How come Dulin Clubs can't get the crowds? [Archive]

patsh

10/05/2003, 8:52 AM

Originally posted by UCD_4_Life
In fairness there are a lot of clubs for everybody to go round.

There's probably about 20,000 eL fans in Dublin with six eL clubs. Whereas Cork may have say 10,000 but with only one club to follow. If you catch my drift.
Ahh come on...
Dublin has a population of over 1,000,000.
Even if $hels, Pats, Bohs, Scum, UCD, D. City and Bray were all playing on the same night, that would mean attracting only 35,000 fans out of the whole City. It's not a lot, is it?
City should be getting a lot more than we do, but I reckon if we can win a league and be in contention all the time, we would get an average of about 8,000+.
I was surprised to get the gate we did for the Waterford game, but then again, we should be able to attract at least that amount of punters out of a population of around 200,000.

citylove

10/05/2003, 10:35 AM

I was surprised to get the gate we did for the Waterford game, but then again, we should be able to attract at least that amount of punters out of a population of around 200,000.

Very true but you remember we have 200,000 + the county (the biggest county in Ireland!)...Many supporters come from East/West/North cork too

niamh

10/05/2003, 12:41 PM

The interest just isn't there. I know a fella claiming to be a Bohs fan who always knows the results but never goes to the games. Bohs have to give away thousands of free tickets to kids to get a decent crowd.

Shels don't have a fan base to build from where they are in Drumcondra. They don't even see a big increase when they are playing well and winning stuff.

UCD never had any fans.

St. Pats have a good support in their area but they are out there on their own unlike Bohs and Shels who are very close.
People support Bray when they are doing well.

It's hard to know why they don't get crowds but I can't see how they are going to increase them either. Bohs were still only gettin 5000 at big games when they were winning the league and they were still giving away tickets for the games.

When was the last time a club other than Cork City had a sell out? Pat Dolan must love seeing a crowd.

A face

10/05/2003, 2:47 PM

Originally posted by oddboy

City should be getting a lot more than we do, but I reckon if we can win a league and be in contention all the time, we would get an average of about 8,000+.

It should be around 20,000.

I was surprised to get the gate we did for the Waterford game, but then again, we should be able to attract at least that amount of punters out of a population of around 200,000.

137,000 in the City
Nearly another 70-90,000 when you count Carrigaline, Ballincolling, Blarney, Glanmire (all the towns on the outskirts)
And then the towns in the county, Fermoy, Midleton etc.

It should be 20,000.

Dublin clubs have no excuse. 1,000,000 people and they can get 10,000. Very poor. :ball:

Nags

10/05/2003, 3:33 PM

In defence of some dublin teams not getting a crowd for example lets say....shams... its because most of their their 'fans' as they call themselves are drunken thugs and cannot afford tickets for a match but i have come up with a solution... kick all the premier division teams from Dublin except maybe st.pats out of the league and then the premier and first division teams left can make up their own league.this would also bring more money to smaller teams like kilkenny or athlone when teams like Cork City play there.So wouldn't a joint league without the Dublin teams except maybe st. pats be much better for everyone?

southside bohs

10/05/2003, 4:44 PM

you are right we should be getting big crowds as dublin is a big city with 1.5million people but irish football is just not popular in dublin although when rovers move to tallaght i suspect they will get good crowds if not better crowds than cork.the problem is england is too near dublin and most dubs prefer english football like when bohs played spurs last february we got around 10,000
the first game of the season we got 3,000 and then you have celtic who irish people just love are there as well. i like them but would not pick them over any irish team.
but irish football is growing in the city and maybe in july when bohs knock newcastle out of the champions league the crowds could flock back

UCD_4_Life

10/05/2003, 5:05 PM

pineapple stu

10/05/2003, 6:15 PM

Main problem is that Dublin, much much more than anywhere else in the country, has its head stuck firmly up Britain and America's @rse culturally. I know a lad who's a Villa fan, and goes over there once or twice a season, and has said that he hates the eL and has no problem with that. People associate more with English teams and American popular culture than Irish teams and culture, and so Bohs/Pat's/UCD mean nothing to them - the situation is better (if not by a huge amount) down the country.

Dublin is TV country - I'd say the percentage of people with Sky Sports is higher here than enywhere else in the country - and it's hard to pursuade people to leave the telly to go out and watch Irish football when Sky Sports are yelling at them so much louder not to do so. Sad but true.

Course Dublin teams should be getting higher crowds (although I will point out that UCD's attendances are up about 20% in each of the last two seasons, so we're getting better anyway), but the status quo is very very hard to change, especially with TV dictating to you what is and is not cool.

Maybe with summer soccer and no Premiership against which to compete, things will pick up, but I can't see it being as dramatic as some might think.

TommyT

11/05/2003, 5:03 PM

Stu a large City is always going to have a more globalised culture.

Please do kick the Dublin clubs out. I'm pretty confident that a 10 team Co.Dublin League would have a better standard than a 10 team Rest of the Country league.

Say Rovers,Bohs,Shels,Pats, Farm,UCD, The Gate, Malahide United, Glebe North, TEK United.

And Cork,Kildare,Drogs,Harps,Sligo,Waterford,Cobh,Galw ay,Athlone, Dundalk.

Derry having also been thrown out for refusing to fly the tricolour :D

patsh

11/05/2003, 6:45 PM

Originally posted by Nags
In defence of some dublin teams not getting a crowd for example lets say....shams... its because most of their their 'fans' as they call themselves are drunken thugs and cannot afford tickets for a match but i have come up with a solution... kick all the premier division teams from Dublin except maybe st.pats out of the league and then the premier and first division teams left can make up their own league.this would also bring more money to smaller teams like kilkenny or athlone when teams like Cork City play there.So wouldn't a joint league without the Dublin teams except maybe st. pats be much better for everyone?
Thats a totally brainless idea..:rolleyes:
I have really slagged of SR a lot, but I know that the problem is only a certain section of the crowd.
I don't really think that is the main factor in keeping people away from the eL in Dublin.
Dublin teams get low crowds, but a hell of a lot better than Kilkenny or Athlone.
What are you suggesting..that City somehow subsidise the rest of the teams?
B*lls!

Look, the biggest media empire in the world staked it's entire future on English soccer. It needed to generate huge revenue from the premiership for it to continue, so it hyped it out of all proportion to make it seem that you HAD to see the premiership, the GREATEST players were there, and that message is constantly hammered home by EVERY TV and Radio station on these islands.
If you beat it into peoples heads that the premiership is the be-all and end-all of soccer for long enough, it becomes self-fulfilling.
How many people really stop and think about the premiership?
There are 4 or 5 clubs who can win anything and provide the really important games, and the rest are there to make up the required number of games and try to avoid relegation.
The advertising of matches makes it out that they are a huge "event", when in reality, Aston Villa versus Middlesborough , for example, would never come near to matching the intensity or passion and LIVE experience of being at a City v Bohs game (for example).
Yet there is no way that we can get that through to people who are being hammered morning, noon and night with the message that the premiership is the only show in town.
It's a catch-22: How can you get the media interested without the crowds, who will only show up if the media is interested.

pineapple stu

11/05/2003, 8:03 PM

Originally posted by TommyT
Stu a large City is always going to have a more globalised culture.

Yeah, but there's being more globalised and there's being a different culture. Dublin in particular has been taken in by the American culture of TV is God, and TV is telling people that English football is the only league to watch, therefore the eL isn't going to do as well in Dublin as in the country.

Maybe some of the country people can correct me on this, but I reckon that that has some influence at least?

�anna

11/05/2003, 8:14 PM

Originally posted by TommyT
Stu a large City is always going to have a more globalised culture.
poor excuse tommy in fairness- globalised doesn't mean british. If dublin people were supporting real madrid, barcelona, ac milan etc then maybe i'd accept that, but the simple act of sniffing across the water does not make someone "globalised".

Of course we can't have dublin teams booted out of the league, its up to other teams to get stronger and get promoted. I still think the 10 team premier was a dreadful mistake, because the league just isn't national anymore, but the non-Dublin clubs have to quit whinging and move positively. Longford have done, it City have done it, Waterford are in the process of doing it- less excuses, more action.

Schumi

12/05/2003, 2:07 PM

I think the biggest difference is that there's one team in Cork so it has a community type feel to it. So everyone in Cork supports (to whatever degree) Cork City because they feel the club represents them in some way. This simply isn't the case in Dublin. Having 4 big clubs means that someone from Dublin who has no connection to any of those teams is far less likely to care about any of them. Even people who live beside a club are less likely to see the club as representing them than the likes of the Dublin bogball team would.

fonzi

12/05/2003, 3:01 PM

come now.
a global community still enjoys football.
it is the most enjoyed sport in the world, right?

Woggo

15/05/2003, 12:44 AM

A few points:
1. Dublin has a population of 1 million+, but how many actually come from Dublin originally? A huge proportion of the population are "blow-ins" from the rest of the country, or indeed from abroad. That's not really the case elsewhere in Ireland. Anyone who is inclined to follow EL football will most probably have supported a team since childhood, so living in Dublin doesn't necessarily mean you would follow a Dublin team. My Dad, for example follows Harps despite having lived in Dublin since the 70s.

2. The "comminuity spirit" factor is very important - teams like Cork, Derry, Longford etc are seen as representing a whole county, so when they're doing well the whole county start to support them. Dublin teams aren't really seen as representing a specific area, never mind the whole city or county, so they can't really capitalise on that. The fact that there are invariably at least 2 Dublin clubs at the top of the pile makes it even harder to drum up that kind of local pride support - if it was Bohs battling it out with Cork every season there might be some people who would latch on to Bohs because they see them as representing Dublin, but if we're battling out with Shels then that's not gonna happen.

3. None of the regional clubs get good crowds unless the team is doing well (Derry get decent crowds no matter what, but they have a massive bandwagon element). Cork's hardcore support is fairly pitiful, and they bring virtually nobody to away games. So don't get too carried away with yourselves.

The Sheliban

15/05/2003, 8:19 AM

I firmly believe that supporting eL teams is dependent on two factors - your da and whether or not you identify with the club. Now for most eL clubs, we all lost a whole generation of fans in the seventies and eighties so todays dads know bugger all about the league, and so have nothing to hand on to their kids. So we are all struggling to rebuild a fanbase that was huge in the fifties and sixties.
With regards to the fan-identification thingy, it ought to be easier for rural clubs to attract fans. Someone from Longford, say, ought to support Longford, and, the shop-floor talk on a Monday morning should be about Longford.
In Dublin however only Pats can claim to have a fan-base to identify with the club. Inchicore is a settled area, the inhabitants know there's a game on on Friday nights - people from Inchicore identify Pats as their side.
Shels in Drumcondra and Bohs in Phibsboro are both in the heart of flatland, in the midst of a transient population who don't particularly identify themselves with that club. Both these clubs draw support from all over Dublin, but the talk on the shopfloor in, say, Rathgar, on a Monday morning, is not going to be Bohs, or Shels.
Hopefully Rovers move to Tallaght will provide the local population with an outlet for their support, and they will be able to identify with the club.

Blue Muff

15/05/2003, 2:36 PM

All this talk about creating a Dublin League and on the other hand kicking out all the Dub teams is nonsense. There is a middle ground - Historically the biggest fan bases in the country are Cork (only when they are doing well but that it quiet often), Pats, Rovers, Derry and de Blues. All these clubs have potential to get 5,000 plus at Premier league games. Other clubs include Sligo, Bohs (when there not giving out free tickets) and Galway. Apart from this the rest are not worth a s***e.

Clubs like UCD are tearing the league down - ok there "gates are up 20" wopee do there are now getting 120 home supporters at a game. Clubs like this give a bad stigma to the league.

Bottom line el need Rovers out in Tallaght fightin the title out with de Blues, Cork, Pats and Derry. Kick Shels and UCD out of the league as they have absolutley no fan base whatsoever. Then TV will get off its ass as there will 30,000 fans turning up to watch el football everyweek

The Sheliban

15/05/2003, 2:42 PM

..you're just repeating the same old untruths that you've heard other people saying.
Shels, in fact, are getting bigger crowds than Rovers, Pats and Derry. Probably about the same as Waterford. Behind Bohs and Cork.

Blue Muff

15/05/2003, 2:55 PM

Dont thinks so Mr Sheliban - Check the stats on "crowd attendances" - We are expecting 5000 on Friday against Rovers and thats with a small Rovers support as they were travelling last week! How many are yee expecting for your next home game?

This is not a once off either 3,500 against Bohs, 3,000 against Pats and 3,500 against Shels. When we were in the first division for all those years our average gate was 1,500. Do you think many clubs can boast that kind of support - granted its unlikely that yee would be in the first but **** happens

The Sheliban

15/05/2003, 3:01 PM

How many are we expecting for our next home game?

Er, 6,000.

We are consistently pulling in 3,000. I'm not going to argue about the odd few. If you insist our crowds are smaller, I agree. I say they're in and around.

Ironically, when we were relegated, our crowds took a sharp hike!! Better to follow a successful side in a lower division, than a struggling side in the top flight??? Words of warning, in case you hit a slump [which I hope you won't]

Blue Muff

15/05/2003, 3:06 PM

Point taken - the el crowds are growing and the league is gettin stronger. I still think the sooner UCD are gone and a regional team with a half decent core following comes in the better

patsh

15/05/2003, 5:40 PM

$hels have always been one of the stalwarts of the national league and it is silly to suggest that they be gotten rid of.
UCD, on the other hand, while they are there by right, I feel that when they go down for next season, the premier league will be better off without them.
This is nothing personal against the club or anyone involved, but they contribute absolutely nothing to the overall well being of the league. Sorry....:o

TommyT

15/05/2003, 5:45 PM

Originally posted by The Sheliban
We are consistently pulling in 3,000. I'm not going to argue about the odd few. If you insist our crowds are smaller, I agree. I say they're in and around.

Give or take what ? A couple of thousand ? It obvious you haven't got a clue.

Shels do average more than those clubs but only on the back of neutrals and Dublin derbies cos their always in the running for trophies

pineapple stu

15/05/2003, 5:46 PM

Originally posted by Blue Muff
I still think the sooner UCD are gone and a regional team with a half decent core following comes in the better

Like who? Remember the hassle when Francis pulled out and only two teams were willing to come into the league?

And I said our crowds were up 20%, not 20, as was said earlier. And they look like being up 20 again this year, including an actual home element now for the first time in ages, so in a few years, we should be getting 2000 average. What non-league side can say that?

pineapple stu

15/05/2003, 5:46 PM

Originally posted by Conor74
Would this be an appropriate point to mention once again that whole unfortunate Union Jack waving incident....

:D :D

:confused: :confused:

What was that again?

Or do I want to know?!

The Sheliban

15/05/2003, 7:53 PM

Originally posted by TommyT
Give or take what ? A couple of thousand ? It obvious you haven't got a clue.

Shels do average more than those clubs but only on the back of neutrals and Dublin derbies cos their always in the running for trophies

So we get bigger crowds because we have more neutrals?
Do Bohs and Pats get a lot of neutrals when they're in the running for trophies? Only Shels, is it?

And I'm the one who doesn't have a clue???

The Sheliban

15/05/2003, 7:56 PM

Originally posted by pineapple stu
:confused: :confused:

What was that again?

Or do I want to know?!

Oh, don't ask.

When Queen Victoria last came to Ireland, all the Dubs lined the streets waving Union Jacks at her.
And during the 1916 Rebellion, Dublin got no help from the provinces.
So all Dubs are ******es.
And so are all non-Dubs.

Its the logic that excites me really.

southside bohs

15/05/2003, 9:52 PM

Originally posted by The Sheliban
Oh, don't ask.

When Queen Victoria last came to Ireland, all the Dubs lined the streets waving Union Jacks at her.
And during the 1916 Rebellion, Dublin got no help from the provinces.
So all Dubs are ******es.
And so are all non-Dubs.

Its the logic that excites me really.

stop bringing up history it was nearly half a century ago if the queen came over now there would be killings i would not think she would get the same applause and where are you originaly from the north?

Gary

15/05/2003, 10:16 PM

And I said our crowds were up 20%, not 20, as was said earlier. And they look like being up 20 again this year, including an actual home element now for the first time in ages, so in a few years, we should be getting 2000 average. What non-league side can say that?

To be fair Stu, for you lot to be getting over 2000 is a long long time away. Not been to belfield in 18 months, but from what ive heard, very little has changed.

Dublin teams aren't really seen as representing a specific area, never mind the whole city or county, so they can't really capitalise on that.

IMO, thats something which should/could be hugely capitalised upon. Local pride. Im from Togher in Cork and always look ourt for Everton (togher) AFC results. Would love if they could make it into the League. Id imagine alot of ppl from the surrounding area would support them. Ditto Rockmount by the dirty northsiders in Cork. :p

thats with a small Rovers support as they were travelling last week!

Sure those scum c�nts havent a good support even when they are at home. And you say they were travelling last weeks. Sure those scumbags are all travellers.

UCD_4_Life

15/05/2003, 11:09 PM

Originally posted by oddboy
$hels have always been one of the stalwarts of the national league and it is silly to suggest that they be gotten rid of.
UCD, on the other hand, while they are there by right, I feel that when they go down for next season, the premier league will be better off without them.
This is nothing personal against the club or anyone involved, but they contribute absolutely nothing to the overall well being of the league. Sorry....:o

I'm getting really tired of people taking U.C.D. as a scapegoat for the league's wider problems. So right we go down then what if Dublin City and/or Kildare County come up? (which is fairly likely). They have even an even smaller following than we do so will people give them the same amount of abuse as you give us? Will you just say the same things about them because they're in the Dublin area? Or should there be a big club rule that forbids a club to get promoted unless they get more than 1500 people a week?

Honestly, do you really think that U.C.D. going down will all of a sudden give the league a shot in the arm and people will start showing up elsewhere because we're gone?

We don't "contribute anything to the league overall". Well then send Pat's, Longford and Drogheda down with us. Sure the registration and tax scandals didn't contribute anything to the league overall, did they?

We have contributed our fair share and people are kidding themselves if they think otherwise. We represented the country well in Europe, we have never been in any financial scandals (or any other ones for that matter) and we have brought some of the league's best players through the ranks.

A face

15/05/2003, 11:54 PM

Originally posted by UCD_4_Life
we have never been in any financial scandals (or any other ones for that matter)

I should hope so with all the student grants you are getting .... Is it your fault that fees are being brought back in ??

:rolleyes:

:D

TommyT

16/05/2003, 1:16 AM

Originally posted by southside bohs
stop bringing up history it was nearly half a century ago if the queen came over now there would be killings i would not think she would get the same applause and where are you originaly from the north?

Queen Victoria and 1916 were nearly half a century ago ??? and you accuse us of living in the past ?

The Sheliban

16/05/2003, 8:24 AM

Southside Bohs, please get someone to teach you how sarcasm works. I was merely responding to a question re the flag waving.

To get back to the thread, I have to admit to having a grudging respect for UCD. Very small support but still managing to hold in there year after year, despite operating at a considerable disadvantage to everybody else. If you want to get rid of them, make sure they finish bottom. Otherwise, they have more of a right to Premiership status than the teams finishing below them.:)

The Sheliban

16/05/2003, 8:26 AM

Originally posted by southside bohs
stop bringing up history it was nearly half a century ago if the queen came over now there would be killings i would not think she would get the same applause and where are you originaly from the north?

If the queen came over now, she'd be a bit smelly.
She died 101 years ago.

pineapple stu

16/05/2003, 8:53 AM

Originally posted by GWA
To be fair Stu, for you lot to be getting over 2000 is a long long time away. Not been to belfield in 18 months, but from what ive heard, very little has changed.

You hear wrong then (or at least, kind of...)

There's always a good few UCD jerseys around the ground now, and they're on the increase (and I should know, 'cos I sell them). We're starting to tap into Stillorgan and all the other areas, which will see more local fans. We've a new 1200-seater stand going up at the end of the season, should make the ground look better and encourage people to keep coming back.

Last season, we had 1,700/1,800 for Pat's and Bohs at home. These were apparently record crowds for us, but they're not too far off 2,000 themselves. Our attendances against Cork have gone up from 250 in 2001/02, 650 last season to 850 this season - don't think that's to do with a sudden increase in Cork fans travelling to away games!

It'll take time, I don't deny that, but it will happen.

patsh

16/05/2003, 1:30 PM

Originally posted by UCD_4_Life
I'm getting really tired of people taking U.C.D. as a scapegoat for the league's wider problems.

That is a claim not made by me.
A little ott reaction there.

Honestly, do you really think that U.C.D. going down will all of a sudden give the league a shot in the arm and people will start showing up elsewhere because we're gone?

Neither did I claim anything like that.

We don't "contribute anything to the league overall". Well then send Pat's, Longford and Drogheda down with us. Sure the registration and tax scandals didn't contribute anything to the league overall, did they?

Every club could be accused of something which brings the league into disrepute.
UCD has a completely different setup, as far as I know, to every other club in the country. The club has the backing of the University, and as such are a subsidised club, not having to survive in the manner that every other in the country has to.

We have contributed our fair share and people are kidding themselves if they think otherwise. We represented the country well in Europe, we have never been in any financial scandals (or any other ones for that matter) and we have brought some of the league's best players through the ranks.
I said in my post that they are there by right. However, I stand over my opinion that UCD do not operate on a level playing pitch with other clubs.
(Excuse the bad metaphor)

Woggo

16/05/2003, 10:49 PM

Originally posted by GWA

IMO, thats something which should/could be hugely capitalised upon. Local pride. Im from Togher in Cork and always look ourt for Everton (togher) AFC results. Would love if they could make it into the League. Id imagine alot of ppl from the surrounding area would support them. Ditto Rockmount by the dirty northsiders in Cork. :p

But my point is it's very difficult for Bohs to capitalise on local pride - for a start, **** all people who live in Phibsborough even come from Dublin!! I'm from Glasnevin which is near Dalyer but also near Tolka - ie the top 2 teams in the country over the last few years are both within easy walking distance of where I grew up. As I said it would be different if it was Bohs competing with a regional team - in that case we might get a few more bandwagon fans out to see the Dubs put the culchies in their place, in the same way that Cork undoubtedly cash in on the fact that it's them against dirty jackeen bacstards most weeks! Dublin is simply a completely different type of place to any other Irish town. The number of "outsiders" mean that community spirit is sadly not what it's like elsewhere in the country.

Soko

17/05/2003, 11:35 PM

Originally posted by UCD_4_Life
I'm getting really tired of people taking U.C.D. as a scapegoat for the league's wider problems. So right we go down then what if Dublin City and/or Kildare County come up? (which is fairly likely). They have even an even smaller following than we do so will people give them the same amount of abuse as you give us? Will you just say the same things about them because they're in the Dublin area? Or should there be a big club rule that forbids a club to get promoted unless they get more than 1500 people a week?

Would'nt Limerick not be a bad side to get promoted? All posts talk about City being the only team around and getting all the support and that could be the same in Limerick. Forget the rugby because its its well over now and GAA interests wont last too long either. Waterford are starting to get crowds, so could Limerick. Could also give Rovers a rival for top scumbag fans. (I know thats not a good thing but they are secretly proud of it)

A face

18/05/2003, 3:00 AM

Originally posted by Soko
Would'nt Limerick not be a bad side to get promoted?

I would love to see it and it would be great for Limerick if they did. The club needs something like re-election to get it back on track to make a serious contribution and as one of the major town in Ireland should be able to do it.

Blue Muff

19/05/2003, 1:22 PM

Originally posted by Soko
Would'nt Limerick not be a bad side to get promoted? All posts talk about City being the only team around and getting all the support and that could be the same in Limerick. Forget the rugby because its its well over now and GAA interests wont last too long either. Waterford are starting to get crowds, so could Limerick. Could also give Rovers a rival for top scumbag fans. (I know thats not a good thing but they are secretly proud of it)

What do you mean Waterford are starting to get a crowd. Waterford has always been a soccer city and our average crowd in 1st division over the last 10 years has been around 1500. CC would never get a crowd like that in the first.
Although it would be great to see Cork beat Shels on Friday and see two Munster teams no 1 and 2 in the Premier League (Waterford on top obviously)

Soko

19/05/2003, 4:23 PM

Originally posted by Blue Muff
What do you mean Waterford are starting to get a crowd. Waterford has always been a soccer city and our average crowd in 1st division over the last 10 years has been around 1500. CC would never get a crowd like that in the first.
Although it would be great to see Cork beat Shels on Friday and see two Munster teams no 1 and 2 in the Premier League (Waterford on top obviously)

Yes, but your in the premier now and you are averaging 3,500 I think. That is obviously an improvement and therefore you are starting to get bigger crowds. I have also been to Waterford games where there were more like 150. City dont have a monopoly on big crowds and I'd love to see you start to average 5,000 plus like down the 'Cross.

As you say, soccer is no 1 and it should happen. I reckon over well over 6,000 we we come down in July or whatever the capacity of the RSC is.

Blue Muff

20/05/2003, 8:37 AM

Originally posted by Soko

As you say, soccer is no 1 and it should happen. I reckon over well over 6,000 we we come down in July or whatever the capacity of the RSC is.

Looking forward to it already - it will defo be a sell out with yee boys brininging down around 1500 ?

It would be even better with if two two Munster teams were no. 1 and 2

dortie

20/05/2003, 2:47 PM

Im glad to see Waterford back up and holding their own...some EL fans seem to forget about certain clubs history, Waterford are similar to the rest of us, once success is on the horizon more fans will come flooding through.....if we (Derry City) get back to were we belong in the top 3 of this league then our attendances will reach 7,000-9,000 as they were in 97 when we last won the premier league. Alot of EL clubs have fickle fans, another club who i want to see return to the premier league is Galway Utd, again they have potential for large attendances.

I hate to say this Stu but UCD are not worthy of premier league status in my eyes, there is no real potential for large attendances.

Blue Muff

20/05/2003, 2:55 PM

Originally posted by dortie
Im glad to see Waterford back up and holding their own...some EL fans seem to forget about certain clubs history,

Cheers,

I still remember when Derry joined the league (not to sure of the year late 80,s ??), it was one of the biggest crowds seen in Kilcohan Park for years, all becuase Derry brought down 6,000 supporters for the w/e. It was incredible and **** me its a long way from Derry to Waterford. A great day was had by both sets of supporters.

tiktok

20/05/2003, 6:30 PM

I think a lot of the points made on the advantages that 'regional" clubs have with the community factor are valid. Derry, City and Waterford are obvious examples. But to imply that only locals will support a club (and blame low attendances for dublin clubs on this fact) is way off.

i know a lot of non cork lads who went through college in UCC and the CIT and started going to city games, and stuck with the club. those still in cork head to all the home games, those moved on get to the odd home and away games.

the sense of community can be built by the club, it doesn't all have to be based on geography, Pat's were particularly good at recruiting "blow-ins" because Pat dolan created a great atmosphere about the club.

we can knock the fact that bohs give away tickets, but would you rather have empty seats or kids in there for free who might build a love for the club. that and the new stadium rovers will have are both efforts clubs can make to create this much wanted community feeling.