Our attendences have fallen since last season, can everyone give their views on why this has happened.
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Our attendences have fallen since last season, can everyone give their views on why this has happened.
1. The rise in ticket prices
2. The inclement weather
3. lack of publicity
4. The spate of 'doings' in and around the ground ;)
5. Munsterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! (This was a Lim Til I Die suggestion but I wholeheartedly agree)
1. Ticket Prices - they should be going down, not up. We have three home games in a row in the space of a week, the first one being Cobh on friday night. I didn't go to that one, and won't be going to one of the other two, because it's simply too expensive. €12 is a joke for those who aren't loaded. And don't say buy a season ticket cos that's shelling out well over €100 in one lump sum. €10 is the max for a first division club IMO.
2. Rathbane is a major reason. It's not the most appealing place for a Friday night.
3. Quality of football - Was sh!te last season, so those who went to a few games for a look were probably bored senseless and will not return until we're back at the top and the goals are flowing. Personally, I think the football has improved already this season (better players), we need to start hitting the net more though. If we do, peoples curiosity will return.
4. Lack of publicity - There should be adverisments in ALL the Limerick publications. That includes Limerick Leader/Chronicle, Limerick Post, Limerick Independent, Weekly Observer, Limerick Event Guide. The club should also be pushing hard to get articles featured in these publications on a regular basis, at the very least match reports and photos. This is not being done, no pressure is being applied by the club on the media. Ditto for the main print/radio media in Clare, Tipp, Kerry etc.
well i think the season ticket is good value. €150 yes its up front but every team who does season tickets asks for it. Saving €40 + if your hooked on LFC then all the 21s games are free. Sacurity was increased last night and the car park in the SC was supervised by our sacurity.
Rathbane is rathbane and i think the ground on the inside and the vibes there are good. Also compared to some of the kips we've played in its not bad at all imo.
Prog complaints??? lads have ye seen other first division clubs efforts? :rolleyes:
Last week i mailed all those mentioned papers photos and asked for some match promotion, now there reading this so hopefully they might still do it. By the time we play in Dublin against Shamrock rovers we COULD be one and two in the league...:)
publicity is definately a problem.as a kerryman working in limerick i have to listen limerick radio every day and all i hear is bloody rugby rugby rugby.the sports news on the hour should be called rugby news.even in kerry, junior soccer and the kerry eircom u21 teams get more coverage on radio kerry than limerick,a senior team,do on limerick radio.is the station anti soccer or are limerick fc not pushing for some air-time? also,on a different matter, i feel more intimidated walking around listowel than i do into the ground.some of the nonsense posted on here is comparing it to iraq.hogan park is definately a dump but a dump with great potential and hopefully ddrew sticks around to develop the place if lease signed
If 95fm gave 1/10 of the coverage to Limerick Fc that they give to Muuuuuuuuster Rugby, it would be a start, every single DJ on the station is ramming it down peoples throats 24/7. I'm with the previous poster on this, we are all aware of rugbys success but IMO that just proves that this station is only interested in promoting SUCCESS and not sport as they claim. I choose not to listen to this rubbish station anymore, its too boring now.
They should change its name from Live95fm to Munster RugbyFm and our fairweather band of merrymen.
SPORTING LIMERICK MY AR$E
10 am saturday morning sports programme always gives the soccer coverage. interview with noel or team captain and even dolan 2 weeks ago.
like someone said earlier i think the 12 euro and the ****e football is keeping people away. heres hoping we win all 3 this week and as gael said go to dublin just behind the shams.
be it rugby or what not,i think you'll find that you're more likely to have a larger support when your team is doing well,munster didn't always have the support that they do now
maybe people are adopting more of a 'wait and see' attitude towards attending the games, last seasons good start meant a bit of a boom in attendances but results werent sustained and crowds tapered off, maybe the quality of football played at times was a factor in this as well, so i think people will hold of a bit and keep their money in their pockets a bit longer this time round. i do think the 12euro price means people who are undecided are more likely not to attend.
however, i think if the season shapes up and the side are challenging then the crowds will get back to last seasons levels, and hopefully beyond.
Yeh, 10mins on Sat. morning as opposed to 10mins everyhour 7 days a week, about "The Stags", give me a break..........Quote:
Originally Posted by declan hide
La Brea Fm thats all they are.:mad: :mad: :mad:
Westside: Rugby will always get more airtime in Limerick thatn Football. Even the GAA gets less time than rugby. Is is Limerick after all and Rugby means a huge amount here.
I have to agree with SLK around the attendences:
1.€12 far too expensive for the casual Supporter.
2. Hogan Pk is a S**thole! with very little facilities
3. Noel O'connor - Prob the worst manager in the World under whom we play terrible football
4. Zero publicity. The lack of a PR person for the Club is coming home to roost in the form of small numbers at games.
5. The F***ing Weather - Why is is always raining on Fri Nights ?:o
In syaing that People are fickle by nature and if we keep winning there will be a rise in attendences.
1. 12 euro is a joke limerick expect people to pay 36 euro in a week to see ****e football were if you go and watch pike carew or balla you would get a better standerd of football. i went to matches last season with 5 or 6 lads this season they wont go down and pay 12 euros alot of people are been put off by the raise of ticket prices
2. noel o conner is simply brain dead wolfe a defender in midfield and robbie a striker on the wing limerick will never win anything under that clown.
Maybe attendance is down because more fans are being picked off on the road up to the ground.;)
Seriously...The question asked about the difference between this season and last season. I think the start of last season saw a big surge in interest after the move back to Rathbane so we can't fairly compare directly. What were the attendances around the end of last season (not the last two games which were effectively dead rubbers). I am not sure that there is a huge difference between the crowds last season and Friday night.
We can't use Rathbane as an excuse - we played there last season as well so how could it explain a drop season on season? Noel O'Connor was also the manager last season - same logic rules that out. There was also no publicity last season - ditto.
The price increase might explain it - though this presumes that people kow the price before they go - was there a drop between the two home games. I agree that thee matches in a week would add up - particularly if you are bringing kids along.
IMO the more straightforward explanation is weather. The two home games have been on poor nights weather wise.
Two things that I think greatly affect attendances are 1. weather 2. results (not quality of football). The weather should improve. If we can string together a few results and challenge at the top with Rovers we will see a big increase in numbers running the gauntlet to the ground.
Quality of football is definitely a reason for dropping numbers. I know a few people who went last year but haven't yet this as they don't want to go to what they described as "a glorified junior match". I went to the Monaghan game and have to say, new players but same old NO'C influenced stuff. Was he there for the Dublin city friendly? I saw Aidan Ryan there alright, anyway they played some lovely stuff that day.
Well I am one of those who went to nearly every match last season but haven't been bothered this year. The main reason I have for staying away is that the quality of football I witnessed towards the end of last season was no better than would be seen at alot of junior matches & they are free.
I specifically remember the Monaghan & Athlone games as being amongst the poorest I have ever had to watch. Also there were players which I enjoyed watching whom suddenly dissappeared from the team as the season went along & this mainly down to poor relations with the management from what I have heard. The team which started the season was almost unrecognisable from the side which ended it & to me the team got worse & not better.
There was generally a bad vibe within the crowd towards certain players as well which is not on. Booing ones own players is not on regardless of how ****e they are. A bit is ok but it was way over the top on one occasion that I witnessed.
I will probably go along to a few games again this year but on the whole the standard of football would have to be alot better & a better atmosphere towards the team would help as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pauliwallnuts
I think the poor relationship went both ways, ie from fans to certain players and from those certain players back to fans. But its in the past and i think our supporters are top class and i think our players this year are top class!
I think you'll find that Wolfe was only used as a makeshift midfielder covering for Lester's absence due to suspension, I don't think he will be starting most games.Quote:
Originally Posted by l.f.c......
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roadend
Maybe the pitch has a lot to do with it Limerick probably play a lot better away from Hogan Park.I dont know i have not been to many away games 1 against cobh last year but I watched the Setanta Cup game last night and to be honest there was not a whole pile of difference in the way shels and cork played.The pitch at turners cross was poor and the both teams hoofed long balls up the middle all night because there was no point in playing nice football on that surface.The commentator even satted at one stage that they were running out of balls as the cork centre backs had kicked 4 out over the stand in a 5 minute period.So maybe its not all doom and gloom for LFC
Now that the bad apples Nolan and O'Brien are gone I think you'll find that all is well on that side of things.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pauliwallnuts
Our biggest home gate last season was 1800 approx, when we played Monaghan on Good Friday(prob. due to the fact no pubs were open), hopefully we can expect a similar gate this weekend, and the fact that we've won 3 on the spin won't do any harm either, roll on Friday night.
C'mon the blues
I'm not a Limerick afn but €12 is not steep - although 3 home games in a week can hit hard.
On average of €12 every two weeks is feck all - less than 2 pints a week
As for publicity, does the club not have a dedicated PR man? For example in Longford club takes up one full broadsheet page every week in the local rags, made up of match report, preview of next week, supporters club notes and the bits and pieces.
On local radio we get lots of coverag, not always good mind you, they have no problem airing the views of a dsigruntled fan afre a poor performanve, despite the fact that it covers 3 counties two of which have no eircom League club. Again people at the club would be pushing it. And like yourselves they'd all be voluntary.
By the way, prices in Longford went to 15 last season.
Quite simply paying 12euro for football of that quality is an absolute disgrace. People don't like feeling ripped off, and thats generally what you feel as soon as you walk through the turnstilles in Hogan Park. Again if we were playing good attacking football I don't think it would be as much of a problem as it is. Sadly the fact is, is that fans pay 12euro in to the ground, then get over-charged on things like hot dogs and programmes (its not compulsary to buy these I know, but people still will regardless), and then have to stand in the freezing cold and watch completely unwatchable football.
Until Danny comes to his senses and either lowers prices and/or sacks Noel attendences will never be up. I don't think slating Limerick95 will do much either lads, face it, if you were in charge of the station what percentage of sports coverage would you give to a team that has underachieved for over a decade in comparison to a team that is soon to play in the semi-finals of a European competition? And thats just the hurlers I'm talking about, let alone our lads!