Aertel's eL Focus

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10/05/2005, 2:38 PM
Bald Student

Aertel's eL Focus

MARK O'NEILL-CUMMINS' EIRCOM LGE FOCUS
Under the guidance of their manager
Pete Mahon, the students of UCD are
improving game by game and increasingly
becoming a threat in the Premier
Division.

Their home form is superb. Following a
defeat to Drogheda at Belfield in late
March, College have gone on to beat
Waterford and Derry, and, last Friday
night, came from a goal down to claim a
point against Bohemians.

UCD's side is built around a small
group of stars who have seen several
seasons of action with the club.

www.rte.ie/sport

2/4

Soccer News
MARK O'NEILL-CUMMINS' EIRCOM LGE FOCUS
Mick O'Donnell, Tony McDonnell, Robbie
Martin and Alan Mahon have been
particularly impressive for UCD this
season.

Having lost Sean Finn and Willie Doyle
to Waterford in pre-season, Mahon
brought in hot-shot Damien Dupuy from
Galway.

Dupuy scored against Shels in the
opening game of the season but has
disappointed since and has not found
the net again.

Under-age internationals Gary Dicker
and Darren Quigley also feature
regularly.

3/4

Soccer News
MARK O'NEILL-CUMMINS' EIRCOM LGE FOCUS
Off the field, things could be better
for UCD. Belfield Park is a great
little ground but crowds are very small
for a club hoping to make inroads in
the Premier Division.

Attendances are bigger for the visit of
the big Dublin teams or the likes of
Cork City and it can often seem like a
home game for the visiting side.

Take last Friday, for example. The main
stand was packed with Bohemians
supporters who raised the roof when the
Gypsies trotted onto the park.

When the home side followed you could
hear a pin drop.

4/4

Soccer News
MARK O'NEILL-CUMMINS' EIRCOM LGE FOCUS
UCD have a large catchment area all to
themselves from which to draw support,
not to mention a college full of
students, but still their attendances
are minimal.

A good PR job would help but perhaps an
arrangement with a local youth team is
a more practical option.

A boys' side from Mount Merrion played
their Bohs counterparts at half time on
Friday.

A link-up with a club like this could
foster community relations and, in
turn, maybe UCD's scholarship system
could accommodate the local talent?
10/05/2005, 2:47 PM
pineapple stu

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bald Student

A good PR job would help but perhaps an arrangement with a local youth team is a more practical option.

A boys' side from Mount Merrion played their Bohs counterparts at half time on
Friday.

A link-up with a club like this could foster community relations and, in turn, maybe UCD's scholarship system could accommodate the local talent?

What's the story with that link? I know we had one in place - and all the Mount Merrion schoolboy teams got free season tickets - but I thought it had fallen away or something?

Good article though, if a little waffly. Bit harsh on Damo, especially as he's been out on the wing; think he's been doing well lately - has made a huge number of important interceptions to stop opposition attacks.

Think it makes the usual mistake of equating fans' noise with numbers though - I'd say Bohs fans only outnumbered us 2:1 on Friday, given our usual home crowd of 350 or so (been a bit higher this season now that we're back in the Premier), but it makes it sound like it was 10:1 or more. Many UCD fans though are the stand-quietly-and-appreciate-the-game type. Nothing wrong with that either, of course, just that we have far of them more than most clubs.
11/05/2005, 7:48 AM
GK for the Town

How could the noise levels improve ? i hear about 10 lads singing and one with a bowran(crap spelling probably) at home games.
How do other Clubs get bigger crowds of people to sing/make up chants?
In theory a big group of students should be able to make quite some racket and not feel embarressed, dont ya think.
I know its hard to make people sing but other clubs seem to do it.
Nobody needs to sing songs/chants to enjoy football, but it does create the atmosphere which is a big part of the sport/entertainment.

sorry if this is a little of topic from the original post.
11/05/2005, 11:24 AM
Schumi

Quote:

Originally Posted by GK for the Town

How could the noise levels improve ? i hear about 10 lads singing and one with a bowran(crap spelling probably) at home games.

Very simply, if people want to have more noise/atmosphere at games all they have to do is come over and join in. We don't bite. ;)
11/05/2005, 12:49 PM
GK for the Town

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schumi

Very simply, if people want to have more noise/atmosphere at games all they have to do is come over and join in. We don't bite. ;)

are you one of the noisy ones ?

How come there arent more people from the college going to the games ? is there no-one really pressing the issue ?
11/05/2005, 12:57 PM
Schumi

Quote:

Originally Posted by GK for the Town

are you one of the noisy ones ?

I have been described as such . :D

Quote:

How come there arent more people from the college going to the games ? is there no-one really pressing the issue ?

There've been threads on this before, the basic problem is that people coming into college are set in their ways to an extent (either already have an EL team or have minimal interest in live football). In the past, there has been widespread postering on campus and promotions to Superleague teams each to negligible effect. The local area is a more productive focus IMO and this is where the club are looking to.
11/05/2005, 4:35 PM
GK for the Town

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schumi

I have been described as such . :D
.

I look out for you next time. Do you's all have a few beers in the college before games.
11/05/2005, 5:19 PM
Aberdonian Stu

Not anymore, only half the lads still go to UCD. Pineapple is usually in the Montrose well in advance for a few pre-match drinks.
11/05/2005, 7:07 PM
CollegeTillIDie

GK For the Town

The student population of UCD is approx 20,000. 15,000 of whom are already on their way home for the weekend when UCD are playing in Belfield. Of the remaining 5,000 you have the D4 , South Dublin and Rathdown rugby crowd, the other committed EL fans of other teams, the people who aren't interested in soccer and the barstool brigade, oh and the really witty debated heads too . To be honest in all my years of watching UCD ( I started going as a student) I think we have one of the highest percentages of current students/graduates attending that we have ever had on a consistent basis.
13/05/2005, 1:32 PM
Aberdonian Stu

Last time I checked I fell into the "South Dublin and Rathdown rugby crowd" or Dunlaoghaire Rathdown as its properly known! I'm also one of those very witty debating types.

Cue Bald Student or Student Mullet with a witty comment featuring the word master in it.
13/05/2005, 6:50 PM
CollegeTillIDie

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aberdonian Stu

Last time I checked I fell into the "South Dublin and Rathdown rugby crowd" or Dunlaoghaire Rathdown as its properly known! I'm also one of those very witty debating types.

Cue Bald Student or Student Mullet with a witty comment featuring the word master in it.

You speak Irish and have GAA affiliations so you are exempt from the above description. Not one of the West Brit types I was referring to .... :D