EL Support in Ireland

**Lim till i die** · 06/08/2007, 4:14 PM

Originally Posted by sligoman

Exactly, you'd need 26 teams for that to happen and the EL couldn't sustain that.

Not forgetting our friends in (London)Derry

**sligoman** · 06/08/2007, 4:22 PM

Originally Posted by Lim till i die

Not forgetting our friends in (London)Derry

Well they don't seem to recognise the tri-colour so I presumed they'd wanna go back to the Irish League

.

**TonyD** · 06/08/2007, 4:41 PM

The county team thing is a complete non runner in my view. The GAA comparison doesn't really fit, because the organisation of the sport is totally different. Remember, county teams have how many serious games a year that would attract big crowds, 6, 7 ? Would these people go every week, or even to a home game every other week ? I doubt it. Having said that, I completely take Cavan mans point about people in Clare having no attachment to Limerick, Mayo - Galway and Kerry-Cork could be added to the list I'm sure. Even allowing for that though, most clubs in the country would have a decent enough catchment area to draw their crowds from I'd say, certainly better than the crowds we are currently getting. We've heard all the arguments at this stage, and the Indo piece isn't telling us anything we don't know. The "barstoolers" know it too, they just don't care. The bottom line is that supporting your local team is just not seen as the thing to do. It's not trendy, it's not sexy, and it's too muc like hard work for a lot of people. The thing is though, there's nothing to say it has to stay that way. I remember a time when the National team got very poor support, pre-Charlton. All it took was one qualification and the feelgood factor took over, even to the extent that now, with a poor national team, it can still draw great numbers to support it.

**half_full** · 06/08/2007, 4:42 PM

Counties (and their boundaries) have got nothing to do with football, i am from and live in Tipp and i know of others who follow the Blues from other counties. If i was born closer to another LoI team then I'd support them simple as.

The arguement about supporting rugby provinces doesn't really hold up as its a GAA championship type situation whereby most people wouldn't know if Munster were playing in the Celtic League, the same as the GAA national leagues. Yet when the Heiniken Cup/All-Ireland Championship comes around theres such a scramble for tickets you'd think it was the end of the world.
When Munster won the Heiniken Cup for example, they probably could have filled the Milenimum Stadium twice over on their own. Yet when it came to the Celtic League game a couple of weeks after the final (remember they actually won the final) they was less than 3,000 or so at the match

Baiscally Irish people only want to follow very successful/fashionable teams (and when it suits them to) preferably the bigger teams in the EPL or La Liga so they can brag to their work collegues/friends. Its not just an Irish thing to be fair, Juventus have something like 11 million fans across Italy

**superfrank** · 06/08/2007, 5:18 PM

Originally Posted by cavan_fan

But with Rugby you don't get people supporting English clubs, again that's because of the regional base. There are loads of people in e.g. Clare supporting Munster Rugby even though in reality its mostly a Limerick/Cork team. Would they support Garryowen as readily?

In rugby terms, afaik, the Irish teams are on a par with a lot of the English ones. In football, that is far from the case.

We get most of our fans from Bray town but there's a good few from Dublin and from Northern Wicklow. But then again I know a good few Wicklowmen who support Rovers, I even know a Bohs fan from Bray and a Pats fan from Kilcoole. So I don't know how el fans pick their teams. I don't think it's regional based. Just look at Kildare County.

**BohsPartisan** · 06/08/2007, 5:27 PM

I know a Bray fan from Coolock!

**superfrank** · 06/08/2007, 5:29 PM

Originally Posted by BohsPartisan

I know a Bray fan from Coolock!

FFS, why can't they follow their local club!!!

**cavan_fan** · 06/08/2007, 7:01 PM

The problem is that the viewers of this forum are not representative of the people the league needs to attract. You may all have chosen teams but there is a huge untapped market.

**BohsPartisan** · 06/08/2007, 7:21 PM

Originally Posted by cavan_fan

The problem is that the viewers of this forum are not representative of the people the league needs to attract.

Why not? I was more or less a barstooler untill 1999.

**micls** · 06/08/2007, 7:25 PM

Originally Posted by BohsPartisan

Why not? I was more or less a barstooler untill 1999.

And I till 2004

**holidaysong** · 06/08/2007, 9:02 PM

Originally Posted by cavan_fan

It struck me that one thing GAA has over soccer is that everyone has one and only one team to support. You'd be surprised to see a kid in one county wearing the jersey of another even if they live in a county with a sh*t team...

You should see the amount of Armagh jersey wearing people around Dundalk then! I'm sure some of them are from Co. Armagh but they can't all be.

**superfrank** · 06/08/2007, 9:04 PM

Originally Posted by cavan_fan

You may all have chosen teams but there is a huge untapped market.

Unfortunately there is no magic formula. European runs bring limited exposure and gloryhunting fans. Guilt-tripping doesn't work. All the other football fans out there will watch the el when they want to. Simple as.

**BohsPartisan** · 06/08/2007, 10:18 PM

Originally Posted by superfrank

Unfortunately there is no magic formula. European runs bring limited exposure and gloryhunting fans. Guilt-tripping doesn't work. All the other football fans out there will watch the el when they want to. Simple as.

How about subliminal advertising on Sky Sports?

**LeixlipRed** · 06/08/2007, 10:23 PM

Originally Posted by BohsPartisan

How about subliminal advertising on Sky Sports?

An ad in Chris Kiwomya's afro perhaps?

EDIT: Not Chris Kiwoyma, who's that guy?? The guy with hair. Who's black

**gustavo** · 06/08/2007, 10:30 PM

Originally Posted by LeixlipRed

An ad in Chris Kiwomya's afro perhaps?

EDIT: Not Chris Kiwoyma, who's that guy?? The guy with hair. Who's black

Chris Kamara?

**BohsPartisan** · 06/08/2007, 10:30 PM

Originally Posted by Rocketfingers

What changed Bohs P and Micls from Barstoller EL nutter/fan ?

Subliminal advertising on Sky Sports?

**LeixlipRed** · 06/08/2007, 10:34 PM

Originally Posted by gustavo

Chris Kamara?

That's him

**micls** · 06/08/2007, 11:47 PM

Originally Posted by Rocketfingers

What changed Bohs P and Micls from Barstoller EL nutter/fan ?

Was dragged kicking and screaming to the first game by GavinZac.....then I was hooked

Saying that I was lucky(or unlucky depending what day you ask) it was the 3-1 win against Malmo instead of a 0-0 draw with UCD or Longford....

**Macy** · 07/08/2007, 9:21 AM

I'm not sure I get the logic... I'm from Cavan so I couldn't support Longford Town (for example) as they don't represent me, so I'll support a team from Manchester/Liverpool/London/Glasgow instead? If they have no connection with another Irish team how the feck do they make the leap to justifying a Brit one?

I'd agree with TonyD on the GAA comparison not really stacking up. We always get the comparison with big championship games, not with national leagues or provincial cups. Essentially the Irish are a nation of part timers, be that football, rugby or GAA. Football is just unfortunate in that regard that our main competition is on a 33 game basis not a 5-10 game basis like the sports that purport to draw massive crowds in comparison.