2013 Attendances

[oriel]

These are very disappointing attendances, not even hitting 10k overall is very poor for any week. Granted 4 of the top 5 teams in terms of attendance averages were away, but its still bad.

The figure for Pats is just dreadful.

[oriel]

when we were last up in premier we get over 2000 for big games ie shamrock rovers and derry.can remember derry bringing over 1500 for last league game of season and they had beat athlone r even draw win league.they missed pen and lost 1-0 I think.they must rattled bar about 5 times.shuda murdered athlone dat day lol

I think Derry drew 1-1 in that game, final match of 1995. I'm sure Donal Golden scored for Athlone after one minute. Liam Coyle scored a screamer for Derry who had to win, but couldnt force a winner. We held on for a 2-0 win over Galway, and our game finished 5 mins early, last 5 mins from Athlone was played from rte radio on the PA system in oriel park, we then won the league by a point and got some pretend trophy, as the real one was sitting in St Mels.

Shels/Pats was also a 3rd game that could have had an impact that day, but that result didnt matter in the end.

[dejadem]

Shels/Pats was also a 3rd game that could have had an impact that day, but that result didnt matter in the end.

Didn't both of the other results not have to go Dundalk's way? I thought Dundalk were 3rd going into the games that day? My memory isn't what it used to be, so could be wrong about that.

[oriel]

Yes you're right, both did, we were defintely 3rd on the last day, Shels had to win also, but only Derry could win it with one result, their own match with a win, which they didnt get. Shels also needed results elsewhere I think. Crazy day, but we were the longest odds to win it, for sure.

[dejadem]

Yes you're right, both did, we were defintely 3rd on the last day, Shels had to win also, but only Derry could win it with one result, their own match with a win, which they didnt get. Shels also needed results elsewhere I think. Crazy day, but we were the longest odds to win it, for sure.

Derry could have 'punished' Athlone for that result a year later by beating them on the last day to relegate them, but that ended in a 1-1 draw too, Athlone stayed up and we went down instead.

[nigel-harps1954]

I reckon about 330 at Cobh ramblers v wexford, also in attendance one Roy Keane.

You weren't far off. It was 321. An extra 9 Roy Keanes and you'd have been spot on.



These are very disappointing attendances, not even hitting 10k overall is very poor for any week. Granted 4 of the top 5 teams in terms of attendance averages were away, but its still bad.

The figure for Pats is just dreadful.


It's terribly worrying. It's another argument against summer football in my eyes. One of the main arguments was always that crowds had improved dramatically for summer football, it's very clear, people are not attending matches during the summer for a number of reasons. Clashes with the GAA and weather are a major factor.

[Comic Book Guy]

[QUOTE=nigel-harps1954;1695831]You weren't far off. It was 321. An extra 9 Roy Keanes and you'd have been spot on.
If we had an extra 9 Roys I'd put them straight in the team!
Our crowds have held up pretty well bar last Saturday, a number of other events took from the crowd, also the
weather can be too good sometimes.
The recent bad run of results didnt help

[buttyk]

well fai need change leagues plit up into 2 leagues and not having like fin harps and derry going down cobh n corked have 2 pools top 2 go into play offs to win league and decide euro places. pool 1 cud be athlone derry,finn harps,galway,bohs,shels ucd, sligo....pool 2 cud be bray,shamrock,cork,waterford,limerick,cobh,pats,du ndalk,drogs,.then next year move dublins team to different pools.ie pats,shamrock and bray go pool 1 and bohs shells and ucd go pool 2.change it around every year but athlone Longford derry finn harps galway and Sligo stay same pool. cobh cork Waterford limerick stay together .cuts out travelling and cost for fans and clubs. WHAT DO YEE THINK?????

[wonder88]

Martin Russell spoke of his dismay at how only a few people turn up to watch UCD play on mns. The owner of St Pats must be also very disappointed with the drop in support for his club this season when they are playing such a nice style of soccer. Is reducing the number of clubs in Dublin the answer? Maybe but it has not worked in Galway.

[Charlie Darwin]

Martin Russell spoke of his dismay at how only a few people turn up to watch UCD play on mns. The owner of St Pats must be also very disappointed with the drop in support for his club this season when they are playing such a nice style of soccer. Is reducing the number of clubs in Dublin the answer? Maybe but it has not worked in Galway.
You can't just reduce the number of clubs. The FAI has screwed over Galway United, but even so they at least waited until GUFC destroyed itself first. And still, it's clear to everybody but a small few in Galway soccer and the FAI that they only viable senior club in Galway is GUST.

Nevertheless, the issue isn't that there's too many clubs in Dublin - it's that Dublin is apathetic to its clubs. Even at their low ebb, Galway were able to bring 1,000 into Terryland, or 1 in 75 people in the metro area. By contrast, Dublin has 6 clubs (including Bray) in the metro area and 10,000 fans at a pinch, equating to 1 in 150+. Both numbers are far from impressive and well below the capabilities of either city. And even if reducing clubs was an option, where do you think the 100-odd Fingal fans have gone? They certainly haven't gone to the other Dublin clubs, they've gone to Croker or the RDS or anywhere but the LOI.

[gufcfan]

And still, it's clear to everybody but a small few in Galway soccer and the FAI that they only viable senior club in Galway is GUST.

Just speaking for myself, but I think the aim of GUST is to have a Galway United that is answerable to supporters, run sustainably and heavily involved in the community. I know is sounds like a much of a muchness, but it can be mistaken or often portrayed as an attempted power grab of sorts. Some individuals need to be removed from the equation for certain, but everyone else has a part to play.

We just want the mess sorted out and GUST are just part of the solution.

Edit: Was just pointing it out, didn't think GUST were being accused.

[Charlie Darwin]

Oh, I wasn't implying for a second that GUST are trying to take over anything. I'm saying that Galway United is the club that Galway people have looked up to for generations, and it would be a real tragedy for the league if the coming generations are lost to Irish football like Shamrock Rovers were post-Kilcoyne. Unfortunately in Ireland it's far easier to kill a club than it is to build one.

[gufcfan]

Sorry, the post does sound very defensive but that wasn't what I meant, just making a point since you brought GUST up.

Anyway, attendances...

Crowds really flocking to Drom this year.

[Redzer]

913 in Limerick last eve for Cup QF. I'd say less than 100 from Sligo.

[disgruntled]

Crowds are really down all over.
People are under savage pressure elsewhere in their lives so League of Ireland football is the last thing on their minds.

When I look at clubs like Pats who are top of the league I say to myself. "What have clubs to do" ?
If you're top of the league & the fans don't come to games then what ?

[oriel]

Not that it matters much but back up to a few posts above, the game we were discussing, last match of 1994/95 season, not sure but possibly one of the smallest crowds to see a side clinch the title. Granted we were 3rd on the final day, but still only 1,500 or so turned up to see us beat Galway 2-0, hardly anyone had any hope as Derry were in such great form. Enter Donal Golden and the Athlone keeper ! Must have been 3 or 4,000 at the Athlone v Derry match same day.

With this seasons poor crowds, its hard to offer a view on why they are so poor for so many clubs. Derry should be getting a lot more, Pats too, it doesnt help having Cork in lower mid table.

Whats the solution, hardly a return to winter football, I think a super league of 16 teams would work much better, and the way things are going in the FD, it could be forced upon the Lge.

[Spudulika]

Made a presentation to a convention tonight, last weekend I was trying to put together some figures to compare Ireland and Russia in relation to sports. So I decided to look at attendances for professional/major sports leagues. Using very basic figures (from standard sources) I found that 0.0042% of Dublin's population follow the capital's clubs (didn't include Tallaght of the South, ie Bray) compared to 0.0044% of Muscovites.

[gufcfan]

I was going to say, apples and oranges, but they are more similar than what you have compared there ;)

So many factors involved there.

[peterc1992]

Not that it matters much but back up to a few posts above, the game we were discussing, last match of 1994/95 season, not sure but possibly one of the smallest crowds to see a side clinch the title. Granted we were 3rd on the final day, but still only 1,500 or so turned up to see us beat Galway 2-0, hardly anyone had any hope as Derry were in such great form. Enter Donal Golden and the Athlone keeper ! Must have been 3 or 4,000 at the Athlone v Derry match same day.

With this seasons poor crowds, its hard to offer a view on why they are so poor for so many clubs. Derry should be getting a lot more, Pats too, it doesnt help having Cork in lower mid table.

Whats the solution, hardly a return to winter football, I think a super league of 16 teams would work much better, and the way things are going in the FD, it could be forced upon the Lge.

Thats cool to hear of 3k or so down in mels. Our attendances are improving but only because we have improved.

But as ye have been saying Pats are getting very average attendances yet are top.

Obviously the recession is a big thing in recent years but is the fact that the Premiership in England got more commercialised in the last 10-15 years meant less people go to local games?

I can't imagine even if we were doing well in mid table next year in the Premier Division that we would be able to get anything near 3000.

Also in regards to changing the structure. I think a bigger Premier Division would bring better crowds all round.

If Salthill had big clubs like rovers, Bohemians, St pats, Derry at home in the League twice a year then people who dont usually go to games will go to see some of the best players in Ireland.I'm not saying Salthill would be in the Premier Diviosn but if they were it would be an improvement on there attendances.

Fai also need to sort themselves out. We need more commercialism , more games on tv. Better promotion or our games and less of the English games.

[peterc1992]

Made a presentation to a convention tonight, last weekend I was trying to put together some figures to compare Ireland and Russia in relation to sports. So I decided to look at attendances for professional/major sports leagues. Using very basic figures (from standard sources) I found that 0.0042% of Dublin's population follow the capital's clubs (didn't include Tallaght of the South, ie Bray) compared to 0.0044% of Muscovites.

It's a bad country to compare it too.

Moscow is a way bigger city than Dublin so generally there going to have better teams and there best team(s) is going to be better than ours. They also have better footballers in that league because its a bigger country and because of that they will progress more in Europe and the cycle is better as people come to watch the games.

Also Russian football has a lot of money in it so despite getting the figures they would desire(comparitive to England,germany) they are able to keep going and bring good players into the country.

In general, that number is quite low so even though it is similar to ours it is still bad but it works in Russia because it is a bigger country and because they have money regardless.

[gufcfan]

If Salthill had big clubs like rovers, Bohemians, St pats, Derry at home in the League twice a year then people who dont usually go to games will go to see some of the best players in Ireland.I'm not saying Salthill would be in the Premier Diviosn but if they were it would be an improvement on there attendances.
Salthill drew Rovers in the cup. It was moved to Terryland. Apart from Rovers fans and stewards there was nobody there. Was actually a bit surprised at that myself. People don't forget.

[nigel-harps1954]

Salthill drew Rovers in the cup. It was moved to Terryland. Apart from Rovers fans and stewards there was nobody there. Was actually a bit surprised at that myself. People don't forget.


Salthill might have been a bad example to use.

I know if Shamrock Rovers were visiting Finn Harps this Friday and not Cobh Ramblers the crowd would be well above what we're expecting (no disrespect to Cobh intended).

There's a valid argument there for an increased Premier Division. It's been done to death at this stage however.

[mightaswell]

Salthill and Mervue should never have been entered into the league.....they are nothing more than local city area clubs how on earth were they meant to get any kind off attendance??

[gufcfan]

There's a valid argument there for an increased Premier Division. It's been done to death at this stage however.

I completely disagree with the single division idea. No relegation means that anyone outside of the teams capable of challenging for Europe will only be competing to win back some of the club's affiliation fees.

The point is made that people come out to see the big teams, but I think LOI fans come out to see their own team compete against the top teams. If there is nothing at stake, nobody really gives a toss.

The teams at the bottom either go tits up or never get a chance to find their level and regroup.

Chopping and changing the league structure will not fix the real problems.

[peadar1987]

Made a presentation to a convention tonight, last weekend I was trying to put together some figures to compare Ireland and Russia in relation to sports. So I decided to look at attendances for professional/major sports leagues. Using very basic figures (from standard sources) I found that 0.0042% of Dublin's population follow the capital's clubs (didn't include Tallaght of the South, ie Bray) compared to 0.0044% of Muscovites.

Was that using attendance figures? And how full are Muscovite stadia? I ask because if the stadia in Moscow are full, there could be a large number of people who follow the clubs who simply can't get to games, similar to how Man Utd's global following is far greater than the 70000 odd who fit into Old Trafford. Is there the same phenomenon in Russia of people supporting the big Moscow and St. Petersburg clubs in spite of themselves being from Samara, Yekaterinburg or Vladivostok?

[Sean South]

Apart from Rovers fans and stewards there was nobody there.
Are you a Salthill steward or a Shams fan?

[Spudulika]

Was that using attendance figures? And how full are Muscovite stadia? I ask because if the stadia in Moscow are full, there could be a large number of people who follow the clubs who simply can't get to games, similar to how Man Utd's global following is far greater than the 70000 odd who fit into Old Trafford. Is there the same phenomenon in Russia of people supporting the big Moscow and St. Petersburg clubs in spite of themselves being from Samara, Yekaterinburg or Vladivostok?

Yes and not very. The size of (for example) Luzhniki goes against it, even with 40,000 it doesn't react, though much of this is down to the layout. The attitude towards the league here is not too far from the view held in Ireland towards the LOI. The prevailing attitude is that it's ruffians who go to games, if you're nice you follow some dross like Barcelona or the other sky leagues. But local clubs are looked down on. Spartak would be the biggest club in the country, though they have a terrible reputation and even though they'll have their new ground open next year, the club is a mess and they'll fail to fill their new ground when it opens. The problems here are many, thoug maybe some sound familiar - poor facilities, poor atmosphere, questionable on pitch product, lack of community connection, constant money worries.

In terms of travelling fans (who go to watch a team not from their own city), I personally know a group of Spartak fans who travel from Yaroslavl for 6-8 home games a year, sometimes more. They have a full pro club, Shinnik, in their own city, but they view them as losers. Though in fairness most small town club followers will also follow a big club. But down the divisions you'll get nobody at FNL (1st division) games and bigger crowds in the 2nd (3rd level) than some of the Premier teams even.

Without local government or sugar daddies all clubs in Russia are out of business, period. When you take (say Kuban) €50k at the gate 15 times a year and almost no prize money, and even less tv money, they couldn't pay a wage bill in excess of €30million a season.

[peadar1987]

Yes and not very. The size of (for example) Luzhniki goes against it, even with 40,000 it doesn't react, though much of this is down to the layout. The attitude towards the league here is not too far from the view held in Ireland towards the LOI. The prevailing attitude is that it's ruffians who go to games, if you're nice you follow some dross like Barcelona or the other sky leagues. But local clubs are looked down on. Spartak would be the biggest club in the country, though they have a terrible reputation and even though they'll have their new ground open next year, the club is a mess and they'll fail to fill their new ground when it opens. The problems here are many, thoug maybe some sound familiar - poor facilities, poor atmosphere, questionable on pitch product, lack of community connection, constant money worries.

In terms of travelling fans (who go to watch a team not from their own city), I personally know a group of Spartak fans who travel from Yaroslavl for 6-8 home games a year, sometimes more. They have a full pro club, Shinnik, in their own city, but they view them as losers. Though in fairness most small town club followers will also follow a big club. But down the divisions you'll get nobody at FNL (1st division) games and bigger crowds in the 2nd (3rd level) than some of the Premier teams even.

Without local government or sugar daddies all clubs in Russia are out of business, period. When you take (say Kuban) €50k at the gate 15 times a year and almost no prize money, and even less tv money, they couldn't pay a wage bill in excess of €30million a season.

Are there any leagues you've come across who'd be facing the same sort of issues as Ireland, and have actually dealt with any of them effectively?

[gufcfan]

Are you a Salthill steward or a Shams fan?
I loves Shamrock Rovers so I do.

[trevy]

355 at Waterford United v Finn Harps.

[Spudulika]

Are there any leagues you've come across who'd be facing the same sort of issues as Ireland, and have actually dealt with any of them effectively?
Until last year I'd have lauded the 2nd division Ural Volga, where they brought in measures to improve in all respects, however this has wobbled once clubs saw they weren't winning so quickly. Latvia was supposed to take steps but it's a mess, Armenia is terrible. Croatia has gone backwards and Russia is in crisis. The LOI has potential to do much better but it won't matter until it becomes competition the main Irish sports.

[MeathDrog]

It would be funny if 800 or so GUFC fans arrived at a Salthill game with the intention of seeing how small the crowd was.

[Olander]

It would be funny if 800 or so GUFC fans arrived at a Salthill game with the intention of seeing how small the crowd was.
Yes, that would be a mad laugh alright...

[nigel-harps1954]

Week 15: (amended Waterford v Harps)

PREMIER DIVISION

Bohs - 1,637 (1,496; 1,488; 1,835; 2,366; 1,993; 1,924; 1,463; 1,976)
Bray - 750 (965; 1,121; 952; 1,169; 1,106; 1,200; 1,027; 1,550)
Cork - 2,063 (2,786; 2,128 FD; 1,693 FD; 2,681; 3,142; 2,897; 2,941; 3,644)
Derry - 1,576 (1,460; 2,135; 1,965 FD; 2,436; 3,363; 2,614; 3,229; 2,698)
Drogheda - 915 (977; 811; 859; 1,106; 1,631; 1,919; 1,751; 1,682)
Dundalk - 1,758 (949; 1,355; 1,877; 2,371; 1,459 FD; 1,406 FD; 1,078 FD; 474 FD)
Limerick - 2,151 (734 FD; 569 FD; 598 FD; 429 FD; 517 FD; 670 FD; 364 FD; 669 FD)
Pat's - 1,395 (1,474; 1,346; 1,756; 1,631; 1,795; 1,910; 1,342; 1,599)
Rovers - 3,021 (3,127; 3,779; 3,794; 3,611; 1,468; 1,715; 1,089 FD; 1,539)
Shels - 1,096 (1,187; 781 FD; 737 FD; 972 FD; 986 FD; 888 FD; 1,690; 1,949)
Sligo - 2,535 (3,007; 2,103; 1,807; 1,756; 1,960; 1,448; 1,806; 1,794 FD)
UCD - 424 (506; 558; 610; 272 FD; 546; 663; 546; 653; 306 FD)

FIRST DIVISION

Athlone - 456 (271; 200; 354; 462; 387; 670; 421; 316)
Cobh - 511 (2008 - 1,122 PD; 681; 368; 403; 240)
Harps - 619 (429; 433; 644; 480; 1,607 PD; 1,164; 428; 1,347 PD; 1,106) -
Longford - 354 (365; 315; 230; 260; 406; 885 PD; 681 PD; 1,004 PD)
Mervue - 256 (243; 349; 123; 166)
Salthill Devon - 135 (182; 125; 122)
Waterford - 417 (453; 466; 619; 434; 670; 1,181 PD; 915 PD; 1,513 PD)
Wexford - 213 (302; 216; 343; 494; 767; 810)

PREMIER AVERAGE: 1,608 (1,630; 1,547; 1,512; 2,010; 1,746; 1,687; 1,535; 1,759)
FIRST DIVISION AVERAGE: 371 (372; 578; 682; 417; 641; 722; 570; 520)

OVERALL AVERAGE: 1,169 (1,125; 1,110; 1,095; 1,175; 1,221; 1,235; 1,070; 1,195)

TOTAL WEEKLY ATTENDANCE: 7,616
OVERALL ATTENDANCE: 197,510

[nigel-harps1954]

1,496 in Tallaght for Drogs v Malmo.

[Charlie Darwin]

1,496 in Tallaght for Drogs v Malmo.
They'd have had at least 1,497 in Oriel.

[bullit]

They'd have had at least 1,497 in Oriel.

1498,i would have went :)
Charlie wouldn't troll?

[Rasputin]

poor atmosphere,
The Russian league has many problems but that is not one of them.

[MiniMourinho]

They'd have had at least 1,497 in Oriel.

Brilliant.

[Spudulika]

The Russian league has many problems but that is not one of them.

Large empty stadia, ott policing, violence inside and outside grounds, weather, etc etc. If you take just a couple of clubs, Zenit or Kuban, I'd agree with you. But until you go down to 2nd division and football towns, it's terrible.

[peadar1987]

Large empty stadia, ott policing, violence inside and outside grounds, weather, etc etc. If you take just a couple of clubs, Zenit or Kuban, I'd agree with you. But until you go down to 2nd division and football towns, it's terrible.

Do you reckon it's crowd violence and the weather keeping people away? Or is it a combination of factors? Just out of interest, do you know what things were like in the Soviet era? Were football crowds cracked down on, or was more of a blind eye turned to hooliganism?

[citybone]

just over 1500 at Turners Cross last night.

[nigel-harps1954]

1,538 in Cork
1,147 in Dalymount

At a guess, there was around 300 in Finn Park last night. Things are getting to a very scary stage.

[mightaswell]

1,538 in Cork
1,147 in Dalymount

At a guess, there was around 300 in Finn Park last night. Things are getting to a very scary stage.
By around 300 are you rounding up or rounding down? I'd hope rounding down but fear its rounding up.

[nigel-harps1954]

I'd be rounding down. There was a rough headcount of close to 350, but official figure should be released by the club at some point. Fearing for the future of Finn Harps at the minute.

[Charlie Darwin]

Is the GAA having much of an effect on attendances? A county like Donegal should really be able to support at least one senior team.

[avvenalaf]

Is the GAA having much of an effect on attendances? A county like Donegal should really be able to support at least one senior team.

It does. Glasgow Celtic.

[Green&whitearmy]

Decent crowd last night in bray v rovers, probably 2200. The decent rovers contingent helped that figure.

[nigel-harps1954]

Is the GAA having much of an effect on attendances? A county like Donegal should really be able to support at least one senior team.




It does. Glasgow Celtic.

It isn't even a word of a lie. The Donegal Celtic supporters club could fill Finn Park ten times over.

GAA could be blamed for a lot of things, but really, a five game run of four losses and one draw has driven everyone away.

I am actually dreading the thought of the attendance against Longford next week.

[Martinho II]

It isn't even a word of a lie. The Donegal Celtic supporters club could fill Finn Park ten times over.

GAA could be blamed for a lot of things, but really, a five game run of four losses and one draw has driven everyone away.

I am actually dreading the thought of the attendance against Longford next week.

what day is that match nigel do you know?