2007 League Fixtures [Archive]

geezer

05/01/2007, 10:34 PM

i thought it was going to be all so much better with the "fai" taking over the league. its the same old samo, the clubs are way ahead having season tickets out and strong marketing campaigns. it would have been nice to have the fixtures on the back of the season tickets. This super premiership has been planned for 3 years surely they could have set fixtures the minute the teams were settled on

Terry

05/01/2007, 10:38 PM

Thats the thing geezer, the teams still arent settled on !

mypost

05/01/2007, 11:08 PM

surely they could have set fixtures the minute the teams were settled on

The participation agreement has to be sent out and signed, before the fixtures are drawn up, notice the words drawn up, not arranged by the clubs, as before.

Don't go panicking yet, we did get to within 8 days of a season starting, before a fixture list was arranged in 2004. :eek: Plenty of time yet.

Sonic

06/01/2007, 9:14 PM

Terry

06/01/2007, 9:25 PM

What fcuking difference does it make

Some people have to arrange time off in advance from work etc... to get to the away matches !

gufct

06/01/2007, 9:49 PM

The date for the participation agreements to be signed by is the 17th January so id say soon after that probably the start of february as the league doesnt kick off until the 9th of March.

mypost

07/01/2007, 1:51 AM

Some people have to arrange time off in advance from work etc... to get to the away matches !

Well, we wouldn't have to, if we threw crowd-draining Friday weeknight football in the sewer, where it belongs.

Even the Irish League have the sense to know that the best time to play games is on Saturdays. One of the few things it has going for it.

JC_GUFC

07/01/2007, 10:18 AM

Well, we wouldn't have to, if we threw crowd-draining Friday night weeknight football in the sewer, where it belongs.

Even the Irish League have the sense to know that the best time to play games is on Saturdays. One of the few things it has going for it.

Well why don't you start supporting an Irish League team so? No-one here is gonna miss you.

Have you questioned Rovers board as to why you don't play on Saturdays?

GalwayFrancis

07/01/2007, 4:02 PM

Well, we wouldn't have to, if we threw crowd-draining Friday night weeknight football in the sewer, where it belongs.
people work on the weekends too, you know. not everyone has a monday to friday job!

holidaysong

08/01/2007, 10:29 AM

Even the Irish League have the sense to know that the best time to play games is on Saturdays. One of the few things it has going for it.

Newry are awkward and play on a Friday night. Next thing they'll be playing on a Thursday! :eek:

galwayhoop

08/01/2007, 11:12 AM

Well, we wouldn't have to, if we threw crowd-draining Friday weeknight football in the sewer, where it belongs.

GUFC play home games on Friday night and had the highest average attendances in Div 1 last season. In fact the last GUFC - Rovers game was the highest gate in the eL (prem & div1) that weekend.

it may not be too convienent for travelling support but it's by far the best night for supporters in Galway. Anyway at least you can spend the night / weekend in galway without hanging yourself not like some places .............

Conor H

08/01/2007, 11:19 AM

holidaysong

08/01/2007, 11:29 AM

GUFC play home games on Friday night and had the highest average attendances in Div 1 last season.

Your average attendance was inflated somewhat I feel by the huge amount we brought to your place compared to what you brought to Oriel. Not nitpicking though, I'm sure if we didn't play on a Thursday you would have brought some more.

Every Club will bring pretty much their biggest away support to Galway next year as it's the most attractive away trip in the league,regardless what hight it's on.

I'm heading to Galway for the weekend. The Dundalk FC jacket, scarf and jersey will be on and there will be plenty of dirty looks for any GUFC jersey wearing local.

pete

08/01/2007, 11:41 AM

I don't see any big deal as long as fixtures out maybe a month before the season starts. The FAI need to confirm the participants before the fixtures decided. Hopefully this will be an independent process this year with no involvement by clubs trying to arrnage to suit themselves.

Terry

08/01/2007, 11:55 AM

Your average attendance was inflated somewhat I feel by the huge amount we brought to your place compared to what you brought to Oriel. Not nitpicking though, I'm sure if we didn't play on a Thursday you would have brought some more.

I dont think our average gate for the year would have been affected by the away support at one match out of an entire season?

Not nitpicking either, but if memory serves me correct ye brought less than 25 to the first match between the two clubs at terryland! and yes, your are correct about the thursday kick offs, it wasnt even considered running a bus to oriel as its ridiculous to be playing all yer home games midweek !!!

holidaysong

08/01/2007, 12:34 PM

I dont think our average gate for the year would have been affected by the away support at one match out of an entire season?

It's not just one match. There was the Rovers one too plus the general increase in away fans from playing on a Friday instead of a Thursday. For the moment we are happy to have the bar rented on a Friday night instead of a few extra away fans. Premier clubs bring bigger away crowds and there is also the factor of most of more clubs closer to us (all the Dublin ones and Drogheda) so perhaps moving away from Thursday night will be looked at if (when) we return to the Premier.

As for the league fixtures - it would be hard to have them ready any time soon when we still don't know if we will have 8, 9 or 10 teams in the first division this season.

exiled_gufc_fan

08/01/2007, 1:10 PM

Hopefully this will be an independent process this year with no involvement by clubs trying to arrnage to suit themselves.

Agreed, although hopefully some attention will be paid to other events competing for the same sporting public - in Galway United's case, ensuring home fixtures do not clash with any published home fixtures for Connacht Rugby given the overlapping support.

galwayhoop

08/01/2007, 1:44 PM

It's not just one match. There was the Rovers one too

the travelling support of these 2 games would be well and truly diluted by the virtually non existant support from other teams so it is totally unreasonable to say that the seasons overall average was inflated by these games. over the 20 odd games it would account for approx 15 or 16 people per game so it hardly explains our standing as highest average attendance! our average was approx. 1,100 so this increase accounts for about 1.5% additional for each game.

on a seperate note - it will be no harm if the fixture list is decided by the FAI on a week ending format which will still allow teams to play on their preferred day. obviously TV will factor into it and this will over ride clubs preferred time but thats life.

under no circumstances can the fixtures be timed to avoid the likes of connacht home rugby matches. if we go down this road every club will find something they want to avoid. leave the egg carriers to themselves. let them move!

Lim till i die

08/01/2007, 1:49 PM

Every Club will bring pretty much their biggest away support to Galway next year as it's the most attractive away trip in the league,regardless what hight it's on.

It will be on a Friday night though.

Dunno I reckon Bohs might bring more to Rovers and vice versa :p

Anyway I'd say the FAI will have to figure out what clubs are in the league next season before any fixtures are "drawn up" (With crayons I assume)

Lim till i die

08/01/2007, 1:52 PM

under no circumstances can the fixtures be timed to avoid the likes of connacht home rugby matches. if we go down this road every club will find something they want to avoid. leave the egg carriers to themselves. let them move!

That's all well and good with Connacht but assuming we have a club I'd like our fixtures to be arranged away from any Muuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnsssssssster games please lest a gigantic bandwagon kill us all :o

galwayhoop

08/01/2007, 2:52 PM

if the fixtures are set out on a 'week ending' basis then the clubs will be free to play on whatever day/night they want. therefore if munster match is on sat play friday, if its on sun play sat. easy enough. it will be hard enough to get an efficient fixture list from merrion square without putting this onto them aswell!

NY Hoop

08/01/2007, 3:10 PM

For the moment we are happy to have the bar rented on a Friday night instead of a few extra away fans.

Oh dear.

Rang the league offices the other day and this ignoramus grunted out "sometime in february" before slamming the phone down.

KOH

Terry

08/01/2007, 10:16 PM

whats even worse for GUFC is that Pearse Stadium is getting floodlights and the GAA are considering playing games on either a friday night or saturday night. The GAA matches being played at the same time as ourselves would be far more punishing than the rugby! Hope they decide for Saturdays!

CollegeTillIDie

09/01/2007, 6:47 AM

What is the appeal of Galway? I have never been there when it didn't rain and all the women DO NOT look like the Seoige sisters :D

Conor H

09/01/2007, 6:53 AM

What is the appeal of Galway? I have never been there when it didn't rain and all the women DO NOT look like the Seoige sisters :D

It rains here all the time indeed.

But Galway is the most popular City in Ireland(as per a survey in the Irish Indo in 2005).

Maybe outsiders could describe it to you better but 99% of people who come here have a great time.

Magicme

09/01/2007, 8:13 AM

As for Galway, it is a kick ass place to go out in and Friday nite football there means that Saturday (if you sober up at all) can be employed for the pleasurly pursuit of wandering around the shops!

galwayhoop

09/01/2007, 8:47 AM

What is the appeal of Galway? I have never been there when it didn't rain and all the women DO NOT look like the Seoige sisters :D

nightlife, pubs, drink ..... enough of these and indeed they DO look like the Seoige's!

DvB

09/01/2007, 9:24 AM

Have you questioned Rovers board as to why you don't play on Saturdays?

No point, everyone else i know prefers friday night for our home games!!

Koh

BohsFans

09/01/2007, 10:23 AM

nightlife, pubs, drink .....

No different to any major city then?

Lim till i die

09/01/2007, 10:44 AM

No different to any major city then?

Riyadh has none of these things

Although it doesn't rain as much....... :o

BohsFans

09/01/2007, 10:51 AM

Riyadh has none of these things

Although it doesn't rain as much....... :o

In Ireland I meant, he's just described Dublin.

Lim till i die

09/01/2007, 11:00 AM

In Ireland I meant, he's just described Dublin.

And Cork and Limerick and Waterford and Termonfeckin

Always found Galway to be a bit of a tourist hole tbh. Everyones drinking latte and wearing ridiculous clothes

Don't get me wrong though, it still kicks the $hite outta Dundalk :eek:

mypost

10/01/2007, 1:02 AM

Have you questioned Rovers board as to why you don't play on Saturdays?

Knew the first reply with be from Galway, defending their Friday football. Couldn't resist having a go at us either.

Because of this country's obsession with playing on Friday nights, last season was the first time I could watch us play most of the season, home and away, since 2001/02. :eek: During the period, I could only get to weekend games, roughly 10 games a season at most.

In any case, 2 wrongs don't make a right. This is a nationwide issue. If Fridays are so wonderful, why do we all whinge every year about falling attendances? Only the ultras travel up and down the highways and byways of Ireland every Friday, every week. Friday night is a weeknight, and people can't travel around the country on a weeknight. Yeah, it's great for home fans, but there's no atmosphere with no away fans, and the clubs need to work together to improve the league's image. We had no away fans at 12 of our 18 home games last year, because those that wanted to go, simply couldn't go. So it was like playing in a library, with large parts of the ground sealed off. Nobody else plays top-flight football on Fridays in Europe, primarily because they know it's a sht time to play. Sadly, we do. :(

Dee75

10/01/2007, 7:56 AM

Agreed, although hopefully some attention will be paid to other events competing for the same sporting public - in Galway United's case, ensuring home fixtures do not clash with any published home fixtures for Connacht Rugby given the overlapping support.

You'll be lucky, Last years fixtures were an exact reverse of the previous seasons fixtures!! We played Cork away last game of the season two years ago and Cork at home in the last game this season. They need to show a bit of imagination but that's asking too much I think

Partizan

10/01/2007, 8:40 AM

Knew the first reply with be from Galway, defending their Friday football. Couldn't resist having a go at us either.

Because of this country's obsession with playing on Friday nights, last season was the first time I could watch us play most of the season, home and away, since 2001/02. :eek: During the period, I could only get to weekend games, roughly 10 games a season at most.

In any case, 2 wrongs don't make a right. This is a nationwide issue. If Fridays are so wonderful, why do we all whinge every year about falling attendances? Only the ultras travel up and down the highways and byways of Ireland every Friday, every week. Friday night is a weeknight, and people can't travel around the country on a weeknight. Yeah, it's great for home fans, but there's no atmosphere with no away fans, and the clubs need to work together to improve the league's image. We had no away fans at 12 of our 18 home games last year, because those that wanted to go, simply couldn't go. So it was like playing in a library, with large parts of the ground sealed off. Nobody else plays top-flight football on Fridays in Europe, primarily because they know it's a sht time to play. Sadly, we do. :(

Call me old fashioned mypost but I prefered the Sunday afternoon kickoffs. :ball:

Then again Saturday nights would be the second best option.

derrymac

10/01/2007, 9:24 AM

I started a discussion about kick off times last year and a poll ended up that most people preferred friday nights despite the difficulties faced by away fans. I'd like saturday afternoons myslef but I was slammed by a Rovers fan for being typically british for that opinion.

padraicoc

15/01/2007, 3:31 PM

I'd prefer saturday home games as I need to get off work early on a friday to make it back home, but thank god we're now in the Premier and most of the away games will be down the road from me!

If anyone gets word on the fixtures list please let me know! Post up here where we can find a copy.