View Full Version : Eircom League/Irish Football Magazine
GroundFootball
03/05/2006, 2:12 AM
Hi there guys this is a short post to inform you that there is a new Irish football magazine coming together. It is due out in early June and will cover all things Irish and football. It will be monthly thereafter an it'll be called Ground-football by the way. :D
The project is coming together and the layout and sections are mostly confirmed but if you guy's have any suggestions they are welcome.
We are also looking for contributors of articles so if any of you guys are interested and feel you have something of interest to contribute, like historical facts an tidbits about clubs/games/the league, feel free.
There are few sections which we'll need contributions from you guys for, details to follow and there will be a few competitions and stuff as well.
Well what are your thoughts???....
Best of luck. I reckon there's a niche market there for you.
My suggestion would be to concentrate on the league (as opposed to international football) as that is covered extensively elsewhere. Also try to be grown up about it (Think 4-4-2 rather than Shoot!)
John83
03/05/2006, 10:32 AM
Best of luck. A few of us at UCD considered this a number of times, but it didn't seem financially viable. Let me know if you need anything I can help with.
Magicme
03/05/2006, 10:42 AM
Consider selling it at the various eL grounds....am sure the merchandising officers wont mind carrying a few copies each month if it is promoting the clubs.
GroundFootball
03/05/2006, 11:49 AM
Best of luck. I reckon there's a niche market there for you.
My suggestion would be to concentrate on the league (as opposed to international football) as that is covered extensively elsewhere. Also try to be grown up about it (Think 4-4-2 rather than Shoot!)
2 excellent suggestions Dodge both of which are (thankully) already our aims. It's th market we're aiming for exactly and it' good to know that we re in tune with customers.. ahem I mean fans! :)
Consider selling it at the various eL grounds....am sure the merchandising officers wont mind carrying a few copies each month if it is promoting the clubs.
Great moinds think alike!!! This is something we have already contacted a number of clubs about! We were thinking that it would also provide another revenue stream ffor the clubs. They would keep the percentage that would normally go to a newsagent etc.
I'll be posting details of a competition called RED CARD on here soon.
Basically it's a section on who deserves a "red card" in Irish football or indeed in wider football and why. To win the prize It needs to have a good/funny justification and needs to be a decent length (200 words at least longer is better) there will be a section for short funny reponses as well, no prize though. So get your thinking caps on! I'll get the details up as soon as possible.
hoops1
03/05/2006, 11:58 AM
Make sure you have all your facts 100% right
becasue every EL fan knows everything about there team and the league
And will pick up on every lttle mistake however unimportant.
Try to cover all teams equally if there is any hint its covering one team
more than another it will be seen as there magazine and fans wont buy it
Good Luck
Block G Raptor
03/05/2006, 12:04 PM
Great stuff stick me down for a subscription. About time there was a dedicated Eircom league Magazine. who knows maybe we'll get a panini Sticker album someday:D
Fair play lads all the best with it
GroundFootball
03/05/2006, 12:17 PM
Make sure you have all your facts 100% right
becasue every EL fan knows everything about there team and the league
And will pick up on every lttle mistake however unimportant.
Try to cover all teams equally if there is any hint its covering one team
more than another it will be seen as there magazine and fans wont buy it
Good Luck
It will cover every team equally but realistically we can't do them all at once. We'll be doing a profile on a club from each division every month. We're starting with Cork City as they're the League champions and Shamrock Rovers as they're relegation is such a big story.
Any historical facts/information we'll try to get double-checked by the clubs or other interested parties.
A face
03/05/2006, 12:47 PM
PM sent with a few idea !!
Dee75
03/05/2006, 12:50 PM
As part of your club focus you should get a submission from a fan on what it's like to follow the club. Maybe focus on a supporters club.
pineapple stu
03/05/2006, 1:00 PM
As part of your club focus you should get a submission from a fan on what it's like to follow the club. Maybe focus on a supporters club.
Fanzines should get a bit of a mention there too. A good few fanzines around - a column on each would keep you going for six months anyway.
Krstic
03/05/2006, 1:30 PM
Make sure you have all your facts 100% right
becasue every EL fan knows everything about there team and the league
And will pick up on every lttle mistake however unimportant.
Try to cover all teams equally if there is any hint its covering one team
more than another it will be seen as there magazine and fans wont buy it
Good Luck
But never worry about spelling and grammar:p
Raheny Red
03/05/2006, 1:31 PM
So the Red Card comp. we all know who will win that one :rolleyes: :D :p
hamish
03/05/2006, 1:48 PM
Way to go - sign me up - how much??:)
GroundFootball
03/05/2006, 1:49 PM
As part of your club focus you should get a submission from a fan on what it's like to follow the club. Maybe focus on a supporters club.
Already ahead of you there Dee75, but again it's great to hear we're in tune.
Also going to do a section Fans memories of Pivotal matches from the fans point of view (i.e. it may not have been pivotal for the club but is on a personal level to that particular fan)
hoops1
03/05/2006, 2:04 PM
:D some are better at the Queens English than others:D
Krstic
03/05/2006, 2:09 PM
:D some are better at the Queens English than others:D
"2Shay" :(
I'd advise against going down the road of club focus. Would give me the impression of a periodical rather than a magazine. LAso doing a story on ROvers being relegated was up to date ilast november. You might get away with a thing on "life in the first division" but you should talk about how other big clubs are doing there (Dundalk)
Basically don't have a set format for each month. Unless its a news round up thing a the start of mag like pretty much every magazione in the world. If you're doing player features do proper interviews, don't do "favourite goal/music/tv" rubbish. Give Paul Osam a monthly comment. He's a football and comedic genius.
I presume you've seen the previous Irish football mags? Irish Soccer magazine was good but a little uptight. Kickin was rubbihs ans aimed at shoot readers. 11-a-side was from a GAA background and went down the formatted route witha club focus and player in profile lark. It got real boring, real quick. Remember there's only 22 clubs out there so spread them round.
A face
03/05/2006, 2:58 PM
I presume you've seen the previous Irish football mags? Irish Soccer magazine was good but a little uptight. Kickin was rubbihs ans aimed at shoot readers. 11-a-side was from a GAA background and went down the formatted route witha club focus and player in profile lark. It got real boring, real quick. Remember there's only 22 clubs out there so spread them round.
Other mags recently ... 'Munster Football' and 'Spotter' .... Spotter looked the part and had some great columns and pieces in it.
Actually if it were something like spotter, then it would kick áss .... really really was well done. It was advertising that left them down.
A face
03/05/2006, 3:02 PM
some are better at the Queens English than others
Seriously good come back there like !! :D :p
GroundFootball
03/05/2006, 3:45 PM
I'd advise against going down the road of club focus. Would give me the impression of a periodical rather than a magazine. LAso doing a story on ROvers being relegated was up to date ilast november. You might get away with a thing on "life in the first division" but you should talk about how other big clubs are doing there (Dundalk)
Basically don't have a set format for each month. Unless its a news round up thing a the start of mag like pretty much every magazione in the world. If you're doing player features do proper interviews, don't do "favourite goal/music/tv" rubbish. Give Paul Osam a monthly comment. He's a football and comedic genius.
I presume you've seen the previous Irish football mags? Irish Soccer magazine was good but a little uptight. Kickin was rubbihs ans aimed at shoot readers. 11-a-side was from a GAA background and went down the formatted route witha club focus and player in profile lark. It got real boring, real quick. Remember there's only 22 clubs out there so spread them round.
Seen them all and all had their good and bad points.
It will be a monthly magazine by the way!!
All good points but the idea of doing a club from each division every month means that we can inform those who don't know anything about the league. It isn't set in stone either if something more important/interesting is going on then that's the news! The point is this there is little information available on any club and most clubs have storie o interest surrounding them the club review thing will only be a tiny aside to a bigger article.
There will be both regular sections and special features. And as we're coming out in during the World Cup we'll have to take advantage of that to market to the non-eircom league fans and suck them in.
And then there souls will be mine forever ha ha ha ha!!..... Sorry!:o I meant we might get them to subscribe or even just take an interest in the league!
Peadar
03/05/2006, 4:15 PM
Can you have a bit about "Foxy Fans"?
Hot chicks in their teams kit showing as much flesh as possible? :D
If you have a Drogheda fan on though, make sure she wears shoes and covers up and covers herself up from head to toes. Cheers!
Seriously though, interviews with players, officials, eircom League staff etc. would be reason enough for me to buy your publication.
A face
03/05/2006, 4:20 PM
Can you have a bit about "Foxy Fans"?
Hot chicks in their teams kit showing as much flesh as possible? :D
If you have a Drogheda fan on though, make sure she wears shoes and covers up and covers herself up from head to toes. Cheers!
Yeah stuff like this !! (http://www.mrbeaver.net/images_weird/packersfans.jpg) :p
, don't do "favourite goal/music/tv" rubbish.
I disagree there - for e.g "The Boy's a bit Special" interviews in four four two have stuff like that in them and they are very good IMO - they are a bit different to the normal and sometimes boring interviews you see in most footy magazines
http://www.fourfourtwo.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewInterviews/0,,11442,00.html
How much will it cost?
Do ye have a website yet?
Good luck with it - I'll subscribe to it anyway!
I'd be less than confident about the viability of an EL magazine in these days of the internet being king, but I know I'll buy it anyway! You'll have to try to flog it at grounds and the 4-4-2 angle is the way to go.
sonofstan
03/05/2006, 4:27 PM
Are you going to cover the IL as well?
Peadar
03/05/2006, 4:30 PM
I'd be less than confident about the viability of an EL magazine in these days of the internet being king...
There's nothing like have an auld mag or a paper when you're on a plane or a train or just sitting on the bog.
I'm not a big fan of reading in the jacks Peadar but yes: the tangibility of magazines/newspapers/books give them an intellectual gravitas that the internet will never have. But I'd be confident that football magazine sales have suffered because of the internet.
A face
03/05/2006, 4:50 PM
I'm not a big fan of reading in the jacks Peadar but yes: the tangibility of magazines/newspapers/books give them an intellectual gravitas that the internet will never have. But I'd be confident that football magazine sales have suffered because of the internet.
But if you cover stuff that is not on the internet ..... i.e. well researched articles that inform readers of stuff they dont know about or cant get on the net.
harpskid
03/05/2006, 7:29 PM
Do you have an email address for people to get in touch.
Would certainly be willing to contribute and know of another potential contributor also.
Can you have a bit about "Foxy Fans"?
Hot chicks in their teams kit showing as much flesh as possible? :D
.
Like this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_Sport)? I thought people looking for the high browed approach?
I think Peadar is Irelands David Sullivan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Sullivan) :D
I agree that monthly profiles not good as becomes like review of the month plus can run out of clubs very quickly.
- Few regular columns for league commentary as this is rarely seen in the irish eL media.
- This boy a bit special interview suggestion good. People will read a 1 page profile of some 1st division squad player but thats the limit.
- Where are they now featuring some of the more colourful characters from the recent last, foreign players & such.
- Behind the scenes, tea lady at Oriel park, eL office in Merion Square or similar.
- Betting column
- Best food, pint, toilet (Tribune used to rate them a few years ago) etc...
- Nutter fan of the month :D
Best of lucky & i'm sure most fans will buy a couple of copies before judging. However if its not up to scratch fans will stop paying for it fairly quickly.
GroundFootball
03/05/2006, 11:53 PM
F**king hell Pete you been bugging our meetings!
Would you believe that every single one of those ideas has been posited. Not all will make the first issue though all are definite runners and contacts have been made already.
I am pleased to say I am surprised and delighted at the level of support for the project. I think that larely we are on the same wavelength as most of the people willing to offer an opinion.
A basic website with a portal for submission of RED CARD entries, letters and articles will be announced tomorrow.
- Best food
Gotta be the Mon Dogs :D
- Nutter fan of the month :D
Surely Tom would win this every month :D
Pauro 76
04/05/2006, 9:32 AM
Cracking idea, long overdue. It'd be great for the league and it'll start getting people interested! How will you advertise it though? TV ads and radio ads might be a bit of a budget wrecker, word of mouth is surely the best way as well as regional newspapers at first and if it takes off....
If Tom's in the mag I'm boycotting it...
harpskid
04/05/2006, 9:58 AM
If Tom's in the mag I'm boycotting it...
I think he should be given his own column :D
Schumi
04/05/2006, 10:10 AM
I think he should be given his own column :D
Like that David Blaine fella had. :D
I would say you could easily get free publicity through sports media such as Off the Ball on Dublins Newstalk 106, the Hub on Setanta Sports & RTE1 Radio SportNight.
I think you need humour & lots of it. Don't take any of the stuff seriously as lets face it eL fans must have a great sense of humour.
Football Tourism - theres a bunch of Bologna fans from Italy (strangely enough) that came over for Cork City game last year & now coming back in a few weeks & bring more people. I am sure must be other stories like that around...
Compare the eL with other countries. The sort of "..we not this badly off..." type feature...?
A face
04/05/2006, 12:44 PM
Compare the eL with other countries. The sort of "..we not this badly off..." type feature...?
But that is exactly it .... we have had negativity rammed down our throats for years trying to convince us out league is poor, and through that sanctions were put on our resources ... a mag like this would be a perfect platform to tell everyone what is really going on.
Great idea !!
Just wondering, if you have to go knocking on doors to get adverts etc. would you want to have an idea of how many you will sell. What i am saying/suggesting is that i will take a subscription for a year anyway (if its not good after than then it'll change obviously) but do you want make a list of people who will take one out? I just thinking about you getting adverts as thats what will keep it afloat and if they knew there were X amount of people already interested then it might make your job easier.
Pauro 76
04/05/2006, 12:48 PM
Or invite football writers from other countries to check an eL game for themselves and get them to write a piece about it. If its positive, it might encourage the barstoolers and persuade them that they're missing out...
pineapple stu
04/05/2006, 12:49 PM
Good idea, apart from the fact that barstoolers won't be reading the magazine obviously. Would be interesting though.
A face
04/05/2006, 1:02 PM
Good idea, apart from the fact that barstoolers won't be reading the magazine obviously. Would be interesting though.
Thats one thing that i would do aswell, drop a few copies in a good barber shop, doctors waiting room or taxi base, basically anywhere where people will pick it up and have a flick through. You'd be suprised the people who'd actually be interested in it.
Edit: A&E on a Saturday night .... how many people would read it from cover to cover? Its not like there aren't people there bored to tears and would love to read it :)
John83
04/05/2006, 1:03 PM
I think you need humour & lots of it. Don't take any of the stuff seriously as lets face it eL fans must have a great sense of humour.
Except when you're mocking their club. :)
Compare the eL with other countries. The sort of "..we not this badly off..." type feature...?
Pineapple Stu does a similar feature for Stig. I'm sure he'd be happy to oblige.
pineapple stu
04/05/2006, 1:05 PM
Do I? Do you mean "Around the World"? A bit different, really.
John83
04/05/2006, 7:55 PM
Do I? Do you mean "Around the World"? A bit different, really.
Sure, if you want to be blatent, it's different. On the other hand, the ineptitude of some league managements makes the eL look good at times, which amounts to the same thing.
anto eile
04/05/2006, 9:34 PM
1: do "celebrity fan" features as well, if you can find any
2: maybe a few pages on a european round-up
3: round the wacky world of football feature, doing stories on mad goings on across the globe etc
good luck
sounds like a good magazine
How much are the magazines going to cost?
Couple of other suggestions:
Get people like Rico/Noel King/Pat Dolan/Patsy McGowan to have columns
Have a 'quotes of the month' thingy - gaffes from players/bosses/Foot.ie users (;))
Start a campaign to find the LOI's all time cult hero - like what they do in Football Focus, but putting their ability/character in words instead.
dcfcsteve
05/05/2006, 10:04 PM
some are better at the Queens English than others:D
The irony of a badly punctuated retort on this....... :D
How many queens are there....? :p
A face
06/05/2006, 12:10 AM
The irony of a badly punctuated retort on this.
How many queens are there....? :p
Come on now steve ... you're about three days late like !! :p
The maggots and vulchers have been and gone, there is no horse to flog !! :D
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