Universities and Institutes of Technologies

[A face]

Lads, just wondering .... are there any universities and institutes of technologies out there that have supporters clubs/societies set up for eircom League clubs ??

It would be a very good idea to set them up to try and subsidize student tickets for eircome league games.

Does anyone know of any effort made to set anything like this up ??

[Slash/ED]

Nothing like that in UCD as far as I've seen, not even for UCD FC, despite the fact that there seems to be a very healthy amount of EL supporters of various clubs on campus. It seems like a good idea though.

[Gerrit]

Liverpool FC have a supporters club at UCD Campus, they got a website as well. I'll try to retrieve the URL for you.

No fanclubs of EL clubs as far as I know... As usual, English soccer comes first :(

[Slash/ED]

So do Celtic Gerrit afaik, and I'd imagine, just a guess, that Man U have one too.

[A face]

Well that is one thing where eL club supporter have over the other groups .... Fans of local teams come before English, definitely ... the others wouldn't have a leg to stand on really, obviously not being domestic.

This would be a perfect way to get a captive audience and subsidice games for eL student fans.

I know that CIT in Cork, each society gets circe €600 a month which would be more than enough to subsidice games (i.e. two home games a month = €300 a game and €5 per student would mean a potential 60 students subsidiced which is a good start. If it were taken up then something else could be worked out to improve it, i.e. the club could chip in a bit to bring it up to 100 fans.

Just an idea !!

Has anyone tried it before though ??

[Slash/ED]

The problem would be what exactly would the society do? Going to matches together as a group wouldn't really work as you have supporters from all the different clubs who would only want to see their own clubs play. The only thing you could do is have soceitys for individual clubs that goto home and away games together but there wouldn't be as much interest if you limited it like that and every club would want their own one.

[A face]

The problem would be what exactly would the society do? Going to matches together as a group wouldn't really work as you have supporters from all the different clubs who would only want to see their own clubs play. The only thing you could do is have soceitys for individual clubs that goto home and away games together but there wouldn't be as much interest if you limited it like that and every club would want their own one.

Well a good way to look at this is ..... where goes an sets one up would then deserve to have one. If a collective of fans got together and put their proposal to the guild and got accepted then fair play and that would be the decider tbh.

What would they do .... facilitate students to go and support local sport in their community and get to know people in their community.

Allow students carry out projects i.e. take a cross section of the student population and find out why the general public choose english football over domestic football ??

Give students a chance share their interests in a local sporting product via photo competitions, article competitions and have them featured in the student magazine(s) thus developing their journalistic abilities, etc.

Allow student so particpate in college radio, giving match reports and interviews etc.

Give students a chance to socialise in an environment where drink isn't the main attraction and in a catered environment i.e. safe stands, stewards, policing ... proper facilities (UEFA license ensure this)

Allows students to connect and engage with a sporting organisation who work within the local community and support local talent piling their trade in their home town. Achieve a sense of community and pride for their team.

Support and encourage domestic sporting business who provide a product locally over business abroad.

There must be loads of reasons ..... and there would be at least 4 months in which to compile that various reasons, benefits and potential advantages to students that these clubs would provide ..... share the knowledge !!

[A face]

There used to be one in DCU. But the guy that ran it is now lecturing in New Zealand, so I don't know if its still going.

And did no one take it over then ??

There is an opening for whoever is interested !!

[pineapple stu]

Nothing like that in UCD as far as I've seen, not even for UCD FC, despite the fact that there seems to be a very healthy amount of EL supporters of various clubs on campus. It seems like a good idea though.
We did one for UCD for a couple of years. Very little interest unfortunately. Same old problem of people being eL fans/Manchester United fans/not interested in football by the time they got to college.

[harpskid]

Derry City have a supporters society up in Queen's

[MariborKev]

The Queens University Belfast Derry City Supporters Club was formally established in 2004 after several years operating unofficially.

We have 40+ members and run buses to all the games. Members appear on the Uni radio to talk about the eL and we are involved in a number of cross community ventures with the Northern Ireland SC lads up here.

Like other supporters club we sponsor players and matches and have recently bought shares in the club. We also tend to supply a few free drinks for those travelling on our buses :)

If any other lads are interested in getting something sorted at their college I can supply copies of our constitution to give you some ideas etc.,

[harpskid]

Kev, will you send me a copy of that - it's something I was thinking of looking at for our lads in Letterkenny...

[A face]

If any other lads are interested in getting something sorted at their college I can supply copies of our constitution to give you some ideas etc.,

Yup ... i'd be interested in that .... can you send it onto ifgrounds@o2.ie

[harpskid]

harpskid@hotmail.com if ye get a chance Kev, cheers

[LFC in Exile]

There was an attempt to start one in UCC last two years (CCFC Supporters Club) but Societies and Guilds bods knocked it on the head.

I think an alternative approach would be to set up eircom League United clubs in campuses. That means lads can join to support the eL rather than specific clubs - would be particularly useful for Dublin colleges. Also could have one umbrella group - Students Unions like that kind of thing (cross college societies). :ball:

[A face]

I think an alternative approach would be to set up eircom League United clubs in campuses. That means lads can join to support the eL rather than specific clubs - would be particularly useful for Dublin colleges. Also could have one umbrella group - Students Unions like that kind of thing (cross college societies). :ball:



Maybe alright elsewhere but one society in Dublin is no where near enough ... you'd have to go with specific clubs for it to be of any benefit.

[ollie]

There was an attempt to start one in UCC last two years (CCFC Supporters Club) but Societies and Guilds bods knocked it on the head.


ucc set up some sort of a football society this year i think,mainly based on cork city.maybe others can clarify this?

[A face]

you'd think there'd be a Shel$ or a Boahs club with the stadia only down the road.

Cop on .... i am not being funny here .... but i'd put money on it that the reason there isn't one is because no one has tried it. And the thing is, there probably are enough fans there already, if more come along then fair enough but i would put money that there would be at least 30 fans there for Bohs or Shels each straight off the bat.

And it makes perfect sense for them to join, if they get a cut on the ticket price and more besides.

[dcfcsteve]

Cop on .... i am not being funny here .... but i'd put money on it that the reason there isn't one is because no one has tried it. And the thing is, there probably are enough fans there already, if more come along then fair enough but i would put money that there would be at least 30 fans there for Bohs or Shels each straight off the bat.

And it makes perfect sense for them to join, if they get a cut on the ticket price and more besides.

Student societies are almost always run by Student Unions, with very clear rules on how a group of people can get together, set-up a registered club and qualify for funding.

If Eircom League supporters clubs don't exist at southern Unis/colleges it's because no-one has got off their arse, understood how the Clubs system works at their own college, and set-up one up that would gain recognition. Crying about Liverpool and Celtic supporters clubs on campus is not the way forward, as they've just shown the initiative that EL fans appear to be lacking here. Clubs do not 'magically' come into existence.

As Maribor mentioned above there's a Queens Uni Derry supporters Club that he looks after. I believe there's also a Derry one at Coleraine Uni as well (just as wlel, considering ti should've been built in Derry in the first place..... :mad: )

[A face]

it's because no-one has got off their arse, understood how the Clubs system works at their own college, and set-up one up that would gain recognition.


That is a valid point .... it is understanding what the Guild is looking for and fiting the bill. Actually, the more i think of it .... the more of a success an eL society could be, the events and gigs you could get going would be brilliant. There is loads of stuff you could do and all with a captive audience.

[Bald Student]

If Eircom League supporters clubs don't exist at southern Unis/colleges it's because no-one has got off their arseI don't agree. Like Pineapple said, we ran one for a few years and you could count on one hand the number of people we convinced to come along to eL games. We had no trouble running 5 a side tournaments and soccer table quizes but that's not what we were aiming to do.

We've since moved on and set up our fanzine and supporters club and are having much more success.

[Éanna]

Cop on .... i am not being funny here .... but i'd put money on it that the reason there isn't one is because no one has tried it. And the thing is, there probably are enough fans there already, if more come along then fair enough but i would put money that there would be at least 30 fans there for Bohs or Shels each straight off the bat.
I put it down to the fact that Bohs fans can't read and Shels fans are too young to go to college :D :D

[dcfcsteve]

I don't agree. Like Pineapple said, we ran one for a few years and you could count on one hand the number of people we convinced to come along to eL games. We had no trouble running 5 a side tournaments and soccer table quizes but that's not what we were aiming to do.

We've since moved on and set up our fanzine and supporters club and are having much more success.

Was this a UCD FC supporters club, by any chance.......? :D

[Da Real Rover]

Since such a large proportion of sligo are students it mighten be bad to try and set up a rovers fan club in the IT

[Grasshopper 99]

plenty of socities but nothing to do with the eircom league in itcarlow. :mad:

[A face]

plenty of socities but nothing to do with the eircom league in itcarlow. :mad:

Are you in IT Carlow ?
Set one up there man !!

[Grasshopper 99]

Not anymore. Tried to set one up last year, didnt get the backing. :(

[shantykelly]

the best thing you can do is first find a hard core group around which to base the club. then identify any 'part-timers' and get them to join, encourage them to go to more matches, especially the away games. at queens, one of the biggest things we do is run a bus to an away match (i.e. ALL of them), and the craic alone is worth the trip.

[CollegeTillIDie]

Trinity College Dublin ( a.k.a Trinity sh1te, Dublin University ) started a Soccer Supporters Society during the 1990's one of the main people behind hit was an English born Bray Wanderers fan ( he lived in Bray fair play to him).
They organised a debate in 1996 at the height of the Wimbledon for DUblin nonsense.
Guest speakers included Eamon Dunphy ( mouthpiece for Dons for Dublin nonsense) and a representative of the opposition group National League United ( some UCD fan I believe). Anyway the venue was packed and there was seemingly a lot of interest in soccer in general in Trinity.
Not sure if the society is still up and running as all of that committee have since graduated or dropped out etc.

:D

[Colie]

There used to be a few that went to the games down in UCD about 5 years ago when I was going there, they even had a megaphone (whatever happenned to that?) but I'd say now only a handful of students in UCD even know where Belfield Park is & it wouldn't take off at all doing an eL supporters club on campus. They should do some kind of awareness campaign I suppose.

Don't forget that the league only takes off really when the exams are on & then the holidays kick in & everyone has hit the States or Europe so that clash has to be taken into consideration too.

[Drumcondra Red]

Shels fans are too young to go to college :D :D

Éanna, you humour just gets better, but I think the biggest joke of all is the club you support

[Slash/ED]

an English born Bray Wanderers fan ( he lived in Bray fair play to him).


Going a bit off topic, but I've always found it funny that when English and other foreigners move to Ireland almost the first thing alot of them do is figure out who their local league side is and go out and support them, yet the average punter who'se lived here all their lives spends their time watching English sides on the TV.

[MariborKev]

Trinity College Dublin ( a.k.a Trinity sh1te, Dublin University ) started a Soccer Supporters Society during the 1990's one of the main people behind hit was an English born Bray Wanderers fan ( he lived in Bray fair play to him).
They organised a debate in 1996 at the height of the Wimbledon for DUblin nonsense.
Guest speakers included Eamon Dunphy ( mouthpiece for Dons for Dublin nonsense) and a representative of the opposition group National League United ( some UCD fan I believe). Anyway the venue was packed and there was seemingly a lot of interest in soccer in general in Trinity.
Not sure if the society is still up and running as all of that committee have since graduated or dropped out etc.

:D

I hoped to do something along these lines this year but a row with QUB Administration means that it is on the backburner

I was planning a showing of the "Who's Jarzinho" film and a debate on the future of domestic soccer on the island of ireland- hope to get it sorted for next year

[CollegeTillIDie]

Going a bit off topic, but I've always found it funny that when English and other foreigners move to Ireland almost the first thing alot of them do is figure out who their local league side is and go out and support them, yet the average punter who'se lived here all their lives spends their time watching English sides on the TV.

Well said SLASH/ED! I spent the ages 3 -8 living in Canada. I lived in Montreal and I always rooted for the Montreal teams in all sports. As Montreal was the largest French speaking city in Canada it made the rivalry with other Canadian cities in Canadian Football and Ice Hockey an Anglo-French battle in microcosm. There was a feeling of being with the French Canadians against the English Canadians of a minority against the majority.
As well as a quasi-religious rivalry. But anyway that was where I first gained the support your local team ethos that the English and to be fair most other Europeans have. They have this in County Galway and County Mayo as fans there support GUFC the local EL team. The same cannot be said for citizens of Galway City who seem to think apathy to local soccer is a badge of honour which makes them like Dubliners.

Sorry guys and gals it's a badge of dishonour. We need to copy the Leesiders in their devotion to their local EL club.

[CollegeTillIDie]

There used to be a few that went to the games down in UCD about 5 years ago when I was going there, they even had a megaphone (whatever happenned to that?) but I'd say now only a handful of students in UCD even know where Belfield Park is & it wouldn't take off at all doing an eL supporters club on campus. They should do some kind of awareness campaign I suppose.

Don't forget that the league only takes off really when the exams are on & then the holidays kick in & everyone has hit the States or Europe so that clash has to be taken into consideration too.
Colie
To be fair the level of disinterest was comparable when we had winter soccer seasons.

[Éanna]

Going a bit off topic, but I've always found it funny that when English and other foreigners move to Ireland almost the first thing alot of them do is figure out who their local league side is and go out and support them, yet the average punter who'se lived here all their lives spends their time watching English sides on the TV.
well said that man! its something that has always intrigued me

[A face]

We need to copy the Leesiders in their devotion to their local EL club.


Lads, if you're honest .. City crowds are no where near where they should ... and if every club was getting good crowds, none of us would have a problem with the interest it would generate.

If organising college supporters club is another way to improve it then so be it.

If there was at least a five year cycle in every college with a triving club that supports the team, you'd see a serious impact on attendances. It is the way to go IMO

[Poor Student]

Going a bit off topic, but I've always found it funny that when English and other foreigners move to Ireland almost the first thing alot of them do is figure out who their local league side is and go out and support them, yet the average punter who'se lived here all their lives spends their time watching English sides on the TV.

That's just it. Without getting into the reasons, we have a culture of barstooling and they have a culture of attending games. People look at you like you have two heads when they hear you actually attended an eL game on a Friday night.

[CollegeTillIDie]

Lads, if you're honest .. City crowds are no where near where they should ... and if every club was getting good crowds, none of us would have a problem with the interest it would generate.

If organising college supporters club is another way to improve it then so be it.

If there was at least a five year cycle in every college with a triving club that supports the team, you'd see a serious impact on attendances. It is the way to go IMO
A face

To be fair ye are getting 3-4,000 at most games. At some games almost double those figures, but let's take 3,500 as an average figure for argument's sake.

Cork City has a population of less than 250,000. Greater Dublin has a population 1.4 million and ok has 5 times as many clubs. Nevertheless each of the Dublin clubs given the number of clubs and the higher population should be getting at least what Cork are getting given that the interest in EL football ought to be around the same % point. And it is just not happening in Dublin ! Yet stick a live game on TV and the viewing figures are around 200,000 which is probably 10 times the number who go every week through the turnstiles all over the country.

[CollegeTillIDie]

That's just it. Without getting into the reasons, we have a culture of barstooling and they have a culture of attending games. People look at you like you have two heads when they hear you actually attended an eL game on a Friday night.

Even the majority those who do go to attend sports fixtures across the board are no fecking use.
The so-called Irish Sports fan has become event man/woman.
He/she goes to a couple of GAA Championship games each summer and call themselves GAA supporters. He/she goes to a couple of Rugby International games a year and call themselves rugby fans.
He/she go to a couple of ROI Soccer Internationals and call themselves soccer fans.

They haven't got the fortitude or commitment to go every two weeks or in some cases every week home and away. It's too much like hard work.
Well they cannot commit to anything they change jobs at the drop of a hat not to mention spouses/partners.

COMMITMENT repeat after me COMMITMENT the new bad word in Irish life! :mad:

[bluemovie]

but I'd say now only a handful of students in UCD even know where Belfield Park is & it wouldn't take off at all doing an eL supporters club on campus. They should do some kind of awareness campaign I suppose.

When I went to that horrible 3-0 defeat to UCD a couple of years ago, I had a lift to the far side of the campus. I'd only been to a game in Belfield once before and couldn't really remember how to get to the pitch having come from the Montrose side the other time. We asked a few punters who we thought would know (football jersey wearers, security guards, hot women :p ). Nobody had a clue where the pitch was. When we asked at the reception of the Sports Centre (!), they asked around and eventually put us right. I would've felt better if i thought people were having us on, but I just despaired for UCD. We eventually made the game 5 mins late having scaled a fence. If UCD can't develop awareness of the club amongst their students, what chance has anyone else of encouraging supporters societies?

[A face]

what chance has anyone else of encouraging supporters societies?

Well you'd like to think that the people in the society would be pro-active in recruiting more members.

But jebus ... that is a fairly bad scenario of events to be fair.
What ever about a normal supporters club, all the colleges have infrastructure in place to communicate with the masses, the problem you just spelt out should not be happening at all and with active (active being the operative word) supporters groups setup ... it shouldn't happen.