eL Attendances compared to other sports [Archive]

balls

08/05/2007, 9:46 PM

attendance of just under 4000 at ail league final on saturday between garryowen and cork con.

small enough attendance considering match was between 2 local teams in local venue for club rugby in irelands showpiece game.

there was abigger crowd at the city pats league game on the night before at the cross. just goes to show eircom league football aint that badly supported.

last year in munster gaelic football senior championship limerick versus cork attendance less than 4000.

dcfcsteve

09/05/2007, 12:55 AM

Dodge

09/05/2007, 8:43 AM

Just for the record, there was a godd deal less than 4,000 at the Cork v Pats game

However I disagree that we should be comparing our crowds with the provincial sides (where there are only 4 teams to watch)

DmanDmythDledge

09/05/2007, 12:53 PM

A proper comparison for the EL would have to be with the crowds at the Heineken/Magneers rugby games, which are definitely better overall than ours.
You can't compare watching some of the best rugby players in the world to the EL.

micls

09/05/2007, 1:07 PM

Just for the record, there was a godd deal less than 4,000 at the Cork v Pats game

Dont think there was a good deal less. Definately over 3500 and pushing on 4000 IMO

Steve Bruce

09/05/2007, 1:17 PM

But with the provincial system in-place, club rugby in Ireland is now effectively the equivalent of non-league/intermediate football.

A proper comparison for the EL would have to be with the crowds at the Heineken/Magneers rugby games, which are definitely better overall than ours.

And picking random low attendances at GAA proves nothing. GAA is way better supported than the EL - full stop. You could just as easily point to a Monaghan United gate, or a low-pulling Premier/League Cup fixture, as 'proof' of Eircom League support levels.

Ulster gets over 10,000 average at there games and Leinster get even bigger(although that is largely due to 15,000 travelling Ulster fans,that put the average attendance over Ulsters). So this shows you that there is NO comparison.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/rugby/article2508774.ece

Local football on this whole island is only a blip in comparison to ther sports like Rugby & GAA.

The largest league attendance between two Irish teams North or South around the 12,000 mark. That was Boxing day.

Ulster, Leinster etc etc get that every week. GAA gets that every week and more.

Football here spectator wise is very small.

galwayhoop

09/05/2007, 1:29 PM

The largest league attendance between two Irish teams North or South around the 12,000 mark. That was Boxing day.

Hold on a second. Is it soccer or boxing you are talking about? :confused: ;)

Steve Bruce

09/05/2007, 1:46 PM

Hold on a second. Is it soccer or boxing you are talking about? :confused: ;)

Neither Association Football. :D

Dodge

09/05/2007, 1:54 PM

Football here spectator wise is very small.
So was rugby until this year. Can't find the article but there was a piece on RTE about the average crowds recently. Leinster's went from 4,000 3 years ago to 11,000 now.

Ceirtlis

09/05/2007, 2:01 PM

So was rugby until this year. Can't find the article but there was a piece on RTE about the average crowds recently. Leinster's went from 4,000 3 years ago to 11,000 now.

Ya the crowds were in the paper. The leinster one was a bit misrepresentitive because they sold out landsdowne for the last game there before the redevelopment. Munster had 7000 or something and Connacht had under 2000.

Schumi

09/05/2007, 2:52 PM

The leinster one was a bit misrepresentitive because they sold out landsdowne for the last game there before the redevelopment.True, but Leinster's average outside that game was still about 7,500.

fitzknows

09/05/2007, 3:16 PM

Going by the attendance thread on this forum then the average attendence for all the Lenister clubs from last season (not including Dublin City or Athlone Town) adds up to over 10,000.

Steve Bruce

09/05/2007, 3:20 PM

Going by the attendance thread on this forum then the average attendence for all the Lenister clubs from last season (not including Dublin City or Athlone Town) adds up to over 10,000.

Why we are at it, should we not then add up all the spectators at all the Rugby Club teams in Leinster?

Dodge

09/05/2007, 3:26 PM

No, because then we'd have to add in all the people watching junior football (which would be more IMO)

galwayhoop

09/05/2007, 3:29 PM

Ya the crowds were in the paper. The leinster one was a bit misrepresentitive because they sold out landsdowne for the last game there before the redevelopment. Munster had 7000 or something and Connacht had under 2000.

GUFC has had regular attendances over 2,000 this season putting them egg carrying barstewards to shame :D :ball:

BohsFans

09/05/2007, 6:50 PM

Attendances for the Celtic league if anyone's interested?

http://www.magnersleague.com/2_14.php

Ceirtlis

09/05/2007, 7:40 PM

GUFC has had regular attendances over 2,000 this season putting them egg carrying barstewards to shame :D :ball:

I was looking out for that myself. In fairness though our average for last season was only 1100, it was when we started doing well that we took some of their crowd.

Bald Student

09/05/2007, 7:44 PM

Another thing to remember is that there are a lot more soccer clubs and a lot more games per club than in provincial rugby. The figures for 2 years ago are here (http://www.stigonline.com/misc/si_genesis.htm) and at the time soccer and rugby were roughly level.

bohs til i die

09/05/2007, 8:46 PM

Leinster had 27000 against Munster and 48000 against Ulster.

They regularily fill Donnybrook or the RDS over the past few years and the price is similar for most tickets to these games compared to EL Games.

Leinster also play at home fairly sporadically, most EL teams play at home every other week.

Next season will be a true reflection of Leinster's support when they play at a 15000 capacity RDS in both Magners League & Heineken cup.

Larry 'da' Wyse

10/05/2007, 8:18 AM

Attendances for the Celtic league if anyone's interested?

http://www.magnersleague.com/2_14.php

Gas isn't it. 4,500 turn out for a home Munster tie in Musgrave Park but
45,000 'dyed in the wool, die for the team' will gladly travel and 'do anything' for a ticket to spend €2,000 and watch 'em in the arse end of France. Lads will do anything for a session.
Fans?

Steve Bruce

10/05/2007, 8:26 AM

No, because then we'd have to add in all the people watching junior football (which would be more IMO)

But really we shouldn't be adding any teams together.

The fact is Ulster/Leinster/Munster etc are CLUB teams just like Derry City, Dublin City, Cork City.

The catchement might be bigger, but that is just hard luck to teams with smaller catchements.

But Magners league is 3 or 4 times better supported than the LOI.

But you can take comfort in the fact that your attendances are still rising, so maybe in 3 or 4 years time you would be better compared with Rugby. But at the moment you lagg well behind.

Dodge

10/05/2007, 8:59 AM

But at the moment you lagg well behind.

Nobody's denying that. I'm saying its an unfair comparison and even then bar the couple of exceptions mentioned, the difference is not too big.

galwayhoop

10/05/2007, 9:01 AM

The fact is Ulster/Leinster/Munster etc are CLUB teams just like Derry City, Dublin City, Cork City.

Thats not a fact I'm afraid. They are provencial teams.

However they do play in Club competitions in the Heineken Cup and Magniers (Bulmers) League. There is no football equivilent of the provencial teams in this country, clubs like Derry City, Cork City, Galway United (i'll use GUFC because your other example is defunct!!) would be compared with teams like Garryowen, Landsdowne or Galwegians. There is no soccer comparison for the provencial teams. We must refrain from comparing apples with pears!!

It is not a major distinction but it is there all the same.

balls

11/05/2007, 5:02 PM

eircom league teams wuld be of the equivalent of ail rugby clubs not the provences

Patrick Dunne

11/05/2007, 6:56 PM

Galway United, representing Galway City and County, get a higher average
gate than Connacht rugby, who represent the entire province.

Bear in mind that the provinces represent the pinnacle of club rugby. If Connacht are playing Leinster in the Sportsgrounds, you won't see hundreds of rugby barstoolers wearing Northampton tops in local hostelries telling people that "they wouldn't cross the road to watch that rubbish".

Provinical rugby matches also get far higher media coverage than their EL counterparts.

AIL Division One home gates are often lower than Monaghan vs Kilkenny. I was at Galwegians vs Buccaneers earlier this season. A local derby, relegation battle, with a sizeable proportion of the crowd supoorting the away team.

150 punters, maximum.

Da Real Rover

13/05/2007, 2:47 PM

The fact is Ulster/Leinster/Munster etc are CLUB teams just like Derry City, Dublin City, Cork City.

Wrong, Irish football clubs often represent a city, town or even the surrounding county but never the province. The rugby is provincial.

Lim till i die

13/05/2007, 6:49 PM

Combined attendance of about 22,000 at the two televised Gah games today

What was the combined attendance of all the Eircom League games at the weekend................

Paddyfield

14/05/2007, 10:37 PM

Wrong, Irish football clubs often represent a city, town or even the surrounding county but never the province. The rugby is provincial.

I wonder how many people travel from Mayo, Leitrim, Roscommon and Sligo to atteng Connacht Rugby games?

Connacht Rugby installed floodlights last year which can be seen in the distance from Terryland and switched their games to Friday nights at 6.30pm too which clash with GUFC games at 7.45pm.

Lim till i die

14/05/2007, 10:54 PM

Connacht Rugby installed floodlights last year which can be seen in the distance from Terryland and switched their games to Friday nights at 6.30pm too which clash with GUFC games at 7.45pm.

Did the doggies not need floodlights all along :confused:

I thought Satan (sorry John Fallon) was pretty heavily involved in both :confused:

Gaillimh Al

14/05/2007, 11:40 PM

Did the doggies not need floodlights all along :confused:

You musn't have been to the dogs in a while. Lights illuminating the track would hardly light up the pitch in the middle of it to playing standards.

Lim till i die

14/05/2007, 11:54 PM

You musn't have been to the dogs in a while. Lights illuminating the track would hardly light up the pitch in the middle of it to playing standards.

Oooops a doodle :o

Kingdom

15/05/2007, 6:28 AM

G-Man

15/05/2007, 9:23 AM

Just a point. If you're comparing other sports and the LOI for attendences then surely you would have to compare attendences in the AIL as the best example as that is the base form of Rugby in this country? It isn't a fair comparsion to compare the LOI with the provinces as they are amalgamations, almost franchises if you will.

As it is teams that compete in the AIL are essentially no different from teams that compete say in provincial leagues or in the towns cup, they are more advanced or financially capable but that is quite the same as the League of Ireland. This is club football in its most base form in Ireland, yes it may be of a higher standard than the LSL or MSL but that comes with being established.

So if you wanted a fair guide in attendences then compare the AIL with the LOI and the attendences look good!

It is wrong also to compare the LOI with the intercounty GAA teams.

Why is that? I thought the eL teams are representative of a city or county. What are GAA teams? There are also provincial GAA teams too for the railway cup, but I assume thats where the rugby AIL and Heineken cup teams have similarities.

Dodge

15/05/2007, 9:43 AM

Why is that? I thought the eL teams are representative of a city or county. What are GAA teams? There are also provincial GAA teams too for the railway cup, but I assume thats where the rugby AIL and Heineken cup teams have similarities.
Some are, some aren't. There's 6 el clubs in Dubln, you may have noticed.

There's hierarchies in the other sports, there's not in football

Gaelic Games
Club -> Intercounty

Rugby
Club -> Provincial

Football
Club (and thats it)

Where as fans of Lansdowne Rugby CLub will join up with fans of Wanderers to become fans of Leinster RUgby and fans of Ballyboden St Endas will join up with fans of Thomas Davis to become Dublin fans, Irish football clubs have their own set of unique fans.

Personally I think the whole debate is foolish and tiresome.

Jerry The Saint

15/05/2007, 10:24 AM

Football
Club (and thats it)

Well, in theory it should be

Club - > National Team

which is part of the problem really.

Personally I think the whole debate is foolish and tiresome

Agree with that:) It's not as tiresome as the great - where does our league hypothetically fit in with the English leagues - debate though.

Dodge

15/05/2007, 10:29 AM

Well, in theory it should be

Club - > National Team

which is part of the problem really.

yeah, but then Rugby and, to a much lesser degree, the Gaelic Games have that too (in terms of fans). I accept the point regarding it being part of the problem though

Ceirtlis

15/05/2007, 10:39 AM

just to compare to elsewhere leicster rugby club sell out every game and its got to the stage where its so hard to get to a first team game they are sellling out reserve team games because people are so keen to see the club in action.leiscter city on the other hand dont sell out games afaik.you deffo had 10000 at longford/westmeath at the weekend.how does that compare to lonford and athlones last home gates??

Leicester rugby club are one of if not the biggest rugby club in england while Leicester City are a fairly run of the mill soccer team. Leicester City play in a much bigger stadium as well(even though the Tigers have plans to move into it) so its not really a comparison. Rugby attendances in England in the Premiership are only somewhere between Championship and League One i think.
Ail rugby in Ireland is dead. About 10 years ago i remember Galwegians had avergae attendance of over 1000 for a season but the provincial system has killed it as the good players are not allowed to play in the club teams.

G-Man

15/05/2007, 10:52 AM

Some are, some aren't. There's 6 el clubs in Dubln, you may have noticed.

There's hierarchies in the other sports, there's not in football

Gaelic Games
Club -> Intercounty

Rugby
Club -> Provincial

Football
Club (and thats it)

Where as fans of Lansdowne Rugby CLub will join up with fans of Wanderers to become fans of Leinster RUgby and fans of Ballyboden St Endas will join up with fans of Thomas Davis to become Dublin fans, Irish football clubs have their own set of unique fans.

Personally I think the whole debate is foolish and tiresome.

I agree with your last sentiments alright. I was only pointing out that GAA teams and eL are in most places of a similar level. I know where I am tho (altho maybe Wexford is unique in this) but local league clubs here get together to support our eL team, in the very same manner as the county GAA teams. So here it would be club-> eL team. But its an argument that would go around in circles anyway. In all honesty, the GAA does get much better support (again, going from personal viewpoint) but the eL seems to be attracting more and more, and I think Wexfords support in the first division has added a lot to the league as a whole.

John83

15/05/2007, 10:55 AM

It's not easy to compare attendances between the sports, as demonstrated by Genesis, who took their eL figures from foot.ie's guesstimates and compared them with wildly inaccurate and/or misrepresentative figures from other sports (http://stigonline.com/misc/si_genesis.htm).

endabob1

15/05/2007, 2:25 PM

Just a point. If you're comparing other sports and the LOI for attendences then surely you would have to compare attendences in the AIL as the best example as that is the base form of Rugby in this country? It isn't a fair comparsion to compare the LOI with the provinces as they are amalgamations, almost franchises if you will.

As it is teams that compete in the AIL are essentially no different from teams that compete say in provincial leagues or in the towns cup, they are more advanced or financially capable but that is quite the same as the League of Ireland. This is club football in its most base form in Ireland, yes it may be of a higher standard than the LSL or MSL but that comes with being established.

So if you wanted a fair guide in attendences then compare the AIL with the LOI and the attendences look good!

It is wrong also to compare the LOI with the intercounty GAA teams.

In a probably doomed attempt to get this back on track, I think we should look at other sports attendances for the very simple reason that a lot of people who go to Rugby & GAA games are Sports fans in general and as such could and should be a target audience for the EL. If Munster are getting 8/9,000 for Celtic League games in Limerick or Cork surely some of those could be tempted to watch Cork City 0r Limerick 37?
Ditto for GAA games, if there were Ten thousand (accoring to the indo) at the Longford Westmeath game why shouldn't Longford & Athlone be looking to a proportion of those 10,000 sports fans to come to Flancare or Lissywollen?