Summer League not to Blame- Gavin

**Mr A** · 11/06/2007, 5:47 PM

Summer league not to blame, says Gavin

Paul O'Hehir
Monday, June 11, 2007

The difficulty faced by Sligo Rovers in attracting sizeable home support cannot be attributed to summer soccer, eircom League of Ireland director Fran Gavin has insisted.

Sligo chairman Michael Toolan recently blamed the seasonal switch - introduced in full for the 2003 season - for dwindling gate receipts at the Showgrounds.

Local GAA club games, he said, lure spectators away during summer months whereas that distraction would not be there if soccer was still played through the wintertime.

Full story- http://www.ireland.com/sports/soccer...301943825.html

**neutrino** · 11/06/2007, 7:16 PM

Originally Posted by Galway Harps

Full story- http://www.ireland.com/sports/soccer...301943825.html

ah it's just an excuse. of course summer football can affect crowds to varying degrees. but hey its the same for every club so enough of the moaning and lets get on with it. i do doubt our attendances would be much higher at this stage of the season if it were a winter league. getting wins like the one against bohs will bring people out anytime. getting people to enjoy games, feel they're appreciated and have fun is what it should be all about. football is entertainment and should be sold as such !!

**Guts&Glory** · 12/06/2007, 12:19 PM

Originally Posted by neutrino

ah it's just an excuse. of course summer football can affect crowds to varying degrees. but hey its the same for every club so enough of the moaning and lets get on with it. i do doubt our attendances would be much higher at this stage of the season if it were a winter league. getting wins like the one against bohs will bring people out anytime. getting people to enjoy games, feel they're appreciated and have fun is what it should be all about. football is entertainment and should be sold as such !!

Thats it, if we were winning games the crowds would be up.
When the vote was put to the clubs the majority supported it so you have to go with that.

According to the FAI overall attendances in the League have been up this year, granted when the Dublin clubs, Pats and Bohs this year obviously with Shams back in top flight, are doing well the overall crowd average will increase but then again Shels never drew a big crowd of home support even when winning leagues.

Its a cyclical thing you are fighting to gain promotion from Division one and get big crowds a s a result because there is something to play for, you get promoted last year in rovers case and the novelty of the big teams coming to the Showgies brings the crowd. Once the novelty wears off in season two and the team are mid table safty the crowds tend to thin out again.

Having said all that what Toolan has done since Seanie left is nothing short of farcical and leaves alot of those non core Rovers fans, certainly the eones I speak to, shaking their heads and vowing not to come back. as the MC cannot get their house in order.

I think Gavin was having a pop at him also in his article.

**lifelong rover** · 12/06/2007, 9:47 PM

So Guts &Glory you seem to have a very bad opinion of the M C .I wonder wht

**Guts&Glory** · 13/06/2007, 10:56 AM

I would have thought my comments were self explanatory what I think of the MC.

In a nutshell they have turned what was a successful return to the Premier League last season into a farce since Connor left by their actions and decisions.

If you are trying to imply somethingg else say it out staright.

**Guts&Glory** · 13/06/2007, 10:57 AM

Quality spellling in parts!!

**red_away** · 13/06/2007, 11:42 AM

Whatever about summer football i think Gavin was out of order speaking about Rovers detachment from the community when teams with a larger and more populace catchment area dont pull in near as many fans as us even on a bad day!

**Mr A** · 13/06/2007, 11:48 AM

Fran Gavin not being even handed?

**Guts&Glory** · 13/06/2007, 11:57 AM

Oh ya Fran the Man is the one to save us all (sic)!!

**Macy** · 13/06/2007, 12:22 PM

Wasn't Fran Gavin against summer football when he was over the PFAI? I suppose it's the least of ways he's flip flopped, not least crossing to the other side of the IR table....

Of course attendances are cyclical to some degree, and definitely affected by team performance. However, it's disingenuous to suggest that summer football hasn't been detrimental to attendances of the more rural clubs.

**neutrino** · 14/06/2007, 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by Macy

However, it's disingenuous to suggest that summer football hasn't been detrimental to attendances of the more rural clubs.

yeah that could be said, but personally I wouldnt think rural clubs are any more affected. Rovers MC often cite our location as an excuse. Ok maybe it's slightly harder to attract and keep players, but in terms of garnering support I see rural clubs location as being advantageous. We've no other club to compete against for support. If the club cant get support it's becuase they have failed to do so. Supporters who do go arent given any respect and alot dont bother going anymore. If every supporter alienated by the club came to the next home game, the place would be packed. A sad truth.

I dont think anybody can take issue with Guts & Glory saying what the MC have done since Connor left. It's the truth even if some dont want to hear it.

**Guts&Glory** · 14/06/2007, 1:13 PM

Originally Posted by neutrino

I dont think anybody can take issue with Guts & Glory saying what the MC have done since Connor left. It's the truth even if some dont want to hear it.

Cheers neutrino, from talking to some other reds I know they feel the same.

Macy - I didnt say summer football did not have an impact on attendances just that mid table safety / nothing to play for crowds tend to level out compared to the start of the season and/or challenging for honours and IMO this has more of an impact on attendances than summer football.

Case in point this season is Bohs and Pats attendances this season to last and Cork in the other respect i.e. league crowds levelled out last season.

There are circa 20,000 people in Sligo town and circa 55,000 in the county thats 20,000 people in the town who its fair to say dont have farms to tend to (as Richard Sutherland last season would lead you to think) and given Gaelic Footie isnt that big in the town and that the County team isnt exactly in action every week or likely to be still challenging come September its not a single excuse situation.

I would like Toolan to expand on his belief of why summer football is killing the league - and then as Chairman of our club what steps he and the Board are taking to address the situation.

When Rovers were mid table safety at various times in the 90's the crowds werent exactly out the gates either.

Just look at how many Junior and Under Age football teams there are in the town and county. Each team having a panel of about say 15 players at least. Many of these are father (Junior teams) and sons (Under Age team) situations.

Theres a starter for targeting those players for a Rovers match that doesnt clash with their Junior or Under Age game of a weekend.

How about doing Parent pays Kid for Free or given that certain ages are free in anyway pay for one game and the next game is free for the parent so as to try and get them going on a consistent rather than one off basis.

Another idea - Get a Under Age club in for free as a day trip for a game with meeting the players and being shown around the ground added in.

This can be done when the players first arrive at the ground then the team could even head down to the astro pitch for a kick about.

Grab their attention and enthusiasm and get them to want to come back again either as a club or with parents.

Simple ideas to put into practice and something similar has been done in the past in a piece meal fashion - time to get it back in action.

As cliched as it sounds the Kids of today are the potential followers of tomorrow.

Saying summer football is killing the league and using that as an excuse isnt going to solve the predicament we are in.

LETS MOVE ON FOR THE FUTURE NOT MOAN!!

**Guts&Glory** · 15/06/2007, 8:45 AM

Originally Posted by Rocketfingers

Spot on the Gaelic team does not be play every week but there are plenty of junior + senior teams up and down the county that do play on a saturday evening and this takes away from the crowd in the showgrounds.

I was referring to SLigo Leitrim football teams rather than the Gaelic. For the most part the Sligo Leitrim league do not clash with 7.30pm Saturday night kick offs and arent on over the summer.

As regards Gavin yes lets see if he is willing to be forthcoming with his suggestions. The FAI should be there to help clubs that are finding it difficult a sa body rather than just being sarcastic towards them in the press.