whose are?

It's also great to see someone in football grow the balls to openly put the case for the government investing properly in football.

[garyderry]

Brilliant piece by Wallace. Wexford are a bright spot on an otherwise sorry landscape. So what if their crowds aren't huge yet. Whose are?

It's also great to see someone in football grow the balls to openly put the case for the government investing properly in football.

There grounds are very good for the first, whcih is why i dont understand
him looking to reduce the number of games?

I was only guessing it was the GAA mentality?

He has been fantastic fro Wexford and the league, i just find his suggestions
strange in relation to number of games, as he claims there running costs
for the season are 100,000 and they are getting 1,000 in the gates and hoping for double that with ground impovements. Surely they should
be making not loosing money on match days? So why request to reduce the
number of games?

[Youths4Ever]

if he had his way we would all play each other same
amount as the GAA counties, rediculous suggestion :confused:
very strange comment if he wreckons they are getting big gates
probably more related to fact most of there fans were more used to
the GAA.

Was pretty obvious during the league cup final, not a peep the whole game,
most dead ground ive seen in relation to the home fans.

dont think he wants a small a number of games as GAA his may issue which has been stated before is mid week games and players getting time of work twice in one week which will become a wider issue as more clubs go part time or amateur.

as for the crowds very high start of season but has season wore on then did drop IMO variety of reasons GAA season (but lots of people did both sets of games every weekend) playing same teams again, league position few other things

As for cup final a lot of people there where first timers we are only around for two years we will build a base. We have a core base of fans who are trying to make the atmosphere better. Also we where losing 6-1 what teams would be singing a lot? although in the last 15 mins we did try create an atmosphere again.

I do think some of the points about the lack of investment in infrastructure where interesting.



He has been fantastic fro Wexford and the league, i just find his suggestions
strange in relation to number of games, as he claims there running costs
for the season are 100,000 and they are getting 1,000 in the gates and hoping for double that with ground impovements. Surely they should
be making not loosing money on match days? So why request to reduce the
number of games?

The cost of entry plays a big role should be noted €10 for adults €5 students and OAP and under 12s free so not everyone through the gate paying but counted in attendance. I also think Wallace got some of attendance figures slight off even though we where third in first division does not say a lot think average attendance was about 750 - 800 that was aided but a large first day crowd against Waterford and a few other big games

[KevB76]

Brilliant piece by Wallace. Wexford are a bright spot on an otherwise sorry landscape. So what if their crowds aren't huge yet. Whose are?


I beg to differ :D

[blueblood]

I know this is kind of off the topic but KevB just reminded me about something, did Wexford Youths get awarded Best LOI Pitch and if not, why not and who did ?

[Youths4Ever]

I know this is kind of off the topic but KevB just reminded me about something, did Wexford Youths get awarded Best LOI Pitch and if not, why not and who did ?

Wexford did not get it. Galway got it as far as I remember

[oldyouth]

Lots of points raised.

The main reason Mick is against midweek games is the disruption to the working lives of non-professional players in Division 1 and lets face it, there will be more of those next year than there was last year. Secondly, it is very hard on away fans trying to get to midweek games. I have yet to experience a good atmosphere at any of these.

As for gayderry saying Ferrycarrig Park was dead during the League Cup final, I'll have to agree to some extent. We are a new club, in a GAA stronghold, and lots of daytrippers attended the match and some were more than happy to see us lose. I ask any 'big club' supporter if they would have enjoyed being taught a lesson in the public glare and on national television. In hindsight after the game we were proud of what our young team had achieved in getting there in the first place

Mick loves his footie and is happy as a clam on the touchline in any type of weather watching ANY game. He is enough of a realist to know that a lot of people want top facilities nowadays if they attend a match. It is a real 'build it and they will come' attitude he has. He sees money being paid to journeymen as a waste and not sustainable. A competitive local team punching above its weight will do him (and me) just fine.

We have a schoolboy international being played at our grounds next month and our new stand will only increase the number of similar events that we hope to provide. I don't agree with every decision Mick makes but infrastructure over wages is the only way forward

[Paddyfield]

I know this is kind of off the topic but KevB just reminded me about something, did Wexford Youths get awarded Best LOI Pitch and if not, why not and who did ?

Wexford didn't win best LOI pitch.
Why not? Because Terryland is better, appearantly.

[blackholesun]

Fab article as one would expect from Mick Wallace.

Hopefully Rovers will get another chance to go to Wexford in a pre-season again or one of the Cups this year.

bhs

[gael353]

Wexford didn't win best LOI pitch.
Why not? Because Terryland is better, appearantly.


unofficially Wexford won it but because of a little dispute with Limerick during the season it was handed to Galway as a finger waving gesture to Wallace by the FAI.

[Splurge]

unofficially Wexford won it but because of a little dispute with Limerick during the season it was handed to Galway as a finger waving gesture to Wallace by the FAI.

:D a L37 man in with "inside information" allways seems to pop up in here no matter what the subject.

Schoolboy international in Ferrycarrig? Against who and when?

[gael353]

just saying what i heard, and not from a limerick club or source either. on the €100,000 being small to run a club as amateur thats a minimum when you consider costs such as buses, insurance, doctors, physios, expenses, and in our case a massive expense is training facilities.

wouldnt know the answer to your ceist but anything else about league of ireland HISTORY :p contact a limerick fan

[DonO'Bate]

unofficially Wexford won it but because of a little dispute with Limerick during the season it was handed to Galway as a finger waving gesture to Wallace by the FAI.

Interesting, but i doubt it, as well as best pitch award, GUFC's Noel Connolly won grounds man of the year award.

Mr Wallace would have a heart attack if he saw all the activity that took place on the pitch, before kick off, during the half time interval and after the match.

[oldyouth]

Interesting, but i doubt it, as well as best pitch award, GUFC's Noel Connolly won grounds man of the year award.
It's actually the same award everyone is talking about here.

While I fully accept that Terryland has vastly more traffic on it, am I right in saying that Noel has a team of assistants/FAS employees to assist him.

Our groundsman does it all on his own as well as being club secetary, complex manager, coach driver and U18'S & U20s asst manager.

I hope to pop over to Terryland to have a look when we are in Galway to play Mervue. Reports are that it is a fine set up

[oldyouth]

:D a L37 man in with "inside information" allways seems to pop up in here no matter what the subject.

Schoolboy international in Ferrycarrig? Against who and when?
Spot on Splurge

The game is against Wales on Feb 26th
http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3884

[mr pink]

Was pretty obvious during the league cup final, not a peep the whole game,
most dead ground ive seen in relation to the home fans.



in derrys second year as a club did they get to a final of any cup , how many supporters turned up at games , we are a young club trying to build a fan base in a gaa stronghold which is not the easyist thing to do, we make noise at all games we go to, a decision was made to go behind the goal for the cup final and it didnt work to plan we were not heard, [fact] plus as some one said here when your team is getting creamed 6.1 its not easy to get the lads chanting, give us a few years and we ll give you boys a run for your money ,

[oldyouth]

in derrys second year as a club did they get to a final of any cup , how many supporters turned up at games , we are a young club trying to build a fan base in a gaa stronghold which is not the easyist thing to do, we make noise at all games we go to, a decision was made to go behind the goal for the cup final and it didnt work to plan we were not heard, [fact] plus as some one said here when your team is getting creamed 6.1 its not easy to get the lads chanting, give us a few years and we ll give you boys a run for your money ,
G'man Mr Pink. We do it right at Ferrycarrig Park. We have a team that has progressed beyond expectation in 2 short years. Now, the kids who play for the local parish side every Saturday have a target to aim for, watch out.