Rugby now more popular than football AND GAA?!

[tetsujin1979]

Similar enough numbers watched the Croatia - England game on Wednesday night on RTE as watched the England - Ireland Grand Slam decider in March, with the rugby being watched by more online
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Ireland's Grand Slam grabs record audience for TV3 (https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/en/news/33073.php)

The clash at Twickenham had an average audience on TV3 of 951,000 who were glued to their screens as Garry Ringrose, CJ Stander and Jacob Stockdale all scored tries.

It is the most-watched TV programme on Irish television this year with a further 100,000 viewers catching up via TV3's on demand service.

TV3's Director of Programming, Bill Malone, said: "Ireland's historic Grand Slam win over England at Twickenham on Saturday was the perfect ending to TV3's first NatWest 6 Nations Championship.

"It truly was a national event, and with over 1.3 million viewers tuning in during the course of the game, it is the most-watched television programme this year."

[nigel-harps1954]

I wonder how many Irish viewers there were of BBCs coverage of the game. I know a fair few who just won't watch RTE coverage of football unless there's no other choice.

[tetsujin1979]

I wonder how many Irish viewers there were of BBCs coverage of the game. I know a fair few who just won't watch RTE coverage of football unless there's no other choice.

I did switch over to ITV after the game to watch Roy Keane's reaction!

[seanfhear]

I did switch over to ITV after the game to watch Roy Keane's reaction!
Was he his usual Happy Self ?

[OwlsFan]

50k+ at a friendly in the Aviva between Liverpool and Napoli !! Football is by far the most popular sport in Ireland. Alas not Irish football. :(

[elroy]

50k+ at a friendly in the Aviva between Liverpool and Napoli !! Football is by far the most popular sport in Ireland. Alas not Irish football. :(

And 40K plus earlier in the week. How anyone would pay the ticket prices for a preseason friendly is beyond me. There is no doubt that football has a massive following in Ireland. Probably the largest following of any sport and certainly the most widespread. However, like all codes, Irish people tend to have an interest in the match day 'experience'. Its not necessarily a case of the football on offer, its the broader appeal which seems to attract. The LOI needs to work on the match day 'experience' and that will only come through investment in facilities.

[Stuttgart88]

50k+ at a friendly in the Aviva between Liverpool and Napoli !! Football is by far the most popular sport in Ireland. Alas not Irish football. :(
I was in Westport for a week on holidays, along with hundreds of other families especially in and around Westport House. Lots of people wearing sports gear as leisure wear. Obviously time of year and location is a factor but I'd say well over 60pc of all sportswear worn (kids and adults) was GAA. Lots of variety (surprisingly few Mayo county jerseys) but many kids were wearing the Kelloggs / GAA summer camp shirts which were pretty cool. I'd say at least a quarter was soccer, but a small fraction Irish national shirts the rest all European or English. A whole family were wearing Dunne's Stores Irish replica kits, but they were all travellers living in a caravan at the quayside! Liverpool far and away most popular English shirt. Man United's star has certainly waned. Rugby a distant 3rd and often fat ugly blokes :). GAA jerseys most popular among girls, by a long way, with some soccer. I'd say that overall mix would change massively once the Championship season ends and 6 Nations etc kick off in earnest, but even still it was quite informative in a totally non-scientific way.

[OwlsFan]

I have noticed a lot of kids wearing Dublin replica kits these days which wasn't the fashion back in the day. See a fair few Leinster rugby jerseys but an Irish replica kit or a LoI kit are like hens' teeth. The English kits will become more prevalent now the season is back. Can't be a hypocrite and say that I don't get excited when I see about once every 3 years a Wednesday jersey and generally have a chat with the poor sad case wearing it. I have a fair few Wednesday jerseys, about 7 Irish jerseys (but only ever wear the retro one to the games displaying the logo to the left) and one Shamrock Rovers one. The trouble with the latter is that it is generally mistaken for a Celtic shirt.

[DeLorean]

50k+ at a friendly in the Aviva between Liverpool and Napoli !! Football is by far the most popular sport in Ireland. Alas not Irish football. :(

Piece on this here - http://www.the42.ie/john-osullivan-column-league-of-ireland-aviva-friendlies-4175022-Aug2018/

[NeverFeltBetter]

Interesting article on the reduced attendances in the SFC, and how Dublin's recent dominance being one of the reasons is a tad ironic for the GAA (since a senior official once said bluntly in 2004 they needed Dublin to do well for the organisations finances): https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2018/0813/984824-the-awkward-irony-of-gaas-attendance-problem/

[seanfhear]

Interesting article on the reduced attendances in the SFC, and how Dublin's recent dominance being one of the reasons is a tad ironic for the GAA (since a senior official once said bluntly in 2004 they needed Dublin to do well for the organisations finances): https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2018/0813/984824-the-awkward-irony-of-gaas-attendance-problem/
Dublin has begun to do well and it has too many advantages . When a ‘Competition ‘ becomes a non competition , Interest dies down , hardly surprising .

[Cheirin]

Football isn't the most popular sport in Ireland. With a population of €4m, of course a one off match featuring Liverpool or United will draw a crowd of €50k+.

It's light years behind the GAA in terms of membership, participation and interest. Sad, but true.

[OwlsFan]

At least 45k are turning up for a football match in Cork not involving Liverpool or Man U.

[pineapple stu]

Manchester United are one of the teams playing?

[Fixer82]

The provincial rugby jersey is the favoured casual attire of the thirty something, middle class dad of two/three. Fact!

[OwlsFan]

Manchester United are one of the teams playing?

Not really. Isn't it just a hodgepodge of ex-Man U players and other former players from Celtic etc having a kick about for a worthy charity? However, I do wonder if it was something like Cork City vs Shamrock Rovers or some such how many would turn up.

[marinobohs]

I always find it somewhat amusing when people try to differentiate between followers of Rugby / Soccer / GAA etc. truth is they are often one and the same, Irish people love a success story and will flock to whomever is doing well (or fashionable) irrespective of codes. Hold this same survey on
(1) All Ireland weekend
or
(2) European Rugby Cup weekend
or
(3) champions league weekend, and I suspect you would get different answers on the 'most popular sport'.

For what its worth, IMHO most popular sport in Ireland is - next bandwagon :cool:

[DeLorean]

When Ken Early isn't quoting himself, he's trying to figure out a way of getting Pep Guardiola into the conversation. His up-to-date view of the rugby v football 'war' here - https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/ken-early-cruel-contrast-at-the-aviva-as-o-neill-s-ireland-stagnate-1.3702263

[Stuttgart88]

I thought it was a good piece nonetheless

[DeLorean]

It was grand, all fairly obvious points I thought. Incomparable fixtures always seem to be the catalyst for these, well, comparisons. It's too easy.

Clearly rugby is in a better place right here, right now. Things can change faster than people seem to realise though.

[jbyrne]

It was grand, all fairly obvious points I thought. Incomparable fixtures always seem to be the catalyst for these, well, comparisons. It's too easy.

Clearly rugby is in a better place right here, right now. Things can change faster than people seem to realise though.

early has compared the rugby team at probably its highest ever point with the football team arguably at its lowest ever point (certainly since the mid 80s). the articles conclusions are therefore hardly a surprise.

i cant help feeling that no matter how bad the rugby team ever got, and for most of the 90s it was dreadful, that it ever received as much negative press as the football team gets when at its low points.

[tetsujin1979]

hmmm - Irish rugby team less popular than English football team?

Similar enough numbers watched the Croatia - England game on Wednesday night on RTE as watched the England - Ireland Grand Slam decider in March, with the rugby being watched by more online
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1064537767332466689

[geysir]

hmmm - Irish rugby team less popular that English football team?
That's not fair Tets, just how many like myself tuned in to see England get beaten and were cheering on Croatia :)

[brine3]

I don't see kids playing rugby in the streets.

[Eminence Grise]

Kind of an apples and oranges comparison? World cup semi versus a friendly in different codes?

[bennocelt]

I don't see kids playing rugby in the streets.


Do kids still play on the streets?

[Stuttgart88]

i cant help feeling that no matter how bad the rugby team ever got, and for most of the 90s it was dreadful, that it ever received as much negative press as the football team gets when at its low points.Absolutely. In fact when the Golden Generation underperformed to their ability in the 2000s there was barely a murmur. Beating England regularly is a great way to have people on your side in Ireland. When the football team underperformed they were brutal, overpaid, detached and even cowards for not playing in Tbilisi.

In general I thought the article was fair. He highlighted the different operating landscape: Football has a healthy international pyramid of 56 countries and national leagues (and that's just Europe) where population and TV market matters. AIL clubs couldn't sustain pro rugby but the provinces can play in a cross border league, one of the 3 biggest in Europe with guaranteed entry European rugby's biggest cups, and the national team competes with a guaranteed spot in a huge international competition - driven by French and British TV audiences - that is closed to new entrants and which distributes no money outside its member countries. He also highlighted just how brilliant a player you need to be just to be considered mediocre in football.

I do think our rugby system has produced players pretty much as well as any system can produce in a country of our size and that deserves great credit. But would a comparably gifted and well coached sprinter or middle distance runner, or tennis player achieve such elevated standing in the world game? The route to the top of rugby is far less crowded and less cut throat than most sports.

I loathe the blazers that run the FAI so I'm not looking to stick uo for them, but even the financial comparisons aren't 100% fair. In 2005 both associations earned the same income. Today ours is the same more or less, IRFU's has doubled. Obviously bums on seats and sponsorship counts but pro rugby was an underexploited TV product then, football was at a far more mature stage in its product life cycle. Guaranteed annual TV money in a growing market counts. To generate much extra revenue the FAI needs to actually qualify for a tournament - equivalent, or close to it in my mind, in difficulty to winning the 6N or being damned close.

The Aviva stadium debate has arguments on both sides. In the mid-2000s the FAI had to do something. I'd have preferred an eircom park style solution myself but still. The IRFU has done well with its real estate (more profits from a site at Red Cow announced last week), whereas the FAI got burnt. Real estate can be very capricious - look at the windfall Bohs nearly achieved.

It hurts that we're the ugly stepchild right now but maybe this is what's needed in the long term.

[Stuttgart88]

Do kids still play on the streets?I don't see kids playing IRB2019 on their PS4s :)

(I know IRB is called World Rugby now)

[OwlsFan]

Tuned in to Prime Time last night as there was apparently going to be a big debate on the future of Irish football (which Prime Time thinks is just the international side). All we got were clips of Ireland scoring against the All Blacks (in a friendly) and a half empty Aviva just before the final whistle against Northern Ireland (totally unfair comparison) and Pat Dolan saying MONKE should go. That was it and it was the last item on the programme !! I had to sit through the lack of women professors and broadband down the country. If that's a debate on Irish football then I am a Bohs supporter.

[Stuttgart88]

Matt Williams is at it again (http://https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/international/matt-williams-new-zealand-s-cynical-play-must-be-punished-at-world-cup-1.4017590). He’s virtually deranged in his hatred of football.

Ultimately the first month of every RWC reminds us that Rugby is blind to religion, skin colour, nationality or sexual preference, and is a community game that bridges cultures played in over two hundred countries. Very few in the rugby community are professional. Globally rugby remains predominantly an amateur sport.

Wonderfully, you will see no physical barriers between supporters at the matches. There will be no police on horses keeping the opposition supporters apart.

After the matches in the local bars and on the trains from the stadiums there will be no hooligans rioting. The most opposing supporters will throw at each other will be some very off key singing, in voices that should never be heard outside the family shower. The players will refer to the referees as “Sir” or “Mame.” It’s old school, but it’s good school. There will be no players faking injury, rolling around on the ground clutching an untroubled knee in an attempt to get an imaginary penalty. But you will see many players acting. Many will pretend they are not hurt, when in fact their entire body is stinging after the joy of physical contact.

[tetsujin1979]

If he thinks there's no diving or faking injury in rugby, he's clear never watched the game

[jbyrne]

Globally rugby remains predominantly an amateur sport.



yes, including many of the teams that will play in this RWC.... most of whom are made play all their group games in half the period that the "tier 1" nations have to play their games in and against the likes of NZ, France and England who keep nicking their best players. yes, the RWC is a a beacon of light to the rest of the sporting world!!

[Stuttgart88]

yes, including many of the teams that will play in this RWC.... most of whom are made play all their group games in half the period that the "tier 1" nations have to play their games in and against the likes of NZ, France and England who keep nicking their best players. yes, the RWC is a a beacon of light to the rest of the sporting world!!...and a sport which has just sold its major rights in Europe to Private Equity, permanently pulling up the drawbridge to any nation outside the top tier.

The article then goes on the criticise NZ's cheating. It's just bizarre. We all know football has its problems, as does rugby. To randomly pick on one sport's problems to highlight the best bits of his own is beyond pointless. It's chrurlish, misplaced and unhinged almost. Does he think Irish fans riot playing sweden in Paris?

[NeverFeltBetter]

I find many rugby and GAA heads draw a very clear line between "diving", that is to say pretending you have been illegally tackled when you haven't, and "simulation" which is pretending you are injured or need medical assistance when you really don't, usually to kill an attack or an opposing team's momentum. The first is the worst thing in sport, the second, which happens in rugby and in every game of GAA I've ever watched, isn't commented on much and when it is its usually just shrugged off. The fact that both involve hoodwinking the ref to try and gain an advantage is apparently immaterial.

The Rugby World Cup remains, as I think I said on here four years ago, a bizarre lesson in freezing out nations where the sport is in a state of a development, to the detriment of logical scheduling. A 24 team tournament is easily doable, could include four more teams on or above the same level as Namibia, and would eliminate this bizarre situation where one side has to do all of their games in a significantly less number of days than others. But the authority couldn't appear less interested. You might as well just do a Cricket World Cup style single group of ten teams.

[paul_oshea]

Stutts can you write a follow up to your post last year, just so i have some ammunition when the RWC comes around and everyone is on the bandwagon who has much less a clue of rugby than I do, but a far "greater interest in the game and rugby" than I do, for the world cup and 6nations anyway.

You've clearly researched for your contempt and dislike of Rugby and its followers :D

[paul_oshea]

I find many rugby and GAA heads draw a very clear line between "diving", that is to say pretending you have been illegally tackled when you haven't, and "simulation" which is pretending you are injured or need medical assistance when you really don't, usually to kill an attack or an opposing team's momentum. The first is the worst thing in sport, the second, which happens in rugby and in every game of GAA I've ever watched, isn't commented on much and when it is its usually just shrugged off. The fact that both involve hoodwinking the ref to try and gain an advantage is apparently immaterial.

The Rugby World Cup remains, as I think I said on here four years ago, a bizarre lesson in freezing out nations where the sport is in a state of a development, to the detriment of logical scheduling. A 24 team tournament is easily doable, could include four more teams on or above the same level as Namibia, and would eliminate this bizarre situation where one side has to do all of their games in a significantly less number of days than others. But the authority couldn't appear less interested. You might as well just do a Cricket World Cup style single group of ten teams.

The whole reason RL was created was because Rugby Union has and always will be a closed shop. An old boys network where the founding fathers wanted to keep it an elitist sport played by their privately educated children. Everything else is just smoke and mirrors. They talk of developing the game, the RWC has what been going 30 years now? Its still the same teams and still the same level of amateurism in all the nations outside the top 8 really. And no one seems willing to introspect and interrogate this from within.

[Stuttgart88]

Stutts can you write a follow up to your post last year, just so i have some ammunition when the RWC comes around and everyone is on the bandwagon who has much less a clue of rugby than I do, but a far "greater interest in the game and rugby" than I do, for the world cup and 6nations anyway.

You've clearly researched for your contempt and dislike of Rugby and its followers :DWhich one? I don't actually dislike rugby. I used to love watching it but less so in recent years. I hate the fake smug moral superiority that goes with it. You could cite Leinster rugby players pi$$ing on people in pubs or knocking academy players unconcious at a dinner, university initiation rites in England, Welsh police complaining that there is more trouble in Cardiff on a rugby night than on a football night and so on, not to mention the commercial arrangements that lock out smaller countries - but no, that doesn't fit the narrative.

[paul_oshea]

That one :D

[Stuttgart88]

There you go!

[Stuttgart88]

Here's some ammo for you Paul:

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/senior-police-chief-slams-disgraceful-7376002

http://jomec.co.uk/thecardiffian/2017/11/28/rugby-fans-worse-football-fans-say-police/

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/rugby-banning-orders-suggested-after-13977858

“And asked if anti-social behaviour was linked to excessive drinking rather than “specifically a rugby crowd”, he said: “Rugby draws the crowd. Crowd drinks excessively. Crowd behaves anti-socially. I don’t have the same dynamics with football right now, or theatre-goers or cricketers. So, yes, for me rugby is a problem, but not rugby the sport, rugby the drinking culture.”

“I had a horrible experience with my uncle at the (Welsh) game on Saturday. Five drunk men who were aggressive and abusive. I’m never going back. Totally ruined the whole experience.”

And I never noticed this one before: https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/29-arrests-and-11k-in-drugs-seized-during-rugby-7s-tournament-in-cork-922728.html

[Fixer82]

The feeble qualification rules don’t help smaller nations either.
I cheered on Japan when they beat South Africa in the World Cup only to realise about half of their players weren’t Japanese at all.
Players don’t need passports to represent a nation. I’m not sure they even need citizenship.
Bigger nations can poach good players, especially from Pacific islands.

[jbyrne]

tut tut...

https://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby-world-cup-2019/2019/0917/1076509-wales-send-coach-rob-howley-home-after-betting-scandal/

[tetsujin1979]

And also
https://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/rugby-world-cup-2019/paul-kimmage-reality-finally-intrudes-on-rugbys-doping-fairytale-38498388.html

[wexfordned]

tut tut...

https://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby-world-cup-2019/2019/0917/1076509-wales-send-coach-rob-howley-home-after-betting-scandal/

It takes some nerve and frankly amnesia for anyone here to criticism rugby on how they run things. But I suppose it makes a change from seeing the latest revelation about FAI board/John Delaney in the papers.

As far as I can Irish football fans only seem interested in the senior teams desperate attempts to qualify for the Euros so they can go a **** up abroad. Everything else including all the humiliation and embarrassing incidents can be forgotten if we can sneak into a tournament that is harder to miss out on than it is to qualify

[jbyrne]

As far as I can Irish football fans only seem interested in the senior teams desperate attempts to qualify for the Euros so they can go a **** up abroad.

what a stupid generalisation.
matches are at home if we qualify anyway.

the irony of having a pop at the football team in their attempts to qualify when the rugby team get handed a spot at the rwc every 4 years. how hard is it for the rugby team to miss out on qualifying??

[Stuttgart88]

The broad issue here is the hypocrisy of rugby insiders taking random opportunities to criticise football, when the charge sheet against rugby is just as vast - just different. Both games have serious issues just as both games have great qualities.

Nobody here is unaware of the governance issues football faces locally or globally. I'd say many here and even among the "rugby community" are unaware of the governance issues rugby struggles with.

[wexfordned]

It takes some nerve and frankly amnesia for anyone here to criticism rugby on how they run things. But I suppose it makes a change from seeing the latest revelation about FAI board/John Delaney in the papers.

As far as I can Irish football fans only seem interested in the senior teams desperate attempts to qualify for the Euros so they can go a **** up abroad. Everything else including all the humiliation and embarrassing incidents can be forgotten if we can sneak into a tournament that is harder to miss out on than it is to qualify

The difference is the mentality of teams and supporters. For Ireland away soccer fans the attitude is “win or lose we’re on the booze” aren’t we great craic and everybody loves us.

For Ireland rugby fans traveling away they except the team to win and aren’t just hoping for the best

[Razors left peg]

The difference is the mentality of teams and supporters. For Ireland away soccer fans the attitude is “win or lose we’re on the booze” aren’t we great craic and everybody loves us.

For Ireland rugby fans traveling away they except the team to win and aren’t just hoping for the best

Thats a recent phenomenon, for years Rugby fans definitely had the lads on tour mentality and went on the pi$$ no matter what. Success means that there is an expectation now. You cant say that for years Irish fans went to Paris in the 5 or 6 Nations championship expecting to win.

Sports fans in general are fickle, if a team is successful it bring more people on board and attitudes change. Look at Man City, for years when they were in the lower leagues they had amazing support, now they expect to win so much they cant even sell out home games in the Champions League.

[tetsujin1979]

The difference is the mentality of teams and supporters. For Ireland away soccer fans the attitude is “win or lose we’re on the booze” aren’t we great craic and everybody loves us.

For Ireland rugby fans traveling away they except the team to win and aren’t just hoping for the best
Have you ever been on a rugby away trip?

[gastric]

Anyhow, I hope Ireland wins the upcoming World Cup. Is this thread just for bitter, twisted individuals who should be in therapy?:D