Match Advice Please

**FootyMom** · 11/10/2007, 11:35 AM

Hey There,

I am taking my son to the Ireland match on Saturday. He is a football

fanatic and this is his first Ireland match as it is mine. I am wondering first off if anyone knows if it is possible to meet the team and if so how and where, also does anyone think it would be suitable to take him to the fanfest. He is ten years old.

Cheers,
FootyMom.

Any help much appreciated.

**FootyMom** · 11/10/2007, 12:21 PM

Come on lads help a mother out........

**RonnieB** · 11/10/2007, 12:53 PM

Maybe he could see the team as they leave the team hotel, it used to be in Malahide?? I am more than likely wrong. Cant see why it wouldnt be suitable bar people drinking in view of him but there should be a nice atmosphear at it. Even if it is in Richmond park

**AidoM** · 11/10/2007, 1:05 PM

Originally Posted by FootyMom

Hey There,

I am taking my son to the Ireland match on Saturday. He is a football

fanatic and this is his first Ireland match as it is mine. I am wondering first off if anyone knows if it is possible to meet the team and if so how and where, also does anyone think it would be suitable to take him to the fanfest. He is ten years old.

Cheers,
FootyMom.

Any help much appreciated.

Hi Mom,

You don't say where you are based - Dublin or outside. The team train (usually mornings) in the Malahide United ground which is on the coast road between Portmarnock and Malahide. (You couldn't negect his education to bring him there

)They will probably have a session in Croke Park (tonight??) and you could meet them at either. They stay in the Portmarnock Country Club Hotel in Portmarnock, but not sure how available they would be there.

I'm not sure if it would be possible to meet the team after the game as they are likely to be heading straight back to the hotel.

Remmber they will be around for the Cyprus match on Wednesday and will be training next week also.

The fanfest is a new venture for home games and should be good fun, particularly if it turns out as well as the one in Germany last year. It will give him a chance to see and meet with Irish and German fans and would broaden his mind and make up for any loss created in his formal education by meeting the team during school time

**paul_oshea** · 11/10/2007, 1:08 PM

ya, and make sure he brings along a poster saying delaney out!!

**FootyMom** · 11/10/2007, 1:17 PM

Much appreciated. Not sure about the poster thought, we are delaney's! No relation but still ...........

**citizenerased** · 11/10/2007, 1:53 PM

are people bringin posters saturday, will they be taken off ya?

**AidoM** · 11/10/2007, 2:44 PM

Just noticed on the RTE website that the Irish team will train tomorrow (Friday) in Croke Park. It doesn't say what time but it will probably be morning as I think

the away team have first call on training on the pitch at match time.

**gspain** · 11/10/2007, 2:46 PM

It will be very hard to meet the team on saturday. Malahide is the better option on monday or Tuesday albeit both schooldays.

Probably no training on sunday.

enjoy.

**jmurphyc** · 11/10/2007, 2:52 PM

At Lansdowne they used to sign autographs about 20/30 mins after the game outside the tunnel before getting on the coach. Have they not been doing this at Croke Park? That'd be a way to (briefly) meet the team.

**SUB of the day** · 11/10/2007, 6:26 PM

If you do meet Stan, plead with him, with child in tow, "for the sake of the children please go"

**Superhoops** · 11/10/2007, 7:10 PM

Originally Posted by AidoM

Just noticed on the RTE website that the Irish team will train tomorrow (Friday) in Croke Park. It doesn't say what time but it will probably be morning as I think

the away team have first call on training on the pitch at match time.

They are training at Croke Park on Friday between 1100 and 1200. Usually they go in at the Cusack stand side. I think you will find that part of the training session is open only to the press.

Originally Posted by gspain

It will be very hard to meet the team on saturday. Malahide is the better option on monday or Tuesday albeit both schooldays.

Probably no training on sunday. enjoy.

Training at Malahide United between 1000 and 1100 on Sunday and between 1100 and 1200 on Monday.

On Tuesday they are training at Croke Park, same arrangements as Friday.

**Green Tribe** · 11/10/2007, 8:20 PM

AidoM stop stalking the team!

**onenilgameover** · 11/10/2007, 8:26 PM

The lads will sign and take pictures after training in Malahide if its an open session. Thats probably your best option alright.

**billybunter** · 11/10/2007, 10:47 PM

footy mom = you can e-mail the fai for the dates and times of practice at gannon park in malahide. I am speaking from experience when i tell you to call them on the morning of the session to reconfirm. I traveled from the united States last march for the home games with slovakia and wales (my 7 year old daughter has caught the supporting ireland bug!). I was told the ses on the monday after the saturday game (and before the lcovakia game on the wed night) was on was at 11.30. i called the fai the morning of the session and they reconfirmed the time. I left Bray at 9.15 to get to malahide in time (via dart). when i got there at 10.45 i was told the session was canceled until 3.30!! Anyhow, to make a long story short - i had a few pints and a bite to eat and walked around the lovely little town that is malahide , and went back up there for 3.30. when i got back the smallish crowd, about 20 and a few press, were told the session was closed until the last 15 minutes. We finally got in around 4.40, and caught a few of the players on the way out for a quick snap, and some autograqphs. (shane long, kevin kilbane, paul mcshane, lee carsley, stephen hunt, and mcgeady - and i have to say Stan was a gentleman - and very obliging to!!. ) - the rest of them seemed not bothered to say helllo to the few fans that had made the effort. Anyhow, all in all, typical fai organization, but worth it for my young one who was thrilled to meet the few lads that we were able to nab. The players stayed no more than 4-5 minutes to say hello, so I would keep expectations fairly low so that anything is a bonus for your little fella!. (and the team security, including that head security guy Tony Hickie look and behave like they are guarding the Dead sea scrolls - proper ar$eholes to be honest. anyhow that was my experience. ** i was dealing with a very nice and helpful woman (carolyn Donnelly) at the fai -to get the initial information - obvioulsy wasn't her fault how the day turned out, but you could try give her a shout at the general fai e-mail adress (listed on their website)

**AidoM** · 12/10/2007, 12:06 AM

Originally Posted by billybunter

.............and the team security, including that head security guy Tony Hickie look and behave like they are guarding the Dead sea scrolls - proper ar$eholes to be honest.

Never a truer word spoken - you should have seen him at the hotel in Bratislava on the Sunday afternoon - he was even worse - having, it appears, received some crash courses from the local "security assistants"

**stiofain** · 12/10/2007, 12:23 AM

Originally Posted by AidoM

Never a truer word spoken - you should have seen him at the hotel in Bratislava on the Sunday afternoon - he was even worse - having, it appears, received some crash courses from the local "security assistants"

Yes AidoM, i was going to mention that. The way he behaved that day was shamefull. Very disappointing after standing around for an hour waiting to wish the lads well.

**billybunter** · 12/10/2007, 1:43 AM

Originally Posted by stiofain

Yes AidoM, i was going to mention that. The way he behaved that day was shamefull. Very disappointing after standing around for an hour waiting to wish the lads well.

there is another thread on here someplace which talks about how soft the irish fans are,and while I absolutely do not agree with taking an english approach to resolving our current managerial ineptitude, i really feel it is disgusting how poorly the fai and some of their appointed representatives behave towards fans. They are held to no standard of accountability as to how they deal with the public. I have had several experiences of supporting ireland (like a lot of people on here have) and I can tell you that they do a proper job of making you feel like a nuisance to the team, when its not unreasonable to expect a few autographs. The most recent example was the friendly against bolivia in Boston. While neither the players or the entire staff took the trip seriously, they dont realize the effort and expense that some fans go to in order to support the team. I personally looked forward to that trip since it was first announced, and while I could'nt afford to take in both games, i booked a flight (from florida) and hotel in Boston to take in the Bolivia game. I dont think its unreasonable for the players and team to take 15-20 minutes to mingle with supporters after such a game. We put up with the cost, put up with the shiite performance and "could care less" attitude on the pitch (gamble, long and the cork center half that moved to reading -name escapes me at the minute, but he made his debut in that game and they are exempt from this rant). Then they gallop of down the tunnel at the final whistle!! (if they were half as lively in the preceding 90 minutes we would have beaten the bolivians!). Even the bolivian players (even their big star over here in the states Jaime Moreno included) were sporting and posed for snaps and a few handshakes. I love supporting Ireland, and have done for the past 25 years, but they sure do their best to turn you off following them!!

**theworm2345** · 12/10/2007, 4:14 AM

Wow, you're a good mom, my mom wouldn't let me fly there last year out of my own pocket (as college was/is coming up, and I had a midterm, I had to stay and study for it

)

**FootyMom** · 15/10/2007, 9:30 AM

Well I won't lie, I had the best time and my son really enjoyed his first match experience. I think he was in shock for the whole game. He idolises the Irish team and could not believe he was getting to watch his country play!!!

We waited around until almost eleven o clock trying to get him an autograph (He would have been happy even to see one of the team from afar) but yes we were made to feel like complete nuisances and ran off the grounds. There was only about five or six people waiting around but the officials were not happy and insisted we nicely get lost! We managed to get to see the German bus leave and even this to my son was a huge deal. I felt dissapointed for him though. I realise these players have manic schedules but there were only a handful of fans waiting around, two mins is all it would have taken to say hi. Anyways hope to bring him see them training of course when he is off school!

All in all a great experience though.

(Heard the german team signed some autographs and the irish boys refused)