Decline of Crowds at Derry

**London-Irish** · 02/06/2008, 6:44 PM

I remember when Derry City first joined the League of Ireland and they were featured on BBC1's Football Focus for attracting capacity crowds of 10,000 to 12,000 every week. Now they only seem to attract a quarter of that. Did the interest dry up?

**Candystripe** · 02/06/2008, 8:22 PM

Not really, Sky sports happened so many became armchair supporters.

We can still get roughly 6k for bigger games.

**Grey Boy** · 02/06/2008, 8:49 PM

Was it really 10-12K every week?

**Aaron** · 02/06/2008, 9:10 PM

Originally Posted by Grey Boy

Was it really 10-12K every week?

Yes back in 1985 - 1990. After our treble season, crowds started to decline. Jim McLaughlin left shortly after, alot of the players left, the club started to suffer financially. You could say we are only now starting to get close to the same crowds. Home to Harps earlier this season we had over 7,000.

**Paddyfield** · 02/06/2008, 9:13 PM

I recall Derry playing Garda FC (yeah, Irish cops playing in Londonderry

in the FAI Cup during what some people called The Troubles. It was a news item on RTE because of the security implications that the game presented. Anyway, there were over 10,000 Derry fans and zero Garda fans.

Is it true that there weren't any RUC officers at the game?

**Aaron** · 02/06/2008, 9:20 PM

Originally Posted by Paddyfield

I recall Derry playing Garda FC (yeah, Irish cops playing in Londonderry

in the FAI Cup during what some people called The Troubles. It was a news item on RTE because of the security implications that the game presented. Anyway, there were over 10,000 Derry fans and zero Garda fans.

Is it true that there weren't any RUC officers at the game?

We dont need any form of police presence in our ground, we are well capable of looking after ourselves

**A face** · 02/06/2008, 11:33 PM

Originally Posted by manic da hoop

Which leaves the away fans at the mercy of the thug stewards...

Has there ever been an incident with Derry Stewards?

not that i can recall anyway.

**dcfcsteve** · 03/06/2008, 12:34 AM

Originally Posted by manic da hoop

Which leaves the away fans at the mercy of the thug stewards...

Hoops fans usualy seem happier to be left at the mercy of each other on your visits to the Bandywell.....

**dcfcsteve** · 03/06/2008, 12:39 AM

Originally Posted by Paddyfield

I recall Derry playing Garda FC (yeah, Irish cops playing in Londonderry

in the FAI Cup during what some people called The Troubles. It was a news item on RTE because of the security implications that the game presented. Anyway, there were over 10,000 Derry fans and zero Garda fans.

Is it true that there weren't any RUC officers at the game?

All our games at that time were 10,000 sell-outs.

The Garda game was noteable for a nearby bomb scare prior, and for the presence of people on the rooftop of a house overlooking the Brandywell with a banner that read 'Garda pro-Brit b@stards'....

There have never been uniiformed police officers at a City game in the Brandywell since our return to football. I thought that was well known...?

**London-Irish** · 03/06/2008, 4:12 PM

Originally Posted by City till I Die

Yes back in 1985 - 1990. After our treble season, crowds started to decline. Jim McLaughlin left shortly after, alot of the players left, the club started to suffer financially. You could say we are only now starting to get close to the same crowds. Home to Harps earlier this season we had over 7,000.

How can you fit 7,000 in at the Brandywell? I would think the new stand has about 2,500 seats, the old stand has 500. There is very little room behind either goal. The terracing on the side of the old stand can probably hold about 1,500. So that makes 4,500 in total?

**Raheny Red** · 03/06/2008, 4:45 PM

Originally Posted by A face

Has there ever been an incident with Derry Stewards?

not that i can recall anyway.

Over-the-top stewarding at its finest...

**dcfcsteve** · 03/06/2008, 4:49 PM

Originally Posted by London-Irish

How can you fit 7,000 in at the Brandywell? I would think the new stand has about 2,500 seats, the old stand has 500. There is very little room behind either goal. The terracing on the side of the old stand can probably hold about 1,500. So that makes 4,500 in total?

You can fit 6,000 into the Brandywell easily (since the uncovered seating went in over Summer 2006, the capacity will have come down from the 7,000). Have you been there LI ?

Are you London-based at the moment ? You seem to be a fellow EL history buff - let me know if you fancy chewing the LOI cud over a beer some time

**dcfcsteve** · 03/06/2008, 4:49 PM

Originally Posted by Raheny Red

Over-the-top stewarding at its finest...

Any incidents to re-cant, or just an unfounded allegation ?

**London-Irish** · 03/06/2008, 5:16 PM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

You can fit 6,000 into the Brandywell easily (since the uncovered seating went in over Summer 2006, the capacity will have come down from the 7,000). Have you been there LI ?

Are you London-based at the moment ? You seem to be a fellow EL history buff - let me know if you fancy chewing the LOI cud over a beer some time

I haven't been since they put uncovered seating in, but could only see space for about 4,500 before that. There were 3,000 seats when I went there and no way could they get 3,000 on the terrace on the old stand side.

**Candystripe** · 03/06/2008, 6:35 PM

Over 12,000 where at this game in 89'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zEMc...eature=related

They ended up losing in the final that season.

**dcfcsteve** · 05/06/2008, 1:45 PM

Originally Posted by Candystripe

Over 12,000 where at this game in 89'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zEMc...eature=related

They ended up losing in the final that season.

That's just RTE plucking a figure out of their arse though Candystripe.

I'm 99.9% certain the Brandywell capacity has never been as high as 12,000 since we came back into football.

**London-Irish** · 05/06/2008, 2:59 PM

So how can you fit 6,000 people into the different sections of the ground?

**Candystripe** · 05/06/2008, 10:29 PM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

That's just RTE plucking a figure out of their arse though Candystripe.

I'm 99.9% certain the Brandywell capacity has never been as high as 12,000 since we came back into football.

To be fair to RTE the new stand was just completed (the two end sections) and they had yet to put seats in which would have been the max the Brandywell could ever have held.

At the Celtic game there were about 10k...maybe slighly more,totally crammed in.

**Sheridan** · 05/06/2008, 10:42 PM

It's a good thing there were no peelers at the Cork match or Sean Bean would have been in trouble for killing all those people in Patriot Games.

**dancinpants** · 06/06/2008, 5:09 AM

Originally Posted by London-Irish

So how can you fit 6,000 people into the different sections of the ground?

The "Jungle Side" held plenty back in the 80's. The Old Stand itself, the patch between that and the Glentoran Stand, infront of the Glentoran Stand and then around the bend towards the "tunnel"

And then before the "New Stand" went in, that side held a savage amount of people....you have to take into consideration the sheer depth of that area. If I'm not mistaken 13,000 is the record attendance at the Brandy.