Sorry Goys but divide highlights with many counties splitting votes in the GAA and one team representing 4 million you will always get a distorted result.

Real Kerry Fan (None) - Posts: 2957 - 21/12/2011 13:24:40    1086728

My point was that at least the GAA have people directly involved and getting out and supporting their local clubs. While rugby has gotten a lot more popular this day-to-day, week-to-week involvement with the sport on a local level has actually decreased. I watch Leinster a lot as well and take great joy from them winning but have no involvement in rugby clubs. If the level of rugby success we're seeing now can't promote involvement with your local club, what will?

doublehop (Kildare) - Posts: 4172 - 21/12/2011 13:32:52    1086735

Rugby in ireland is strong with munster leinster ulster doing well but it will never overtake gaa ,the amount of clubs in ireland alone must be huge and its hard to beat the championship come summertime when your county is playing.Its good to have healthy two sporting codes in your country sport in general gives the country a boost weather its soccer or rugby.

93vintageyear (Derry) - Posts: 301 - 21/12/2011 13:39:11    1086741

21/12/2011 13:32:52
doublehop
County: Kildare
Posts: 1430

1086735 My point was that at least the GAA have people directly involved and getting out and supporting their local clubs. While rugby has gotten a lot more popular this day-to-day, week-to-week involvement with the sport on a local level has actually decreased. I watch Leinster a lot as well and take great joy from them winning but have no involvement in rugby clubs. If the level of rugby success we're seeing now can't promote involvement with your local club, what will?

No it hasnt, playing numbers are slightly up on the past few years, going by IRFU numbers in annual reports and through my own experience of being on various committees at u/age level in munster

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 21/12/2011 13:43:21    1086745

Where was the survey done? O'Connell's St.?

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 21/12/2011 13:44:46    1086747

64% of people attending sports fixtures in Ireland were GAA games. I think when it comes to people actually going to sports and getting off their bar stool we still, and always will, rule the show.

Padraig_Dub (Dublin) - Posts: 100 - 21/12/2011 14:08:35    1086759

TheMaster
County: Mayo
Posts: 3495

If it was done on O'Connell Street you wouldn't get that result, maybe Grafton street or Independant newspapers canteen. If Rugby is more popular maybe these people could point me in the right direction to these thriving new clubs that are so well hidden on foot of this great success. Its frankly a ridiculous argument, I work with many Rugby folk and they'd laugh at that survey and they live in "rigby country".

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4968 - 21/12/2011 14:10:34    1086763

Where did you get that stat from Pádraig_Dub? I'd well believe it. I'd say the percentage for people attending soccer match would be well down on that. The Irish soccer team is struggling to fill the Aviva.

Culann (Dublin) - Posts: 2306 - 21/12/2011 14:12:47    1086764

Padraig_Dub, that 64% seems like a more realistic figure of the proportion of people who attend sports.

lilywhite1 (Kildare) - Posts: 3070 - 21/12/2011 14:15:49    1086768

Only 502 people surveyed?
How does this stuff make the papers?!

Coylers Elbow (Meath) - Posts: 1075 - 21/12/2011 14:16:09    1086769

21/12/2011 14:08:35
Padraig_Dub
County: Dublin
Posts: 92

1086759 64% of people attending sports fixtures in Ireland were GAA games. I think when it comes to people actually going to sports and getting off their bar stool we still, and always will, rule the show.

source for that figure????

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 21/12/2011 14:20:01    1086772

There's no doubt that rugby has grown in popularity over the last few years with the success of the Irish team as well as the 'European' Cup wins for Leinster (and Munster?). However its still perceived by many as an elitist sport and will always struggle to spread beyond its traditional schools/club areas in any real sense.

The GAA and the FAI could learn a lot from the IRFU in terms of targeting markets and branding their product. They've done very well in that regards.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13846 - 21/12/2011 14:26:34    1086778

Padraig_Dub
County: Dublin
Posts: 92

I think when it comes to people actually going to sports and getting off their bar stool we still, and always will, rule the show.


MesAmis
County: Dublin
Posts: 3995

The GAA and the FAI could learn a lot from the IRFU in terms of targeting markets and branding their product. They've done very well in that regards.

Excellent well balanced posts Gents, Padraig I think what you say is very true but obviously that's because our GAA is local to us, while a lot of the Soccer popularity is aimed at across the pond where it's obviously not so easy to attend. Therefore, I don't think attendances are a true reflection of which has a more popular following & remains a matter of debate to me, but 64% is a very nice statistic alright

And Mes, I sincerely hope the GAA come up with a successful marketing strategy as you've suggested. Euro 2012 should work wonders for the FAI in the immediate future

gigoer (Wexford) - Posts: 1998 - 21/12/2011 14:35:36    1086785

21/12/2011 14:26:34
MesAmis
County: Dublin
Posts: 3995

1086778 There's no doubt that rugby has grown in popularity over the last few years with the success of the Irish team as well as the 'European' Cup wins for Leinster (and Munster?). However its still perceived by many as an elitist sport and will always struggle to spread beyond its traditional schools/club areas in any real sense.

The GAA and the FAI could learn a lot from the IRFU in terms of targeting markets and branding their product. They've done very well in that regards.

I wouldnt say its percieved by many(but still by quite a few but nowhere near as many as in the past) as an elitist sport anymore. Yes the fee paying schools dominate the schools cups and they get way way too much coverage but times are changing thanks to the likes of Sean O Brien,

I just don't see rugby as elitist. Sure there are lots of alickadoos and that carry on but theyve never stopped people playing based on your background.
I think the problem is the other way round. People seem to have some preconceived ideas and don't want to be seen associating with the "middle class" or something.
Rugby clubs are crying out for players and would welcome anybody with open arms to play for them and drink beer in their clubhouses.

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 21/12/2011 14:35:49    1086786

GAA is still number 1 in rural ireland I would be confident of that. And what I mean by that is playing numbers. The rugby has got good marketing il give them that and the GAA could do alot more there. For me watching a GAA game is much more entertaining a boring rugby specatle such as a leage that changes its name every year. The irish teams wont be at the peak of their powers forever, when that goes so too will the interest - a la soccer

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 12125 - 21/12/2011 14:39:39    1086789

I will say this much, the PR machine behind rugby is very good at this type of thing.
The very idea that we have a thread about how rugby is about to take over from the GAA demonstrates that surveys of highly dubious validity with small sample sizes are all it takes to fool most people.

Coylers Elbow (Meath) - Posts: 1075 - 21/12/2011 14:40:21    1086790

Bloody heck,just when the "RWC ask for use of Gaa stadia" thread was about to finally leave the home page forum.I think alot of Gaa people spend more time thinking about rugby than the gaa.

TheRoad (Galway) - Posts: 1339 - 21/12/2011 15:50:31    1086834

Ormond,you also say (as usual) that the Gaa could learn from rugby in terms of advertising.Im not with you on that one.Rugby in this country has grown in popularity the last few years due to the success of our rugby team,not due to some sort of advertising genius.The advertising methods of rugby followers in my home town of Galway are actually quite crude.Simply pepper the town in Connacht banners to make it look like people are interested in the team,then people will start jumping on the bandwagon.Quite simple really.

TheRoad (Galway) - Posts: 1339 - 21/12/2011 15:54:59    1086837

Ormond,just saw it was Mesamis who made that point.Apologies for my mistake.

TheRoad (Galway) - Posts: 1339 - 21/12/2011 15:57:23    1086838

I would imagine that it's the enormous amount of coverage Rugby is getting at the moment, the recent RWC, the Rabodirect & the heineken Cup that is influencing people to talk about it Roadie, especially in the absence of GAA of which is only getting limitied TG4 coverage for the Club championship

Once the League & championship kicks in, normal service will be resumed I'm sure

gigoer (Wexford) - Posts: 1998 - 21/12/2011 15:57:50    1086839