eircom League Advertising

[A face]

Lads, start of a new season and we've all been away from football over the last few months. From time to time we hear of managers and chairmen giving out about low crowds for various reasons but what is actually being done to tackle this. Can people list up here what their club is doing to advertise games ? and has it improved from last year.

The premier division clubs should ALL be targeting the biggest crowds possible but i dont know if that is the case. What is your club doing about it ??

[pineapple stu]

I don't think we're concentrating enough on that end at all, unfortunately. We're a very small club in terms of people running it - quite possibly the smallest in the league - and time does be taken up with other things.

There used the be the traditional covering of the walls of Belfield with posters for games; however, this has been abandoned after student wasters were discovered to be wasters. Now, we're concentrating on the local area. Individual games aren't advertised as yet - though it's something we've talked about trying to get the time to do. There's always a big write-up on UCD games in the college papers (and the likes of Dundalk and Pat's fans have written regular reports in the last few years). A soccer camp runs every year, to which we get about 500 kids. They are automatically joined up to the Supporters' Club - along with anyone who wants to join at games or who sees our section in the Herald's Supporters' Club notes (we have members in Liverpool, Nottingham and America). They all get a monthly newsletter with a covering e-mail detailing upcoming games (the games are listed in the newsletter as well just to rub it in). Tried to get one of the local papers involved this season, but either they're as disorganised as we are or they just weren't interested. Nothing's really changed from last year.

[Cosmo]

Drogs are doing nothing as a club to promote the club locally.

The supoprters organised a PR day in the town last season (with no help what so ever from the club) which resulted in our biggest league attendance in years. That is proof for any club that it makes a difference - so go out and promote your club ffs!!

This season the supporters might make another whack at it - we'll see........ (well i suppose its asking too much for the club to do it )

I'm one of these people that believe its not solely alright to blame the fai for the (non) promotion of the EL - its time clubs got up off their a*ses and promoted their own club locally

[A face]

I'm one of these people that believe its not solely alright to blame the fai for the (non) promotion of the EL - its time clubs got up off their a*ses and promoted their own club locally

I totally agree with ya, even though the FAI is a grey area, it is the league itself that should be doing the advertising.

But definitely, the clubs themselves need to put in the effort i.e. the PR days

There is one thing that clubs are definitely not doing, and that is taking advantage of the radio, newspaper coverage that is available to them. If any club wants sponsorship in any shape or form, they need to be utilising this exposure and they simply are not doing this.


Just want to add this aswell, seem like Bohs are taking the right approach.

Their Commercial & Advertising Manager seems to be open and honest anyway.

[Cosmo]

A face we (drogs supporters) have proof that it works (ill pass on the photos, advise and record of the gate receipts to anyone that wants to see the proof that it does work).

It may be down to the FAI to promote the league on the wider scale - BUT THE CLUBS HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO PROMOTE THEIR CLUB LOCALLY THROUGH PR STUNTS, etc - lay off the FAI unless your club does everything possible to promote your club (not saying the FAI help, but the clubs have a big responsibility too)

[SeanDrog]

Cosmo - I think you are being very harsh on the club there, they have done the following which appears to be more than most clubs.

1. Large road side signs on both of the main roads into and out of the town advertising each and every home game with details of kick off etc.

2. Have a dedicated 1/4 page panel in the sports section of the Drogheda Independent soley for club news each week.

3. The DI has given a degree of sponsorship to the club and it is also noticable how much full page coverage we are getting in the paper.

4. The club has a car and van with crest etc all over them going around the town.

5. The club has a mailing list for all people with e-mail to sign up through the main site - annoucnements are made usually once or twice a week.

6. The Leeds match could be argued as a PR plus for the club with half the cash going to the Cancer fund in the town.

7. Vincent Hoey is often in the paper and on the radio promoting the club.

Right they might go to the shcools (which apparently they paln to do), they might have a few PR type days on the town but aprt from that what else can they do within reason (obviously RTE adverts are out etc)

[A face]

I could be wrong on this but here is Cork City FC's advertising ...

RedFM is a club sponsor and give very good coverage it has to be said.

If there is an event on, then all the papers etc. are informed and radio stations.

The fixtures aren't listed in any paper to my knowledge which is a big mistake

There is a limited poster campaign for each game.

There used to a notice of the next game outside the ground but it is not there anymore. There are no other signs, bill boards to my knowledge anywhere in the City

The website is excellent and very informative

The programme is excellent and gives good forecasted info (obviously time constraints, having to go to print etc.)


To be honest ..... i dont think there is half enough being done on this side of things. When a large (majority) section of the local population dont know that games are on, then the advertising is obviously not working.

[CollegeTillIDie]

I don't think we're concentrating enough on that end at all, unfortunately. We're a very small club in terms of people running it - quite possibly the smallest in the league - and time does be taken up with other things.

There used the be the traditional covering of the walls of Belfield with posters for games; however, this has been abandoned after student wasters were discovered to be wasters. Now, we're concentrating on the local area. Individual games aren't advertised as yet - though it's something we've talked about trying to get the time to do. There's always a big write-up on UCD games in the college papers (and the likes of Dundalk and Pat's fans have written regular reports in the last few years). A soccer camp runs every year, to which we get about 500 kids. They are automatically joined up to the Supporters' Club - along with anyone who wants to join at games or who sees our section in the Herald's Supporters' Club notes (we have members in Liverpool, Nottingham and America). They all get a monthly newsletter with a covering e-mail detailing upcoming games (the games are listed in the newsletter as well just to rub it in). Tried to get one of the local papers involved this season, but either they're as disorganised as we are or they just weren't interested. Nothing's really changed from last year.

When I applied for the job that Diarmuid McNally eventually got I had to think a lot about this issue. I had a number of ideas some of which Diarmuid also had and he has implemented. One of the other ideas I had was, a mini-appointments page in the Program. Part-time jobs , in shops both on and off campus could be advertised on one page. You could sell three lines for a small fee; and a quarter page for slightly more.
And the programs could be sold in the Sports Centre the week after the home game for people interested in part-time work who do not attend games. This would obviously be more for the September- December part of the season with the current summer season. It could be replaced in the first half of the season with a series of articles.

[Cosmo]

You're right a face, its nowhere near enough

I cant understand why all clubs cant do the simple and most effective thing like 'hitting' the schools on a consistent basis, players giving the kids the odd training session, visiting childrens wards, etc. We've been promised this for 2 seasons now and it still hasn'r even started .

Players visiting schools on a consistent basis is the main thing that should be done by clubs imo (especailly full time clubs - no excuses)

[sullanefc]

The fixtures aren't listed in any paper to my knowledge which is a big mistake

There used to a notice of the next game outside the ground but it is not there anymore. There are no other signs, bill boards to my knowledge anywhere in the City

2 things the club should look into. A bill board with details of the next game on patrick st somewhere would be a good idea and have the full fixture list in the echo everytime they report CCFC news.

[noby]

A bill board with details of the next game on patrick st somewhere would be a good idea

Wouldn't be very cheap, I'd imagine

[patsh]

2 things the club should look into. A bill board with details of the next game on patrick st somewhere would be a good idea and have the full fixture list in the echo everytime they report CCFC news.

To be fair to the Echo, it aways makes a big deal of upcoming City games. Anyone who buys it cannot help but notice that a game is on.

I still think that some sort of deal should be done with a different school for each game where a class or group, gets in for a set figure, costing about €5 per child, and they are all put together in a section, get a small flag/balloons or something. If we get even 5 or 6 children from every week who want to become regulars and drag their dad along, it would be worth it.

[A face]

If the club were trying to set something like that up, would they have to approach each individual schools or is there a board or schools association in the surrounding area they could contact ??

I'd imagine that if it were each individual school then it could prove to be very hard work (obviously it would pay off in the long run, i know) and any club would have to make a concerted effort to get it up and running.