more short-sightedness by the clubs

[Ali-G]

Found this in the dublin times this morning. I think it just about sums everything up. How can people who are successful businessmen become so stupid when it comes to their promotion and management of the league. For once, I dont blame RTE on this one. If it highlights anything, it is that we arent the only club with this mentality.


Clubs' decision prompt RTE to focus on GAA
By Emmet Malone

Just three weeks into RTÉ's new soccer-based sports programme, Sunday Sport, there was disquiet among Eircom League officials last night when it became known this weekend's edition would lead with highlights of the O'Byrne Cup football final between Carlow and Wicklow.

Leading officials in the RTÉ sports department are reported to have become frustrated in recent weeks with the reluctance of clubs to move games to Sunday afternoons in order to facilitate the highlights programme.

Last week Finn Harps declined to put their FAI Cup game against Shelbourne back from Saturday evening and this week the Dubliners have similarly snubbed a request to play St Patrick's Athletic on Sunday in front of the cameras. This latest decision appears to have prompted RTÉ to switch their attention to the Gaelic football match in Carlow.

League commissioner Roy Dooney conceded the situation could become a "massive problem" that comes down to the lack of money available to compensate clubs for losses incurred at the gate.

"Clubs should be thinking about the greater needs of the league but they don't want to lose out", he said. "It's a difficult situation but I think RTÉ have a valid point."

[derm]

I agree that the clubs should show a bit more flexibility once in a while, but why do the games have 2b on Sunday? Can't RTÉ have a round-up of the weekend's games?

Some clubs have found that certain nights suit their gate receipts better. Do RTÉ expect all teams to change to Sunday afternoons every week, or only once in a while? Constantly changing the dates of matches are just gonna p*ss off the fans who actually get off de sofa to go watch de game, i.e. de ones who keep de clubs running.

At de end of the day, it's de money that comes thru de turnstiles on de night that's important. It's all right to say that de programme will
benefit the league in the long run, but it should not be at de short-term expense of de clubs.

This scenario should have been foreseen when negotiating started. I would blame RTÉ inflexibility and FAI negotiating skills and indeed de government for de RTÉ cut-backs :) more so than clubs who are staying loyal to de fans that turn up.

[Peadar]

Cork City are playing the double champions on Sunday and RTÉ could lead with extended highlights of that. The whole GAA thing was probably decided a long time ago. We all know that RTÉ love the GAA as all the muckers will tune in because they're all so loyal to the national broadcaster. Oh those evil foreign channels with their foreign games!

[pete]

Too right. RTE had decided all along to show GAA & just looking for an excuse.

The indo reported than 40k more people watched Kilkenny v Dundalk on Sunday Sport than the previous days Premiership! Thats an amazing figure (RTE1 timeslot i'm sure helped) when you consider the clubs only get 3-5k each for a live game so sure a lot less for highlights game.

RTE may have visted the cross a couple of times lately but they were the first visits of the season. I've no doubt city v bohs will get a bigger rating than Carlow v whoever GAA final thing.

Indo/Unison (http://www.unison.ie/sportsdesk/stories.php3?ca=12&si=672915)

[derm]

LOL!! :D Rico reveals why Rovers won't play on Sunday:


from eircomleague.net (http://www.redbrick.dcu.ie/~jw/17-1-8.htm)
Amazingly, the Hoops manager was unwilling to endorse his side's clash with Dundalk being moved from Friday to Sunday. He told baffled RTÉ chiefs that his players do not like playing in daylight in front of empty seats and if they play under lights they can't see the seats empty.

A good point in de above article was that team sponsors won't be too happy losing out on a prospective 200k audience...

Meanwhile, City v Bohs apparently is too expensive for "cash-strapped" RTÉ to send out their outside broadcast unit...

[Pablo]

yeah.....too expensive is right........George hamilton, Eoin Hand and Tony O;Donaghue rack up some pre match drinks bill in the horseshoe


is it any wonder Hand cant say Derek ****lan properly :D

[niamh]

Officially the outside unit is unable to be in Cork. But aren't there usually some sort of cameras at the game anyway for some sort of highlights?
City have yet to feature in any capacity in this new Sunday Sport think. I personally don't see why RTÉ have a problem with the games being on Friday or Saturday. Surely it means they have more time to film all the games and edit highlights??