Rugby now more popular than football AND GAA?!

[tetsujin1979]

Ratings for the most watched tv shows in Ireland in 2016 released: http://www.tamireland.ie/node/517
(http://www.tamireland.ie/node/517Three)Three of the Euro 2016 games in the top five, and the France game almost doubled the audience for the biggest rugby game (Ireland v New Zealand in Aviva).

Just to compare and contrast, the audience for the France game was also bigger than the highest watched rugby game in 2015 - the Ireland V France game from the rugby world cup in 2015: http://www.tamireland.ie/node/472

[DeLorean]

Mrs. Brown's Boys with three entries in the Top 20... I can't sit through five minutes of it without shaking my head in disbelief as to its popularity.

The Nine O'Clock news at No.11 is a strange one, I wonder what date it was for?

I suppose comparing the Ireland Euro figures to tests or Six Nations in rugby isn't really like for like, probably more comparable to the France/Argentina games in the RWC?

[Stuttgart88]

Mrs Browns Boys' popularity is simply staggering.

I take your point about the rugby although my rugby mates will always say “there’s no such thing as JUST a test match” :)

[NeverFeltBetter]

The Nine O'Clock news at No.11 is a strange one, I wonder what date it was for?




27th February, day after the election.

[SkStu]

Mrs Browns Boys now more popular than Fair City AND Ros ns Run?!

[DeLorean]

The school that tried to stop Liam Brady playing soccer are now excelling in the sport - http://www.the42.ie/st-aidans-cbs-liam-brady-soccer-football-3380055-May2017/

[tetsujin1979]

In this month's Rugby World: http://www.rugbyworld.com/publication/rugby-world/june-2017

Is rugby becoming football?

Rugby has long looked down its nose at football but RW columnist Stephen Jones believes the oval-ball game is now losing the moral high ground. He discusses the coaching merry-go-round and attitudes to referees, and even admits he prefers many aspects of soccer.

[gastric]

Tets, one of the worst journalists around, hard to respect anything this guy writes.

[Charlie Darwin]

The moral highground is bizarrely important to some of these people. Some of them genuinely seem to think think licking referee's bums makes them better than soccer fans.

[DeLorean]

Eamonn Sweeney comparing chalk & cheese for no obvious reason - http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/hurling/eamonn-sweeney-have-you-ever-seen-a-starker-contrast-between-sports-than-the-hurling-final-and-irelands-qualifiers-36116885.html

[Stuttgart88]

Ger Keville tweeted in response to that "Next Up Eamonn Sweeney compares the World Cup Final to a Laois vs Leitrim GAA qualifier"

[NeverFeltBetter]

The snobbery of hurling fans is fairly self-evident, and it's part of what's turned me off the game in recent years. Case in point, Christy O'Connor's fairly interesting book The Club, about one of his last season in St Joseph's, has numerous sections where he rails against kids in his local club picking Gaelic Football over Hurling, acting like the bigger ball game is a sport for idiots, and the smaller ball is for PHDs. I remember being struck by how nasty his tone was.

[jbyrne]

on the morning of the All Ireland Hurling final some plank was on RTE Radio in full flow about how great hurling and the GAA was. During his monologue he said that is was so great that the fans from the two counties would be able to mix in the stands for the final not like other sports in the country, which went completely unchallenged by the rest of the nodding dogs on the panel. At Ireland games I have sat beside scots, germans and poles, at rugby matches the provinces fans regularly sit beside each other and I have sat beside many another 6N fan over the years and at the few LOI matches I have attended the segregation of fans was liberal at worst. I like many a GAA match but the kind of unchallenged GAA snobbery illustrated by the RTE panellist that morning was pathetic

[tetsujin1979]

Ger Keville tweeted in response to that "Next Up Eamonn Sweeney compares the World Cup Final to a Laois vs Leitrim GAA qualifier"
not toeing the party line there.

[DeLorean]

World Cup Finals are notoriously cagey affairs :)

[OwlsFan]

How come the rugby people are able to fill Lansdowne for a game against Fiji and possibly for all three "Autumn friendlies" while we'll struggle to get half that number in our next friendly unless it's England etc ? There's in element in such rugby matches that they're not really "friendlies" and they get huge coverage in the media while one of our friendlies against say Oman will get at most one page in the papers.

[jbyrne]

How come the rugby people are able to fill Lansdowne for a game against Fiji and possibly for all three "Autumn friendlies" while we'll struggle to get half that number in our next friendly unless it's England etc ? There's in element in such rugby matches that they're not really "friendlies" and they get huge coverage in the media while one of our friendlies against say Oman will get at most one page in the papers.

the fact these rugby games are on a Saturday at 5.30pm is a big help. also, the IRFU had very good family deals and deals with schoolboy / girl clubs for the Fiji match.
it hasn't always been like this for the rugby but as everyone knows the Irish love supporting success...

[Charlie Darwin]

Being able to spin every friendly as a competitive match probably helps too. Doesn't explain our terrible crowds for the likes of Georgia and Moldova, mind.

[tetsujin1979]

The tickets for Fiji were dirt cheap, especially compared to the South Africa and Argentina games: http://www.irishrugby.ie/guinnessseries/39684.php#.WhK5ulVl_cs



2017 GUINNESS Series Ticket Prices
Ticket South Africa Fiji Argentina
Category 1 Stand €80.00 €35.00 €70.00
Category 2 Stand €70.00 €25.00 €60.00
Category 3 Stand €55.00 €15.00 €45.00
Category 4 Stand €35.00 €15.00 €25.00
Premium Level €100.00 €50.00 €90.00
Restricted View Premium & Cat 1 €40.00 €17.50 €35.00
Restricted View Cat 2 €35.00 €12.50 €30.00
Restricted View Cat 3 €27.50 €7.50 €22.50
Restricted View Cat 4 €17.50 €7.50 €12.50
Schoolboy/girl €10.00 €5.00 €10.00

[DeLorean]

Being able to spin every friendly as a competitive match probably helps too. Doesn't explain our terrible crowds for the likes of Georgia and Moldova, mind.

Moldova was a sell-out. Georgia (this campaign) had 40,000 on a Thursday night.

[Stuttgart88]

Who did we play in Thomond last year? Not sure it was a sell out.

[DeLorean]

Who did we play in Thomond last year? Not sure it was a sell out.

I couldn't remember this so checked. Seems our most recent international in Thomond was in against Fiji in 2012 (http://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/20350326).

If that's the game you're thinking of you're right anyway, as the attendance was only 17,126.

Ireland Internationals at Thomond Park - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomond_Park#International_matches

[tetsujin1979]

Who did we play in Thomond last year? Not sure it was a sell out.

Ireland played the Barbarians there in 2015. Attendance was 16,000 according to this: http://www.the42.ie/ireland-barbarians-match-report-thomond-park-2015-2131529-May2015/ (capacity is 26,000)


I couldn't remember this so checked. Seems our most recent international in Thomond was in against Fiji in 2012 (http://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/20350326).

If that's the game you're thinking of you're right anyway, as the attendance was only 17,126.

Ireland Internationals at Thomond Park - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomond_Park#International_matches
That Fiji game wasn't classed as a full international, it was an "Ireland XV"

[DeLorean]

An XV made up of completely Leinster & Ulster players wouldn't have helped to be fair.

[DeLorean]

That Fiji game wasn't classed as a full international, it was an "Ireland XV"

Right, a bit strange that the Barbarians one was.

[tetsujin1979]

Right, a bit strange that the Barbarians one was.
I'm not sure if that was a full international game either. AFAIK the rugby team are subject to the same sponsorship agreement as the FAI - that all home senior internataionals are played at the Aviva stadium

[DeLorean]

Probably not comparable so, even less than a friendly in soccer, more like a B-International or something.

[tetsujin1979]

Neil Francis' latest effort "The people are embracing rugby as our new national sport - and rightly so (https://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/six-nations/neil-francis-the-people-are-embracing-rugby-as-our-new-national-sport-and-rightly-so-36741077.html)" is really...something.

My rebuttal Is it right to embrace rugby as our new national sport? (http://tetsujin1979.blogspot.ie/2018/03/over-last-few-years-ive-come-to-respect.html)

[Olé Olé]

Have to agree with you, Tets. A lot of salient points in there.

My father would have played club rugby in a GAA town in the 80's so it would be his primary interest in sport, neck in neck with gaelic football. As a result, i dabbled a bit with rugby underage but gaelic football was my number one (no matter how hard I tried i was bloody brutal at football). In that context, I've always been interested in rugby so I've seen the interest in it grow. The success of Munster and the real occasion that a match in Thomond constitutes has brought a lot of people that wouldn't have been interested previously into the televised and live audience, respectively. That has also been the case for Ireland and probably Leinster.

So, yes, we are a very successful nation in the sport of rugby union. People are drawn to that. Same way people are drawn to horse racing if Ruby Walsh wins a big race or the Irish dominate the wins at Cheltenham and the same way we would have all hailed the accomplishment of Harrington winning his majors or McGinley masterminding Ryder Cup success. That doesn't mean all the interested population were running to get on a horse or swing a golf club immediately after the success.

I'm sure that the playing population of rugby has increased but Francis' heralding it as our national sport is in this context of international success. Gaelic football is a national sport without an international context. Football is the most popular and, as a result, most competitive game in the world. Without knowing the figures, I'm sure both have greater playing populations. And I was about to address his point regarding women and rugby from the perspective of gaelic football and football but it actually doesn't deserve addressing and I would be worried that I would inadvertently come across as a chauvinist pig but having to use it re-inforce my argument.

[Stuttgart88]

It's all about BIRGing and CORFing in my opinion

https://www.units.miamioh.edu/psybersite/fans/bc.shtml

Ewan McKenna has had the bit between his teeth on this issue recently too. Here is his latest

https://twitter.com/indosport/status/979637389642665984?s=21

[Stuttgart88]

Neil Francis' latest effort "The people are embracing rugby as our new national sport - and rightly so (https://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/six-nations/neil-francis-the-people-are-embracing-rugby-as-our-new-national-sport-and-rightly-so-36741077.html)" is really...something.

My rebuttal Is it right to embrace rugby as our new national sport? (http://tetsujin1979.blogspot.ie/2018/03/over-last-few-years-ive-come-to-respect.html)
Well done Tets. Player supply doesn't appear to be that much of an issue for FAI if recent selections are any evidence in all age groups - although there were a fair few U.K. born in one XI last week. Rugby folk just can't help themselves sometimes. They just can't praise themselves without criticising other sports. The comments on Francis' article Twitter, many from rugby fans, were very critical of the article.

[osarusan]

The latest from RTE's Facebook page:


⚽ Soccer remains the most popular competitive team sport in Ireland by participation, with Gaelic football eighth and hurling/camogie 12th. Rugby doesn't feature in the top 12. �� The gym, swimming, running and cycling took the top four spots.

And the article itself, which says that football is actually declining in numbers:


There has been a significant drop in the numbers of young men playing soccer in Ireland, according to a Sport Ireland report into participation levels in sport across the country.

The 2017 Irish Sport Monitor found that 22.6% of males between the ages of 16 and 19 are playing soccer compared to a figure of 30.7% in 2015, a drop of 8.1%.
https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2018/0510/962502-report-shows-decline-in-numbers-playing-soccer/

[Bungle]

Being honest, that study is quite worrying across the board.

While it's good that younger people are doing individual sports for their fitness, i think it is much nicer seeing them playing team sports. Whether it's rugby, gaa or football, team sports are great for community spirit.

We play football on a monday lunch time in our work and the under 35s barely want to know, while some lads well into their 60s are loving it. Nearly any of them have ever played in teams but they love their weights.

[seanfhear]

Being honest, that study is quite worrying across the board.

While it's good that younger people are doing individual sports for their fitness, i think it is much nicer seeing them playing team sports. Whether it's rugby, gaa or football, team sports are great for community spirit.

We play football on a monday lunch time in our work and the under 35s barely want to know, while some lads well into their 60s are loving it. Nearly any of them have ever played in teams but they love their weights.You could do with tidying up that last sentence . I think your saying the young lads love their weights but have never played in team sports .

[tetsujin1979]

FWIW, my experience would be (broadly) along the same lines. In my last job, we used to have a regular kickabout on a Thursday evening after work. Depending on the weather, time of year, etc, it could be anything from 5-a-side to a full 11-a-side game. I heard about a year ago that the game has ended, and there's nothing like it in my current company.
I go to the gym near my office about twice a week, usually after work but sometimes at lunch. There's a secondary school nearby and I have noticed that, at lunchtime, there are some schoolkids using the gym. I think they're restricted in the times they can use it though.

[eitoof]

As long as they're doing something sporty. Rather than stuck on a games console or phone.
Gym and running seem to growing in popularity among young lads in my area.
I coach a 19's team and get it hard to get players. The move to summer soccer won't help me at all. It's bad enough as it is with a crossover period.

[tetsujin1979]

Would it be churlish of me to suggest that the ratings from the U17 quarter final on Monday should be compared to the ratings for the rugby U20 six nations games from February/March?

[Olé Olé]

Would it be churlish of me to suggest that the ratings from the U17 quarter final on Monday should be compared to the ratings for the rugby U20 six nations games from February/March?

Interesting. But the way the Leinster conveyor belt is functioning it takes a lot less time for an under 20 rugby player to break into a senior side (Leinster) than it will an under 17. If we want to consider the tangible impact on senior sides which might not be the Crux of the debate or the point that would or would not prove out.

[Charlie Darwin]

I think he just meant the TV ratings.

[Olé Olé]

Ok. Sorry for adding context.

[OwlsFan]

Even though I am born and bred in Dublin, and I support/follow/watch Irish teams in pretty much most sports, the Leinster win left me cold. Little or no interest in it primarily because I have met so many Leinster fans over the years and, well how can I put this, they express surprise that I follow football rather than rugby (I am in the legal profession). There is such a snob culture attached to rugby in many (not all) parts of Leinster, Dublin primarily. These guys I know have never played the sport in their life but there is cache in being a Leinster supporter. They remind me of that idiot who was interviewed on RTE on the way back from the cancelled Ireland v France rugby match a few years back and said there was no trouble "but imagine if it had been a soccer match !!". I would be interested in the Irish rugby team because it's Ireland. However, for the reasons above, rugby will never become the people's sport despite what Francis might say.

[jbyrne]

Even though I am born and bred in Dublin, and I support/follow/watch Irish teams in pretty much most sports, the Leinster win left me cold. Little or no interest in it primarily because I have met so many Leinster fans over the years and, well how can I put this, they express surprise that I follow football rather than rugby (I am in the legal profession). There is such a snob culture attached to rugby in many (not all) parts of Leinster, Dublin primarily. These guys I know have never played the sport in their life but there is cache in being a Leinster supporter. They remind me of that idiot who was interviewed on RTE on the way back from the cancelled Ireland v France rugby match a few years back and said there was no trouble "but imagine if it had been a soccer match !!". I would be interested in the Irish rugby team because it's Ireland. However, for the reasons above, rugby will never become the people's sport despite what Francis might say.

this was in the IT by Matt Williams after the 2012 France V Ireland 6N match was called off due to a frozen pitch...

"The crowd went to leave the stadium only to find the train station overflowing. So we had few trains, thousands of people out in the open air, all very unhappy, and it was minus eight degrees.

If that was an international soccer crowd, there would have been a riot.

The rugby people, well, we all went for a pint.

In the aftermath of the worst managed sporting event I have every witnessed, there came a dazzling beacon of hope. The rugby people, both French and Irish, were simply sensational. They were patient, well-mannered and filled with an infectious good-natured spirit."

Rugby snobbery at its very worst.

I wrote a letter to the IT letters page making specific reference to the fact that our behaviour was perfect in the very same stadium in 09 despite the most scandalous cheating incident I have ever witnessed at a sporting event. it wasn't published!

[Fergie's Son]

Even though I am born and bred in Dublin, and I support/follow/watch Irish teams in pretty much most sports, the Leinster win left me cold. Little or no interest in it primarily because I have met so many Leinster fans over the years and, well how can I put this, they express surprise that I follow football rather than rugby (I am in the legal profession). There is such a snob culture attached to rugby in many (not all) parts of Leinster, Dublin primarily. These guys I know have never played the sport in their life but there is cache in being a Leinster supporter. They remind me of that idiot who was interviewed on RTE on the way back from the cancelled Ireland v France rugby match a few years back and said there was no trouble "but imagine if it had been a soccer match !!". I would be interested in the Irish rugby team because it's Ireland. However, for the reasons above, rugby will never become the people's sport despite what Francis might say.

This is well put. I was turned off of rugby a long time ago by the attitude of some (if not many) of their supporters. In addition, I suspect that there will be further developments on the impact that concussions will have on rugby as a sport. As more information comes in on the impact that playing rugby has on young men's brains I do think there will be a falling off in both participation and viewership.

[Stuttgart88]

Even though I am born and bred in Dublin, and I support/follow/watch Irish teams in pretty much most sports, the Leinster win left me cold. Little or no interest in it primarily because I have met so many Leinster fans over the years and, well how can I put this, they express surprise that I follow football rather than rugby (I am in the legal profession). There is such a snob culture attached to rugby in many (not all) parts of Leinster, Dublin primarily. These guys I know have never played the sport in their life but there is cache in being a Leinster supporter. They remind me of that idiot who was interviewed on RTE on the way back from the cancelled Ireland v France rugby match a few years back and said there was no trouble "but imagine if it had been a soccer match !!". I would be interested in the Irish rugby team because it's Ireland. However, for the reasons above, rugby will never become the people's sport despite what Francis might say.

I work in finance. The clear assumption that you follow rugby drives me nuts. I used to be in an international Irish business networking group. That was the worst. You'd get emails "Come to X pub to watch London Irish v Connaught in a non-entity of a match" on the same night Ireland would have a WC qualifier.

[Stuttgart88]

this was in the IT by Matt Williams after the 2012 France V Ireland 6N match was called off due to a frozen pitch...

"The crowd went to leave the stadium only to find the train station overflowing. So we had few trains, thousands of people out in the open air, all very unhappy, and it was minus eight degrees.

If that was an international soccer crowd, there would have been a riot.

The rugby people, well, we all went for a pint.

In the aftermath of the worst managed sporting event I have every witnessed, there came a dazzling beacon of hope. The rugby people, both French and Irish, were simply sensational. They were patient, well-mannered and filled with an infectious good-natured spirit."

Rugby snobbery at its very worst.

I wrote a letter to the IT letters page making specific reference to the fact that our behaviour was perfect in the very same stadium in 09 despite the most scandalous cheating incident I have ever witnessed at a sporting event. it wasn't published!I remember that well. A guy from Meath had a great letter published. was yours published? I wrote one too, after Poland vs England in Warsaw was called off at less than an hour's notice. Something like, Sir, last night Poland vs England was postponed at short notice due to bad weather. I hope your columnist Matt Williams took note". It wasn't published though!

[jbyrne]

I remember that well. A guy from Meath had a great letter published. was yours published? I wrote one too, after Poland vs England in Warsaw was called off at less than an hour's notice. Something like, Sir, last night Poland vs England was postponed at short notice due to bad weather. I hope your columnist Matt Williams took note". It wasn't published though!

no, wasn't published. It was along the same lines as the one that was published but I also mentioned irish fans being peed on in Turkey in 91 and not rioting so maybe the editor didn't like the coarse reference!

[Stuttgart88]

Maybe the editor is one of those guys who actually likes being peed on? Like Donald Trump.

[IsMiseSean]

this was in the IT by Matt Williams after the 2012 France V Ireland 6N match was called off due to a frozen pitch...

"The crowd went to leave the stadium only to find the train station overflowing. So we had few trains, thousands of people out in the open air, all very unhappy, and it was minus eight degrees.

If that was an international soccer crowd, there would have been a riot.

The rugby people, well, we all went for a pint.

In the aftermath of the worst managed sporting event I have every witnessed, there came a dazzling beacon of hope. The rugby people, both French and Irish, were simply sensational. They were patient, well-mannered and filled with an infectious good-natured spirit."

Rugby snobbery at its very worst.

I wrote a letter to the IT letters page making specific reference to the fact that our behaviour was perfect in the very same stadium in 09 despite the most scandalous cheating incident I have ever witnessed at a sporting event. it wasn't published!

Didn't Shane Horgan make a similar statement at the time? Could be wrong.

[seanfhear]

this was in the IT by Matt Williams after the 2012 France V Ireland 6N match was called off due to a frozen pitch...

"The crowd went to leave the stadium only to find the train station overflowing. So we had few trains, thousands of people out in the open air, all very unhappy, and it was minus eight degrees.

If that was an international soccer crowd, there would have been a riot.

The rugby people, well, we all went for a pint.

In the aftermath of the worst managed sporting event I have every witnessed, there came a dazzling beacon of hope. The rugby people, both French and Irish, were simply sensational. They were patient, well-mannered and filled with an infectious good-natured spirit."

Rugby snobbery at its very worst.

I wrote a letter to the IT letters page making specific reference to the fact that our behaviour was perfect in the very same stadium in 09 despite the most scandalous cheating incident I have ever witnessed at a sporting event. it wasn't published!


Didn't Shane Horgan make a similar statement at the time? Could be wrong.
Smacks of some sort of insecurity from the Rugby crowd . I suppose the money in football rattles them a bit even though the money in football is a well “ grotesque "

[Stuttgart88]

Didn't Shane Horgan make a similar statement at the time? Could be wrong.

Yes, he did.