National Forum

Attendances 2024

(Oldest Posts First) - Go To The Latest Post


I think there's a grain of truth to what he says. There is clearly a very strong Ulster identity.

I think there is a relatively strong idea of a Connacht and Munster identity too but maybe not as strong as in Ulster imo.

I could be wrong but I don't think there is a strong Leinster identity among people in Leinster. Historically Leinster didn't exist as in its current form. Bits of it were part of Munster or Ulster, then you have the historic province of Meath as we as The Pale and the city of Dublin etc. Maybe it's because of that?

Personally I don't consider myself as from Leinster. I'm from Dublin, then I'm from Ireland.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13718 - 17/04/2024 13:32:10    2538592

Link

Replying To PattyONeill:  "Southern people don't have a emotional connection to their province anyway. With our history in Ulster and how we have always been unique means Ulster means more to us."
I can't speak for Munster or South Leinster people but how many of those Ulsters they won in the Noughties would Armagh have swapped for another Sam?

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 1451 - 17/04/2024 13:38:07    2538598

Link

Replying To cuchulainn35:  "It's the second worst county ground . Pitch and ground are different and for the help of god - how did they ever get that award .
What other county grounds have a grass bank - for players abs spectators it's not only dated it's beyond the sell by date …
One could argue the ground has nothing to do with the team - but there appears no ambition with the ground and the team .
Armagh played meath in the league and in my opinion they were the second worst team in the league ..
We all need a strong meath - not just in meath or Leinster - thecGAA needs a strong Meath"
If you can't understand how it got the pitch of the year award then other topics must be beyond you

Claretandblue (Westmeath) - Posts: 1506 - 17/04/2024 13:47:26    2538606

Link

Replying To PattyONeill:  "Southern people don't have a emotional connection to their province anyway. With our history in Ulster and how we have always been unique means Ulster means more to us."
That is absolute nonsense, I can't talk for Munster or Leinster but people from Connacht have a very strong connection with their province and in being from the west.

MachaireConnacht (Roscommon) - Posts: 803 - 17/04/2024 13:50:29    2538607

Link

Replying To MachaireConnacht:  "That is absolute nonsense, I can't talk for Munster or Leinster but people from Connacht have a very strong connection with their province and in being from the west."
That is all well and good but at some point people have to forego their own selfish interest in the interest of the greater good and promotion of our games. And this goes for both hurling and football, unless we want another hundred years of a few teams winning All-Irelands.
It serves nobody any good to have tiny crowds at matches, tradition or not.

ExiledInWex (Dublin) - Posts: 1140 - 17/04/2024 15:07:21    2538636

Link

Replying To PattyONeill:  "Southern people don't have a emotional connection to their province anyway. With our history in Ulster and how we have always been unique means Ulster means more to us."
I think you could be right.The demise of the Railway Cup illustrated that with only Ulster in the latter years of its existence putting much in to it.During the big Kerry ,Dublin thing of the 70's and 80's many of the top players didn't make themselves available and the competition gradually declined.

gunman (Donegal) - Posts: 1062 - 17/04/2024 15:15:18    2538641

Link

Replying To PattyONeill:  "Southern people don't have a emotional connection to their province anyway. With our history in Ulster and how we have always been unique means Ulster means more to us."
Can you elaborate a bit more on this? Whats your basis for it?

Avondhu86 (Cork) - Posts: 2 - 17/04/2024 18:47:12    2538694

Link

Replying To PattyONeill:  "Southern people don't have a emotional connection to their province anyway. With our history in Ulster and how we have always been unique means Ulster means more to us."
The Munster hurling championship is the crown jewel of the provincials, the Daddy of them all with the Ulster football championship probably coming in second.

Not too many people are going to get excited watching the Antrim, Fermanagh or Down footballers to be fair.

Past hurler (None) - Posts: 744 - 17/04/2024 23:03:14    2538742

Link

Replying To Past hurler:  "The Munster hurling championship is the crown jewel of the provincials, the Daddy of them all with the Ulster football championship probably coming in second.

Not too many people are going to get excited watching the Antrim, Fermanagh or Down footballers to be fair."
Not too many were willing to get excited watching Dublin v Meath last weekend either by the paltry attendance….

ForeverBlue2 (Cavan) - Posts: 1959 - 18/04/2024 13:20:50    2538839

Link

Replying To ForeverBlue2:  "Not too many were willing to get excited watching Dublin v Meath last weekend either by the paltry attendance…."
21,000.
Probably more than the other 5 games put together.

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 1451 - 18/04/2024 21:54:38    2538934

Link

Replying To Seanfanbocht:  "21,000.
Probably more than the other 5 games put together."
And there in is the problem… GAA in a serious mess if your figures are correct

ForeverBlue2 (Cavan) - Posts: 1959 - 19/04/2024 10:08:23    2538971

Link

Whilst the GAA runs off its championship as quick as possible in April halfing the crowds in the process , z Leinster Rugby sells 82,000 tickets for its match in Croke park .
The suits in Croke park don't care if there's little interest in the rushed gaa championship as long as Leinster. Coldplay & AC/DC fans cover the lack of gaa fans

OpenStand (Limerick) - Posts: 678 - 19/04/2024 15:53:24    2539076

Link

Replying To Avondhu86:  "Can you elaborate a bit more on this? Whats your basis for it?"
Munster hurling and Ulster football yes, not so sure what the Connacht lads think but no one gives a monkeys in Leinster.

realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8597 - 19/04/2024 19:10:57    2539110

Link

Replying To OpenStand:  "Whilst the GAA runs off its championship as quick as possible in April halfing the crowds in the process , z Leinster Rugby sells 82,000 tickets for its match in Croke park .
The suits in Croke park don't care if there's little interest in the rushed gaa championship as long as Leinster. Coldplay & AC/DC fans cover the lack of gaa fans"
Gaa still has to pay attention to its clubs etc and run inter county to allow for that. If you reduce what some players are expected to play then you can allow for better structurw to season. Biggest problem for intet county teams is theyre still more likely to play most of their conpetitive games in january/fenryary than most other months of the year and that many top players get pretty much no time off if theyre in third level
Concerts are needed to run croke parkand that comes from stadium manangememnt which whether you like it or not is different to the gaa.
Stadiums these days like aviva, spurs new stadium, croker cant and wont surivive on match day income alone and need concerts, matches in other sports to survive

KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3514 - 19/04/2024 22:27:12    2539136

Link

Replying To OpenStand:  "Whilst the GAA runs off its championship as quick as possible in April halfing the crowds in the process , z Leinster Rugby sells 82,000 tickets for its match in Croke park .
The suits in Croke park don't care if there's little interest in the rushed gaa championship as long as Leinster. Coldplay & AC/DC fans cover the lack of gaa fans"
Once again season is barely condensed in any way compared to split season main change is April club month gone.

TerribleFootwork (Wexford) - Posts: 1760 - 19/04/2024 22:53:54    2539142

Link

Replying To ForeverBlue2:  "I do but you obviously don't… 8k at Monaghan v Cavan and 21k at Dublin v Meath… Attendances year on year a way up you say….what nonsense... Are you by any chance smoking something illegal…?"
Lad you need to do a little research. Outside of your own little hut.

ORIELMAN85 (Monaghan) - Posts: 138 - 20/04/2024 02:28:09    2539154

Link

Replying To ORIELMAN85:  "Lad you need to do a little research. Outside of your own little hut."
What research…? Numbers are there plain to be seen… Attendance figures are gone through the floor compared to 5/6 years ago… People have wised up that this rubbish is no worth wasting money on anymore… The paltry crowd in Clones for Cavan/Monaghan and in Croker for Dublin/Meath is plain evidence of this unless you are too delusional to see that… your little hut will soon hold the crowd going to games lad…

ForeverBlue2 (Cavan) - Posts: 1959 - 20/04/2024 08:13:52    2539165

Link

Replying To KillingFields:  "Gaa still has to pay attention to its clubs etc and run inter county to allow for that. If you reduce what some players are expected to play then you can allow for better structurw to season. Biggest problem for intet county teams is theyre still more likely to play most of their conpetitive games in january/fenryary than most other months of the year and that many top players get pretty much no time off if theyre in third level
Concerts are needed to run croke parkand that comes from stadium manangememnt which whether you like it or not is different to the gaa.
Stadiums these days like aviva, spurs new stadium, croker cant and wont surivive on match day income alone and need concerts, matches in other sports to survive"
Croke park in not the Aviva or "spurs new stadium." Yet at least.


Nor do we need all the other crap to survive. Which we won't the more CP and elsewhere are devoted to the other crap and our own flagships are downgraded.

Which was his point, and which is,entirely valid.

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 2590 - 20/04/2024 08:16:21    2539166

Link

Whether Croke Pak hosts concerts/rugby matches or not, thats not gonna really have any affect on what crowds attend GAA matches.
People aren't gonna come out in force unless:
2 teams are relatively closely matched.
The game is high stakes/knockout All Ireland stage.

There's not many fixtures capable of selling out Croke Park anymore bar maybe:
Dublin vs Kerry/Mayo/Derry
All Ireland Football & Hurling Finals.

Apart from those fixtures, you'd be lucky to surpass 40,000 even for All-Ireland SemiFinals.
Croke Park needs a bigger footfall than that to be able to pump money back into stadium and to clubs/counties so of course they'll look elsewhere to get people into their stadiums. Pairc Ui Chaoimh is starting to do this also to eat into Corks stadium debt.

AnFear16 (Kerry) - Posts: 34 - 20/04/2024 10:23:47    2539176

Link

I think the GAA need to take a hard look at themselves when you've barely 20k attending Dublin and Meath last week, but Leinster rugby sells out Croke park in a matter of hours. Yes the two events aren't comparable but we are entering a very vulnerable stage for GAA's popularity as a spectator sport in Ireland. Loi figures at an all time high and continuing to sky rocket, rugby at an all time high and croke park and aviva both going to be used for Leinster next season. While in contrast, our events are stale, outdated, and quite frankly boring. Going to croke park or any gaa ground for that matter leaves a lot to be desired in terms of the event. Completely outdated music being blared through a speaker that's not fit for purpose, an Mc putting people to sleep as they read team sheets like they couldn't be bothered, and often games that follow that are quite cagey, slow, and a crowd that watches on with little to no emotion. The next few years under Jarlath and Co are going to be vital, otherwise we could be in for a very bleak future in terms of GAA being the leading spectator sport that it once was. Participation numbers will always remain high. However, when you've a situation like last week where 90% of die hard meath fans I know saying they had no interest in watching their team play their arch rivals, you know the game is in big trouble

LoyalRoyal66 (Meath) - Posts: 82 - 20/04/2024 11:01:42    2539183

Link