How the rest of the world see us....

[Stuttgart88]

Benno, I posted that before you thanked it!

I didn't miss any of those points of the 'debate' osarusan. For a start I think 3000 (assuming Fitzmaurice is accurate with his claim that 1000 were Hannover fans) is a decent enough crowd for a second qualifying round tie against a side with few household names. It could be better but it certainly wasn't bad either. I don't think many of the stay away football fans call themselves 'true fans' and that assumes anyone other than LOI loyalists has a firm idea of what a true fan is. The 'best fans in the world' mantle is just a stick for some people with fixed opinions to beat people with.

[Gather round]

I see GR thanked my post above, which I appreciate

My pleasure. As an outsider who hasn't watched Irish domestic football regularly since the 80s, I see plenty of strengths as well as weaknesses in the LoI. Results and facilities seem better even if financial stability and public enthusiasm lag behind. In this case, I agree that 4,000 for an August Europa tie looks respectable enough.

I watch most of my football in the Semi-Pro and even amateur leagues over here (my local side won their Level 10 League last term, so have the problem of moving from one to the other). Average crowds are about 100. If they reached the FA Vase final, 10,000 would travel to Wembley, of course the other 99% mainly support Prem and Championship teams.

That planted a thought in my mind: golf is a bona fide 32 county sport at which we excel (more so NI golfers recently it must be said!) but how do we do this in such a competitive sport?
...if our island can produce world class golfers can it produce world class footballers, or is there some dynamic at play that I have overlooked - perhaps the fact that young footballers are economic chattels, tradeable assets, whereas golfers don't have transfer values?

Don't a lot of players from Ireland (and eleswhere in Europe) develop their game on the American college circuit?

Anyway, that golf course outnumbering kids' playgrounds stat really irritates me. Ideally the sport would be nationalised and limited to links courses on marginal land (eg beaches) where you can't grow anything

[mypost]

They patently do have the money if the chief executive is paid serious dough. And we're not talking about a massive undertaking here - the FAI even employing one marketing graudate to oversee and co-ordinate marketing of the leagues and/or assist clubs in spreading the word to local communities would be a small slice of Delaney's take home.

The FAI don't employ people these days, they unemploy them.

Decent post that. Can't see where it says who's going to pay for clubs to do up their stadia, do special offers for tickets, persuade the RTE to cover the league more, run proper marketing materials etc? Or are you suggesting it's up to a few have-a-go entrepreneur's? I reckon a centrally employed marketing expert or two at FAI HQ would be a more realistic start.

The clubs have to do more to help themselves. If you want to sell a product, you have to ensure it's in good condition for people to buy. You also have to get yourself noticed, and in this country, that means tv coverage. Currently the FD receives no promotion or tv coverage of any kind. People won't buy a new product if they have no idea what they are getting for their money.

[Charlie Darwin]

of course, if the crowds had shown up, the line would have been "they're only here to see Hannover, they won't be be back next week"

The line would be correct though.

[Junior]

Mypost, as nice as it is of you to further reduce the role and responsibilities of JD and the FAI to merely adminstrators of the game, I am not sure if the following role recruited by the FAI earlier this year necessarily agrees with your point.

I would hazard a guess that this guy earns a 6 figure sum per annum. Is he still around? If so, does he think its his role to promote the Airticity League?

FAI announces appointment of Commercial and Marketing Director

The Football Association of Ireland today (January 13) announced the appointment of Max Hamilton as its new Commercial and Marketing Director.

Mr Hamilton, who is originally from Greystones, is currently the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Senior Director of Business Development for EMEA and will take up his new role with the FAI from February 6.

In this new position, he will assume overall responsibility for the FAI's business development and marketing, working closely with all of the Association's sponsors to develop and strengthen their involvement with the sport. He will also be responsible for marketing the Association's activities and developing new business relationships to support the continued growth of football in Ireland at grassroots, domestic and international level. Max will bring with him a wealth of experience and a strong background in sports marketing gained with the NBA and previously his work for leading international advertising agency network TBWA.

Welcoming the appointment, FAI Chief Executive John Delaney said;

"I am delighted to welcome a candidate of Max's calibre to this important position. Max will start with the Association ahead of the Euros and the 2012 Airtricity League season and will play an important role in helping to shape our continued growth during a very exciting period for Irish football."

ENDS

[tetsujin1979]

The line would be correct though.

my point was that no matter what size the crowd is, it would have been criticised.

[Charlie Darwin]

And the criticism would be 100% valid.

[tetsujin1979]

And the criticism would be 100% valid.

so there's no way that any size of crowd would not have been criticised in the press?
It's just another negative article about the potential fanbase for the LOI. If you're going to get criticised for going to a game (any game) why bother going at all?

[Charlie Darwin]

Either outcome neatly exposes the apathy and hypocrisy at the heart of the average Irish football fan. If you complain the league lacks quality, then fail to show for a top-class German side, then you're obviously looking for something other than quality. If, on the other hand, you do come out and witness a quality Pats side playing good, competitive football, then you can't persist with that criticism.

[DannyInvincible]

so there's no way that any size of crowd would not have been criticised in the press?
It's just another negative article about the potential fanbase for the LOI. If you're going to get criticised for going to a game (any game) why bother going at all?

Who goes to games to draw compliments or favourable opinion though? (Other than opportunistic politicians and the like...) There are plenty of worthwhile reasons to continue going to games, irrespective of criticism or not. I don't see why the prospect of criticism should necessarily put people off. It'd be like saying, "Why bother doing anything if it's going to draw criticism?" One'd need to be a real defeatist if that was their guiding philosophy in life.

[peadar1987]

Either outcome neatly exposes the apathy and hypocrisy at the heart of the average Irish football fan. If you complain the league lacks quality, then fail to show for a top-class German side, then you're obviously looking for something other than quality. If, on the other hand, you do come out and witness a quality Pats side playing good, competitive football, then you can't persist with that criticism.

I strongly suspect that the class of person who shamelessly picks the English team that are winning, and considers 3rd place in the Premier League crap, would have zero appreciation of the quality of a good Bundesliga side. They're the same sort of people who had a massive culture shock at the Euros, when they weren't able to feign allegiance to the team they though was going to win.