QuoteI'm sure I can.Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Think I can make that. Will discuss it on Sunday. Are we meeting up ourselves in the meantime? Can anyone bring a couple of ads to Bray?
I'm sure I can.
We're not arrogant, we're just better.
We got 300 tickets all for the stand which went on sale today
100 of them already gone
Good stuff.
Eh, Bald Student postered the campus today but I must say the posters are not grabbing. The colour at the left hand corner/quarter pushes all the writing to the right side and the font is too small to really catch you. It's almost impossible to read the bit about the free Ireland tickets. I dunno if they'll do much use.
What days are we setting up the stall then gents?
Except for one thing nicky... it hasn't happened since the Friday night game after Dr. O'Neill's funeral back in October 1999. We tonked Shamrock Rovers in front of approximately 3,000 fans. Easily the largest attendance we have ever had for a Premier Division fixture in Belfield Park.
Even the last League Cup Final we were involved in at Belfield Park pulled in less than that. Admittedly it was well in excess of 2,000. And we had an attendance in that region also for the Promotion/Relegation play-off home leg back in May 2001 against Athlone Town.
I wonder how many of them fans were actually UCD supporters??? I'd say about 20. All I can say is that the fan base can only get bigger. Few cups and a few wins might make people take notice.
When is the stall being set up to sell tickets Bald Student?
I'm in a meeting untill 12 on Friday, so about half 12.
Article in the Indo:
'Blues Brothers'? Positive article though, there seems to be more hype about this LC final than there has been for previous ones.Blues Brothers deserve their chance to shine
Wednesday September 14th 2005
ADVERTISEMENT
THE guy from the FAI was obviously missing the day Sepp Blatter gave his masterclass on how to get the result you want any time you have to make a choice.
Last year, we had a tie in the election for chairman of one of the FAI's committees and the then chief executive put two names into a hat and picked out the guy he didn't want to get the job. A few weeks ago, the Eircom League's board of management tossed a coin to see where next Tuesday's Eircom League final would be played and ended up with Belfield instead of the Brandywell.
There have been plenty of moans and groans, particularly from the North West, but it could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the Eircom League. Setanta Sports have come on board with live television coverage, while the game has given UCD a massive opportunity to promote their club on and off campus.
Although members of the League of Ireland for over quarter of a century, UCD have never been seen as a fashionable club, despite boasting a plush South Dublin address and the best young players in the country.
Look through the squad of any Eircom League club and its odds-on that there is a player in their ranks who came through the UCD soccer scholarship system.
Whenever there is talk of reducing the number of clubs in the league, UCD is always top of the 'don't need' list, despite the massive input it has made to the development of players.
Skipper Tony McDonnell reckons he would never have played League of Ireland football had it not been for UCD, who plucked him straight out of schoolboy football and handed him his senior debut at 17.
Next Tuesday's final is an opportunity for UCD to grab a bit of the limelight because very often their excellent work goes unnoticed and unappreciated.
As you might expect from a club which is run by a group of highly dedicated people they aren't sitting back hoping the crowds will find their own way down Foster's Avenue.
They have embarked on an aggressive marketing campaign to ensure the ground is bursting at the seams and, as well as the 20,000 students in the Belfield campus, UCD are also targeting their large number of graduates.
Each year, UCD attracts around 450 graduates to their alumni dinner and 150 pay an annual subscription every season to help swell the club coffers. They may not turn up every week but when the chips are down the Blues Brothers are rarely found wanting.
"We have found in the past that when UCD is involved in a major game like the League Cup final against St Pat's or the play-off with Athlone Town, our graduates have turned out in force," explained club secretary Richard Shakespeare.
"It's a great opportunity to touch base with the club and college and meet up with their friends at the game and afterwards."
Apart from a few die-hards, UCD have failed to make an impact on the student population but McDonnell, who spent several years on campus pursuing his degree, reckons that the size of the country and the weekend matches haven't helped. "A lot of students are here Monday through Thursday and very few have lectures on Friday.
"Of those that are here on a Friday they are probably going home to their families down the country or if they are Dublin-based they probably have their own plans at the weekend.
"It is very difficult to tap in to that. The college has tried over the years but hasn't been successful. I think the way forward for the club is to tap into the local community, which is what they have been trying to do by involving teams like Mount Merrion in the club itself.
"That's probably the more sustained challenge because, even if we do tap into a student base, that may only last three years and then you have got to the whole process again.
"It is unlikely that mentality will be passed down through the college students, so it is more important to involve the community for the long-term.
"However, for a once-off game like this on a Tuesday night it would be a disappointment if we don't get 2,000 people from the college itself. I hope everyone comes out and supports us."
The connection with Mount Merrion Schoolboys has been strengthened over the past few years and every one of their 600 players is a member of the Junior Blues and can avail of a €5 schoolboy ticket next Tuesday.
The old walled garden at Belfield, where the football pitch is now housed, will be bursting at the seams next Tuesday and the football fare, featuring two of the best young teams in the country, will be as tasty as the half-time swiss roll.
Gerry McDermott
The Bootroom
We're not arrogant, we're just better.
Well the prize money is €22,000 in all I believe. €15,000 for the winners.
Not to be sneezed at by a club in our situation attendances wise.
Could I head up and grab the tickets and sell them earlier? Perhaps we want to mark out a good table before the frat boy wannabe cretins?
OK. We're at stand number one (at the far left as you face them) at the Blob. I'll see you a bit after 12 so.
I'd say the article posted below puts the lie to that a little bit, although how many people have been back? That's the bigger question. That game was more like a funeral mass to be honest - I think there were people back from Australia and everything.
More from Sunday's Indo:
Probable teams are just Friday's I think.Derry set for glory in 'miracle' men showdown
Sunday September 18th 2005
SEÁN RYAN
TWO of the eircom League's 'miracle' men come face to face in the battle for the season's first 'major', the Eircom League Cup, at Belfield Park on Tuesday night (7.45, live on Setanta).
Jim Roddy, secretary of Derry City, described his club's revival under manager Stephen Kenny as a 'miracle'. And, at a lower level, what Pete Mahon has achieved at UCD could likewise be termed supernatural. In each case, they have taken clubs which were virtually on their knees and given them back their respectability.
Two years ago, UCD were relegated from the premier division, while Derry only avoided a similar fate by dint of a play-off win. Last year, Pete Mahon guided UCD back to the premier division, while Stephen Kenny, who took over just 12 months ago, consolidated Derry's position there.
This season, Kenny has Derry in line for a treble previously achieved by the Brandywell club only in the reign of the legendary Jim McLaughlin.
After Friday night's hard earned 3-2 win over Bohemians at Dalymount Park, Derry sit proudly at the top of the premier division; on Tuesday they bid for the League Cup; and on Saturday they play Shamrock Rovers for a place in the last four of the FAI Carlsberg Cup. Heady times and a complete turnaround inside 12 months.
Meanwhile, Mahon has UCD riding high in the table - they moved up to seventh with their 1-0 win in Bray on Friday - and they are also poised to collect their first major piece of silverware since 1984, when they won the FAI Cup.
Kenny is unhappy with the tag 'miracle worker'. He points instead to the great passion which the players have for the club as being the decisive influence on their success so far.
"I took over at a time when 11 members of the squad were under 23, and six of them under 21. And they all grew up together around the Brandywell so they have a passion for the club and would have supported it as youngsters.
"The big problem was that a lot of players weren't living in Derry. Since then, players like Ciaran Martyn, Alan Murphy, David Forde and Gareth McGlynn have all made sacrifices by moving to Derry in a bid to try and achieve things."
Unlike their main rivals, Cork City, Shelbourne and Bohemians, Derry don't have a full-time set-up, but Kenny revealed: "We train every day even though we're not full-time. We train at different times in the morning and evening, at whatever time we can get the maximum amount of players - and we always train in daylight. All our training is with the ball. I don't think we have run over 100 meters all season and yet we have scored more late winners than anyone. It all stems from the determination and hunger within the group."
From crowds of 500 to 600 last season, Derry are now attracting a regular attendance of 3,500 and had 5,000 for the crunch clash with Cork City last month. And no wonder they are being supported, for, in their last ten home games, Derry have scored three goals on nine occasions and two goals in the other game. They are also unbeaten in all competitions since May 27.
Although working off a smaller budget than he had during his time at Bohemians, Kenny had no hesitation in moving his family to the North-West. "This is too big a club to manage by commuting," he says, "and to do so would only be giving out indications that you were taking the job on the short term. Besides, this is a real football city - every pitch is used to its absolute maximum."
It's 20 years since Derry joined the League of Ireland and the club are planning some big events to mark the anniversary. Kenny hopes to mark it with a trophy or two, starting on Tuesday, which is a once-off final that has to be decided on the night.
UCD may have punched above their weight to reach this final and I think it might be a step too far for them - even with home advantage.
Derry City (probable) - Forde; Deery, Hutton, Delaney, Hargan; McGlynn, Molloy, Murphy, McCourt; Farren, Beckett.
UCD (probable) - Quigley; Mahon, McDonnell, Shorthall, O'Donnell; Gannon, Hurley, Dicker, McWalter; Byrne, A Murphy.
We're not arrogant, we're just better.
Crowd is going to be bigger than the league game anyway, so that's a start. Derry have sold their 300 allocation and have asked for 300 more. Apparently most of the fans who were in Dalymount at the weekend haven't gotten tickets yet. Derry could well have 500 at this.
We've sold 150 through the Sports Centre/Arts Block apparently. Again, most people I was talking to at the Bray game hadn't bought theirs yet. You could probably assume that at least half our 350 usuals haven't gotten a ticket yet, so that's an extra 175. I think the tickets Maccer's selling must be as a direct result of all the letters sent out to the alumni, former players, etc., etc.
So that's 825. The players - say 20 per team - have two each, so that's another 80 gone. Stephen Hurley's mum was looking for another three or four, so you could probably add an average of an extra two tickets per player - another 80, to bring us to 985.
And the schoolboy tickets don't seem to be included in this? Derry got 300 plus 250 schoolboy tickets (the alternative is 300 tickets including 250 schoolboy tickets, which can't be right). We also got 250 schoolboy tickets. There are a fair few young fans at games these days, so we could hope to sell 100 of these? Add 50 from Derry and we're at 1135. Add in other UCD fans who haven't gotten tickets and who don't usually go to games (I'll have up to nine, though probably just five or six) - another 100 there, say. Plus 100 neutrals (probably too small?) and we're at 1335.
I love it when accountants arrive at a figure accurate to the nearest five after a series of huge approximations.
I am aware you lads may bot have the answers but a few questions
1) The new temporary seating. From the reports it appears it will be on each side of the existing stand. I assume that means that there is going to be large chunks of "restricted view" seats as the walls of the exisiting stand will block out large chunks of the pitch. Indeed the seats at the back of the far end of the exisiting stand mean that you can't see past the 18 yard line area anyway.
2) Hanging flags: We normally hang flags at the front of the "Cascarino" as you lads call it. I assume that with the expected crowd standing in front of it, this won't be allowed. Any chance of even draping the flags over the top of the "Hill" in order to get some colour in the ground
3) Tickets: As mentioned, our allocation of tickets have sold out. Many Derry fans,inclufing myself, have yet to get a ticket. What time will tickets be available from at Belfied?
4) Parking: Are there any special parking restrictions in place due to the fact that this is a final and Setanta are present?
1. Probably. I've not seen them though.
2. You can still hang them on the Cas stand.
3. Tickets will be on sale and ground opens 45 mins before kick off (I assume as usual)
4. Enter via main N11 gate and turn left. Park and walk past the athletics track.
No entry via Fosters Avenue then?
Entry but no parking I'd say.
There won't be a problem with hanging flags in front of the Cascarino stand but I'd expect it to be mostly full of our flags. Don't know about the hill. If cleared in advance that might be possible, otherwise behind you in the stand maybe.
I'll head down and have a look at the new seats later, don't know what they're like yet.
We're not arrogant, we're just better.
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