UCD to play on Saturdays at 5:15

**Macy** · 06/03/2006, 8:28 AM

Great to see someone playing Saturday afternoons, but UCD have only gone half way. Should've gone to 3pm Saturday.

**Mark Breen** · 06/03/2006, 9:58 AM

If i remember correctly , Sky gave some money into our league for clubs to invest in Floodlights so we WOULDN'T interfere with there 3 O'Clock kick off's when the premier league started over 10 years ago, So that may have been the reason beding the 17:15 kick off time.

**Macy** · 06/03/2006, 10:08 AM

Originally Posted by Mark Breen

If i remember correctly , Sky gave some money into our league for clubs to invest in Floodlights so we WOULDN'T interfere with there 3 O'Clock kick off's when the premier league started over 10 years ago, So that may have been the reason beding the 17:15 kick off time.

The sky money was compensation because of them clashing with our Sunday 3.15 kick offs. Nothing to do with Saturday 3pm, as that's a protected kick off time meaning sky (or anyone else) can't broadcast in England, Scotland and Wales at that time. 3pm Saturday is therefore the time least likely to clash with high profile UK matches, since 3pm Saturday matches are rarely the pick of the premiership.

I'm not sure where the IFA stand on this, there was talk that they could block the setanta/RTE Saturday Afternoon live matches, but ultimately they didn't follow it through (are they blocked on Northern cable/satellite?)

**David** · 06/03/2006, 10:10 AM

Originally Posted by Macy

The sky money was compensation because of them clashing with our Sunday 3.15 kick offs. Nothing to do with Saturday 3pm, as that's a protected kick off time meaning sky (or anyone else) can't broadcast in England, Scotland and Wales at that time. 3pm Saturday is therefore the time least likely to clash with high profile UK matches, since 3pm Saturday matches are rarely the pick of the premiership.

I'm not sure where the IFA stand on this, there was talk that they could block the setanta/RTE Saturday Afternoon live matches, but ultimately they didn't follow it through (are they blocked on Northern cable/satellite?)

They are blocked on satellite in Northern Ireland. Usually games involving Derry City are blocked as well when they are on, for example last season's title decider at Cork. Must be something to do with Derry City being in Northern Ireland.

**Poor Student** · 06/03/2006, 10:18 AM

Originally Posted by Macy

3pm Saturday is therefore the time least likely to clash with high profile UK matches, since 3pm Saturday matches are rarely the pick of the premiership.

You do know that these days EPL games are shown at 3 in Ireland some weeks? Also there is Soccer Saturday. I'm disappointed we didn't give it a slightly wider berth from the end of matches in Britain. Say even 5:30. Gives people who are interested an opportunity to catch the final scoers before they head to the match.

**Macy** · 06/03/2006, 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by Poor Student

You do know that these days EPL games are shown at 3 in Ireland some weeks?

I did qualify it by saying high profile matches. 5.15 and 5.30 both clash with a game that's likely to be better than the 3pm options. If we're now trying to avoid competing with glorified teletext then we truely are fooked.

**Hecko** · 06/03/2006, 10:40 AM

Seems a strange one to me. In relation to the students, I always thought a Thursday night made much more sense. But if the logic is that Saturday afternoons work for Leinster aren't they forgetting that now you'll actually be up against Leinster for a good number of Saturdays and against the Irish rugby team for others (d4 is rugby land after all)

**Poor Student** · 06/03/2006, 10:45 AM

Originally Posted by Hecko

In relation to the students, I always thought a Thursday night made much more sense.

If we've said it here once we've said it a million times. Feck the students. The club has given up on the students. The target is the locals.

But if the logic is that Saturday afternoons work for Leinster aren't they forgetting that now you'll actually be up against Leinster for a good number of Saturdays and against the Irish rugby team for others (d4 is rugby land after all)

I've been thinking that myself.

**BohDiddley** · 06/03/2006, 11:03 AM

3pm Saturday would clash with DDSL etc, if not directly then at least make it a very tight squeeze.

**Schumi** · 06/03/2006, 12:28 PM

Originally Posted by Hecko

In relation to the students, I always thought a Thursday night made much more sense.

Tried and failed. Thursday is a $hit night for football.

**Bald Student** · 06/03/2006, 12:31 PM

You're always going to clash with something. Instead of running away from competition you pick your target market and aim towards it. The main ligic behind the change is to suit young families. The local schoolboy clubs have been bringing teams of kids to games for a good while now so the natural next step is to try to get the parents to bring the kids.

When I was small (and the country was a bit poorer) a trip to belfield was a fun weekend activity. We'd kick a ball around a field, feed the ducks and climb a few trees. Now you can end that off with a trip to a football match.

**junkie** · 07/03/2006, 1:15 PM

Originally Posted by Poor Student

If we've said it here once we've said it a million times. Feck the students. The club has given up on the students. The target is the locals.

I've been studying in UCD since 2004 and I've never seen any promotion of the eL team towards students.

Out of pure interest have the club promoted their team to the students in the past and what methods did they use?

**Poor Student** · 07/03/2006, 1:19 PM

Originally Posted by junkie

I've been studying in UCD since 2004 and I've never seen any promotion of the eL team towards students.

Out of pure interest have the club promoted their team to the students in the past and what methods did they use?

When I started coming the place was postered. The lads tell me it made no difference. For the League Cup final I made an announcement to Theatre L and only got a mild slagging for my trouble and one response after the lecture. Both the college papers carry match reports of the team so everyone is quite aware of its existence. They simply cannot be bothered. Don't forget, most of the Irish public can't be bothered with the eL generally. Coupled with the club's unwarranted reputation as a bunch of students and a nothing club it's very hard to get people in.

**Bald Student** · 07/03/2006, 1:25 PM

When I started in College (1999) I was invited onto the club's coordination committee as student rep and myself and a few of us would put up a hundred or so posters every forthnight and back before beer sponsorship was banned we would hand out free beer vouchers at the games. We even tried moving kick off to Thursday evening to suite the bogger students but you could count on one hand the number of extra punters that were attracted.

I'll give it a go again when we move to the bowl but I'm less than optimistic.

**NY Hoop** · 07/03/2006, 2:53 PM

Originally Posted by Schumi

Tried and failed. Thursday is a $hit night for football.

Spot on. Thursday night is a disgrace and is symptomatic with what is wrong with the league. Football is a weekend activity and this obsession with friday night football is boring.

Fair play for moving it to saturday. However the k.o. time should be 7.45.

IMO only derbies should be on friday nights. Longford, Harps and Sligo have the right idea.

KOH

**adamcarr** · 07/03/2006, 3:13 PM

Will our game agaisnt UCD next month be taking place on a Saturday so? I can definately make it then!

**bigmac** · 07/03/2006, 4:05 PM

Originally Posted by Bald Student

When I started in College (1999) I was invited onto the club's coordination committee as student rep and myself and a few of us would put up a hundred or so posters every forthnight and back before beer sponsorship was banned we would hand out free beer vouchers at the games. We even tried moving kick off to Thursday evening to suite the bogger students but you could count on one hand the number of extra punters that were attracted.

I'll give it a go again when we move to the bowl but I'm less than optimistic.

You'd be around my vintage so - definitely when I started in UCD there was a big effort to get students into the supporters club during freshers week. Despite the fact that most students would join just about anything for a free lollipop, there was no increase in attendance.
Tody incidentally, I have been pointing all those "Sure the EL is rubbish standard" naysayers towards footage of O'Callaghan's free-kick. More quality like that and we might start seeing a few converts.

**Bald Student** · 07/03/2006, 4:13 PM

The supporters' club back then was a successfull college club which ran five-a-side football, football quizes and the like with big turnouts but none of that went any way towards achieving our main aim of getting more bums on seats. We abandoned that type of stuff about three years ago because there was no real point to it. We concentrate on match day activities now like running the program and the fanzine and running the merchandise shack. None of this increases the number of bums on seats either but at least it makes match day more fun.

I'm still at a loss as to how to improve attendances amoungst the students and I'll take any suggestions anyone has.

**pineapple stu** · 07/03/2006, 4:37 PM

Originally Posted by adamcarr

Will our game agaisnt UCD next month be taking place on a Saturday so? I can definately make it then!

Someone on the Cork forum pointed out that Munster are playing a rugby match in Lansdowne that same time. Last I heard, a decision had yet to be made on the Cork game. That's probably why.