Sligo Rovers Chairman

**Macy** · 25/07/2008, 9:37 AM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

There's no reason why live football couldn't become part of families' Summer activity 'rota', and thereby provide a huge boost to league attendances.

btw, P1 seem to think different as they propose the AIPL to be a winter season and I thought they were the bees knee's when it came to marketing, if they're going to deliver their 150% attendance increases.

**GuisaSaigon** · 25/07/2008, 9:42 AM

Originally Posted by gustavo

You seem to care enough about us to come up with a vareity of "hilarious" nicknames and phrases for us, Well done you!

Well you are a fairly "hilarious" bunch. Thanks!

**sullanefc** · 25/07/2008, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by GuisaSaigon

Haha,
I couldn't give a toss about your shower of moaning farmers, If you read me original post you would have noticed that I felt embarrassed for the League not Shligo Rovers. The moaning out of you lot is unreal. You paid too much to players and have nothing to play for so your fans have deserted you. It's got nothing to do with housewives taking kids to the beach, or glamour GAA games against London. Do us all a favour, stop moaning and get on with sorting your club out.

Well said that man.

**dcfcsteve** · 25/07/2008, 11:11 AM

Originally Posted by Macy

btw, P1 seem to think different as they propose the AIPL to be a winter season and I thought they were the bees knee's when it came to marketing, if they're going to deliver their 150% attendance increases.

I prefer Summer football personally, but that's not to say that Winter football couldn't work as part of a properly marketed league.

Most of Europe sems to make winter football work.

The worst of both worlds would be a return to Winter football with a continuance of the FAI's non-marketing of our league. In other words - we continue to be viewed as the equivalent of a second-hand 1970's Skoda, so no-one new is attracted, and we make it more diffiuclt for our current small pool of fans to tolerate weatching our league. Worst of both.

**Macy** · 25/07/2008, 12:03 PM

They obviously believe it would be easier to market in a winter season, though, so it turns out the sligo chairman, and other provincial clubs have a point. If it was purely marketing levels, then P1 would do so for a summer season rather than make the majority of clubs the propose for their league change back to winter.

**Dodge** · 25/07/2008, 12:14 PM

Originally Posted by jebus

Re: Winter vs Summer football, I think the simple answer is that it is easier to get non-LoI fans to go in the summer than in the winter. Ask a non-LoI supporting friend of yours to a game on a sunny day and they just might go along, ask them to go a day when it is cold and lashing rain and they'll probably laugh in your face

As macy said, there's more option on a Friday in July than there are in a Friday in November. I know people who used to go to games because there literally wans't anything else to do (bar drink but that’s taken care of anyway)

Speaking form personal experience, a few years ago I missed about 2 games in about 4 years. Last few seasons I've missed 3/4 per season. Now if the only thing I actually want to do is go to Pats games but I still have to miss them, just imagine the blokes who don't really care about them

I prefer summer football, mainly because the weather's nicer but I don't think it has improved crowds at all. Another point to remember is that most fans here had been wildly overestimating their crowds for years and with the absience of actual figures a kind of rose tinted view may be had of these "thousands" who turned up 5-10 years ago.

**Fivesilver** · 25/07/2008, 12:36 PM

It's funny to see the common thread of Cork fans going on about proper running of clubs. During the existence of Sligo Rovers, how many teams have disappeared in the city with the second-largest population in the country? Not to mention Cork losing one of the country's best soccer grounds, followed by the Bishopstown debacle. Only last season there was plenty of crying about taxes owed and the danger to the existence of the club in the post-fish & chips man era. And in recent days it's been suggested that Arkaga will take their ball and go home if Drury doesn't get his way.

**90minutes** · 25/07/2008, 1:00 PM

Originally Posted by srfc1928

Sligo Borough and its district would be predominently "soccer"
south county Sligo, where Toolan is from would be Gah country.

id agree that south sligo is mainly GAA. but there is still a good few that head to the showgrounds every week. As well as that Real Tubber have 2 former players in the senior squad

**paudie** · 25/07/2008, 2:17 PM

Originally Posted by Macy

btw, P1 seem to think different as they propose the AIPL to be a winter season and I thought they were the bees knee's when it came to marketing, if they're going to deliver their 150% attendance increases.

I'd imagine a big factor in the proposed winter season for the AIPL is the fact that matches in NI during the marching season would be a security "issue" to say the least.

Linfield v Shamrock Rovers in mid July might be a problem.

**Dodge** · 25/07/2008, 2:44 PM

Originally Posted by paudie

I'd imagine a big factor in the proposed winter season for the AIPL is the fact that matches in NI during the marching season would be a security "issue" to say the least.

Linfield v Shamrock Rovers in mid July might be a problem.

easily avoided. Just make sure that game doesn't happen in July

**Sniffer** · 25/07/2008, 2:58 PM

Wasn't summer football supposed to be an experiment, rather than a fixture?

**placid casual** · 25/07/2008, 3:24 PM

Originally Posted by GuisaSaigon

Haha,
I couldn't give a toss about your shower of moaning farmers, If you read me original post you would have noticed that I felt embarrassed for the League not Shligo Rovers. The moaning out of you lot is unreal. You paid too much to players and have nothing to play for so your fans have deserted you. It's got nothing to do with housewives taking kids to the beach, or glamour GAA games against London. Do us all a favour, stop moaning and get on with sorting your club out.

A++.
the amount of she-eite that pervades this forum is always interspersed by a modicum of common sense.

If i bothered me hole to vote for a post of the month that would be the leading candidate

**Dodge** · 25/07/2008, 3:25 PM

Originally Posted by Sniffer

Wasn't summer football supposed to be an experiment, rather than a fixture?

No, unlike previous efforts (10 team league, top 6/bottom 6) there was no set period on this "and we'll assess how things are then"

**mypost** · 25/07/2008, 3:33 PM

Sligo, GAA stronghold?

When was the last time they won an All-Ireland, seriously??

**Fivesilver** · 25/07/2008, 3:35 PM

Originally Posted by mypost

Sligo, GAA stronghold?

When was the last time they won an All-Ireland, seriously??

You got that one spot-on, Cup Specialist.

**srfc1928** · 25/07/2008, 6:47 PM

Originally Posted by mypost

Sligo, GAA stronghold?

When was the last time they won an All-Ireland, seriously??

who ever said it was a Gaa stronghold ?

**pete** · 25/07/2008, 11:07 PM

Can any one explain to me why Sligo are losing money? Did they also lose money last season? What changed from a few months ago?

As far as I can tell attendances are up this season?

The last year Sligo were in the Premier division prior to summer football the crowds were in the hundreds & not thousands...

**deecay** · 26/07/2008, 12:24 AM

Originally Posted by GuisaSaigon

your fans have deserted you

Can you explian this? Oh wait you cant because your talking crazy

**forza rovers** · 26/07/2008, 8:38 AM

Originally Posted by pete

Can any one explain to me why Sligo are losing money? Did they also lose money last season? What changed from a few months ago?

As far as I can tell attendances are up this season?

The last year Sligo were in the Premier division prior to summer football the crowds were in the hundreds & not thousands...

we didn't pay the tax man and owed him 100k

**Red Army** · 26/07/2008, 9:57 AM

Originally Posted by Fivesilver

It's funny to see the common thread of Cork fans going on about proper running of clubs. During the existence of Sligo Rovers, how many teams have disappeared in the city with the second-largest population in the country? Not to mention Cork losing one of the country's best soccer grounds, followed by the Bishopstown debacle. Only last season there was plenty of crying about taxes owed and the danger to the existence of the club in the post-fish & chips man era. And in recent days it's been suggested that Arkaga will take their ball and go home if Drury doesn't get his way.

Very good post

The problem with Toolan is he is too quick to point the finger and blame our problems on other things. Ok for clubs like Rovers most our support would prefer professional winter football. Our crowds aren't down up they haven't increased either. We're getting the average what every other club is getting in our league position. Ideally we would love 5k at our home games but the league is a long way of that so we have to just get on with it. The reason why we are facing financial difficulties is because we are trying to keep up with clubs like Bohs, Drog, and Pats who have loads of money behind them. Our club has no money men behind us we are ran by the supporters and this is where our problem lies.
I don't question Toolans commitment to our club he is a loyal Rovers supporter but I feel he has taken Rovers as far as he can as chairman. But he is still needed within the club with his passion for Rovers but not as chairman.
You can see from his interview he's not a business man he's just an ordinary Jo so like any of us but we need more business men involved in the running of our club and a different set up how it is ran now. Whilst not taken it away from a community based club (which is hard to balance) hopefully something will come from the EGM and will take Rovers forward for another 80 years