Champion's coverage of Rovers

**Rovers Maniac** · 14/01/2009, 9:59 PM

Is it me or this becoming a joke? Is it the same editor or did they get a new one recently? There just seems to be pages and pages of non-descript GAA in the sports section. I would have no issues with the GAA, but even in the last few weeks of the season i could not believe how poor the coverage was, one week there was more coverage of surfing than Rovers.

Eastern Harps a local GAA club must of got treble the column inches that we got for getting to the conncht club final, fare play to them not saying they did not deserve it but how can you justify pages (4 i think) of news about one GAA club with about a page of Rovers news (including a match report) and this is when we are going for European qualification. I have no problems with them devoting x amount of coverage to one sport, just give us what we are used to getting for our club. Whats in it this week's, is it old news? Cook has said he has got his budget but the rumor on the other thread is we are still awaiting to get this approved back from the FAI. Maybe the Weekender's coverage has us spoiled but the champon seems to be using a national template imo where the local GAA is devoted so much and then the rest fits in around it.

Edit: Not having a go at the actual content just the lack of coverage.

**Only1Rovers** · 14/01/2009, 10:16 PM

Harsh, I don't read the champion from week to week these day's but during the off season there's probably not much to write about. I suppose we could get clarity on the budget, has it been passed or not by the FAI but there's no point writing crap when there's nothing to write. No players have been signed as yet. The club even went as far as to issue a statement saying storied printed in the national press were inaccurate.

There's no need to justify the 4 pages dedicated to Eastern Harps, they made the Connacht final and they were representing Sligo at in the competition. There was a huge interest in it. And the Eircom League had finished.......

**Rovers Maniac** · 14/01/2009, 11:01 PM

Originally Posted by Only1Rovers

Harsh, I don't read the champion from week to week these day's but during the off season there's probably not much to write about. I suppose we could get clarity on the budget, has it been passed or not by the FAI but there's no point writing crap when there's nothing to write. No players have been signed as yet. The club even went as far as to issue a statement saying storied printed in the national press were inaccurate.

There's no need to justify the 4 pages dedicated to Eastern Harps, they made the Connacht final and they were representing Sligo at in the competition. There was a huge interest in it. And the Eircom League had finished.......

It had just finished your correct, the week the final preview was in the paper was the week the report from Bray was in it and re-action to the club being in Europe. If you compare the coverage the Weekender give the achievement to the Champion is night and day.

The build up the Bray game i thought were pretty poor as well considering what was at stake there was actually more coverage of the connacht club final build that week as well. If you take the last month 5 weeks of the Rovers season, it ran in tandem with Eastern Harps run to the final. There was a gulf in the difference the coverage both teams got. By the way i was not asking the Champion to justify the coverage they give Eastern Harps as i said in my first post it was well deserved, instead it would be more like justifying the lack of coverage they're giving Rovers. You must remember Rovers where not only representing Sligo and connacht but also going to represent Ireland on a European stage.

What would have been the crowd at Markievicz for the final compared to say was in the showgrounds v Bray? 2,500 was the crowd more in the Showgrounds v Bray and i bet Corfin had more numbers than Bray had down.

Also not having a pop at what was in this week of course not much going on pre-season, i was simply wondering if that was Cook speaking pre or post the FAI approving our budget.

Anyway maybe i am being harsh but when you are living away i find it a bit frustrating to see lack of column inches (esp if you can't get your hands on the Weekender), that just thats my opinion and maybe no othere people share that view with me.

**Only1Rovers** · 15/01/2009, 1:05 AM

Originally Posted by Rovers Maniac

Anyway maybe i am being harsh but when you are living away i find it a bit frustrating to see lack of column inches (esp if you can't get your hands on the Weekender), that just thats my opinion and maybe no othere people share that view with me.

Champion and Weekender are both available for free online.

I'm not sure what you're tryiny to say regarding the Connacht final, it doesn't make sense.

There's been plenty written about Coleman in all papers recently, but its all repetition and nothing new.

**Rovers Maniac** · 15/01/2009, 8:15 AM

Originally Posted by Only1Rovers

Champion and Weekender are both available for free online.

I'm not sure what you're tryiny to say regarding the Connacht final, it doesn't make sense.

There's been plenty written about Coleman in all papers recently, but its all repetition and nothing new.

It was in relation to you saying, that there was a massive of interest in the CC final, which there was, but there was more interest in the Rovers game going by the number of people who turned up a both venues. Anyway its more the lack of coverage given during the season, rather than whats in it in the close season. What's written about them is fine it would be great to see a bit more of it in the paper.

**Redie** · 15/01/2009, 10:26 AM

Rovers Maniac's makes some very valid points.

Down the years The Champion has always given Sligo GAA matches more coverage than Rovers matches. On average a Sligo GAA match will get a four page spread while a Rovers match will at best be given one full page.

The Champion's coverage of Sligo Rovers follows a formula so tried and tested it almost predates the invention of the printing press. A match Report which while is always on the whole a very accurate account of what happened on the pitch but which is always incredibly workmanlike and sober with no attempt at analysis or opinion. That report is usually accompanied by a piece giving the managers views on the previous game and his thoughts on the next game. The league table may or may not be shown and occasionally there might be an interview with one of the players.

There is a serious absence of imagination and variety, I mean when was the last time they ever sought the views of the visiting teams’ manager or players for example.

What makes all of this more disappointing is that their reporters are among the most competent and best informed in the business and are capable of so much more.

**avvenalaf** · 15/01/2009, 1:27 PM

The reason that the Gaa gets four times the coverage that soccer does is that there is four times the readership in Gaa supporters.
End of discussion.
Close the thread.

**RGMY** · 15/01/2009, 9:36 PM

in fairness lads the coverage as a whole by both the weekender and the champion isnt bad in the bad years these papers were the only ones that gave us any sort of coverage however the national rags leave a lot 2 b desired bar the mirror and sun the loi gets frig all coverage as for the national radio stations they r more interested in meaningless club games played in tipperary than loi

**dong** · 16/01/2009, 11:36 AM

Originally Posted by avvenalaf

The reason that the Gaa gets four times the coverage that soccer does is that there is four times the readership in Gaa supporters.
End of discussion.
Close the thread.

Not in Sligo there isn't mate. You don't know what you're talking about.
End of discussion.

**neutrino** · 16/01/2009, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by dong2008

Not in Sligo there isn't mate. You don't know what you're talking about.
End of discussion.

there is a massive following of club GAA in Sligo County. All these families would always buy the champion for their club match reports, news etc. This has always been the case, so avvenalaf's point is pretty spot on.

**clubman** · 16/01/2009, 12:25 PM

Originally Posted by dong2008

Not in Sligo there isn't mate. You don't know what you're talking about.
End of discussion.

A championship game in Markievicz Park will attract 15,000 - 17,000 (not sure of capacity)
spectators. In our wildest dreams we'll never see so many people in the Showgrounds for a Rovers game.
It's just something we beautiful game lovers have to accept, the GAA have more followers in this region. At the end of the day it's all about selling papers and I think the Champion do that very well.

**Red&White Rover** · 16/01/2009, 12:43 PM

Originally Posted by clubman

A championship game in Markievicz Park will attract 15,000 - 17,000 (not sure of capacity)

In a stadium that until recently could only hold roughly 10-12,000?

Have only seen it completely full once or twice, and I live beside it...and that was before any of the new terracing at either end was put up.

**red bellied** · 16/01/2009, 12:51 PM

Wasn't full this summer they never even played a game there.

**Only1Rovers** · 17/01/2009, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by dong2008

Not in Sligo there isn't mate. You don't know what you're talking about.
End of discussion.

As much as you might close your eyes tightly and wish, your completely wrong on that one....

I know County Sligo has one of the smallest number of Gaelic Games clubs in a county compared to others but there are alot more people playing Gaelic games in Sligo than that of associated football.

The Champions isn't printing reams of GAA coverage for the heck of it. Market research denotes roughly how much scope is given to to a specific sport.

**red bellied** · 17/01/2009, 10:28 AM

Originally Posted by Only1Rovers

As much as you might close your eyes tightly and wish, your completely wrong on that one....

I know County Sligo has one of the smallest number of Gaelic Games clubs in a county compared to others but there are alot more people playing Gaelic games in Sligo than that of associated football.

The Champions isn't printing reams of GAA coverage for the heck of it. Market research denotes roughly how much scope is given to to a specific sport.

I seriously doubt that, have you got facts and figures to back it up?

**Only1Rovers** · 17/01/2009, 12:15 PM

Originally Posted by red bellied

I seriously doubt that, have you got facts and figures to back it up?

The use of facts and figures on this forum is frowned upon, potentially bringing the whole thing into repute, which it has always avoided.

I'm sure the Champion have done their homework, they are owned by one of the most successful media companies in the world.

**Rovers Maniac** · 17/01/2009, 2:09 PM

Originally Posted by Only1Rovers

The use of facts and figures on this forum is frowned upon, potentially bringing the whole thing into repute, which it has always avoided.

I'm sure the Champion have done their homework, they are owned by one of the most successful media companies in the world.

Pretty sure your well off on that one about more people playing GAA i Sligo, atually more people i think play association football than Gaelic Footy in the whole of Ireland.

Loved the highlighted bit though

**celticV3** · 17/01/2009, 2:17 PM

Originally Posted by Rovers Maniac

Is it me or this becoming a joke? Is it the same editor or did they get a new one recently? There just seems to be pages and pages of non-descript GAA in the sports section. I would have no issues with the GAA, but even in the last few weeks of the season i could not believe how poor the coverage was, one week there was more coverage of surfing than Rovers.

Eastern Harps a local GAA club must of got treble the column inches that we got for getting to the conncht club final, fare play to them not saying they did not deserve it but how can you justify pages (4 i think) of news about one GAA club with about a page of Rovers news (including a match report) and this is when we are going for European qualification. I have no problems with them devoting x amount of coverage to one sport, just give us what we are used to getting for our club. Whats in it this week's, is it old news? Cook has said he has got his budget but the rumor on the other thread is we are still awaiting to get this approved back from the FAI. Maybe the Weekender's coverage has us spoiled but the champon seems to be using a national template imo where the local GAA is devoted so much and then the rest fits in around it.

Edit: Not having a go at the actual content just the lack of coverage.

Is this merely coming from the fact that we are in the off season and truth be told that there is very little to report?

**red bellied** · 17/01/2009, 2:23 PM

Originally Posted by Only1Rovers

The use of facts and figures on this forum is frowned upon, potentially bringing the whole thing into repute, which it has always avoided.

I'm sure the Champion have done their homework, they are owned by one of the most successful media companies in the world.

So you dont know. There is seven or eight association junior clubs in Sligo Town compared to one Gaa club. Merville alone has nearly 200 players from under eights up to the junior side. When the numbers are compared through out the whole county it would be probably spilt pretty even.

**avvenalaf** · 17/01/2009, 2:57 PM

It's to do with a thing called readership and a newspapers copy is based upon the demographic of it's readership.
The proof of the pudding lies in the fact that , to my knowledge, The Sligo Champion has never had to appeal to it's readership for 130k to see it to the end of the year.