Atmosphere in Croke Park

**Ari Gold** · 14/10/2009, 9:06 AM

Croke Park has regularly received stick on this site for lacking any atmosphere. While I agree fans are further back from the pitch for football I think this in reality does not take much away from anything. For example if Henry Shefflin, Brian O'Driscoll or Robbie Keane zip down the wing to score an excellent point/try/goal - what difference does it make to a hardcore fan's excitement if there are 2 yards away or 20 yards away.

A hopping atmosphere depends on the fans themselves, what happens on the pitch and the importance of the game and not simply the bricks and mortor of a stadium.

Saturday night pretty much ticked all 3 boxes above for the first time football has moved to Croker. Ireland v England 2007 6 nations also. If people think that the atmosphere for the Serbia, Georgia, Cyprus games would have being much better in the Aviva - they are fooling themselves. Poland and Brazil it was the away fans making the noise.

I was in the SS of the Lower Davin on Saturday night and after the anthem and after the 2 Irish goals the noise was incredible. Louder than I have ever experienced in any GAA game in fairness.

**Battery Rover** · 14/10/2009, 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by Ari Gold

I was in the SS of the Lower Davin on Saturday night and after the anthem and after the 2 Irish goals the noise was incredible. Louder than I have ever experienced in any GAA game in fairness.

I usually watch the game from the Lower Davin but for this game was in the Lower Cusack and the noise was as loud as I have ever heard it in Croker. After our second goal with everyone hopping in the stand you could actually feel it moving

**Kingdom** · 14/10/2009, 10:07 AM

The Poland match was the turning point for me. They embarrassed us more in the stands than they did on the pitch. Something needed to be done, and thankfully the SS has come to life. It will take a while to set in, but if the FAI afford it the respect that it deserves and accomodates it again in the South Stand of Lansdowne, then I've no doubt it will go on to be a roaring success.

**paul_oshea** · 14/10/2009, 10:12 AM

nice cheesy entendre there kingdom to finish with.

Was speaking to a fella over here last night at a committee meeting(who coincidentally was just across the steps from me at the game), he said to me there was this old steward there, and when they were leaving, he said to them "Ive been here 35 years, hurling finals, football finals, soccer, rugby, I've never seen anything like the noise when they scored that 2nd goal".

Yes he did say seen and noise., im assuming he meant he never saw anything like the reaction and never heard noise like it before.

**gspain** · 14/10/2009, 10:37 AM

The loss of the Dalymount roar was still being lamented when I started going to Internationals (1975).

I thought the atmosphere on saturday night was very good and certainly better than any other football match at Croke Park. Hopefully we will have an even better atmosphere for the playoff. Still not a patch on the really big ones at Lansdowne - France, Spain and Holland but maybe I'm the likew the oldtimers who used to lament the Dalymount roar..

**paul_oshea** · 14/10/2009, 10:41 AM

You dont get the same rain now as ye used to back in the dailymount times either gspain.

**gspain** · 14/10/2009, 2:20 PM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

You dont get the same rain now as ye used to back in the dailymount times either gspain.

Never rained in those days.

USSR 74 came just too early for me - would have loved to have been at that. Still remember the radio commentary.

**blobbyblob** · 14/10/2009, 2:31 PM

The stadium itself is amazing - I dont think its down to the distance from the pitch. It comes down to the people.

I reckon that 20-30,000 people in Croke Park could at best call themselves match of the day supporters. Thats no offence to them. Just saying that they wouldnt have been regular soccer followers and would rarely if ever have attended games in Lansdowne.

You only have to listen to conversations around you in Croke Park to know it. Its no longer a shock that half of them dont know our own players, let alone the opposition.

50,000 regulars in Lansdowne will do nicely thanks.

**Jinxy** · 14/10/2009, 3:11 PM

Originally Posted by SuperDave

and croker took a decade...

Where did they play all those All-Ireland finals for the 10 years it took to build it?

**skimcg** · 14/10/2009, 5:49 PM

I'm a staunch follower of both disciplines but in fairness socce will always have better atmosphere cos gaa fans don't sing or stand up and secondly Croker will never have a good atmosphere because it's not a closed in ground, very important. Look at any other ground eg I was in stadio D'Olimpico I was there recently it was only half full and the atmosphere was electric, any premiership grounds the same. As one poster alreAdy said international fans lack unity especially at home but when we are on the road we are great, France 9th October 2004 was the last time we really got atmosphere going!!

**Beavis** · 15/10/2009, 12:26 PM

As most people have said it's all about the crowd, I don't buy into any of the excuses. The noise levels at times on Saturday showed that Croker as a stadium, is capable of being very loud as long as the punters are willing.

It was to be expected that Wednesday would be fairly falt with nothing at stake. I was most dissapointed that very few of the crowd stayed in the end to clap off the team after giving us a good campaign where they gave it everything.

**SuperDave** · 15/10/2009, 1:05 PM

Originally Posted by Beavis

As most people have said it's all about the crowd, I don't buy into any of the excuses. The noise levels at times on Saturday showed that Croker as a stadium, is capable of being very loud as long as the punters are willing.

It was to be expected that Wednesday would be fairly falt with nothing at stake. I was most dissapointed that very few of the crowd stayed in the end to clap off the team after giving us a good campaign where they gave it everything.

The campaign is far from over.....

Incidentally, how much worse would a bad draw (Russia, France, Portugal) have felt if the draw hadn't been seeded? I'm not saying its a blessing in disguise but at least we have had longer to deal with it and a backs-against-the-wall attitude may yet see us through.

**stiffler** · 18/10/2009, 5:20 PM

Croker should be a sea of green for the play off game..... what is the chances of a green scarf or even sheet placed on every seat before the game?

The italy atmosphere could well be overshadowed by this game!

**Yard of Pace** · 18/10/2009, 8:48 PM

Originally Posted by stiffler

The italy atmosphere could well be overshadowed by this game!

I think so. People are incredibley hyped up about the draw. Most likely we'll get a perceived superpower and the feeling will intensify. Unless the 2nd leg is Croker after an absolute drubbing (unlikely) the atmosphere should be superb.