exactly, exactly.Quote:
Originally Posted by Macy
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exactly, exactly.Quote:
Originally Posted by Macy
But none of the Clubs last year were from Dublin and the final was held in Dublin, so whats your point?Quote:
Originally Posted by Macy
That it's easier to travel to Dublin, than Limerick, from most parts of the country? I already said it's a lot easier to get from Longford to Dublin than it is Longford to Limerick. By at least an hour and half (or twice as long to put it another way) by car/ bus. There is no train link.Quote:
Originally Posted by L37Ultra
Is it possible to provisionally book 2 stadiums, then depending on the teams choose.
Macy's point is spot on, but using that point I think we'd get a much bigger crowd in Limerick were we to be in the final. Of course it depends who else was in it.
The only reason I would see for moving it from Dublin would be to get non-EL fans to notice that there's a league/cup and a final on near them. If it were say in Limerick, you might get a bit of a crowd of locals come along for the day out, making them aware of the league and possibly will look to go to other games.
Ideally imo we'd have 4 stadiums good enough to hold it North, South East and West, and spread it around to give every section of the country a chance to host the final and try to make a really big deal out of it every 4 years in that area. Make them feel like it is their league/cup. Give local schools/teams free tickets etc. Make a huge event of it with local media.
Of course it mightnt work, but it would be worth a try to raise the profile imo. There are too many peope that dont know of the league, or dont feel any affinity to it, be it becuase of the promotion of the league, or not having a club in their area etc.
Anyway this isnt really feasible, but we can dream
Sligo - Limerick
Galway - Limerick
Dundalk - Limerick
Longford - Limerick
Wexford - Limerick
Like it or not, A Face, but as Macy said, a final in Limerick would make travelling a lot more hassle for the majority of fans, apart from the Munster teams, or maybe Galway. Your agument that most fans will travel by coach is based on Cork City last year, which is hardly conclusive. A final in Thomond Park would mean a lot of fans would travel by coach I imagine, given the horrible train alternative.
All for a "world class stadium" with 9,000 uncovered seats in late October or early November.
I don't know I would call Thomond World Class but compared to the RDS it probably is. I cannot overstate how miserable the RDS is on a wet windy winters day, it made me long for Tolka or old Lansdowne. To get to your seat you have to walk in mud/grass & everything from seats to facilities are temporary.Quote:
Originally Posted by osarusan
Thomond has already been mentioned by the FAI as a potential venue.
Give Linfield a few k and we will host your cup final at Windsor :D
No thanks. RDS has better facilities :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Bruce
I would think a very low percentage of people traveling to Cup Final go by rail.
I think you may have misunderstood me - I'll go to it in Dublin regardless of who's in it, but I'd only travel to see my own team.Quote:
Originally Posted by A face
I'd be the same. More people living in Dublin, therefore a better chance of neutrals showing up.Quote:
Originally Posted by bigmac
What? You'll only travel to see your own team but you'll go to Dublin for it? To do what shopping? Fair play, its around Christmas alright, make a day of it :pQuote:
Originally Posted by bigmac
Maybe so, but do neutrals show up in numbers and would neutrals show up anywhere else? Of the people who now live in Dublin, how many finals have you gone to in the last five years?* If <2 then how do we know you'll show up this year? Sorry now but that argument does hold any water with me.Quote:
Originally Posted by holidaysong
* Have you got a ticket stub?
Check his location, he lives in Dublin.Quote:
Originally Posted by A face
Neutrals do not go to FAI Cup finals in any significant numbers especially now it played in November. I know last year was particularly harsh weather but it is also not exactly unusual for that time of year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigmac
But wouldn't that be the same case if it was in Limerick. For example if it is in Dublin this year I probably won't go but if it is in Thomond Park, I would go regardless of who was in it.
Source for your research? Lots of people buying tickets on the day last time I went and when asked what side they followed they said neither.Quote:
Originally Posted by pete
Again, the only point thats relevent is that all roads lead to Dublin and when the Sponsors, the football assocaition and the TV company covering it are all based in Dublin, its unlikely to be moved, regardless of ****ty the ground is.
Its not the FAI's fault that the road system was built the way it is.
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Originally Posted by Dodge
Quote:
Lots of people buying tickets on the day last time I went and when asked what side they followed they said neither.
Same question, how many people did you ask? You meet a few people in the pub or you spent a couple of hours with your clipboard?Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
Neutrals do not turn out in numbers, or maybe the novelty of having it in Thomond you'll get a good few going to it.
Roads lead everywhere, if people are travelling on a Sunday to Limerick they will encounter far less traffic that they would in Dublin with other events on. Traffic in Dublin at that time of year, with out operation free-flow (or whatever it was called) up and running is a disaster.Quote:
Again, the only point thats relevent is that all roads lead to Dublin and when the Sponsors, the football assocaition and the TV company covering it are all based in Dublin, its unlikely to be moved, regardless of ****ty the ground is. Its not the FAI's fault that the road system was built the way it is.
The sponsors, Ford wouldn't like to advertise where Toyota normally would, wouldn't that be great advertising for them, moving in on someone elses patch, i would have thought so anyway.
The National Football Association of Ireland you're talking about here yeah? Actually this would be a good test for them now actually. Are they going to spread it around a bit after last years disaster when they all feiced off to South Africa on a junket. Would this be a great way for them to redeem themselves. We are all looking on this year, i wonder how they'll preform?
TV Companies sub-contract the work normally dont they? Wasn't that the case last year, and the year before that and .... hang on, do we see a thrend here? Aren't there TV companies in Limerick or nearby, the ones that coverage all the Munster games? Sheeze who would have thought, its actually working out perfectly aint it, well i'll be :eek:
Go with the best ground in the country, go with Thomond .... you know it makes sense ;)
Maybe, being the key word here. Or maybe if it's played in Dublin again, neutrals will come out this time. Probably unlikely but maybe...Quote:
Originally Posted by A face
Why dont we just discount this argument altogether because the amount of neutrals wouldn't run into the hundreds, even if it was in their back garden.Quote:
Originally Posted by skitz3
It doesn't matter when you have it on, this is Ireland, and if it's not raining, the only thing you know is that it's going to. You're as likely to have rain in December as any other time of year. The Cup Final, as it's name implies should be on as the final game of the domestic season.Quote:
Originally Posted by pete
Jesus a face, you're way off with the TV stuff, and everything else.Quote:
Originally Posted by A face
There's three rugby teams that will be using the Thomond pitch; Munster, Bohemians and Shannon - so it's not necessarily the case that that Thomond would be available to host the final and even so, getting the pitch ready for a football match in November could be troublesome.
Both venues have there pros and cons but ultimately the location of the teams involved should dictate where the final takes place. If the FAI have this flexibility open to them, ie both the RDS and Thomond are available, they should by all means use it. If not, they should focus on hosting in the RDS.
So we are all agreed that Thomond is the best place to host the final. Good, job done. Lets move on so. Hopefully that FAI will be reading this and see sense. No logical reason not to hold it in Thomond if its available.
Its just as well too, its by far the best venue in the country now.
Yeah that would also be the case in Limerick - the question then is merely about numbers - how many neutrals would turn up in Limerick versus how many neutrals would turn up in Dublin.Quote:
Originally Posted by L37Ultra
A face, clearly I'm in Dublin, take a chill pill for a moment there and relax a bit. As for ticket stubs as proof of attendance? Come on FFS, how many people hang on to ticket stubs from a match?
I really don't think this is true Pete - don't under-estimate the numbers of neutrals who go to the Cup Final.Quote:
Originally Posted by pete
I've lived in Dublin for 4 years and have gone to the cup final as a neutral in 2 of those years. I'll definitely go this year if I've nothing else planned on the same day.
If you read back through the discussion you might find that not everyone agreed with that.Quote:
Originally Posted by A face
Ah but we're ignoring that stuff without a logical reason behind it aren't we, of course we are so yeah, Thomond it is.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bald Student
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigmac
Agreed but lets face it, neutrals will not make a huge difference to the overall attendance of the final so that shouldn't really come into the arguement. Bascially, I would have the final in Dublin for obvious reasons. Its the capital etc... But if it was a simple argument between the RDS and Thomond Park then I would have it on in Thomond Park without a second thought because it is a top class stadium and the RDS isn't good enough for a Cup Final in my opinion. That would be of course if location was taken out of the situation.
Bit rich from a Cobh fan, considering we're only one game away from one already!;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Allstar
I know I am but I think that we'd disagree about what that consists of.Quote:
Originally Posted by A face
Whatever about the Pros and cons of Thomond Park the RDS as it was last year really isn't a suitable venue for the Cup final. 3 temporary stands and a main stand thats about a third longer than the pitch!
A better venue should be used whether its in Dublin, Limerick or somewhere else.
Y'see thats what i've been saying, Thomond it is so, done .... Good stuff, da jawb !! ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by paudie
I wouldn't mind travelling to the cup final in Thomond Park if Bohs were in it. I don't suppose anybody would mind travelling to Thomond Park if there team was playing in it. I would certainly hope that if it was to be held there that the FAI would make a HUGE push in advertising it in Limerick and the surrounding areas.
For nothing other than a hunch I would suggest that if it was advertised and pushed enough, and two clubs with relatively big core support and a relatively big latent support got to the final - e.g. Bohs and Cork or Derry and Drogheda, that Thomond Park would be relatively full. Of course this could all be just wishful thinking but I wouldn't be against the idea.
The points raised about holding it in Dublin though are obviously valid in terms of transport, polupation, etc. But I honestly do not think that holding it this year away from Dublin would do any harm at all even if it was just to try it out. Limerick people after all love to say that they 'love their sport'.
Is there seriously talk about holding the final at Thomond Park?Quote:
Originally Posted by A face
Yeah, they mentioned it a while back alright. Haven't heard anything else since though.Quote:
Originally Posted by CharlesThompson
The main motive for the thread was to get them thinking about it. Cant have the same situation as last year in fairness
Outside of 'A Face's' house, no......Quote:
Originally Posted by CharlesThompson
The FAI mentioned it as potential venue (maybe 6 months ago) long before was ever mentioned here.Quote:
Originally Posted by CharlesThompson
If City were in a Cup Final in Limerick in November, that was being shown live on TV, you'd have a lot less going to it from the town than you would if it was in Dublin.Quote:
Originally Posted by CharlesThompson
The weather would combine with the fact it's on TV and the awkwardness of the journey to put off a lot more fair-weather supporters than having it in Dublin would.
We also have decent numbers of supporters in places like Belfast and Dublin who would be less inclined to travel to Limerick in the November rain.
Isn't the reason the FAI broke away from the IFA in the first place because they were too Belfast-centred? Wasn't there a final between Bohs and Shelbourne that the IFA insisted was played in Belfast? (I could be wrong about this).
I would support holding the final in Thomond Park. I think that the FAI should seriously consider rotating the cup final between Dublin and somewhere else in the country every second year (in this scenario Dublin would still have 50% of all finals). They should use it as a chance to showcase some of the better eL/general stadiums/grounds around the country, and encourage clubs to develop their stadiums using the cup final as a carrot.
Even as a Derry fan (albeit one who lives in Dublin), I don't buy the argument about distance too much. The Cup is, after all, a competition which is in a large part about chance. Its a one-off even which even the most successful teams don't get to too often.
Honestly I'd put the cup in Turners Cross before Thomond. I doubt the FAI Cup final would attract a full house in Limerick no matter who was playing and I'd rather see a full Turner's Cross absolutely hopping on TV than a half empty Thomand Park