Record Attendance

[mooret]

With the FAI saying the upcoming Italy match will probably be a sell-out (75,000 I think) does anybody know if this will be a record attendance at an Irish soccer International?

[finbarrk]

Probably will be, although there was 75,000 + in the Giants Stadium in 94.


http://www.planetworldcup.com/CUPS/1994/groupe_ita_v_ire.html

[finbarrk]

Wembley in 80 was the biggest I'd say actually.


http://www.thefa.com/England/MensSeniorTeam/Archive.aspx?x=537

[ArdeeBhoy]

With the FAI saying the upcoming Italy match will probably be a sell-out (75,000 I think) does anybody know if this will be a record attendance at an Irish soccer International?

For a home game, surely yes?

[zenokelly]

For a home game, surely yes?

The Welsh match was a sell-out also.

[aidz1]

i would doubt it will be a sell out.

Think there was 72,500 at the welsh game in 2007 (1st in croker). There seemed to be more demand/hype about that game than this italian one.

I'd be surprised it the Italian game exceeds it in attendance.

[ArdeeBhoy]

The Welsh match was a sell-out also.

Aye, but the Welsh end wasn't full though.

This is the first (& last?) game with Ireland fans on all four sides of the ground.
Given the no.of people looking for tickets, including Italians, I'd be disappointed if not close to a sell-out....

[reder]

Is it true that the Italians are now taking tickets, 1500 I've heard?

[tetsujin1979]

according to this (incomplete) wikipedia article - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_non-Gaelic_games_played_in_Croke_Park#Association_foot ball_.28soccer.29
The largest attendance at Croke Park for a soccer game is 72,539 for the Wales game

[seand]

A nice round 100,000 in Tehran apparently. FIFA said so.

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=4395/preliminaries/preliminary=8021/matches/match=24850/report.html

[sameold]

53,500 was the biggest at Lansdowne.

[SUB of the day]

Ticketmaster are now offering seats in Hogan, Cusack and Hill plus all three premium sections.The FAI policy of forcing fans to take Monty tickets as part of package seems to have backfired!

[Jicked]

ah crap, i've already got Hill tickets but if I knew Cusack ones were on sale I'd have waited :mad:

[gspain]

I think it was more like 80,000 in Tehran. The Azadi certainly wasn't full - pretty impressive all the same.

The attendance for Poland 58 away is given as 100,000 by Peter Byrne in the official FAI history. That would be consistent with other crowds in Katowice at the time. I think Donal Cullen claims a higher attendance for USSR 75 but this is disputed. I think Spain 1931 in Barcelona was approx 100,000 as well.

[harps1954]

Ticketmaster are now offering seats in Hogan, Cusack and Hill plus all three premium sections.The FAI policy of forcing fans to take Monty tickets as part of package seems to have backfired!

However, you still can't buy tickets on Ticketmaster for the Italy game only. You still have to buy the package. I'd say if the FAI sell 65,000 for each match, they'll be more than happy. If they didn't sell them as a package, you may will have had 75,000 at the Italy game, but maybe less than 50,000 at the Montenegro game. So overall, the FAI will be happy.

I still can't get it into my head why people don't want to take tickets for the Montenego game. Loads of people on here are on the FAI's block-booking waiting list. What happens if/when you are upgraded to the full block-booking list. Are you going to turn round and say to the FAI "I can't got to this game, or that game." You'll be expected to buy tickets for every game - including friendlies.

[ArdeeBhoy]

I still can't get it into my head why people don't want to take tickets for the Montenego game. Loads of people on here are on the FAI's block-booking waiting list. What happens if/when you are upgraded to the full block-booking list. Are you going to turn round and say to the FAI "I can't got to this game, or that game." You'll be expected to buy tickets for every game - including friendlies.

They might have better things to spend their €'s on in these financially depressed times, like football tkts at a minimum of 50 a shot. There aren't even any concessions are there?
Where are the fans of the future going to come from?

I go to most of the games, but The FAI's approach is a disgrace expecting everyone to buy tickets for every game. Especially when there are so many fans are based miles from the venue.

[Schumi]

There aren't even any concessions are there?
Where are the fans of the future going to come from?

There's a kids' section over in the corner isn't there? I assume those tickets are cheaper than the standard ones.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Thought there was, but the ever proactive FAI don't exactly advertise it.....

[Schumi]

Maybe they all go to schoolboy clubs or something and aren't available on public sale?

[gspain]

There's a kids' section over in the corner isn't there? I assume those tickets are cheaper than the standard ones.

They are 10 euro each.

They go to the schoolboy clubs and through league of ireland clubs.

[harps1954]

They might have better things to spend their €'s on in these financially depressed times, like football tkts at a minimum of 50 a shot. There aren't even any concessions are there?
Where are the fans of the future going to come from?

I go to most of the games, but The FAI's approach is a disgrace expecting everyone to buy tickets for every game. Especially when there are so many fans are based miles from the venue.

The FAI's approach is the same as a lot of other countries. Same as a lot of clubs. Think of the Block Booking Scheme as a Season Ticket. You could be a season ticket holder at a club, and still don't attend every game. If you're not a season ticket holder (doesn't really apply in the League of Ireland though), you see where you can pick up tickets for games you can/want to go to.

Where are the future fans going to come from? Well, the FAI are looking at it like this. They already have 33,000 tickets SOLD for every match in the New Lansdowne - the block bookers. They have a waiting list of something like 5,000 on it, covering up to another 25,000+ tickets. If the Advantage Club tickets don't sell, they will offload some/all of these tickets to those on the block-booking waiting list. I'll guarantee you this now, the FAI will have 50,000 tickets sold for EVERY match in the new stadium. Now, whether or not 50,000 actually attend is another thing.

I've nothing against the FAI's approach. I travel to ALL home games, even though I live/work in Donegal. Midweek games normally kick-off at 7.30/7.45pm. I'm time enough leaving Donegal at 2.00pm to make it in plenty of time for kick-off (meaning only a half-day off work) We know months in advance the dates of all matches (apart from the play-offs) so can plan well in advance for these games. And I'm back home after a match no later than 1.00am. Also, if I don't want to drive, I can get a bus from Letterkenny/Lifford/Donegal Town with Bus Eireann leaving any of those locations around 1.00pm. Bus Eireann now travel through the night and I can get a bus back from Bus Aras at 10.45pm - leaving me back in Lifford at around 2.00am.

I know it's not easy for everyone to attend every game. But as long as the FAI continue to sell our games, they will continue with the current policy. Remember, not ONE game at Croke Park has had less than 50,000 at it, so the FAI know that they are well capable of selling 50,000 for every game at Lansdowne. And with people HAVING to purchase tickets to keep their block-booking and/or remain on the block-booking waiting list, sales of 50,000 will continue.

One final thing (and I know this doesn't apply to everyone). But, IF the Italy game had been a midweek games, the demand for tickets would have been every bit as high as it is for the Saturday fixture. Some people pick and choose their games and then give out about the FAI's policy of looking after people who purchase tickets for EVERY game.

[NeilMcD]

The FAI's approach is the same as a lot of other countries. Same as a lot of clubs. Think of the Block Booking Scheme as a Season Ticket. You could be a season ticket holder at a club, and still don't attend every game. If you're not a season ticket holder (doesn't really apply in the League of Ireland though), you see where you can pick up tickets for games you can/want to go to.

Where are the future fans going to come from? Well, the FAI are looking at it like this. They already have 33,000 tickets SOLD for every match in the New Lansdowne - the block bookers. They have a waiting list of something like 5,000 on it, covering up to another 25,000+ tickets. If the Advantage Club tickets don't sell, they will offload some/all of these tickets to those on the block-booking waiting list. I'll guarantee you this now, the FAI will have 50,000 tickets sold for EVERY match in the new stadium. Now, whether or not 50,000 actually attend is another thing.

I've nothing against the FAI's approach. I travel to ALL home games, even though I live/work in Donegal. Midweek games normally kick-off at 7.30/7.45pm. I'm time enough leaving Donegal at 2.00pm to make it in plenty of time for kick-off (meaning only a half-day off work) We know months in advance the dates of all matches (apart from the play-offs) so can plan well in advance for these games. And I'm back home after a match no later than 1.00am. Also, if I don't want to drive, I can get a bus from Letterkenny/Lifford/Donegal Town with Bus Eireann leaving any of those locations around 1.00pm. Bus Eireann now travel through the night and I can get a bus back from Bus Aras at 10.45pm - leaving me back in Lifford at around 2.00am.

I know it's not easy for everyone to attend every game. But as long as the FAI continue to sell our games, they will continue with the current policy. Remember, not ONE game at Croke Park has had less than 50,000 at it, so the FAI know that they are well capable of selling 50,000 for every game at Lansdowne. And with people HAVING to purchase tickets to keep their block-booking and/or remain on the block-booking waiting list, sales of 50,000 will continue.

One final thing (and I know this doesn't apply to everyone). But, IF the Italy game had been a midweek games, the demand for tickets would have been every bit as high as it is for the Saturday fixture. Some people pick and choose their games and then give out about the FAI's policy of looking after people who purchase tickets for EVERY game.

Great post harps.

[Beavis]

They are 10 euro each.

They go to the schoolboy clubs and through league of ireland clubs.

Thar's a rip off ! I remember the good old days in the schoolboy stand in the South Terrace. Tickets were only £2 and you might even get off with a young one during the game !:D

[Arnold Layne]

Some people pick and choose their games and then give out about the FAI's policy of looking after people who purchase tickets for EVERY game.

Well said.

[ArdeeBhoy]

The FAI's approach is the same as a lot of other countries. Same as a lot of clubs.

I know it's not easy for everyone to attend every game. But as long as the FAI continue to sell our games, they will continue with the current policy. Remember, not ONE game at Croke Park has had less than 50,000 at it, so the FAI know that they are well capable of selling 50,000 for every game at Lansdowne. And with people HAVING to purchase tickets to keep their block-booking and/or remain on the block-booking waiting list, sales of 50,000 will continue.

One final thing (and I know this doesn't apply to everyone). But, IF the Italy game had been a midweek games, the demand for tickets would have been every bit as high as it is for the Saturday fixture. Some people pick and choose their games and then give out about the FAI's policy of looking after people who purchase tickets for EVERY game.

It's all very well now, but if the recession gets much worse and the inevitable fall-off in the teams fortunes when some misguided fool puts RMK or similar in charge when Trap leaves, plus the 'novelty effect' of the new Lansdowne wears off, I'll similarly guarantee by 2015, our crowds will be less than 50k, as there won't be that no.of tickets sold!

Appreciate re.the season ticket aspect, but in club football you get even more 'dead' games than international football. Ireland are at a relative peak right now, but if Stan was still in charge for instance, do you think we'd have got such good crowds if we weren't beating the minnows.
And say that with my fellow Louth connection! Sorry, Steve!

[Sligo Hornet]

It's all very well now, but if the recession gets much worse and the inevitable fall-off in the teams fortunes when some misguided fool puts RMK or similar in charge when Trap leaves, plus the 'novelty effect' of the new Lansdowne wears off, I'll similarly guarantee by 2015, our crowds will be less than 50k, as there won't be that no.of tickets sold!

Appreciate re.the season ticket aspect, but in club football you get even more 'dead' games than international football. Ireland are at a relative peak right now, but if Stan was still in charge for instance, do you think we'd have got such good crowds if we weren't beating the minnows.
And say that with my fellow Louth connection! Sorry, Steve!


That's some bold foresight!!.........any chance you could PM me the winning Lotto numbers for this weekend?........also, how did we get on in the World Cup in South Africa?......only, if it wasn't good for us, I might go on holiday with Mrs.Hornet next year instead.

[Arnold Layne]

I'll similarly guarantee by 2015, our crowds will be less than 50k

Scary stuff indeed :eek: :rolleyes: