i dont think the answer is as black and white as " rugby is taking over". lets weigh it all up. consider the economics of going to a match. fuel, food, tickets. consider the economics of the country at the moment. also its february, and not many grounds are filled at this time of year. how much would a family of 4 (2 adults 2 children) have had to spend yesterday to go from wexford to galway to watch the game. now dont get me wrong i was happy enough to get home yesterday and catch the last 5 mins of ireland v france but i got a lot more enjoyment from derry v armagh, esp since we won. if you like hurling then rugby will always be playing second fiddle. (or 3rd if you like the football)

pig.ignorant (Derry) - Posts: 655 - 14/02/2011 14:41:07    867360

Right. I'm from Galway City. Have lived in Galway City most of my life. Have a season ticket to Connacht, and go to every home hurling/football league game, most of my clubs games, and every championship game anywhere. The last one I missed was when the GAA held two at the same time. I think I'm well positioned to comment then on the rubbish that has been written!

Connacht gets 2000 on average (and its worth noting on Sat we played the Scarlets, where there was 1,000). The league games in Galway average 6,000 in the hurling. To say Galway City is not a GAA city is pure rubbish. There's a wider variety of games here than in non urban areas, but sure whats new! Theres a huge concentration of GAA clubs in and around the city. Salthill won the all-ireland a couple of years ago. People will say there was a few Mayo/Galway county lads on the team, but there was still over 10 Salthill/Knocknacarra lads in the starting line up. There's rugby yes, and its popular, but not as much as GAA. It is a simple fact, based on the amount of players and the average attendances.

600 is a very dissapointing attendance, but lets not kid ourselves. It was round 1 of the league, against possibly the worst draw in the league (no dirsrespect meant), and at the same time as Ireland V France. Galway have traditionally not had a great support. Also, why is it the cities fault if no one turns up?

And to the Armagh lad who spent a few weeks here last year - you mustn't have looked very hard! Give me a shout next time you're down, I'll bring you through one of the many many GAA pubs.

abhainn (Galway) - Posts: 1000 - 14/02/2011 15:38:27    867441

yew_tree
County: Mayo
Posts: 2161

867204 galway city is not a gaa city

Galway city is Gaa very much so many hurling and football clubs and a good lot of county players in both codes, thing about galway is it also has 3 league of ireland soccer clubs, rugby in all AIL divisions and connacht rugby to name but the most popular sports, same as cork limerick, not so kilkenny waterford where it is predomenently hurling.

skinthecat (Galway) - Posts: 394 - 14/02/2011 15:58:28    867478

excellent post abhainn, it was just the overdose of it that put me off. I take it back. I travel the west coast every year (atlantic ocean addict) and i'll be sure to post and let you know so you can show me a few pubs were a man can talk GAA and I'll get you a pint or two. Gallaimh abu.

Tom1916 (Armagh) - Posts: 2001 - 14/02/2011 16:12:59    867498

abhainn
County: Galway
Posts: 662

867441 Right. I'm from Galway City. Have lived in Galway City most of my life. Have a season ticket to Connacht, and go to every home hurling/football league game, most of my clubs games, and every championship game anywhere. The last one I missed was when the GAA held two at the same time. I think I'm well positioned to comment then on the rubbish that has been written!

Connacht gets 2000 on average (and its worth noting on Sat we played the Scarlets, where there was 1,000). The league games in Galway average 6,000 in the hurling. To say Galway City is not a GAA city is pure rubbish. There's a wider variety of games here than in non urban areas, but sure whats new! Theres a huge concentration of GAA clubs in and around the city. Salthill won the all-ireland a couple of years ago. People will say there was a few Mayo/Galway county lads on the team, but there was still over 10 Salthill/Knocknacarra lads in the starting line up. There's rugby yes, and its popular, but not as much as GAA. It is a simple fact, based on the amount of players and the average attendances.

600 is a very dissapointing attendance, but lets not kid ourselves. It was round 1 of the league, against possibly the worst draw in the league (no dirsrespect meant), and at the same time as Ireland V France. Galway have traditionally not had a great support. Also, why is it the cities fault if no one turns up?

And to the Armagh lad who spent a few weeks here last year - you mustn't have looked very hard! Give me a shout next time you're down, I'll bring you through one of the many many GAA pubs.


Which is it? Was staying in the Carlton, the Wexford team were there. Not one person there apart from myself even noticed and pity to say it, but Rossiter/ bonner aside, I wouldnt have known any of them myself bar the County Gear!

Gerryblues (Dublin) - Posts: 65 - 14/02/2011 16:22:28    867515

Don't worry. If ( a big if) Galway get to the All Ireland final there will be thousands of loyal supporters out looking for tickets and spouting rubbish like " Its shocking that the loyal supporters never get the tickets for the big games"

Similar in every other county

N16Calling (UK) - Posts: 260 - 14/02/2011 16:23:02    867519

It was a very poor attendance.I dont think its a case of of rugby taking over.Its just as other posters said 1st game of N.H.L against a poor wexford side (no disrepect) was never going to draw a big crowd and with the ire v fra game on same time just made matters worse.I think even if the rugby match had,nt been on the same time still think it would of been a poor attendance...

DUB1 (Dublin) - Posts: 5583 - 14/02/2011 16:25:23    867525

Tom1916

I look forward to it!

abhainn (Galway) - Posts: 1000 - 14/02/2011 16:27:06    867528

Live TG4 coverage of Galway/Wexford too, so it was clearly an attractive option to watch the hurling & rugby as a double-header, from the sofa!

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 4152 - 14/02/2011 16:41:27    867550

They were all watching Wicklow instead do the double yesterday.

sponger (Wicklow) - Posts: 2929 - 14/02/2011 16:45:15    867558

abhainn and skinthecat no offense was meant to say galway is not a gaa city and i was probably harsh. I guess i am thinking back to the days of the classic games in tuam and the atmosphere around the town which you dont get in salthill.

600 was a terrible attendance - when you consider about 2,000 attended a mayo v nuig fbd football final (which was still a bad attendance).
there is no doubt the gaa need to target these games to get a bigger attendance.

also to ballbag: how can you compare a first round attendance of a gaa league game to a NATIONAL game between two top sides in world rugby?.....my guess you are on another wind up mission.....whats the average attendance of club rugby league games in ireland?

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11587 - 14/02/2011 16:53:45    867573

Location has a lot to do with it, I reckon what the county board would get bigger attendances if they were to hold the matches around the county and hold a league game in Loughrea, Athenry and Duggan Park.

Clash-of-da-ash (Galway) - Posts: 927 - 14/02/2011 17:39:58    867649

I'ld say the 600 who were there are looking for a refund!

Barnowl94 (Galway) - Posts: 3150 - 14/02/2011 17:46:13    867661

Clash-of-da-ash
County: Galway
Posts: 911

867649 Location has a lot to do with it, I reckon what the county board would get bigger attendances if they were to hold the matches around the county and hold a league game in Loughrea, Athenry and Duggan Park.

a lot of it is down to the fact that most county boards have invested too much money in stadia that they feel obliged to use no matter what

dhorse (Laois) - Posts: 11374 - 14/02/2011 17:56:48    867674

yew_tree
County: Mayo
Posts: 2163

867204 galway city is not a gaa city.

I dont know about Galway but I think this could be said of Derry city although I believe that is slowly changing

derryman (Derry) - Posts: 3246 - 14/02/2011 19:51:13    867767

To be fair after seeing the scoreline it sounds like most people made the correct decision not going to the match.

Nick (Wexford) - Posts: 1100 - 14/02/2011 20:48:09    867830

Maybe the GAA everywhere needs to take a leaf out of Dublin's book, first we've lived with Rugby for eons and thrumped it in its own backyard. Secondly the ambitious National League double-headers and concerts in Croke Park has the clubs in Dublin buzzing. Tickets are fantastically priced, under lights, Saturday night great stuff. But also remmeber we are in the worst recession in a very very long time. This is Rugby Country? not in Dublin it ain't.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4954 - 14/02/2011 21:36:39    867886

The Galway hurlers usually get decent crowds for the league so 600 seems a very low attendance alright. Best reasons I can think of is that the rugby was on at the same time and the weather was fairly poor. Plus both Galway and Wexford were missing a whole load of top players so maybe people decided to save their money for the bigger games to come.

Marooned (Galway) - Posts: 2387 - 14/02/2011 21:56:17    867919

http://www.independent.ie/sport/hurling/hurling-crowds-hit-by-six-nations-clash-2540318.html

Gerryblues (Dublin) - Posts: 65 - 15/02/2011 09:31:58    867949

the gaa shouild know better in this day and age than to go up against rugby it is like putting jedward in against mike tyson- its a simple no brainer!

liathroidboy (Mayo) - Posts: 4921 - 15/02/2011 11:12:34    868018