What parts of the city do Dublin clubs draw their fans from?

[dcfcsteve]

Institute don't have a big following do they ?

No - in my experience 2-300 at average games.

Do their supporters go much for Union Jacks etc at games ?

No. But they're a club with a strong Presbyterian background playing in a protestant part of the city. It's not al about flags and kerbstones in the north.

Would you say most local Protestants are hostile or indifferent towards DCFC or like to see it do well ?

Mixed bag. Most indifferent, quite a few hostile, some curiously interested, and a tiny number active supporters. Which ironically is probably the same rough split as amongst the Nationalist community. I suspect that the latter two groups will grow with time amongst the protestant community anyway.

Maybe its because they ban flags but I always thought DCFC didn't have as strong a Catholic identity as Cliftonville or Donegal Celtic. Do you think that's correct ?

It's nigh-on impossible for a football club in NI with any decent size of fanbase to not be associated with one or other community - if only in the eyes of others. City play in a nationalist part of a nationalist city, so inevitably will be viewed as a nationalist club. Playing in the Republic's league rather than the north's adds to that.

The club - and more so the fans - do consciously try to make DCFC less overtly associated with any particular identity than other clubs in the north, and I think we've been as successFul as we can be on that score. Long may it continue.

[GUFCghost]

Nothing as Salthill/Mervue have almost no support,most of there supports are people who are under age coaches and relatives of players. United represent Galway City and County.

[Acornvilla]

i live in moyne just at the longford/letrim/cavan boarder and every game there would be about 100 odd coming form those areas to the games i know a few letrim and cavan people who support us

but when summer football hit none of the farmer culchie lot could make games anymore so i know about 2 people from that 100 odd that still go

mainly its seems to be people from all over now but in very small numbers, theres no particular place in the county that the fans are located, i don't think the fact its called longford 'town' makes people from outside that particular town feel any less affiliated to the club, but sadly in longford were crap at everything (except bar fights, begrudgerie and failure) but people still sooner watch us fail at gaa than with de town

apologies that became a bit or a rambling nothingness

[Charlie Darwin]

but sadly in longford were crap at everything (except bar fights, begrudgerie and failure)

You say that like it's a bad thing.

[El-Pietro]

With Galway and Foras, is it mainly the city based supporter that turns out or is there a large support or interest from around the county?

Cork City did a survey a few years back, two of the larger areas outside the city were Mallow and Ballincollig. We have fans from all over Cork though, Northside and Southside of the City, North Cork, West Cork, South Cork, I don't know too many from towards Midleton/Cobh/Youghal but there are definitely a few from down there

[punkrocket]

Unionist residents of Londonderry support Institute whilst nationalists from outside the city tend to follow Gaelic and have little interest in football. Unionist soccer supporters from outside the city have a choice between Institute, Limavady United and Coleraine, or cricket

Judging by the amount of Linfield fans on the train on match days from Derry I'd say that a good portion of local left footers (or is that right footers, I never know, let's just play safe and call them headers) head up to Windsor for their kicks. Kind of glory hunting I suppose, bloody train seaters.

[Rasputin]

Can I ask the same for "town clubs" like Longford, Monaghan and Finn Harps?

Well for us it has been by far and away predominantly support from the Town but we do get a sizeable amount of support from outside the Town like the long established South Sligo supporters group which is based around Tubbercurry.

[Lamper.sffc]

You are either easily confused or being disingenuous. Either way, I think the petty sniping that is targeted at Sporting Fingal on here has rubbed off on their own fans.

I think you are getting a little touchy. Chill the beans my friend . I guess you are a little sick of all the Foras crap which i can understand but I dont think Lep was trying to have a pop on this occasion.

[Gather round]

Interesting thread.

One main difference between North and South seems to be that a lot of fans in NI country towns support Belfast teams, particularly Linfield. You'd expect that in Newtownabbey, Carrick or Bangor which have developed into dormitory/ overspill areas, but it's also true beyond the Bann. I think it just reflects Linfield's relative size and domination.

I'm from Duncairn Gardens (street/ area between Cliftonville and Crusaders, and a long-term interface). I went to Cliftonville primary school in the early 70s. At which time the Reds still had a largely mddle-class unionist support.

[Acornvilla]

why is everyone in N.I part of a somethingorother group? cant anyone just be irish

[dcfcsteve]

why is everyone in N.I part of a somethingorother group? cant anyone just be irish

The same way everyone everywhere is part of one or more groups : religious groups, ethnic groups, social groups etc etc.

Everyone in the North is Irish. Some are also British too.

P.S. Why is everyone in the Republic a Dub or a culchie ? Can't they all just be Irish...?

[saintmaniac]

peadar1987 - I'd love to have gone to the same school as you, it'd have made a pleasant change to know a fellow LOI fan that you could have had a proper conversation with - but no, I'm pretty sure we didn't, as we seem to be about the same age! Also, while I went to school in South Dublin, it was still part of the City Council area - would be unusual to find Bray or UCD fans in the area. UCD maybe, Bray very doubtful.

I'm currently in quite a posh southside, rugby playing school. I am the but of many jokes regarding football which actually really gets to me. I have to put up with so much crap (particularily from two lads in my biology class! - Arsenal V Chelsea or should I say "us versus you"....."we should have hammered you", "yous have no one up front" etc.). There's a worrying trend I've noticed particularily among people my age to take a disliking to all things Irish. I'm not expecting fierce Republicanism but there's so much I try to defend from everything to our national soccer team and league to our language. I remember once being asked "Why are you going to the Ireland match? - they're ****." They all seem to miss the point that football should NEVER be about supporting the biggest and best team. What puzzles me the most is how they derive satisfaction from the victories of a team hundreds of miles away that they CHOSE to support based on their likely successes......

I remember when I was your age feeling the same way, annoyed that so many people seemed to be so set in their ways and not only negative about Pats and the LOI, but openly disparaging of you for making your choice of following them. But now, post-college, I can honestly say that they and their opinions do not matter in any way. Maybe they would matter if they based their thoughts/arguments on valid evidence about the League or matches they had seen. But really, unless you have some insightful tactical genius in your class, their 'opinions' are nothing more than the projections of insecure teenagers chasing successful ideas of themselves through whatever means possible. This observation was brought to you through the means of hindsight, believe me, I know what I'm talking about here.

And even if they come out with the whole 'League of Ireland isn't as good as the Premiership' argument, so what? You've past the age now where you argue over what brand of trainers are 'better', or regard it as important. What difference does it make? Ultimately we are all LOI fans because we feel our affinity to our club, they chase success in a blind attempt at feeling, as you implied yourself.

And as for success - you could have seen Pats play Hertha in the Olympic Stadium or winning legs at home to a packed crowd against Elfsborg or Krylya Sovetov in the last few years. Before I started secondary school, I'd seen Pats win three league titles, come close to matching Slovan Bratislava at home in a 3-4 thriller, and carve out a 0-0 draw with Celtic in Glasgow. Granted, that'd be enough to hook anyone. But my point is, you were introduced to the club as part of your formative experiences, you developed a bond, and then, regardless of what happens next (near-extinction, near-relegation, a seeming allergy to the FAI Cup), you stick with them thick and thin. Because just occasionally, something wonderful happens to make it all worthwhile. That is why we do this. It could be a great European run or it could just be a humiliation of your local rivals after years of built-up resentment. But it's a feeling that you don't get from drink or drugs or designer labels, and a match ticket is a hell of a lot cheaper. So don't let the naysayers bother you. Try to pity them if you can. They're going to have to spend a lot of cash, and make a lot of mistakes, to get close to recreating that feeling. And they may never get there.

[This probably isn't very on topic but deluded South County Dublin teenagers do my head in, so I feel your pain.]

[Tony Soprano]

Steve is right in saying that the club and the majority of the fans try to keep away from the notion that it is a
Catholic/Nationalist team, and personally speaking I feel the ground's location is a problem in this respect. It is difficult in the North to distance a football Club from sectarian identities and our support is undeniably drawn mainly from the nationalist community. I would argue that at the ground evidence of this is hard to find. I'm not sure there are rules written down but the wearing of colours other than that of Derry City is unusual (possibly frowned upon) and the banners and flags are generally those of the club rather than of nationality. I am proud of the fact that if they were inclined to come, the Brandywell would not be an unwelcoming place for members of the Unionist community and the absence of shirts/falgs/emblems associated with republican/nationalist identity is one of the things that makes us different from all the other teams in N.Ireland and possibly even the whole island.
I look forward to being corrected on this point.

Don't the club actually ban tricolours (and Union jacks aswell presumably) at the Brandywell ?

what was it like when Linfield went there - were there flags on either side ?

[Poor Student]

I've noticed lately that UCD seem to be drawing in some youngsters from the local area (Blackrock, Stillorgan, Mt. Merrion, Clonskeagh). Speaking to people attending St. Killians in Clonskeagh and Oatlands in Stillorgan, there's actually a fair few who attend games sporadically and there's a strong enough recognition of the club in the very immediate local area. Some of the fans of an older background (20s-30s) tend to come from a slightly wider radius but attended UCD.

[Macy]

i live in moyne just at the longford/letrim/cavan boarder and every game there would be about 100 odd coming form those areas to the games i know a few letrim and cavan people who support us

That wouldn't leave too many from the rest of the county and Town these days! Further in the same road, even in the "glory" days, there wouldn't be many heading in imo.

Living in rural North Wicklow, I can't remember seeing anybody or anything with Bray Wanderers stuff.

btw fairplay on the stall at the airshow, but ye should've been giving something away/ had the seagull there!

[seand]

So, to summarise this thread, TEAM NAME draw support all over TOWN/CITY NAME and from all over COUNTY NAME and has lots of fans from further afield including INSERT NAMES OF TOWNS/COUNTIES/PLANETS HERE

[Mr A]

So, to summarise this thread, TEAM NAME draw support all over TOWN/CITY NAME and from all over COUNTY NAME and has lots of fans from further afield including INSERT NAMES OF TOWNS/COUNTIES/PLANETS HERE

Except of course TEAM NAME, who have never had and never will have a decent support and should be EXPELLED FROM THE LEAGUE and POSSIBLY CRUCIFIED.

[bennocelt]

i live in moyne just at the longford/letrim/cavan boarder and every game there would be about 100 odd coming form those areas to the games i know a few letrim and cavan people who support us

Dont forget the few from Mullingar that make the odd trip!!!