New clubs

[Schumi]

Like, wouldn't Offaly folks - from Banagher, Birr etc - be more inclined to support Offaly United and travel to Tullamore for EL rather than if the club was called Tullamore??
That's true I think but I'm not sure that an Offaly United rotating games around grounds in Banagher, Birr and Tullamore would work as well. It's harder for people to have an attachment to the club if they're only going to play in each town every 6 weeks or so. There's also the problem of having three licenced grounds.

[Jerry The Saint]

Like, wouldn't Offaly folks - from Banagher, Birr etc - be more inclined to support Offaly United and travel to Tullamore for EL rather than if the club was called Tullamore?? People can be very parochial

True, and yet the same people see no irony in devoting undying love to teams from other counties like Lancashire or Lanarkshire ;) . Usually the same people that give out about a lack of locals on the team, etc. Just another quirk of our odd little country... :( :)

[hamish]

That's true I think but I'm not sure that an Offaly United rotating games around grounds in Banagher, Birr and Tullamore would work as well. It's harder for people to have an attachment to the club if they're only going to play in each town every 6 weeks or so. There's also the problem of having three licenced grounds.

Sorry Schumi I should have said that Tullamore would be the only venue for "Offaly United" games in this case - though Birr Town have a nice set up - remember Ireland playing Sweden there in an-21 match back in the Bernard O'Byrne days.

Banagher wouldn't have facilities - only Birr and Tullamore would be in with a chance.I was just teasing out the idea that people are very parochial - even for some GAA counties - see my Galway example above. It's amazing how people are reluctant to travel outside their "patch" sometimes. I mean, some of the other posters here have mentioned the Cork northside/southside and the Longford situation and Shels and Shamrock Rovers have suffered from leaving their old Milltown/Ringsend bases too.

I'm just wondering too how will traditional Athlone fans take to the new stadium instead of Mels - it's further out from the town but still pretty accessible - we shall see, I suppose.

[hamish]

True, and yet the same people see no irony in devoting undying love to teams from other counties like Lancashire or Lanarkshire ;) . Usually the same people that give out about a lack of locals on the team, etc. Just another quirk of our odd little country... :( :)

Yeah Jerry - to see people getting animated about Premiership teams always gives me a laugh.
Yet, whenever a local does get on the nearest EL team - these are the very barstoolers who wouldn't bother going to see and how he's getting on.

[Poor Student]

Imagine what it would be like if we had our own league like they do in England, we could watch our own players here. Oh, wait.....;)

[atfconline]

I'm just wondering too how will traditional Athlone fans take to the new stadium instead of Mels - it's further out from the town but still pretty accessible - we shall see, I suppose.

I've yet to hear anyone come out with anything bad to say about the move Hamish. There's absolutely no way forward in Mel's . As you know it's boxed in with the Marist on two sides and the railway line on one.

And the new place isn't that far out, closer to Town that Buccaneers. Just in case anyone thinks it out of town like Buckley Park or Flancare Park, it's not at all. Around it is being built up more and more as well, and is in the best possible location for travelling fans, no matter where in the country they are coming from.

[hamish]

I've yet to hear anyone come out with anything bad to say about the move Hamish. There's absolutely no way forward in Mel's . As you know it's boxed in with the Marist on two sides and the railway line on one.

And the new place isn't that far out, closer to Town that Buccaneers. Just in case anyone thinks it out of town like Buckley Park or Flancare Park, it's not at all. Around it is being built up more and more as well, and is in the best possible location for travelling fans, no matter where in the country they are coming from.

Glad to hear that Ray - just crossed my mind, y'know.

True, I've been out to the new ground a fair few times and I see there are loads of houses near it too. It's not that long a walk either is it?
Yep, Mels is very boxed in all right.
There's loads of parking space round the new ground too.
I was just thining of people's habits of going to Mels and all that. My car used to drive there automatically when I was a regular so I never had to think about the distance to Mels from Monksland, Willow Park etc etc.

[atfconline]

Glad to hear that Ray - just crossed my mind, y'know.

True, I've been out to the new ground a fair few times and I see there are loads of houses near it too. It's not that long a walk either is it?
Yep, Mels is very boxed in all right.
There's loads of parking space round the new ground too.
I was just thining of people's habits of going to Mels and all that. My car used to drive there automatically when I was a regular so I never had to think about the distance to Mels from Monksland, Willow Park etc etc.

No it's not that much of a walk from the town centre, just out the Ballymahon Road. As for the outlying areas like Monksland and Willow Park, they are both served by the Bus Eireann town service nowadays.

The carpark is supposedly two acres, plus there is plenty of room inside the gates for officials, players and team buses. (Did you see the drawings of what the first phase of it will look like on the site (http://www.iol.ie/~eganwd/atfc/newstadium)?) Plus if we used up all that, there are plenty more spaces up at the RSC.

[hamish]

No it's not that much of a walk from the town centre, just out the Ballymahon Road. As for the outlying areas like Monksland and Willow Park, they are both served by the Bus Eireann town service nowadays.

The carpark is supposedly two acres, plus there is plenty of room inside the gates for officials, players and team buses. (Did you see the drawings of what the first phase of it will look like on the site (http://www.iol.ie/~eganwd/atfc/newstadium)?) Plus if we used up all that, there are plenty more spaces up at the RSC.

Forgot about the buses - how the town has grown eh? Have seen the pictures alright and was at the site in December - stand is fantastic and everything look great - even at this stage.
Can't wait for the new season to start.:)

[CollegeTillIDie]

Albert Rovers from Cork replaced in 1976. In attempt to attract a few more fans other than their forme MSL base, they changed their name to Cork Albert and then for the final couple of seasons in their existence to Cork United. They folded in 1982 when they left the League of Ireland, leaving city of Cork as pointed out in my previous post without an LOI club for two years till Cork City were founded in 1984.