so even in cavan, theres more hurling than rugby, who have only 2 clubs

flack (Dublin) - Posts: 1054 - 29/05/2015 19:31:11    1730126

You only need to be able to throw-together 11 or 12 lads to make a soccer team/club.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 29/05/2015 20:13:11    1730128

i think peoples view of rugby following is skewed. id hazard a guess that soccer clubs inireland have a bigger following than rugby clubs. is there not around 5,000 regular punters at Turners Cross for Cork City games? how many do Cork Con get? do Galway Utd get more at thier games than Galwegians? Limerick City are prob the only club to get less than the citys rugby clubs. belfast soccer such as Linfield and Glentoran would get a lot more than Belfast rugby clubs. if all the soccer teams in leinster were joined together and same in munster and ulster sure they would have serious crowds and stadia espically if they were playing the like of Hibernian,Hearts, Cardiff city, Leeds Utd in a mini British isles League thing which is exactly what the Rabo league is

dickie10 (UK) - Posts: 693 - 29/05/2015 20:51:08    1730140

We are a nation of event Junkies and Rugby is the main sport of the Media, Big business and finance and the legal and professional classes that dominate this country before the recent madness came to a head in this country .

Rugby is the only professional sport based in the country that gives us an international presence and the international attention we crave although in world and international sport terms rugby is quite small.

The big grassroot sports in this country are soccer and the GAA and these are largely unknown to the Dublin based media.

Linebacker (Wexford) - Posts: 100 - 29/05/2015 21:13:02    1730148

Funny thing happens in Wexford. Say oulart. They've an amazing soccer team during the winter months but they only play to keep fit for the hurling. Once the hurling restarts the soccer Team just give everybody walkovers

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 2695 - 30/05/2015 09:32:51    1730171

How is it possible to measure attendance at games where attendance is not recorded? Most of the club league games I attend - and this is senior hurling - have free admittance. It is a different matter for the championship, of course, but most of the hurling played would be league hurling. I don't think that there is anywhere the same volume of people playing soccer in an organized manner as hurling. This is Ireland, of course, where statistics is polite word for lies.

Midleton (Cork) - Posts: 643 - 30/05/2015 13:10:40    1730208

RE: Keeper

As a fellow Longford man I see you mention that Cavan have 8 underage hurling teams in the county now....how come something similar is not occuring in our own county? Surely Cavan will pass us out in the next 10 years.

mrblob (Longford) - Posts: 71 - 30/05/2015 14:44:27    1730229

is Hurling a "minority sport" in Ireland ?
29/05/2015 08:21:45 Liamwalkinstown
We always hear Lad's here refer to rugby as a minority sport, just wondering, by their rationale is hurling then also a minority sport? Only played to a high level by 8/9 out of 32 counties. Practically ignored by over 14 counties...... rugby is played just as much at underage nationally, probably even more. We know football and soccer are out 2 biggest games, but what's next? Rugby isnt a minority sport and Hurling isnt either. Had to say which sport is next? What would you use to list the sports? Attendances, playing numbers??
29/05/2015 13:22:09 TheHermit
I'd be confident enough hurling would outstrip rugby in terms or affiliated clubs, registered players, underage structures,match attendances and tv audience.
I mean Liam you stated arbitrary that its only played at the top level by 8-9 counties. That's always the problem when people talk about hurling, they think a lack of success at inter-county level means there is sweet eff all hurling played in those counties. I'm from a village in North Kerry which is at the centre of hurling's heartland in the county. There is a vibrant, intense and passionate hurling community in Kerry, many of whom would have little enough time for the football. The upward curve of the Kerry hurling team is finally showing the country proof of this. There's hundreds of youngsters in Kerry who play hurling every week and outside of the 4-5 major towns there is no rugby clubs. I'm sure its a similar situation in most of the Christy Ring grade counties.
Hurling is at least the third sport in Ireland and it could be a lot closer to soccer than people think... When you say underage structures how does hurling outstrip rugby? What do you mean by this? Wouldn't be so sure on clubs or players.

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 30/05/2015 15:32:51    1730242

29/05/2015 14:23:33 ZUL10
Rugby is no longer a minority sport and one could argue it never was. Minority sports are Judo, Squash, Sailing, cycling etc. Hurling will be on our TVs every week for the next 3 months with huge viewing figures. You could harldy clasify it as a minority sport even if it has been passsed out by rugby in terms participation which I doubt. Agree in parts with you but how will Hurling be on tv every week for the next 3 months?
29/05/2015 15:05:16 fabio8
a higher profile liam?>..you have to realise the casual nature in which rugby is followed largely by people in this country...basically the national team and whatever province is going well....the participation levels have improved but they are still way off the bigger sports...there is only 1 rugby club in a good few countiesrubbish Fabio. How many counties is a "good few" where there is only 1 rugby club?
29/05/2015 15:05:43 MesAmis
Football and soccer are the two major sports in Ireland. No doubt about that.
In terms of media presence rugby is on a par with the two above for obvious reasons but is a long way behind both in terms of particpation/membership of clubs and attendances compared to football especially.
Rugby is probably ahead of hurling in terms of media presence but I'd doubt it comes anywhere near it in terms of participation and membership. Take Dublin for example, hurling is far more widely played here than rugby at club level both underage and adult as well as particulaily in schools.
Hurling is probably a minority sport but it is a very healthy one, as is rugby by the way but rugby's popularity is skewed slightly imo.How is rugby's popularity skewed?
Rugby in terms of media coverage gets the coverage it does as it is the premier pro team sport in the country. Provinces are biggest pro teams in sport in Ireland. Hurling played more widely in schools than rugby? Varies on area In Dublin.

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 30/05/2015 16:16:04    1730263

29/05/2015 15:15:44 flack
no. By that reckoning, all sports are "minority" except the most played one, and even that wouyld be played by a minority of people in the country. Its streets ahead of rugby in participation, even in southeast dublin, the rugger b*ggers came begging cap in hand to Cuala. Id agree with Zulu, I wouldnt call rugby a minority sport either, I think peopla say that when referring to the exorbitant amount of media coverage it gets. (This isnt directed at you oromndo, so please dont copy ant paste it a hundred times) No need for the name calling especially the issue regarding a certain rugby club.
Hurling isn't streets ahead of rugby in participation in country as a whole.

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 30/05/2015 16:18:53    1730265

29/05/2015 15:33:34 PucABoutYe
I just think hurling has poor media coverage in counties that haven't won an All-Ireland. For example, as far as I can tell there are 58 adult rugby clubs in Ulster, and 78 hurling clubs. Yet rugby probably gets 10x the media coverage even at club level. i.e schools cup is televised. Is the media biased? Or is are hurling people and the GAA in general not doing enough PR work? If some County boards dont even have hurling fixtures and results mentioned on their websites, why would they expect newspapers etc to do so.
In my opinion its a mixture of both. Obviously the fact that rugby has an international dimension means that it will always have an advantage when it comes not just to media attention but sponsership as well.
It's frustrating that hurling is considered weak in ulster even though its argubaly the 3rd biggest sport after gaelic and soccer. Maybe we need to put forward a more positive marketing campaign for hurling. Some kids growing up in these areas and other parts of the country, belive that the sport is unpopular. How many teams do those hurling clubs in Ulster field compared to numbers of teams fielded by the rugby clubs. Schools final of rugby is televised in Ulster the same as the gaelic football mcrory cup final.
Media isn't biased. Hurling isn't third biggest in Ulster. There is no hurling or very very little in many counties in Ulster.

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 30/05/2015 16:21:29    1730268

29/05/2015 20:51:08 dickie10
i think peoples view of rugby following is skewed. id hazard a guess that soccer clubs inireland have a bigger following than rugby clubs. is there not around 5,000 regular punters at Turners Cross for Cork City games? how many do Cork Con get? do Galway Utd get more at thier games than Galwegians? Limerick City are prob the only club to get less than the citys rugby clubs. belfast soccer such as Linfield and Glentoran would get a lot more than Belfast rugby clubs. if all the soccer teams in leinster were joined together and same in munster and ulster sure they would have serious crowds and stadia espically if they were playing the like of Hibernian,Hearts, Cardiff city, Leeds Utd in a mini British isles League thing which is exactly what the Rabo league is Cant compare Cork City in Soccer to Cork Con. Or Galway United to Wegians. If Con/Dolphin/Well/Highfield etc were one combined side then you could but its very different.
Where are you going with british isles league in soccer and mentioning leeds united....
Perhaps they could look at a celtic league In soccer but there is no way FIFA/UEFA would allow it and where would the finance for it come from. FAI?
29/05/2015 21:13:02 Linebacker
We are a nation of event Junkies and Rugby is the main sport of the Media, Big business and finance and the legal and professional classes that dominate this country before the recent madness came to a head in this country .
Rugby is the only professional sport based in the country that gives us an international presence and the international attention we crave although in world and international sport terms rugby is quite small.
The big grassroot sports in this country are soccer and the GAA and these are largely unknown to the Dublin based media. tired outdated clichés. Rugby in international terms isn't that small a sport. Rugby isn't the main sport of the media/big business/finance/legal/professional classes.
How In the world are GAA/Soccer largely unknown to the media? What is Dublin based media? Who do you mean by that?

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 30/05/2015 16:27:11    1730273

Mr.Blob,

"As a fellow Longford man I see you mention that Cavan have 8 underage hurling teams in the county now....how come something similar is not occuring in our own county? Surely Cavan will pass us out in the next 10 years."

In Cavan they decided to scrap the senior team (which was probably made up of a lot of blow-ins) & channel the money saved into underage development. They employed a very ambitious young man from Waterford to oversee the project over 3 years & they got further support from the Ulster Council. It's a long time since Longford have done that. We haven't fielded at U21 level since 2006.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 30/05/2015 16:38:32    1730277

In Meath it would very much be a minority sport apart from trim and areas around it.
And believe it or not even in Westmeath, who have enjoyed relative success for a so called weaker county its a minority sport. Sure even in the hurling top areas its not as widely accessible as football, in thinking in particular of Offaly and maybe even Galway?? Bow im open to correction on Galway , but football is by far the bigger in Meath , neither of my past clubs have even a hurling team or amalgamation.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 30/05/2015 17:25:56    1730290

Media isn't biased. Hurling isn't third biggest in Ulster. There is no hurling or very very little in many counties in Ulster.

Ormond,
Go to a Burt/Setanta game and see how little people care for hurling in Donegal. And you can back up how no one plays hurling here??? Show us some figures. Some connection with a completely biased IRFU official????
Don't tell me what's more popular here. I've played both and there is more hurling teams in Donegal than rugby clubs. And even the most ardent hurling fan wouldn't claim hurling is popular here. As usual outside of media coverage there is little talk of rugby. People here have little to no connection to rugby. This, the county of Dave Gallagher!!!!!!!2 years ago I was in a bar after a Donegal league soccer match in ramelton and the Ireland England game was switched over because everyone wanted to watch United.
You moan about people putting down rugby, but ok for you to put a dig in at a game here. Danny Cullen, Declan coulter, Damien Cassidy. Ryan gaffney, Kevin hinphey might not be names you know but in hurling circle here they get the highest respect. You tell people to stop spouting nonsense about rugby, and rightly so, but to say that hurling isn't played anywhere here is sports snobbery in the extreme.

Bain (Donegal) - Posts: 470 - 30/05/2015 17:27:06    1730291

O Ormond you are predicable if nothing else rugby gets massive coverage over other sports as has been shown in the other thread. There is no rugby club in county Roscommon for example. You just have to look at the poor crowd last Saturday for Munster's home semi final in the pro 12, which lets not forget was Paul O'Connell's last game, for years we have been feed stories about Munsters great support but as the have gone down a bit people have stopped coming. Why cant you compare Galweigans with Galway United. Btw Leeds is in the British isles.

ros1 (Roscommon) - Posts: 1211 - 30/05/2015 18:20:59    1730310

Lads the craziness of this argument made me bloody register. None of the "big four" (Rugby, Soccer, Gaelic, Hurling) are so-called minority sports and though the last three listed have higher playing numbers, the picture painted here from some posters about rugby is ridiculous. How do you measure popularity? Clubs? Players? Media attention? How about viewing figures? If rugby's apparent popularity is a media-driven notion, why was the 6 Nations decider with France the most watched sporting event in Ireland last year? 891,000 viewers which was more than the Soccer World Cup Final (859,000) as well as both All-Ireland Finals (831,000 and 796,000). The Ireland-England rugby match also filled 5th position ahead of the world cup semis and All-Ireland semis. 6 of the top 20 (that's 30%) were rugby matches. Sure, Ireland playing in a soccer world cup would attract 1 million+ but what's the All-Ireland's excuse?

I love hurling, I love football, I love rugby and I kind of love soccer but all I can say is with viewing figures such as these, there must be a few closet rugger buggers amongst you. Yet I'm only talking about viewing figures and not player numbers so the argument is there to aim some missiles at if you like. What this does prove is that it's not just a media thing (they aren't going to report on sports that don't sell papers either way) and people are genuinely compelled by all of these sporting events. The link is below.

http://m0.sportsjoe.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/14170448/2014-Top-20-Sports-Programmes.jpg

D.Horse (UK) - Posts: 1 - 30/05/2015 19:24:37    1730324

How many teams do those hurling clubs in Ulster field compared to numbers of teams fielded by the rugby clubs. Schools final of rugby is televised in Ulster the same as the gaelic football mcrory cup final.
Media isn't biased. Hurling isn't third biggest in Ulster. There is no hurling or very very little in many counties in Ulster.

I can't be sure of actual playing numbers, but many hurling clubs in ulster have 2nds and 3rds teams too. Yes gaelic football and rugby schools are televised, but hurling isnt. That was my point. I didn't say the media up here was biased to the GAA. It barely knows hurling exists. I think, unless your involved in hurling up here, you will hear little or nothing about all levels of hurling. RTE and TG4 aren't available to everyone here, so there is a pretty big part of the population, regardless of community background, who have never seen a game.

It depends what you mean by third biggest, playing numbers? I honestly think it'd be very close playing numbers wise between rugby and hurling here. Just because we can't compete with some counties who nearly have as many hurling clubs as the whole of ulster doesn't mean its not played. Since the Ulster championship winners don't go through to the All-Ireland series anymore, attendances at county games have dropped. But I remember good crowds for finals before this change. Club championship games in some parts would bring in bigger crowds than some irish league soccer teams. Who btw have a weekly highlight show on the BBC.

PucABoutYe (Down) - Posts: 5 - 30/05/2015 19:39:28    1730329

surely cork con and dolphin etc are amalgamated in form of munster?

dickie10 (UK) - Posts: 693 - 30/05/2015 20:02:37    1730338

Hurling won't get within an asses roar of football in majority of counties north of the Dublin-Galway line unless funding is changed and 50% of funding is spent on hurling both at adult and underage, just to give you an example there are around 50 football clubs in Mayo, we have less than 10 hurling clubs now we like a lot of rural counties will be forced to amalgamate clubs together just to field a football team and it would be hurling that would suffer, I think a decision was made in Mayo years ago if players wanted to play club hurling then you had to join an existing hurling club that is closest to the area where you are from and that in itself causes it's own problems, rivalry between neighbouring football clubs means some lads would never wear the jersey of their neighbours even if it was an amalgamated hurling team, i may be wrong and people will correct me if I am. Is it a minority sport? No, but that's because football is way ahead with soccer a mile behind closely followed by hurling then rugby, the view from cities like Dublin, Cork and Limerick may look different but most counties will tell you GAA comes 1st and soccer and rugby lagging well behind. It's a pity hurling isn't stronger in all counties because after all it's the greatest game on earth, sure didn't Our Lord stop on his way to Calvary for a game of hurling before giving himself up on The Cross

riverboys (Mayo) - Posts: 1389 - 30/05/2015 20:40:05    1730352