General promotion/media discussion (split from the attendances thread)

**Charlie Darwin** · 31/08/2010, 2:07 PM

Have you ever worked in the media, Dodge?

**Dodge** · 31/08/2010, 2:16 PM

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

Have you ever worked in the media, Dodge?

Yes

(extra letters for no reason but length)

**Straightstory** · 31/08/2010, 2:35 PM

Originally Posted by Lim till i die

There was over 82000 people at Cork v Dublin in Croker last week.

EIGHTY TWO THOUSAND

Hundreds of thousand more. Jesus, just because it's not played in Sligo

Rough estimate, I would say about 110,000 people attended the Munster Hurling Championship this year.

That was five games.

That's more people than will attend The Showgrounds for every home game combined for the next two years.

And that is with hurling being arguably at the lowest ebb it has been in decades.

Hurling's an odd case. Big in a few counties, but practically non existent in large parts of the country.

**Lim till i die** · 31/08/2010, 2:39 PM

Originally Posted by Straightstory

Hurling's an odd case. Big in a few counties, but practically non existent in large parts of the country.

The same could be said of LoI football tbf, except that hurling is way, way, way, way, bigger obviously.

**Lim till i die** · 31/08/2010, 2:44 PM

Originally Posted by Dodge

Yes

(extra letters for no reason but length)

**Charlie Darwin** · 31/08/2010, 2:44 PM

Originally Posted by Dodge

Yes

(extra letters for no reason but length)

Just curious about where your information is coming from.

**SkStu** · 31/08/2010, 2:55 PM

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

Have you ever worked in the media, Dodge?

Originally Posted by Dodge

Yes

(extra letters for no reason but length)

Dodge a few years ago...

**culloty82** · 31/08/2010, 8:19 PM

And we're back in the room. Another idea could be for every club to have a Press Day a week before the season begins, giving updates on signings, targets for the season etc, while parents could bring kids to meet the squad, get free posters and autographs. I'd imagine the bigger clubs already do this, but no harm to extend it to the whole League.

**Dodge** · 31/08/2010, 8:33 PM

Originally Posted by Lim till i die

I've never been more offended in my life...

I think I'll start a boycott

**Guinney** · 01/09/2010, 11:58 AM

More media coverage is vital to the development of the league in my opinion. More excitement would be created and people might feel that they are missing out on something if they are constantly being bombarded with LOI coverage. As 95% of Irish people are event junkies and only start supporting their beloved teams when there is something exciting happening I think this extra coverage (ie. TV, radio, RTE news, newspaper, etc.) on the league and cup games would significantly bolster attendances. We actually need to take a look at the GAA as their promotion of their games is brilliant. But the argument can be made the media only published what the readers want.

The league needs to revamped. This would mean increasing the number of teams (16??) so teams wouldn't be playing each other a minimum of four times a year. Also it would be a very complicated process and the IFA would never agree to it but joining the Northern and Southern leagues would be a positive move.

However, at the end of the day it comes down to one thing and that’s money. Money which the league doesn’t have. Ultimately more money would mean the facilities and standard of football would improve. But where would this come from and why would any potential investor go near our league?? For more the FAI should be pumping more money into the league. For me the FAI is to concerned with the national team and the Aviva stadium and the LOI is like the quiet man in the corner who they hardly even recognise is there.

**Mario** · 01/09/2010, 12:58 PM

Guinney

>We actually need to take a look at the GAA as their promotion of their games is brilliant. But the argument can be made the media only published what the readers want.

I have no respect for so-called GAA "fans" who jump on the band wagon for a few games each summer and I can't see why people people are obsessed with trying to emulate that.

Trying to get people to turn out to league games every second week is not in any way similar to the GAA bandwagon culture.

Better to look at how English teams in 2nd or 3rd tier operate e.g. Norwich or Preston and manage to get large gates out every second week or what Leinster are up to re season tickets.

>The league needs to revamped. This would mean increasing the number of teams (16??) so teams wouldn't be playing each other a minimum of four times a year.

Agreed, ten team league was driven by the greed of Ollie & Pats & Bohs who needed more derbies to help cover their wage bill. I'd prefer to see a 16 team league myself.

>Also it would be a very complicated process and the IFA would never agree to it but joining the Northern and Southern leagues would be a positive move.

Setanta Cup has proved the folly of North-South league ideas ...

>However, at the end of the day it comes down to one thing and that�s money. Money which the league doesn�t have. Ultimately more money would mean the facilities and standard of football would improve. But where would this come from and why would any potential investor go near our league?? For more the FAI should be pumping more money into the league. For me the FAI is to concerned with the national team and the Aviva stadium and the LOI is like the quiet man in the corner who they hardly even recognise is there.

Easy to have a go at them but the FAI are putting more money than ever into our league and are finally thank God via Padraic Smith are forcing clubs to try and run themselves properly for once and for all.

**Roo69** · 01/09/2010, 1:10 PM

Originally Posted by Mario

Easy to have a go at them but the FAI are putting more money than ever into our league and are finally thank God via Padraic Smith are forcing clubs to try and run themselves properly for once and for all.

They have not forced Bohs, Cork, Galway, Dundalk, Drogheda, Derry etc etc etc to rum themselves properly. The system in place at present does nothing.

**Dodge** · 01/09/2010, 1:21 PM

Originally Posted by Mario

Agreed, ten team league was driven by the greed of Ollie & Pats & Bohs who needed more derbies to help cover their wage bill

At the time, Pats had a very low wage bill, and the move was proposed by Shels and seconded by Rovers so you can jump down off that high horse of yours on this issue

**shep** · 01/09/2010, 2:37 PM

Originally Posted by Roo69

They have not forced Bohs, Cork, Galway, Dundalk, Drogheda, Derry etc etc etc to rum themselves properly. The system in place at present does nothing.

Can i ask why have you selected Dundalk along with Bohs,Cork,Galway,Drogs and Derry. There is no chance we have been as wreckless as some of the clubs mentioned

**Roo69** · 01/09/2010, 2:46 PM

Originally Posted by shep

Can i ask why have you selected Dundalk along with Bohs,Cork,Galway,Drogs and Derry. There is no chance we have been as wreckless as some of the clubs mentioned

I'm trying to prove a point, as in virtually every club has been in a spot of bother one way or the other since the licencing was brought it, including Bray. I didn't mean to single out any clubs in particular, just listing some clubs rather than all of them as an example.

**Mario** · 01/09/2010, 3:14 PM

Originally Posted by Dodge

At the time, Pats had a very low wage bill, and the move was proposed by Shels and seconded by Rovers so you can jump down off that high horse of yours on this issue

Seconded? What you on about?

Obviously the proposal was voted in by a majority vote at the league AGM for it to pass, so Ill assume Rovers along with many others clubs voted yes at the time.

But it was the clubs who had Euro ambitions and wanted to go full-time etc who pushed the agenda. Rovers at the time were not one of those, and as I remember it was Cork, Derry, Shels, Pats and Bohs who were!

Mario

**Dodge** · 01/09/2010, 3:50 PM

Well your memeory is doing you a disservice then. All motions (at the time, no idea about how it works now) were proposed by one club and seconded by another. IN this case, the motion was seconded by Rovers

Pats, at the time, were a few months away from a new owner (and any European dreams)

As you say though, all clubs (bar 2) voted for it

**Lim till i die** · 01/09/2010, 4:31 PM

Who were the two, out of sheer curiosity?

**Dodge** · 01/09/2010, 7:28 PM

Not too sure tbh. Fairly certain Monaghan were one.

**ped_ped** · 01/09/2010, 9:29 PM

Local media is more important, and needs to be the focal point of advertising, in order to avoid hypocrisy in how we attract supporters.

Imagine RT� publicised the league like Sky does for the Barclays Premier League, blowing it out of proportion and overhyping every Premier Division game?

Now imagine all that RT� Sport cared about was who won the Airtricity League, thereby sucking the public into the epic title race between (over-done Dublin League reference) Bohs, Shams, Fingal and Pats.

And imagine they showed every Champions' League and Europa League qualifier with hours of build-up and analysis, with Gary Twigg and Paddy Madden plastered across advertising billboards and hired to do TV ads and stuff like that.

Is anyone here telling me that the country wouldn't just become split, from Cork to Donegal, between 'fans' of Rovers and Bohs, just based on the same arbitrary 'they win more, I like them,' arguments?

I know I, as a Limerick fan, wouldn't like some randomer from Carlow attaching himself to any of Limerick's future successes and claiming to be as close to the club as me, attending Jackman week in week out.

Sure, we'd be getting their money in jersey sales and stuff, but I'd rather, using the local media, to create a local buzz about the team, and make the league about what we're saying here every day - your local team.

(Not that such fanatacism is ever gonna spring up about the LOI anyway . . .)