GAA gets higher ratings than Ireland Qualifier

[Jicked]

Obviously Limerick is a rugby city. I think if the game was in Cork it would attract a lot more people.

Indeed, what a pity it is that the GAA laughably/embarassingly refuse to let Ireland play at Pairc ui Chaoimh because football is an "English" sport.

[Murfinator]

To close on a a more practical point - maybe the international players could do a bit more PR work in Ireland?

Good point, I'd love to see the team showing more face around the country.

[tetsujin1979]

http://www.magnersleague.com/statzon...dance.php#3543

They had an average attendance of almost 18,000 in the magners league. That figure is excluding showpiece games like the all blacks or Heineken Cup games which would be sell outs.

So a typical weekly game with the Munster reserves versus another Celtic team rakes in nearly double than the national Irish soccer team is getting. Can you see the extent of my point now?

the majority of those are season ticket holders, the same people who can't justify the extra expense of the two friendly international games in thomond.
and the Australia game still attracted more than the Ireland - Canada game at Thomond park

[pineapple stu]

I'd say some of them travel more than an hour to games too.

[micls]

That kind of thing would never happen in rugby because everyone loves playing for their country and appreciates the honour in the regard that it should be held in. The very notion of a player retiring from the international side to "concentrate on their club career" would be unheard of in rugby.

In fairness, it would never happen because they're paid by the IRFU. The situations are in no way comparable

Hurling at Rugby at the high end are far and away the most entertaining to watch since they're so technically difficult to play.

Completely disagree. I find a top quality football match far more entertaining than a top quality rugby game for example.

I think Gaelic football is in general awful, and though Il watch the game next weekend, I couldnt say I'll enjoy watching the sport itself

[DeLorean]

Reeling in the Years is one of the best programmes on any channel

Yeah I love it, great show and so simple. Music's usually good on it as well.

The game is awful pal, and the quote you took such offence too, that it's played by amateurs who often don't look like top sportsmen, and who regularly engage in disgusting assaults on each other which is greeted with cheers and yahoos from the crowd is true I'm afraid.

That's quite simply not true at all. The players are incredibly fit these days and there is nothing like the hard hitting you suggest. Then again how would you have any clue what it's like in it's current state when the extent of your research has been a Lucozade Sport ad.

[Jicked]

That's quite simply not true at all. The players are incredibly fit these days and there is nothing like the hard hitting you suggest. Then again how would you have any clue what it's like in it's current state when the extent of your research has been a Lucozade Sport ad.

I see games in passing, not nearly enough to know the state of teams or the best players, but enough to see the physical condition of players. They are amateurs. Very fit amateurs no doubt, but not comparable in fitness levels or physical build to top sportsman in other disciplines. The GAA side look like boys compared to the professional Aussie Rules lads in the international series. And every so often I seem to spot a keeper who simply doesn't look like any cut of a sportsman.

As for the heavy hitting, you're going to tell me we don't often hear stories about players being involved in fights on the GAA pitch?!

[Sheridan]

As an adjunct to this discussion, I recently discovered that matches in the "Gaelic" "Games" last only 70 minutes.

Even rugger buggers can keep it up for longer than that.

[DeLorean]

Completely disagree. I find a top quality football match far more entertaining than a top quality rugby game for example

Well I guess that just depends on what sport you'd prefer...obviously

I think Gaelic football is in general awful

I would say that LOI games are generally awful, suppose it just depends what you're into.

[EastTerracer]

Hurling at Rugby at the high end are far and away the most entertaining to watch since they're so technically difficult to play.
Football is the best local game to follow since it's the only game really played competitively throughout most of the country.
Soccer is the most fun to play because of its simplicity and follow and discuss since it's a global game and there's a lot more happening all the time.

It's actually always confused me how you could be a die hard fan of one and not enjoy a high quality match in the other whatsoever.

Again, this is very much a matter of opinion. Personally I think football played skillfully is technically much more difficult and much more entertaining than rugby can ever be. The rules are more technical in rugby but for me the actual skills required are not. I went to school with a number of Irish rugby internationals and it seemed to me that stength and pace were the key requirements rather than any specific technical skills.

[CarrickFan]

In fairness, I think the vast majority of fans have that attitude. But I think the point Murf was making was that for people who aren't really fans (or for people who might possibly become fans), for a lot of those people, it does make a difference that our players play in England and aren't visibly associated with Ireland except when they put the jersey on.

So the fact that our players play mostly in England makes no difference to a fan; but it does make a difference for people who only take a passing interest in the team.
I don't think it's much of a point myself as it has little substantive relevance: even if the players played in Ireland I don't think it would increase interest on a national level all that much.
It would make a bit of difference though: for example, in Kerry a lot of the Gaelic players are very visible around the county (eg working at the bank counter, teachers), and that certainly helps to create a bond between the team and people who wouldn't otherwise take a huge interest in the team. There's a great sense that "they're our lads" kind of thing. Of course for those of us who love the team anyway, they could work in Timbuktu for all we care; but I evidentially know for sure, and it stands to reason, that the peripheral support is greater because of the visibility and local link of the players.

It's a bit of a moot point in this context as we're a long way off having significant international representation sourced from the domestic league. But if there was, I'd bet viewing figures would be even higher. To close on a a more practical point - maybe the international players could do a bit more PR work in Ireland?

Again a lot of good points that i will take on board...cheers...again tho with the comparisons it's not like for like!!...Robbie Keane and Damien Duff etc dont need to be teachers or bankers because they are (too!!) well payed to play sport..if the top GAA players were being payed to play and didnt need to work would they all be so accessable??...anyway a moot point as you say...

if the peripheral soccer supporters want to be closer to soccer in this country we do have a great league in this country that is largely ignored by the soccer public in Ireland at whos games they would all be more than welcome!!!
My own club Rovers are hugely involved in the local junior and underage scene and the manager and players i've always found to be very approachable and accessable.

[micls]

Well I guess that just depends on what sport you'd prefer...obviously

Of course

I would say that LOI games are generally awful, supoose it just depends what you're into.

We're talking in terms of a sport, rather than clubs/leagues within it. I'm not saying the games are bad, I'm saying the sport itself is

As a sport, even at the very top level, I find Gaelic football an awful sport to watch. I spent my childhood travelling the country watching all Cork senior/u21 games etc in both hurling and football and have also played both sports so I have plenty of experience in watching it both live and on tv.

I still find it an awful sport to watch though, one that has degraded in the last 10 years.

Of course taste decides it though.

There aren't many sports I dislike, or wouldn't happily watch if on telly, butGaelic football is one fo the main ones.

[DeLorean]

As for the heavy hitting, you're going to tell me we don't often hear stories about players being involved in fights on the GAA pitch?!

Usually at local level more than on the National stage though to be honest. There's plenty of that in the local soccer games as well I find. There is the occasional fat intercounty goalkeeper as well, no doubt, but in general they're as fit as they can be. You get exceptions in soccer too eg. Andy Reid, Huddlestone at one stage. Of course the GAA amatures not as fit as full time pros, that stands to reason.

The GAA side look like boys compared to the professional Aussie Rules lads in the international series

I don't really think this is like for like though. The Aussies focus far more on having big strong athletes compared to the Gaelic players. The Gaelic players would look quite normal against a soccer team and small against a rugby team, means nothing.

We're talking in terms of a sport, rather than clubs/leagues within it. I'm not saying the games are bad, I'm saying the sport itself is

Fair enough. I don't agree that it's a bad sport when played well though but to each their own.

[Murfinator]

I'd say some of them travel more than an hour to games too.

Are you seriously suggesting that I should be supporting a team who lives over an hour away, in a different county and from a city I barely know or like with people I don't know as my local team?

[pineapple stu]

Most of the country does it. A fair few provincial rugby fans do it. Many county GAA fans do it.

[Drumcondra 69er]

You're entitled to your opinion but I'd always rather actual Irish people who live in the community and are part of the culture representing our country. Seeing cases like Stephen Ireland who'd rather play for Manchester than his country or English born "Irish" like Andy O Brien or Dean Kiely who realistically were only ever playing for us because they weren't good enough for England. Those guys aren't players I want to support or would in any way make me proud in the team.

That kind of thing would never happen in rugby because everyone loves playing for their country and appreciates the honour in the regard that it should be held in. The very notion of a player retiring from the international side to "concentrate on their club career" would be unheard of in rugby.

And your assault accusations are bizarre. I'd certainly say Henry Shefflin and Colm Cooper are far less violent than someone like Roy Keane or Stephen Hunt.
In fact if we were as physical and filthy as you're describing we wouldn't be getting bashed physically every time we faced the Australians in Aussie Rules!

The paragraph in bold totally undermines your entire post and makes you look like a bit of an idiot who doesn't know what he's on about. There's been many players that have played rugby for Ireland and other countries over the years who have far more spurious connections then the likes of Dean Kiely. Ever hear of this lad for example who declared for Ireland having already been capped by Australia? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Smith_(rugby). He's not an isolated case.

AS for Colm Cooper, he's the biggest diver and chancer I've seen all season yet the GAA media constantly harp on about how soccer players dive and you''d never see that in the GAA, Cooper goes down if you look sideways at him and stays down till he gets attention, pure and constant gamesmanship.

Given such lack of knowledge you're in no position to be pontificating so I'd have to assume you're on a wind up. You're not Paul Collins by any chance?

[Murfinator]

Sure if you have some sort of connection with the venue in question. I have no connection with the city whatsoever. I wouldn't even know anyone who'd want to go there to see it.

What you're suggesting I do is travel for an hour every week on my own so I can sit in a stand watching a team from a city I don't even like and magically summon some sort of interest in whether they do well or not? Then drive home afterwards and if I'm lucky be back before 11pm. Is that right?

[elroy]

Indeed, what a pity it is that the GAA laughably/embarassingly refuse to let Ireland play at Pairc ui Chaoimh because football is an "English" sport.

Dont even go there. A whole new debate. In fairness to the GAA, they have their rules, like it or not. They opened croker for which i am grateful although they were well remunerated. I wouldnt expect them to open the rest of their stadia if they didnt want to. It is a pity that the likes of Cork City and Galway city cant host an international all the same.

the majority of those are season ticket holders, the same people who can't justify the extra expense of the two friendly international games in thomond.
and the Australia game still attracted more than the Ireland - Canada game at Thomond park

I am surprised the games in Thomond havent sold out, however the FAI made a major error here with the pricing, it shouldve been vastly more competitive than it was, particularly as the opposition was first rate and secondly its mid week games.
For a rugby mad or at least self professed, city that cant sell out a rugby friendly against Canada, the chances of selling the football ones was always gonna be tough at those prices.



Finally on the munster debate, I think they have done exceptionally well to gather together such a fan base in such a short period of time, call it bandwagoners if you like. But even for magners game they do pull together decent crowds. Its a model through which I think is one of the few ways club football in Ireland is ever going to attract sizeable numbers of a regular basis.

As i have said before, no code in ireland regularly attracts large numbers to events, gaa gets good numbers from mid to late championship, relatively poor numbers in the early championship and league. Rugby, huge crowds for latter stage Heino cup games, not so good for group games and magner games (in general).
Soccer, great crowds for competitive fixtures, reasonable crowds for friendlies and fai cup final. Not so great regular crowds at league games.
Each code has a set of fans that will go to every game and regularly follow, then there is the rest that will go to the more attractive events. You may not like it, but its true.

[tetsujin1979]

Are you seriously suggesting that I should be supporting a team who lives over an hour away, in a different county and from a city I barely know or like with people I don't know as my local team?

think he's suggesting that there's going to be precious few from outside Limerick at the game, whereas there's always loads from outside Dublin at games in Lansdowne or Croke Park

[paul_oshea]

Most of the country does it. A fair few provincial rugby fans do it. Many county GAA fans do it.

Eh how? I have nothing to do with galway, would i support galway united? NO.

I live in connaught would i support connaught rugby, yes.

I live in County Sligo, I support Sligo, yes.

I live in County Sligo, would i support Roscommon, No.

A team in a town miles and miles away is not the same as provicinal rugby in which one lives or inter-county gaa, in which they live.