Stephen Cluxton's dramatic injury time free against Kerry in the All-Ireland football final has been voted the most iconic sporting moment of the year.

But Gaelic games is trailing a long way behind soccer as the nation's favourite sport and is now in danger of being overtaken by rugby.

The Dublin goalkeeper's dramatic winning point deep in injury-time at Croke Park was chosen as the moment of the year by over 20pc of those surveyed, with Ulsterman Darren Clarke's putt for victory at the British Open at Royal St George coming in second with 17.5pc.

The Pembroke Communications Sports Sentiment Index found that soccer tops the list of the nation's best loved sporting pastimes, well ahead of Gaelic games and rugby.

Soccer was the favourite sport for 30.9pc of those polled, with Gaelic games at 20.9pc, just marginally ahead of rugby at 20.5pc.

Despite the dominance of soccer, Leinster and Irish rugby star Brian O'Driscoll is the country's favourite sporting star with 16.7pc support.

Golfer and US Open champion Rory McIlory came in a close second to Mr O'Driscoll at 16.3pc, followed by boxing sensation Katie Taylor at 13.1pc.

The Sports Sentiment Index also found that qualification for Euro 2012, the country's first major championship in almost a decade and first European Championships since 1988, is seen as the most outstanding sporting achievement in 2011 by 23.7pc.

This was followed by Ireland's win over Australia in the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand at 13.9pc; Rory McIlroy's US Open win at the Congressional in June at 10.2pc and Dublin's first All-Ireland senior football title since 1995 at 9.4pc.

With an action packed 2012 ahead, one of the main events in the public's consciousness is the 2012 Olympics as 27.3pc of people are most looking forward to the Games in London.

Mick O'Keeffe, Pembroke Communications managing director and a former Dublin footballer, said the research proves that Ireland is a nation of sports lovers.

"Soccer has an enormous fan base with relentless media exposure," he said.

"Rugby is clearly established as a national sport of huge appeal after a decade of success, while GAA remains as strong and vibrant as ever, which is an enormous achievement for our home grown indigenous games."

- Colm Kelpie

Irish Independent

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8170 - 21/12/2011 10:05:17    1086623

How many of the people polled meant their favourite sport to watch on TV or in the pub? The AIL league's attendances have taken a huge downturn in the last ten years. The league of Ireland still isn't getting that much attention.
"the research proves that Ireland is a nation of sports lovers..."
Maybe while sitting on a bar stool. At least the GAA gets people out there and involved...

doublehop (Kildare) - Posts: 4172 - 21/12/2011 10:29:40    1086634

Liam whenever there is a rugby team in practically every parish in Ireland then it will have overtaken or at least drawn level with the GAA. I do think that the GAA needs to stay on top of it's game though, excuse the pun, if it wants to remain as popular in the future.

Goodfella, Tir (None) - Posts: 1652 - 21/12/2011 10:37:09    1086643

GF would you think we need to "sex up" the games?
Make them more attractive?

When we were growing up Rugby was an international novelty game played for a few weeks in the Spring, but we had GAA constantly on. Remember Sports Stadium and their "goal/point/save of the week" for each round of the League etc.....I remember as a kid seeing JOL winning save of the week and being so proud. Nowadays the GAA is seen by kids in many urban centres as a secondary game. The image of the ginger hurler in the Lotto ad with Georgia Salpa being what many see as the archetypal GAA man! While Johnny Sexton POC and BOD are seen as national heroes and "cool". GAA didn't have a big domestic threat when we were young. Now it does. And how!

I know Mickey Harte and many more beside would kill me for this but I do think we need to drastically change the game, we need to make it appeal to kids. It needs to be higher scoring and free flowing. The Donegal's of this world WILL kill the game eventually. They will. You and I grew up on GAA therefore we grew into it. Parishes meant a lot more back then. In Ireland 2012 most people dont know their neighbours. There is no sense of Parish. That magic is dying out. The National leagues were given huge coverage on said programmes like sports Saturday. .These days they are shown on either a Pay per View channel or a channel which transmits the game in a language the kids can understand (TG4). In our youth, Rugby was a bit of craic in February, GAA was the big news. Today's kids are growing up on Rugby. For many The national league is not available to them like it was to them. Rugby is the cool game now,they may well grow into it, and if they do.........?

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8170 - 21/12/2011 11:21:08    1086657

Simple answer to this..........no............and it never will.

Cute_Kerry_Hoor (Kerry) - Posts: 2518 - 21/12/2011 11:30:19    1086658

It depends how one defines most popular. Is it as doublehop said how many people like to watch it on TV or in a pub? From an attendance point of view The GAA is way ahead of soccer in this country. For instance the average first round of the Leinster championship -certainly any game involving Dublin, Kildare or Meath would have more in attendance than the FAI cup final. Statistics skewed to prove any viewpoint that is desired.

lilywhite1 (Kildare) - Posts: 3070 - 21/12/2011 11:36:56    1086660

just to clarify, referrring to TG4 I meant a language they cant understand....i left out the t!
Also i meant to say The NL is not as accessible to kids now as it was to us as kids

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8170 - 21/12/2011 11:47:08    1086665

Liamwalkinstown
County: Dublin
Posts: 2822

1086657 GF would you think we need to "sex up" the games?
Make them more attractive?

When we were growing up Rugby was an international novelty game played for a few weeks in the Spring, but we had GAA constantly on. Remember Sports Stadium and their "goal/point/save of the week" for each round of the League etc.....I remember as a kid seeing JOL winning save of the week and being so proud

Haha yeah I remember that, but to my memory Joe Quaid used to win it every week!!

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12494 - 21/12/2011 11:55:59    1086672

Well GAA players have made themselves a lot less accessible in that time also. I'm not suggesting that GAA players should feel in anyway obligated to do media work but the facts are that in a rugby players contract it is compulsory and it does help to promote the game.

Therefore before any rugby match or during the week you will always see a full interview with a player which will help everyone to relate to them. GAA players have their own motivations and make extraordinary sacrifices but it's hard to communicate that to people who might want to support you or follow in your footsteps if you're too paranoid to tell anyone about it in case you end pinned up on the noticeboard of the opposition dressing room.

Talk sells tickets but you can't move for the amount of people who complain about how the game is promoted but see no contradiction in labelling a player as an attention-seeker if he tries to help. That is an identity-crisis that everyone in the GAA could do with resolving to help level the playing field...

doublehop (Kildare) - Posts: 4172 - 21/12/2011 12:02:20    1086675

Presume u mean the late great Tommy Quaid Breff???

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8170 - 21/12/2011 12:03:04    1086676

Doublehop:

The AIL league's attendances have taken a huge downturn in the last ten years.

That point is a bit rediculas the reason no-one is going to AIL games is because their supporting provences in the magners and HC.

Was listening to the leinster coach from 1995 give an interview and he said his first munster leinster game had an attendance of 800 people what do you get going these days, almost garenteed a full house no matter where they play. Also back when they were getting 800 at munster leinster games that around the time you'd be getting big crowds sometimes 20,000 at club games.

So really that point about the AIL isn't valid.

Hag_and_Cheese (Tipperary) - Posts: 6103 - 21/12/2011 12:15:54    1086682

21/12/2011 10:29:40
doublehop
County: Kildare
Posts: 1429

1086634 How many of the people polled meant their favourite sport to watch on TV or in the pub? The AIL league's attendances have taken a huge downturn in the last ten years. The league of Ireland still isn't getting that much attention.
"the research proves that Ireland is a nation of sports lovers..."
Maybe while sitting on a bar stool. At least the GAA gets people out there and involved...

A lof of rugby fans would consider munster/leinster/ulster/connacht as their main team not the AIL, they go to all their games home and as many away as possible. The AIL has smaller crowds than it did 10 years ago but 10 years ago you had AIL games with teams comprised of 10 or more players who would play or were playing pro rugby in the heineken cup. I have at home a programme from a shannon- lansdowne AIL game played in clanwilliams ground in tipp town from the season thomond park was being done up signed by many of the players involved that day and mick galwey, anthony foley, alan quinlan, eddie halvey, andrew thompson, marcus horan, colm mc mahon and several others including barry everitt, and 1 or 2 others on the lansdowne team that all were playing or went on to play professional rugby.
The clubs still get allright crowds but will never get regualr crowds as big compared to back then

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 21/12/2011 12:16:09    1086683

Liamwalkinstown
County: Dublin
Posts: 2823

1086676 Presume u mean the late great Tommy Quaid Breff???

Maybe. It was always a Quaid in my memory. Could've have been both of them.

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12494 - 21/12/2011 12:16:27    1086684

...Says Tony O'Reilly's newspaper....go figure

Floops (Dublin) - Posts: 1623 - 21/12/2011 12:19:52    1086686

I wonder what the breakdown of the 30.9% who favour soccer would be between those who follow the English Premiership only and those who go to Eircom League games would be? 25% to 5%? I personally know 10 people who are avid premiership supporters but none of them have ever been at a domestic soccer game.

lilywhite1 (Kildare) - Posts: 3070 - 21/12/2011 12:29:07    1086688

They seem to do a survey like this every year yet there is never any details about how the survey was conducted.
I wouldn't pay too much attention.
Advertisers love rugby more than people do.

Coylers Elbow (Meath) - Posts: 1075 - 21/12/2011 12:37:02    1086692

I would love to know where the vast majority of those who were surveyed were from. If the majority of those picked came from Dublin I can't say I would be that surprised but if it was a national survey I would have to say the results would be a big shock to me.

gotmilk (Fermanagh) - Posts: 4971 - 21/12/2011 12:41:26    1086697

There are so many things that could effect a survey like that for example what demograpohics where the the people who were surveyed live, what timeof the year the survey was carried out, if it was in the middle of the championship it would be more biased to GAA, i suspect it was conducted in the last few months in the middle of the rugby and soccer seasons. Without this information is not possible to take into account factors of bias.

To be full accurate the have to survey 1000+ plus people a few times a year this might account for margins of error and bias and give a high confidence level also.

Hag_and_Cheese (Tipperary) - Posts: 6103 - 21/12/2011 12:45:43    1086700

I wouldn't critizise TG4 Liamwalkinstown. Because of TG4 and Setanta more people are watching games than otherwise would have been. They are adding to the amount of people who follow the games. It is not in TG4's remit to broadcast the games as Béarla. RTÉ could bid to show the games if they wanted to but choose not to.

Regarding the 30% who follow soccer in this country I would imagine, as Lillywhite1 was saying, that the majority of those would be followers of English soccer and not Irish soccer. It would be interesting to see results of a survey that related to sport in Ireland. I'd imagine the amount of people that said they supported Irish soccer would be way down on that 30%.

Regarding rugby overtaking gaelic games i'd imagine that this is possible, but as or or two mentioned above these would be armchair supporters. There will never be as many soccer and rugby clubs in Ireland as there is GAA clubs in my opinion. There is no doubt in my mind that the GAA faces many chalenges ahead in promoting there own game but I do not imagine there is any immediate threat to the games on a parish to parish basis. How many soccer publications are there is Ireland? How many golf publications are there? How many GAA publications are there? Just a thought!

Culann (Dublin) - Posts: 2306 - 21/12/2011 12:52:15    1086707

I've been bogged down in this type of discussion far too many times on this board with GAA fanatics who pay no respect whatsoever to people liking other sports and I couldn't be arsed to do it again

So I'll just say I love both & I don't care which is more popular, it's all apples and oranges for me.

Wexford for Leinster & Leinster for the Heineken Cup!!!!!

;-)

gigoer (Wexford) - Posts: 1998 - 21/12/2011 13:09:27    1086719