Airtiricity League XI v Manchester United confirmed for Aviva Stadium on August 4

[Murfinator]

What are the valid criteria for supporting a club then?

We've already established success, admiring their style of play and geographical location aren't valid reasons to support a club. So what is?

[pineapple stu]

the crowd money, who gets this?? FAI?

The FAI get the crowd money. I'd imagine most of it will go towards Man Utd's fee.

[passinginterest]

Its bitter, backwards ****s like you why the LoI has such a bad name. oh whine whine nobody likes our ****ty league despite losing to welsh part timers and getting steamrolled by a Man United side on their summer holidays its still all THEIR fault and in no ways a failing of our beloved league. Curse them supporting sides that embrace success, develop actual Irish internationals, play an attractive brand of the game and display other positive attributes, REAL fans hang out in wet lifeless stadiums on a friday night watching a 0-0 draws supporting a team purely because they're based geographically near to me. Its boring but we get to complain bitterly about barstoolers afterwards so its OK. Actually no its the GAA's fault for being more popular than us, screw them too. And the FAI, and Fianna Fail and many other who we'll continue to blame to disguise the fact the actual blame lies with the league having no attraction values whatsoever to the public.

</end rant>

That's an easy line to peddle Murfinator, but lets face it the tiny number of League of Ireland fans who attend games week in week out have zero affect on giving the league a bad name, nobody cares enough to listen. If league of Ireland fans can't have a rant on a site dedicated to League of Ireland football then what's the point? Have you ever been criticised by a fan at a league of Ireland game you've attended? Not a hope in hell, new fans are welcomed with open arms, even if they're suspected to be only day trippers, clubs aren't fussy over who's money and support they're willing to take.

I started going fairly regularly to games over the last five years, at first supporting no team in particular, then following Wexford Youths as my primary team, making games when I could and as my move to Tallaght more or less coincided with Shamrock Rovers I've had a season ticket to Tallaght for the last couple of years. I've seen plenty of terrible games in that time, and poor atmospheres, but I've watched Premier League, World cup and Champions league games on the telly that have been the same. There's a great buzz about a live atmosphere and the sometimes small but usually vociferous support that League of Ireland clubs get, it's worth trying out, you'll be made welcome and who knows you might just catch the bug?

What have you got to lose is usually what I ask people? I don't think I've ever brought people to a game for them to say they hated it, they may not always go again but a few have and none have sworn off it for life, at the very least it's a good way to spend a few hours catching up with friends.

[peadar1987]

What are the valid criteria for supporting a club then?

We've already established success, admiring their style of play and geographical location aren't valid reasons to support a club. So what is?

Em... Geographical location actually is, you have just rationalised a way out of supporting an LOI club. You probably don't live more than 45 minutes from a club in the Premier Division or first division, unless you live in West Kerry, or Achill, and even then there are several A Championship clubs to choose from.

So is any valid connection, a relative played for them/came from the town, etc.

Success definitely is not one, and "admiring their style of play" is just a cop out for wanting success, but not wantint to admit to it. How many people rabidly supported West Brom under Mowbray, and ditched Chelsea for them?

[Murfinator]

Em... Geographical location actually is, you have just rationalised a way out of supporting an LOI club. You probably don't live more than 45 minutes from a club in the Premier Division or first division, unless you live in West Kerry, or Achill, and even then there are several A Championship clubs to choose from.

So is any valid connection, a relative played for them/came from the town, etc.

Success definitely is not one, and "admiring their style of play" is just a cop out for wanting success, but not wantint to admit to it. How many people rabidly supported West Brom under Mowbray, and ditched Chelsea for them?

The nearest team to me is in the first division. It's Limerick, a county and city I have no connection whatsoever with and is about an hour away. Are you suggesting I should support them because they're the nearest team to me? And by that logic shouldn't I support England in World Cups we're not at, they are the closest in Geographical proximity to me after all!

I have more of a connection with Munich than I have with Limerick and I've actually visited there more than times than Limerick too. Sure if Tipperary had a team I'd support that but they don't so I'm not going to scour the map for the nearest functioning team to me and support them on the basis of that. I'll support the team from a city I love who have a team I enjoy to watch. Sure not as much as I'd support Munster, Tipperary in hurling or the Irish national team but they are my chosen club side and I don't see a thing wrong with it being that way.

[Supreme feet]

No it can't, Ireland is my country. It represents me. There is no LoI club within even a 2 hour drive of me. Most of them are near or from a city I can't even stand and barely tolerate let alone support. When they're representing Ireland I'll support them, when they're representing Dublin they can **** off I'll support the team that play the game better and are more attractive to watch.

Think you're being a bit precious here. No-one's saying that every single football enthusiast in the country should be frog-marched to their nearest LOI ground and forced to enjoy it. It's just worth noting that in the Danish Superliga - in a country with a population of only 5 million - the top two teams get average attendances of between 14-20,000. The other teams range from 12,000 (AGF) to 2,000 (HB Koge). So, every week, about 98,000 people attend games, which is about 2% of the population. Put in perspective, Croke Park gets more than that on any given Championship weekend. If the LOI could even manage half of those figures, it'd be a step in the right direction.

There are plenty of 'uninitiated' out there who would really enjoy the LOI, the good vibe around a live game, the sense of community, and all that - if they just got into the habit of going. It's just that they don't bother, they've never thought about it, or don't have any LOI-going mates to 'convert' them. These are the people that need a bit of a shove.

Like in an election, the ones who already have their minds made up are not necessarily going to change - it's the ones who are undecided, who don't yet have a negatively biased opinion of the LOI (like you obviously do), that could make a difference.

[Dodge]

Its bitter, backwards ****s

Slightly bitter yourself it seems. Probably due to having every one of your arguments shot down, and having to resort to ridiculous claims that all LOI fans a)hate the EPL (obviously not true) b) hate the GAA (obviously not true) and c) are the reason for the LOI failings (completely 100% not true)

Enjoy your telly

[Murfinator]

having to resort to ridiculous claims that all LOI fans a)hate the EPL (completely 100% not true)

Show me a quote where I claimed this. Whatever I might have to resort to at the very least I'm not making things up like you.

[Lim till i die]

There is no LoI club within even a 2 hour drive of me.

This old chestnut AGAIN

Where the jaysus do you live??

[Dodge]

Fine, what percentage of LOI fans do you think fall into the above 3 categories? Form your vast personal experience, obviously

[Real ale Madrid]

The nearest team to me is in the first division. It's Limerick, a county and city I have no connection whatsoever with and is about an hour away. Are you suggesting I should support them because they're the nearest team to me?

I'm not suggesting you support them - but if you only live an hour away, and you obviously love football, then I'd defintely suggest you take in a game some evening when you are free. Limerick played a very attractive brand of football the last time I saw them play.

[Murfinator]

Fine, what percentage of LOI fans do you think fall into the above 3 categories? Form your vast personal experience, obviously

I've heard enough from you, if you're inventing things that weren't said why I would care to continue discussing things with you? You've clearly no interest in any sort of proper debate, just another forum troll trying to get his way and "win".

[Murfinator]

I'm not suggesting you support them - but if you only live an hour away, and you obviously love football, then I'd defintely suggest you take in a game some evening when you are free. Limerick played a very attractive brand of football the last time I saw them play.

Fair enough, I might. Though I don't think I should be compelled to support them purely because of geography.

[dcfcsteve]

Peers and Ndo emerged uninjured

Save for a severely bruised ego/pride/reputation for one of them.......

[Dodge]

I've heard enough from you, if you're inventing things that weren't said why I would care to continue discussing things with you? You've clearly no interest in any sort of proper debate, just another forum troll trying to get his way and "win".

I'm absolutely interested in debating the issue, I'm not the one avoiding answering simple questions.

[passinginterest]

I've heard enough from you, if you're inventing things that weren't said why I would care to continue discussing things with you? You've clearly no interest in any sort of proper debate, just another forum troll trying to get his way and "win".

Why not respond then to the multiple rational replies and questions that have been posted and just ignore him?

[punkrocket]

[QUOTE][****s/QUOTE]

4 stars? High praise indeed, gosh thanks.

[gustavo]

Save for a severely bruised ego/pride/reputation for one of them.......

If it keeps other clubs from being interested in him I'm happy enough

[redobit]

If it keeps other clubs from being interested in him I'm happy enough

Funny enough thats exactly what i was thinking.

[osarusan]

Murfinator, what exactly is the point you want to make on here? (serious question btw).

You say that you shouldn't be compelled to support a team based on their proximity to you. I don't think anybody is compelling you to do that, though I'd love you to come to Limerick for the Athlone game tomorrow night. The football won't be as good as you're used to, nor will the crowd be as big, but I'd hope you'd enjoy it all the same. You might even come back.

Apart from that, what points are you trying to make?

EDIT -

The league should be capable of being attractive to the public on its own merit. The fact that the public don't have an interest in the LoI I would view as more a failing of the league than a failing of the public attitude.

I'd agree with you on this. It's easy for LOI fans to complain that Irish football fans won't come out and support their local side, but the fact is that as it stands they don't come out to support their local side.
And LOI clubs are the losers in that - we can argue that the fans are missing the buzz of live football, which i'd say is true - but we need them and their money more than they need us. I'd agree that the failure of the league to attract more fans is at least partly down to the league and clubs itself.

But, what do we need to do in orfer to attract support? we can never, ever offer football or facilities of the standard of the EPL, so somebody who demands that level of improvement is never going to get it.

We end up with a catch-22 situation where we need money to improve, but can't improve without money. We know better facilites will bring some new fans, but have no money to build them. We knoe more PR would help, but have no money to do it.