County: Dublin
Posts: 174

1160276 Thanks for the feedback. In my opinion the best ideas I have heard (and in no specific order and not meaning to sound patronising) up to now are -

* Be sensible with the scheduling of games (and good examples given, The League football semis to mention the most obvious)
* Don't use Croke Park as much and when it is used improve the overall experience (make sure people are getting value for money) and put on a good show like what happened at the Spring Series
* start giving out drinks and food vouchers and provide a service where people can upgrade tickets if they wish to do so
* The kick-off to the chamionships should have an explosive launch (and maybe New York isn't the place to do so - although I think it 'could' be!)
* Lower the price of tickets
* that there should be more than one senior game at fixtures (my understanding of this is that if Offaly were playing Wesmeath and that Meath were playing Louth that these games be atsged at Páirc Tailteann or in O'Connor park to insure bigger attendences - maybe this is not best example of how I understand it but you know what I mean)
* To get Fáilte Ireland on board to attract tourists with tours of the grounds, chea[p tickets etc...
* A show on RTÉ like Seó Spóirt and better coverage of the league - although I feel that that is more of a question for RTÉ than CLG.

The more controversial ideas I liked were to join up weaker counties in hurling to create a more competitive league and championship. I like this idea but cannot see it ever hapening. I also liked the idea that players be rewarded financially at the end of the summer. I like this idea and think if it was thought out and implimented sensibly would put an end to the question professionalism and play for pay in the GAA.

A lot of people mentioned a new championship structure but I wouldn't class that under marketing.

A few of my own ideas would be for the GAA to fund the likes of Hogan Stand to publish a regular GAA magazine and for that magazine to have competitions and articles directed at young people in primary and secondary education in it. Maybe then a seperate magazine for adults. Think about all the rugby/soccer/golf/motorsports magazines out there - and barely a GAA magazine to be seen from one end of the year to another.

Also I would recommend that the GAA promote the League by allocating thousands of very cheap tickets to primary schools all over the country. Even if all they cost was two euro a ticket. Think of the atmosphere a few hundred or so kids would create at grounds all over the country...and just think of the the amount of adults that would pay in because they would have to supervise their kids!! All win if you ask me.

There are two of my own ideas to mention just a few. What do you think?



I'm sure you mean well.

dhorse (Laois) - Posts: 11374 - 26/04/2012 11:25:04    1160299

gotmilk
County: Fermanagh
Posts: 696

1160286 glenquagmire

I forgot that the championship opens in New York. Silly me. I think that just highlights the point i'm making about the lack of promotion of the games. Open it with a whitewash of one team. No one has any interest in it. It's the only sport you see this in.
The NFL in America opens with a bang. The EPL has weeks upon weeks of hype prior to a new season. The GAA just opens with a dull fixture with very little media coverage. You are correct when you say the GAA only cares about the cash cows EG Dublin. Why not open the championship with one of those teams? Grab peoples attention straight away and get them sucked in for the whole summer and not just the business end.
If you were to look at the 4Ps of marketing and how the GAA performs in them I would imagine it is very poor. To be succuesful you need to have each one complementing the other.
Product: The product is there and there is a desire for it.
Place: Could they put the product in a better place? NFL semi finals would suggest they could. A paltry attendance of 11,00 I think. Why not move it to a ground closer to the counties involved? Kerry and Mayo have a savage trek this weekend for a game. Will it affect the number of supporters attending? I would imagine it would. Also championship time why are a lot of games played in croker and stadiums where one side is not at home? I remember going to a Fermanagh, Donegal game in Clones. I know it's not far to travel but why were you having to sets of supporters heading past other useful grounds? It's a long trip from Malin Head to Clones.
Price: In the current times the price of tickets have become unreasonable I think. A family going out for the day will have to pay for tickets. I know there are child rates but it's still expensive to get into the game. Again the fact that they have games all over the country mean that people have to eat out etc. This causes an added expense to people causing the price of the product to go up.
Promotion: I tihnk i have made feelings clear on how poorly the GAA promotes their games.

So as GAA and marketing go I would say that they are quite poor

A lot of good points there got milk and i'd have to agree with most of it. Would you mind making a few suggestions on how you feel the GAA could better promote their games?

Culann (Dublin) - Posts: 2306 - 26/04/2012 11:30:51    1160305

dhorse
County: Laois
Posts: 9785


I'm sure you mean well.

Thanx

Culann (Dublin) - Posts: 2306 - 26/04/2012 11:32:58    1160311

In my humblest of opinions, the way to revamp the whole thing would be for 3 years, trial of open draw from the start, 8 groups of 4 and the top 2 in each group make the last 16, everyone else their season is over. Giving EVERYONE a minimum of 3 games

Call each stage like 32 Series!, super 16, power 8, final 4 and then "Thee" All Ireland Final. Simples!

You will have each province saying no of course, but what if a mechanism could be reached that each province will not lose any money?
Lets see, sticking with football for now:
Leinster Football - lets say it takes in 1.5mill
Munster Football - €500k
Connacht Football - €300k
Wee north - shall we say €700k after a visit to the bereau (sp?)

What if the GAA said to all of them, we will match last years gate receipts to you all and you dont have to do anything other than make your grounds and stewards etc availible?

Imagine groups like
Dublin
Tyrone
Cork
Down

and/or
Kerry
Kildare
Donegal
Armagh


Played over consecutive weekends? You would fill portlaoise with Cork v Down or Cork V Dublin, in fact you would close to a capacity if you had a double header with these teams on a Sat night in the capital or in Cork or even in Belfast if Antrim were drawn into the big guns group

If other groups are attractive you could combine groups etc... but the attraction has to be there. Ultimately you will eventually have a very easy group, lets say (with repsect) Clare/Leitrim/Antrim/Carlow, they wont oull huge crowds but they might if these game are teamed up with the parings above.

Double header in Croker foe example on Sat night!
Carlow v Antrim
Dublin v Tyrone

something like the above could work, so far the GAH have been blessed that their sponsors are big ones, without them they would be effed altogether as I am sure most of them do their own marketing campaign on behalf of Jones Rd with their own budget!

glenquagmire (Dublin) - Posts: 20 - 26/04/2012 11:50:08    1160336

Get into the schools. Get them when they are young.
Coming up to championship time get on the tv, radio etc. A real push. A photo opportunity with a few captains is not a way to promote a game. Have it in peoples faces so they can not miss it. Play on the Irish card. Make proper celebs of our players. I would imagine any EPL player could walk down the street and everyone would know who they are. How many intercounty players could you recognise? Perhaps more in football but hurling I would imagine very few would be recognised. They should be encouraging players to get individual sponsorship deals. Keep them in the public eye. Indirectly this will be benefiting the association as a whole. Take example in my own county Seamus Quigley is a very distinguishble character. If he was more prominent in the media and built up to be some sort of celebrity kids would be more inclined to go and catch a glimpse of their hero. When kids go they will have to go with their parents. Putting more people on seats.

gotmilk (Fermanagh) - Posts: 4971 - 26/04/2012 11:50:13    1160338

gotmilk
quigley is certainly a greeat footballer an distinguishable chracter definitely. Martin Mc Grath would have been a better suggestion.

TheGateKeeper (Tyrone) - Posts: 2843 - 26/04/2012 12:21:47    1160367

I have just read exactly what the Ulster Council with ticket prices this year. http://hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=167402
This is definitely the way to go. Under 16's free. All it takes is a few good days out and you have these young people going to games for the rest of their lives.

Culann (Dublin) - Posts: 2306 - 26/04/2012 12:21:48    1160368

I can't understand people looking for the provincials to be got rid of unless there from one of the top few counties who have a realistic chance of winning the AI. For most counties the provincials is what the championship is about because they know they can not win the AI. If the provincials were abandoned there would be nothing for the majority of counties to play for and their fans would realise this and stop going to summer games.

Louth Gael (Louth) - Posts: 1227 - 26/04/2012 12:27:40    1160374

Culann
County: Dublin
Posts: 177

1160368 I have just read exactly what the Ulster Council with ticket prices this year. http://hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=167402
This is definitely the way to go. Under 16's free. All it takes is a few good days out and you have these young people going to games for the rest of their lives.

So entrapment is the way to go. Any hope of improving the product?

dhorse (Laois) - Posts: 11374 - 26/04/2012 12:28:55    1160378

dhorse
County: Laois
Posts: 9791

Any hope of improving the product?

You tell me.

ps. what's with the 'i'm sure you mean well' or something like that above? It seems to me that one minute you are being patronising and belittling and the next you are trying to contribute. strange that.

Culann (Dublin) - Posts: 2306 - 26/04/2012 12:37:51    1160387

Irish counties could take a leaf out of London GAA's books, for the first round of Connacht Championship they get Marquees in place and have live music etc, the crowd will usually arrive early and end up staying on after the game, easily the biggest money spinner for the GAA over here.

Rosineri1 (UK) - Posts: 2099 - 26/04/2012 12:59:44    1160408

Culann
County: Dublin
Posts: 178

1160387 dhorse
County: Laois
Posts: 9791

Any hope of improving the product?

You tell me.

ps. what's with the 'i'm sure you mean well' or something like that above? It seems to me that one minute you are being patronising and belittling and the next you are trying to contribute. strange that.

I'm sure you mean well. I wasn't going to comment on your ideas but seeing as you ask, I would suggest that if a prospective business student in transition year put forward some or all of the above they would be advised to look at a different career path.

Interest in GAA is probably at a level that it cannot go any higher at present, bar that all other sports, entertaiments and pastimes are outlawed. It is by far the biggest sporting organisation, so just enjoy it for what it is and let the beancounters that overspent on white elephants worry about how they can sustain them and their salaries.
if you find that strange, well there you go.
If the games and competitions need improving it should be done with the games in mind not as part of some evangelical type plan

dhorse (Laois) - Posts: 11374 - 26/04/2012 13:51:11    1160467

The following is an interesting and relevent piece that is on the Irish Times' website at the moment. I'm pretty sure it was in todays edition of the paper. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2012/0426/1224315194069.html He reckons we (GAA folk) should all stop being negative about gaelic football and that we should all start looking at the positives. He cannot understand why football fans put down their game so much. An interesting read!

Culann (Dublin) - Posts: 2306 - 26/04/2012 14:08:31    1160482

how about allowing the public to watch the games abroad, wheteher that be on tv or the web. surely they could tke charge of the games on the web and allow customers to pay either a yearly subscription or a pay per view package. its ridiculous that web content is blocked overseas.

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5522 - 26/04/2012 14:27:17    1160501

dhorse
County: Laois
Posts: 9797

I'm sure you mean well. I wasn't going to comment on your ideas but seeing as you ask, I would suggest that if a prospective business student in transition year put forward some or all of the above they would be advised to look at a different career path.

The only two ideas up there that came from me are the ones regarding GAA publications and cheap tickets for schools. The list I made were ideas and opinions other people expressed. If you feel the need to patronise and ridicule those ideas well thats up to you. I don't think there is anything wrong with the ideas that came from me. If you feel there is somethin wrong with them spit it out instead of waffling on about transition year students?

Interest in GAA is probably at a level that it cannot go any higher at present, bar that all other sports, entertaiments and pastimes are outlawed. It is by far the biggest sporting organisation, so just enjoy it for what it is and let the beancounters that overspent on white elephants worry about how they can sustain them and their salaries.
if you find that strange, well there you go.
If the games and competitions need improving it should be done with the games in mind not as part of some evangelical type plan

So you don't think the GAA should not try to improve or market its overall product then? That its going to remain at its current strenght by sitting still not trying to do anything? You think that the GAA is bigger today than it was in the past? You think so what if crowds/support is down this year on other years? You don't think the European Championships is going to have any sort effect on crowds/support this year? Enlighten us all please.

Culann (Dublin) - Posts: 2306 - 26/04/2012 14:28:07    1160502

s goldrick
County: Cavan
Posts: 1353

1160501 how about allowing the public to watch the games abroad, wheteher that be on tv or the web. surely they could tke charge of the games on the web and allow customers to pay either a yearly subscription or a pay per view package. its ridiculous that web content is blocked overseas.

Absolutely. I cannot understand why this is so. Does anyone know the GAA's reasoning for not allowing access to these games abroad. I take it that its RTÉ that are not allowing it.

Culann (Dublin) - Posts: 2306 - 26/04/2012 14:47:22    1160522

There is a satellite station that shows the games in England. It use to be free on the satellite. Use to get it at the house. If i missed the Sunday Game I could always catch it during the week and they had defered coverage of all games. I think it was called premier sports. It is a now a pay per view station. Does anyone if the GAA makes any money of this?

gotmilk (Fermanagh) - Posts: 4971 - 26/04/2012 15:05:17    1160534

Culann
County: Dublin
Posts: 182

1160502 dhorse
County: Laois
Posts: 9797

I'm sure you mean well. I wasn't going to comment on your ideas but seeing as you ask, I would suggest that if a prospective business student in transition year put forward some or all of the above they would be advised to look at a different career path.

The only two ideas up there that came from me are the ones regarding GAA publications and cheap tickets for schools. The list I made were ideas and opinions other people expressed. If you feel the need to patronise and ridicule those ideas well thats up to you. I don't think there is anything wrong with the ideas that came from me. If you feel there is somethin wrong with them spit it out instead of waffling on about transition year students?

Interest in GAA is probably at a level that it cannot go any higher at present, bar that all other sports, entertaiments and pastimes are outlawed. It is by far the biggest sporting organisation, so just enjoy it for what it is and let the beancounters that overspent on white elephants worry about how they can sustain them and their salaries.
if you find that strange, well there you go.
If the games and competitions need improving it should be done with the games in mind not as part of some evangelical type plan

So you don't think the GAA should not try to improve or market its overall product then?

As usual you try to interpet, or ignore, what I say as being the opposite: the foolowing are two quotes veriy this.

So entrapment is the way to go. Any hope of improving the product?

If the games and competitions need improving it should be done with the games in mind not as part of some evangelical type plan.

I will endeavour to answer your Questions one at a time. it may help

dhorse (Laois) - Posts: 11374 - 26/04/2012 15:41:31    1160573

Culann
County: Dublin
Posts: 182


The only two ideas up there that came from me are the ones regarding GAA publications and cheap tickets for schools. The list I made were ideas and opinions other people expressed. If you feel the need to patronise and ridicule those ideas well thats up to you. I don't think there is anything wrong with the ideas that came from me.

There is nothing whatsoever wrong with them, they are however not really relevant, there are cheap tickets available to people of school going age even some fairy hair 3rd level students. The publications you mention would seem to be of a bygone era to say the least. However I suggest you run it by a publisher and see whathey think

dhorse (Laois) - Posts: 11374 - 26/04/2012 15:48:40    1160581

Culann
County: Dublin
Posts: 182

So you don't think the GAA should not try to improve or market its overall product then?

Maybe, but if it comes down to just a exercise in putting more bums on seats or improving the games I would go for improving the games.

it's a bit like bread really, do you want to produce a load of popular rubbish with mass appeal or a high quality product

dhorse (Laois) - Posts: 11374 - 26/04/2012 15:53:48    1160589