Maybe because there were more people due to our success. Our crowds may be small at present but we are getting a lot more kids in since Fenn came along. Great to see kids getting photos with players and jerseys signed after games. Play on a cold November night and they don't come it's simpleOriginally Posted by Martinho II
Whatever about the 'home' crowd, Longford was historically the stuff of nightmares for 'away' fansmany an away fan took days to dry out after a fixture there on a rainy/day night !
Given the number of tourists (especially Dublin clubs) and the easier travel to away games (brighter evenings, better weather) which are undoubtedly boosting the crowds there is no chance of a return to the freezing wet nights of yore. Not for all the scalding Bovril in Ireland
Last edited by marinobohs; 30/05/2019 at 8:53 AM.
Personally I`d absolutely hate to go back to winter football, never mind attendances, what about the pitches ? Look at the goals round up on BBC NI every sat from December onwards, not only are the pitches heavy, they have a fair amount of postponement’s, and for us it would be worse, as at least they play during the day, we’d be back to playing at the coldest part of the day with 7.45 ko’s.
Europe will only apply for 4 teams, but its still a big help for clubs having half their league games under their belts when they start. A plus point on winter season would be less cancellations for international tournaments like the current u21 one with players and for WC/ Euros for counter attractions, but you won’t get prime matches for every Friday night and we have coped before on this. I will say one thing though, on atmosphere for some games, there is a difference when its darker in likes of Feb, March, early April and from Sept onwards under the floodlights.
On winter season, maybe there would be a slight lift occasionally as fans wouldn’t be on the traditional July / Aug holidays, but would anyone honestly look forward to going to a ground on a really cold night wind and rain between Dec - Feb, the odd snow / ice thrown in also ?
Its fine as it is, just extend the season out to run to end or week 3 in Nov and limit mid-week league games to no more than 3 times, 4 max a year where possible.
#DundalkFC - First Irish club to win an away game in Europe (1963), only Irish club to win a game / points in Europa League Group Stage (2016).
Sounds weird to some, but my memories of going to Finn Park as a kid were the freezing cold nights, wrapped up in about four layers with scarves and hats, coming away from the match and feeling yourself thaw out in the car on the way home.
The atmospheres were better, the soup or tea was better, the lights in the ground on a cold, dark, winter night. None of that can be beaten by anything summer football can throw at you and I feel sorry for my own kids not getting those same experiences.
It's been done a million times over here, and not wishing to start another winter/summer debate, but I hate most of the summer football calendar for the LOI and I think the idea the Irish League are proposing May-Feb is fantastic.
Haven’t heard of this proposal from the Irish League, but is this really that much of a change from the current set up?
They’ll still play through the coldest months Nov-Feb, and pitches will be the same in that period, postponements etc, the only benefit is they will have clubs ready for Europe as they will have 3 months playing under their belt by July. They’ll never change from their xmas derby fixtures, seems to be a big thing up there with games on 26/12 usually having decent crowds.
The current Europe thing is a joke mind, league not starting for a month and players still on holidays and twice the Crusaders manager missed euro games due to a ‘previously booked holiday’, this won’t change in this proposal as most of their clubs (if not all) are part time.
#DundalkFC - First Irish club to win an away game in Europe (1963), only Irish club to win a game / points in Europa League Group Stage (2016).
If ever there was a consideration to move back to a winter season there had better be wholescale improvements to most grounds. If there were enclosed by stands it would at least at as something of a windbreaker and keep people dry. I too look back fondly on the atmosphere that there was at big games Thursday nights in the dark winter months, and the subsequent thawing out at home after or in later years in the Lilywhite Lounge over a beer. 'Round Christmas the festive atmosphere added to the match nights also.
Conversely though I have also enjoyed meeting up with pals in a beergarden like Kennedy's in the sunshine, then up to Oriel and it was like being at a lower tier game on a continental holiday. Postmatch when away fans departed then sitting out on the away terrace with a beer was great. Kids were able to have a kick about on the pitch. It felt a bit like European matchdays - especially when they were few and ar between for a long spell. As I get older the thoughts of cold, squaly, windswept nights with horizontal sleet and rain is not so appealing even if it was a CL game against Barcelona!
There will always be debate on the impact on attendances as the half baked way that the FAI went about deciding on the change means there is little data on the actual impact of the switch. But as the spoils of competing and especially progressing in Europe the benefit of a summer season will really benefit the league as a whole. Like in 2002 Dundalk barely broke for qualifying for the EL, Varazdin wasnt terribly hard to get to but the prizemoney was only about 80k iirc. At that level of money it was nearly an inconvenience and it's possible that winter football could have had a bigger season total gate and make the net European prizemoney less essential. It was more about prestige, rewarding the players for domestic success and gave fans a nice trip away in July.
Now, with the sort of money involved any edge, no matter how slight is essential. Summer football undoubtedly improves our chances of getting results and cashing in. While some of the people involved with the Irish League still want to live in 1690 it is mind boggling where their priorities lie with the money involved now. Take a holiday in June and be back for July, though early rounds do fall circa the 12th...
Yep, don't recall us ever having reductions for LC games.
Crowd was ok, around the 2k mark maybe. Generally it'd be lower than that, especially considering it was a bank holiday.
Bohs charged full price in with a reduced price for members of 10 euro (membership does not cover shared gate matches). It wasn't a bank holiday down here and the crowd was roughly half our regular gate. Expected weakened team (team was stronger than many anticipated it would be) and general match fatigue were factors. Two games a week affects more than the pocket !
2136 Dundalk v Sligo.
Over 1100 in Tolka. Great attendance
And come Europe people will be giving out they can't get a ticket.
2 years ago around this time the club announced season ticket sales for Euro Games then for one day anyone with 2 previous home league game ticket stubs could purchase a ticket before they went on general sale.
Don't know why they never done it again.
2 my mates who would go oriel a good bit said on Friday sure it's only Sligo and didn't go.
Yep, heard the exact same last night, asked loads out in Dundalk why didnt they go to the Sligo game 'saving themselves for the EL night out' was the common response !
Yet with only 3,200 seats, even modest euro opposition will mean 1k or so tickets going on general sale, they'll make sure they save themselves for this via a long queue.
#DundalkFC - First Irish club to win an away game in Europe (1963), only Irish club to win a game / points in Europa League Group Stage (2016).
Wexford v Drogheda was 222, I'm told.
Update to tonight. Awaiting attendance from Longford v Galway. Heap of estimates again, will update where official figures become available.
UCD and Sligo see marginal increases to their averages. Everyone else saw a drop in the Premier Division.
In the First Division Cabinteely and Wexford have similar marginal increases, and everyone else suffers a drop.
PREMIER DIVISION
Bohs - 3,037 (2,148; 2,006; 1,627; 1,724; 1,395; 1,597; 1,496; 1,488)
Cork - 2,825 (4,245; 4,559; 2,533; 3,263; 3,777; 1,965; 2,786; 2,128 FD)
Derry - 3,200 (2,297; 1,517; 1,563; 1,124; 1,106; 1,446; 1,460; 2,135)
Dundalk - 2,891 (2,738; 2,674; 2,738; 3,158; 2,534; 1,997; 949; 1,355)
Harps - 1,242 (708 FD; 1,202; 1,216; 784 FD; 449 FD; 479 FD; 429 FD; 433 FD; 644 FD)
Pat's - 2,010 (1,621; 1,504; 1,088; 1,321; 1,386; 1,687; 1,474; 1,346)
Rovers - 3,676 (2,749; 2,809; 2,041; 2,890; 2,269; 2,763; 3,127; 3,779)
Sligo - 2,113 (1,853; 1,717; 1,750; 1,750; 1,959; 2,342; 3,007; 2,103)
Waterford - 1,981 (2,329; 1,550 FD; 314 FD; 460 FD; 470 FD; 478 FD; 453 FD; 466 FD)
UCD - 784 (365 FD; 236 FD; 297 FD; 216 FD; 397; 487; 506; 558; 610)
FIRST DIVISION
Athlone - 488 (130; 154; 156; 314; 653 PD; 754; 271; 200)
Bray - 809 (643 PD; 966 PD; 957 PD; 769 PD; 718 PD; 891 PD; 965 PD; 1,121 PD)
Cabinteely - 457 (261; 346; 352; 610)
Cobh - 277 (236; 358; 403; 366; 223; 439; 2008 - 1,122 PD; 681)
Drogheda - 626 (377; 850 PD; 583; 813 PD; 1,064 PD; 817 PD; 977 PD; 811 PD)
Galway - 931 (746; 1,376 PD; 1,169 PD; 1,290 PD; 975)
Limerick - 510 (931 PD; 1,610 PD; 1,131; 1,206 PD; 757 PD; 1,649 PD; 734; 569)
Longford - 611 (449; 342; 488 PD; 803 PD; 567; 379; 365; 315)
Shels - 921 (654; 496; 554; 596; 713; 1,114 PD; 1,187 PD; 781)
Wexford - 254 (181; 338; 585 PD; 553; 331; 227; 302; 216)
PREMIER AVERAGE: 2,358 (2,170; 1,902; 1,476; 1,681; 1,502; 1,566; 1,630; 1,547)
FIRST DIVISION AVERAGE: 587 (413; 477; 476; 486; 495; 391; 372; 578)
OVERALL AVERAGE: 1,592 (1,249; 1,387; 1,117; 1,249; 1,160; 1,140; 1,125; 1,110)
OVERALL PREMIER ATTENDANCE: 228,704 (316,515; 376,627; 292,204; 332,805; 297,334)
OVERALL FIRST ATTENDANCE: 43,451 (55,756; 53,461; 52,807; 54,474; 55,408)
OVERALL COMBINED ATTENDANCE: 272,155 (372,271; 430,088; 345,011; 387,279; 352,742)
636 in Longford on Bank Holiday Monday. About 50 Galway United fans.
roddy collins you're a flanker you're a flanker!
Jesus it didn't look like that at all but suppose plenty came in late and everyone is so spread out in the main stand, not as bad as I actually thought given we only had 550 at last weekend home match.
That's what the Longford twitter gave.
roddy collins you're a flanker you're a flanker!
777, around 12 of which were visiting worshipers
666 ?
Moved the religion discussion out to current affairs.
Jeez I take a few days away from this place and things get freaky.
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
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