What Irish League Grounds have you been to?

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28/11/2008, 2:48 PM
gspain

What Irish League Grounds have you been to?

Following on from the thread on League of Ireland grounds

I've seen at least one game at

Ballymena, Bangor, Cliftonville, Coleraine, Crusaders, Dungannon, Glenavon, Glentoran, Institute, Linfield, Lisburn Distillery and Newry

(all the top division)

also

Ards (Castlereagh Park now gone), Ballinamallard, Portadown, Loughgall, Coagh, Donegal Celtic, Larne, Limavady, Armagh and Ballyclare.

I need to visit Banbridge, Glebe/Ballymoney, Carrick Rangers, Tobermore, Dergview and Killymoon to complete the top 2 divisions.
28/11/2008, 6:44 PM
Martinho II

i have bein in the oval and linfields ground thats all.. hope to go to one or two new grounds over the next few weeks...
29/11/2008, 8:28 AM
grounded

I have been to Ballymena and Newry for League games and to Lurgan for the U21 NI vs. Germany last year.

Was going to embark on a wee groundhopping trip to Armagh today. Would be my first time driving to NI. Without wanting to go into politics can anyone let me know if it is ok these days to leave a car with Irish regs for a couple of hours?
29/11/2008, 8:48 AM
gspain

Quote:

Originally Posted by grounded

I have been to Ballymena and Newry for League games and to Lurgan for the U21 NI vs. Germany last year.

Was going to embark on a wee groundhopping trip to Armagh today. Would be my first time driving to NI. Without wanting to go into politics can anyone let me know if it is ok these days to leave a car with Irish regs for a couple of hours?

Armagh is definitely fine unless there is a women's hockey match on. You'll probably crash with the distraction. :D Holm park is in a nice area of the city.

Absolutely no problem anywhere else really. Done it for Setanta games and plenty of Irish league games.

If being ultra cautious you might want to avoid Cliftonville and Donegal Celtic away games at Glenavon, Crusaders and Glentoran.
29/11/2008, 8:58 AM
grounded

Thanks for the advice :).

I take it that going to a womens hockey match is well worth while? Must remember that :D
29/11/2008, 9:56 AM
Dassa

Armagh is my local town and you will have no problem at holm park. 2 clubs in the championship are currently using Holm park as their 'Home ground' as Ballinamallard from Fermanagh are playing there till their ground is developed. If you want to see a better Co Armagh side drive 6 miles out the road to Loughgall;).
29/11/2008, 7:16 PM
Martinho II

was talkin about ballinamallard the other day with a friend and was thinkin of goin to a match there.. didnt realise that they had temporily moved out .. thanks for lettin me know.. many more clubs in co armagh that play in the northern ireland league??
29/11/2008, 7:59 PM
gspain

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dassa

Armagh is my local town and you will have no problem at holm park. 2 clubs in the championship are currently using Holm park as their 'Home ground' as Ballinamallard from Fermanagh are playing there till their ground is developed. If you want to see a better Co Armagh side drive 6 miles out the road to Loughgall;).

Re Ballinamallard, Are they moving to a new ground or is back to the same one? Must be at least 15 years since I was there.

It was a tough choice at Armagh. There was a hockey match in progress. I wouldn't normally watch too much hockey but there was some talent on display. ;) I did watch the football in the end which lacked talent of any description. :D
30/11/2008, 9:12 PM
Dassa

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martinho II

was talkin about ballinamallard the other day with a friend and was thinkin of goin to a match there.. didnt realise that they had temporily moved out .. thanks for lettin me know.. many more clubs in co armagh that play in the northern ireland league??

Glenavon who play in the top division.

Portadown
Loughgall
Armagh
Play in 1st division

Annagh (Pdown)
Lurgan Celtic
Play in 2nd division
30/11/2008, 9:14 PM
Dassa

Quote:

Originally Posted by gspain

Re Ballinamallard, Are they moving to a new ground or is back to the same one? Must be at least 15 years since I was there.

It was a tough choice at Armagh. There was a hockey match in progress. I wouldn't normally watch too much hockey but there was some talent on display. ;) I did watch the football in the end which lacked talent of any description. :D

They are planning to move back to Ferney Park once sports council gives them funding to update the ground to Championship standard. There are alot of groundshares in the Championship this year so that these teams made the league requirements.
03/12/2008, 1:24 AM
SolitudeRed

I need to get to more grounds I've Only been to Suffolk Road, the oval, windsor, Seaview and Mourneview and of course Solitude the home of Irish football:cool:

oh and in the South I've been to Terryland Park.
04/12/2008, 10:55 AM
Raheen

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolitudeRed

I need to get to more grounds I've Only been to Suffolk Road, the oval, windsor, Seaview and Mourneview and of course Solitude the home of Irish football:cool:

oh and in the South I've been to Terryland Park.

Less of the south, Terryland is very much in the west.......:D
18/12/2008, 3:02 PM
gspain

For anybody who fancies a chance to do some Irish league groundhopping and also see an Ireland away game.

The FAI schools team play Northern Ireland in Ballymoney on Friday March
20th at 7pm. I'm assuming it will be in the Riada Stadium shared by Ballymoney United and Glebe Rangers. Ballymoney is quite a distance and probably an hour on from Belfast.

This is one of my 6 grounds to see in the championship so Limerick fixture permitting this is one I might attend.
28/12/2008, 12:03 AM
dcfcsteve

I've been to Windsor, Oval, Stangmore (Dungannon), Riverside (Institute) and the Limavady Showgrounds.

The daft copy-cat notion of making St Stephen's Day fixtures 'derbies' means that there was only one IPL game west of the Bann this year, and as I'd already been to Dungannon and the game was likely to be a dirge I didn't bother. A bit daft to have only one game in half the north, just to enable supposed derbies.

I would've gone had Inst or Coleraine been at home.
28/12/2008, 12:44 AM
Lux Interior

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

I've been to Windsor, Oval, Stangmore (Dungannon), Riverside (Institute) and the Limavady Showgrounds.

The daft copy-cat notion of making St Stephen's Day fixtures 'derbies' means that there was only one IPL game west of the Bann this year, and as I'd already been to Dungannon and the game was likely to be a dirge I didn't bother. A bit daft to have only one game in half the north, just to enable supposed derbies.

I would've gone had Inst or Coleraine been at home.

That's terrible. Maximising the crowd on a public holiday by playing derby fixtures (no need for inverted commas) has seriously disrupted steve's plans.

What a daft post.
29/12/2008, 6:13 PM
dcfcsteve

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lux Interior

That's terrible. Maximising the crowd on a public holiday by playing derby fixtures (no need for inverted commas) has seriously disrupted steve's plans.

What a daft post.

Calm down ya big drama queen.

There's two points here. Firstly, that there was only 1 Premier match in over half of the geographic area of the north, which makes it hard for many casual/infrequent/curious supporters to catch a game on what is a traditional day for football in NI. I'd happily have gone to a game and put a bit of money into the league, if it didn't mean driving to the other side of the north.

Secondly - derbies was in inverted comas because a large number of them are very contrived. Blues-Glens and the North Belfast derby : fine. But Institute v Dungannon ? :o Coleraine v Ballymena ? Newry v Glenavon ?? I appreciate that with Limavady and Ports in a different division it makes some local derbies difficult to secure, but to then try and do the next best is a bit unnecessary.

What a daft post indeed....
30/12/2008, 2:05 PM
David

Quote:

Originally Posted by gspain

Following on from the thread on League of Ireland grounds

I've seen at least one game at

Ballymena, Bangor, Cliftonville, Coleraine, Crusaders, Dungannon, Glenavon, Glentoran, Institute, Linfield, Lisburn Distillery and Newry

(all the top division)

also

Ards (Castlereagh Park now gone), Ballinamallard, Portadown, Loughgall, Coagh, Donegal Celtic, Larne, Limavady, Armagh and Ballyclare.

I need to visit Banbridge, Glebe/Ballymoney, Carrick Rangers, Tobermore, Dergview and Killymoon to complete the top 2 divisions.

Have a few on that list to get to myself. Been to all the top division ones. Not been to Coagh, Glebe/Ballymoney, Dergview or Killymoon.

For Eircom I have been to Drogheda, Bohs, Longford, Sligo, Derry City, Shamrock Rovers (old Milltown ground) and Athlone (although it may have been an old ground, St Mels Park I think it was called).
09/01/2009, 11:01 PM
Lux Interior

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

Calm down ya big drama queen.

There's two points here. Firstly, that there was only 1 Premier match in over half of the geographic area of the north, which makes it hard for many casual/infrequent/curious supporters to catch a game on what is a traditional day for football in NI. I'd happily have gone to a game and put a bit of money into the league, if it didn't mean driving to the other side of the north.

Secondly - derbies was in inverted comas because a large number of them are very contrived. Blues-Glens and the North Belfast derby : fine. But Institute v Dungannon ? :o Coleraine v Ballymena ? Newry v Glenavon ?? I appreciate that with Limavady and Ports in a different division it makes some local derbies difficult to secure, but to then try and do the next best is a bit unnecessary.

What a daft post indeed....

Colerane-vs-Ballymena has been a derby game for years and both sets of supporters have fostered an intense rivalry. Glenavon and Newry both hail from mid-Ulster.

I'm not so sure we should rip up the traditional football calender just to placate the odd curio from west of the Bann.

That would be "daft".

:)
09/01/2009, 11:57 PM
Graemerz

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lux Interior

Colerane-vs-Ballymena has been a derby game for years and both sets of supporters have fostered an intense rivalry. Glenavon and Newry both hail from mid-Ulster.

I'm not so sure we should rip up the traditional football calender just to placate the odd curio from west of the Bann.

That would be "daft".

:)

An intense rivalry over which town has more farmers and just which one hates the Blues more. :rolleyes::D
12/01/2009, 9:43 PM
dcfcsteve

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lux Interior

Colerane-vs-Ballymena has been a derby game for years and both sets of supporters have fostered an intense rivalry.

Only because Coleraine had no proper rivals since City were forced out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lux Interior

Glenavon and Newry both hail from mid-Ulster.

Newry is in mid Ulster ?!?! :eek: You need to take a lie down before you go out and buy yoursel' a map, yumphla. I suppose you're gonna tell us next that Dundalk is too...:D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lux Interior

I'm not so sure we should rip up the traditional football calender just to placate the odd curio from west of the Bann.

That would be "daft".

:)

Too right. God forbid the Irish league might do something that would attract new or curious supporters. Especially in a league with such a severe geographical imbalance already. Down with that sort of thing...
14/01/2009, 7:54 PM
Graemerz

I think dcfcsteve has a point for once. I think staggering the rivalries is a good idea.
15/01/2009, 10:55 AM
Steve Bruce

Boxing day attract football crowds bigger than any other time of year anywhere on this island. Why change what is already a winning formula.
15/01/2009, 5:41 PM
Graemerz

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Bruce

Boxing day attract football crowds bigger than any other time of year anywhere on this island. Why change what is already a winning formula.

I'm not saying we should change Boxing Day, Boxing Day should always be a Blues/Glens derby match but the likes of Coleraine/Ballymena, Portadown/Glenavon, Cliftonville/Crusaders could be played on a different day. This would also give SKY a chance to show other derbys.
15/01/2009, 8:38 PM
holidaysong

What crowds do the Glentoran/Linfield derbies that aren't on December 26th get? Seems odd that the large crowds would only turn up for the derby on that particular day and not the others..
15/01/2009, 9:34 PM
Graemerz

Quote:

Originally Posted by holidaysong

What crowds do the Glentoran/Linfield derbies that aren't on December 26th get? Seems odd that the large crowds would only turn up for the derby on that particular day and not the others..

Blues/Glens get anywhere between 8000/12000 every game they play unless its midweek.
15/01/2009, 9:35 PM
holidaysong

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graemerz

Blues/Glens get anywhere between 8000/12000 every game they play unless its midweek.

Ok. Do other clubs get inflated attendances on Dec. 26th that they wouldn't get if the game was played at another time of year?
15/01/2009, 11:40 PM
AnnaghRed

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graemerz

Blues/Glens get anywhere between 8000/12000 every game they play unless its midweek.

IIRC even the annual setanta snooze-athon pulls in round the 3000 mark
15/01/2009, 11:55 PM
AnnaghRed

Quote:

Originally Posted by holidaysong

Do other clubs get inflated attendances on Dec. 26th that they wouldn't get if the game was played at another time of year?

Going by the IFA crowd figures then it would seem that attendances for these two derbies played on dec 26th are 113% higher than previous dates.

Ballymena v Coleraine 2520/1004
Cliftonville v Crusaders 1426/820

Of course Portadown v Glenavon would wipe the floor with both of them, but that couldn't happen this season coz we're all professional now with integrity to preserve :cool:
16/01/2009, 12:24 AM
Graemerz

Over recent years the Ballymena and Coleraine derby has quite remarkably got 8,000 odd people going to the game. :eek:
16/01/2009, 12:29 AM
AnnaghRed

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graemerz

Over recent years the Ballymena and Coleraine derby has quite remarkably got 8,000 odd people going to the game. :eek:

Odd people alright, but i can never remember a crowd of thon proportions being reported.
16/01/2009, 12:26 PM
Graemerz

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnnaghRed

Odd people alright, but i can never remember a crowd of thon proportions being reported.

I remember hearing that from a sheeps head, could have been talking out of his baaa-ckside though!

Sorry. :o

:p
16/01/2009, 2:22 PM
JerseyRed

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graemerz

I'm not saying we should change Boxing Day, Boxing Day should always be a Blues/Glens derby match but the likes of Coleraine/Ballymena, Portadown/Glenavon, Cliftonville/Crusaders could be played on a different day. This would also give SKY a chance to show other derbys.

Oh FFS wise up!:rolleyes: Boxing Day is traditional for derbies and it must stay that way.
18/01/2009, 2:06 AM
Lux Interior

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

Only because Coleraine had no proper rivals since City were forced out.

Newry is in mid Ulster ?!?! :eek: You need to take a lie down before you go out and buy yoursel' a map, yumphla. I suppose you're gonna tell us next that Dundalk is too...:D

Too right. God forbid the Irish league might do something that would attract new or curious supporters. Especially in a league with such a severe geographical imbalance already. Down with that sort of thing...

Hate to break it to you, steve, but no-one gave a **** about Derry in their IL days.

Not sure about your massive 'derby' with Coleraine but if Derry's away following was anything like they brought to the Oval (ie: 10-20), then I'm sure the Coleraine public were wetting themselves when the candystripe bandwagon rolled into town.

re: your mid-Ulster point. Newry-Glenavon-Portadown is a 3 way mid-Ulster rivalry. I'm well aware where Dundalk is .....

pps: how many did Kevin Miscue score in the Eircom Premier?
18/01/2009, 11:11 AM
Graemerz

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lux Interior

Hate to break it to you, steve, but no-one gave a **** about Derry in their IL days.

Not sure about your massive 'derby' with Coleraine but if Derry's away following was anything like they brought to the Oval (ie: 10-20), then I'm sure the Coleraine public were wetting themselves when the candystripe bandwagon rolled into town.

re: your mid-Ulster point. Newry-Glenavon-Portadown is a 3 way mid-Ulster rivalry. I'm well aware where Dundalk is .....

pps: how many did Kevin Miscue score in the Eircom Premier?

More times than Fatterworth has scored for youse.

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