National Forum

Attendances 2024

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Replying To CastleBravo:  "That's hardly a sensible comparison since the only stadium outside of Munster which can hold over 30'000 is Croke Park."
Doesnt matter if there were 10 stadiums in Leinster or elsewhere the crowds arent going.
15,000 at Dublin V Roscommon is described in todays papers as Dismal Attendance & Tiny attendance in 2 different news outlets.....all the messing with cramming a championship which has never had as many matchs into 3 months has halved attendances in a couple of years. Plus boring 14 men behind the ball has turned thousands away from watching gaelic football.

OpenStand (Limerick) - Posts: 736 - 27/05/2024 12:03:43    2547563

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Replying To OpenStand:  "Doesnt matter if there were 10 stadiums in Leinster or elsewhere the crowds arent going.
15,000 at Dublin V Roscommon is described in todays papers as Dismal Attendance & Tiny attendance in 2 different news outlets.....all the messing with cramming a championship which has never had as many matchs into 3 months has halved attendances in a couple of years. Plus boring 14 men behind the ball has turned thousands away from watching gaelic football."
If attendances were a determining factor you'd have no Tailteann Cup, no Division 3 or 4 NFL,
No Club leagues, no Junior B, C Etc, no camogie, no ladies football, etc etc.
The attendances at the old Qualifier matches Round 1 and 2 were pretty abysmal in many cases (except when the Rhubarbs were involved)

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2270 - 27/05/2024 12:50:26    2547598

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Constructively i think these are the problems.

1) The games are too condensed, feels like they are shoehorned in week on week which is fine but its a big draw on peoples resources both in time and available funds - which gives people a decision they have to make.

2) The games are uncompetitive, Meath, Offaly, Louth, Roscommon, Cavan next weekend - not a game of jeopardy up to Mayo at the end of June (hopefully) - a lot of money, a lot of time to be invested for a forgone conclusions up until that point.

3) Overall feel the GAA have over reached, the condensed structure has given fans a choice to make, booth in terms of their available time and resources. If you bring yourself and two kids to the above Dublin games it set you back 100's of Euros - for very little entertainment, in what about 6 weeks. It feels like a labour of love.

The entertainment to value, to resources - time/money - just doesn't make sense. Its a labour of love.

TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4507 - 27/05/2024 13:00:32    2547607

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Also

4) Changes to the season tickets have also meant demising attendances, previously you had to attend 60% of your counties games - now you just need to buy the tickets, whether you show up or not is up to you.

Id say their are plenty who bought the 3 games for 50 euro who will jut show up (maybe) for the Mayo game.

TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4507 - 27/05/2024 13:04:45    2547611

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Replying To OpenStand:  "Doesnt matter if there were 10 stadiums in Leinster or elsewhere the crowds arent going.
15,000 at Dublin V Roscommon is described in todays papers as Dismal Attendance & Tiny attendance in 2 different news outlets.....all the messing with cramming a championship which has never had as many matchs into 3 months has halved attendances in a couple of years. Plus boring 14 men behind the ball has turned thousands away from watching gaelic football."
Agree with you 100%…. yet the deluded on here seem to think attendance figures are holding up on previous years….mind blowing

ForeverBlue2 (Cavan) - Posts: 3784 - 27/05/2024 13:10:45    2547616

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270,000 at Munster hurling to date.
U20 hurling final a sell out.

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2270 - 28/05/2024 08:35:08    2547819

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Too many matches, too short a space of time.
I just said on the Wexford page, you need deep pockets to follow any inter county team in Feb-May. The die hard will go but GAA need the casual supporter and if they casual supporter can't stump up another €100 per family after last weeks €100 after the other weeks €100 then that is something the GAA need to look in to.
It is another reason why the split season is a disaster. All the games are bunched together, and now that the GAA have the floor with the rugby and soccer seasons over there is not a hurling match for 3 weeks?
Needs a re-think. Need to either play month on month off with the club game or come up with 3 weeks county 3 weeks club. If the county manager is told "tough" then tough. Who put them in charge anyway?
And now that it is hitting the GAA the only place they know, expect them to act.

ExiledInWex (Dublin) - Posts: 1333 - 28/05/2024 09:38:25    2547832

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81000 at a league game with Dublin and Tyrone back a good few years ago … now Dublin can only attract less than 15000 to a Championship game at the same venue… but bizarrely some think attendance figures haven't dropped…. Football is dying on its feet

ForeverBlue2 (Cavan) - Posts: 3784 - 28/05/2024 10:15:17    2547849

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2 many matches over a short period venues 2 big also cost another factor gaa need a serious re think majority of county matches played from jan to April' need start league in mid feb championship start mid may all Ireland at earliest last week aug ,,u look now last week may , Galway, Waterford, tipp out of championship,, when is club championship start in them counties ???

Kickitout (Galway) - Posts: 1057 - 28/05/2024 10:35:26    2547854

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Replying To ExiledInWex:  "Too many matches, too short a space of time.
I just said on the Wexford page, you need deep pockets to follow any inter county team in Feb-May. The die hard will go but GAA need the casual supporter and if they casual supporter can't stump up another €100 per family after last weeks €100 after the other weeks €100 then that is something the GAA need to look in to.
It is another reason why the split season is a disaster. All the games are bunched together, and now that the GAA have the floor with the rugby and soccer seasons over there is not a hurling match for 3 weeks?
Needs a re-think. Need to either play month on month off with the club game or come up with 3 weeks county 3 weeks club. If the county manager is told "tough" then tough. Who put them in charge anyway?
And now that it is hitting the GAA the only place they know, expect them to act."
I wouldnt be too sure about those at the top acting , people employed in Croke Park are very well paid and like top Public servants theres no accountability , they are more interested in getting free tickets for their kids to go to Coldplay or AC/Dc in croke park than whats happening in the championship. Jarlath Burns is an honest president but the employees in Croke park have little if any connection with grassroots.

OpenStand (Limerick) - Posts: 736 - 28/05/2024 11:41:09    2547871

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Replying To Seanfanbocht:  "270,000 at Munster hurling to date.
U20 hurling final a sell out."
Hurling is drawing big crowds but football aint

OpenStand (Limerick) - Posts: 736 - 28/05/2024 11:50:15    2547876

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Replying To OpenStand:  "I wouldnt be too sure about those at the top acting , people employed in Croke Park are very well paid and like top Public servants theres no accountability , they are more interested in getting free tickets for their kids to go to Coldplay or AC/Dc in croke park than whats happening in the championship. Jarlath Burns is an honest president but the employees in Croke park have little if any connection with grassroots."
That's true. And yet the same people were able to sell us a pup at congress on the basis of more time for clubs.

When all the time it was clear that the accountants who run the organisation were planning to use the freed up venues to sell CP and other grounds to other sports and for concerts and god knows.

Indeed, they don't even wait until the telescoped championship of our greatest sport is over, as the disgraceful condition of Nowlan Park for a key championship game illustrated.

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3469 - 28/05/2024 12:10:35    2547880

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Replying To ExiledInWex:  "Too many matches, too short a space of time.
I just said on the Wexford page, you need deep pockets to follow any inter county team in Feb-May. The die hard will go but GAA need the casual supporter and if they casual supporter can't stump up another €100 per family after last weeks €100 after the other weeks €100 then that is something the GAA need to look in to.
It is another reason why the split season is a disaster. All the games are bunched together, and now that the GAA have the floor with the rugby and soccer seasons over there is not a hurling match for 3 weeks?
Needs a re-think. Need to either play month on month off with the club game or come up with 3 weeks county 3 weeks club. If the county manager is told "tough" then tough. Who put them in charge anyway?
And now that it is hitting the GAA the only place they know, expect them to act."
an element of Dubs fans taking their fine team for granted, Mac Cumhaill park was packed on Saturday night because Donegal are going well and there is an expectancy of success ( and even if there isn't any success, there is a team that Donegal people feel they can be proud of again). I am not a fan of the condensed season either . I cannot understand given Dublin's population why so few attended the game on saturday night. Roscommon and other counties are going in to some of these games on hope, Dublin are going in with an expectancy to claim the all-Ireland again, I can't understand why they are not better supported.

totalrecall (Leitrim) - Posts: 1050 - 28/05/2024 12:26:07    2547888

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Replying To ForeverBlue2:  "81000 at a league game with Dublin and Tyrone back a good few years ago … now Dublin can only attract less than 15000 to a Championship game at the same venue… but bizarrely some think attendance figures haven't dropped…. Football is dying on its feet"
The current format is a shambles. We are now seeing counties like Mayo and Dublin getting less home crowds at championship games than league games….

I remember the Connacht final of 2006 in Castlebar when 34,000 showed up to watch Mayo v Galway. Now we seem to be "happy" that 19,000 showed up for the Connacht final this year.

Of course there is no one reason, cost of living, the style of football most teams are playing is boring etc. I know alot of people who have not gone to games since covid, they just got out of the habit.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11543 - 28/05/2024 12:33:55    2547891

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Replying To yew_tree:  "The current format is a shambles. We are now seeing counties like Mayo and Dublin getting less home crowds at championship games than league games….

I remember the Connacht final of 2006 in Castlebar when 34,000 showed up to watch Mayo v Galway. Now we seem to be "happy" that 19,000 showed up for the Connacht final this year.

Of course there is no one reason, cost of living, the style of football most teams are playing is boring etc. I know alot of people who have not gone to games since covid, they just got out of the habit."
Yea definitely. The idea was to have all the top teams playing each other and the people would just be bursting through the turnstiles. Galway Derry was meant to be the blockbuster game of round 1 and was a flop from a bums on seats point of view. There seems to be a combination of factors at play. Tickets are expensive, especially for Connacht championship. League tickets are much more reasonable. Then you have expensive tickets, more games and squeezed into a short few weeks so people are being tactical on which games they go to. Add to that very little jeoprady until maybe the last game of the group stages. As you say some have got out of the habitat since covid. Barriers put up to older people for getting tickets. I know Centra/Super valu sell them but there was a stage initially when a lot of older people thought you could only get tickets online. If you won a Connacht final in the 90s you were straight into a All Ireland semi, in the early 2000s you were into a QF. Now if you win a provincial you have at minimum 3 and potentially a 4th game before you reach a QF. Then people also busy with the club scene and underage county teams. Maybe we just don't have a critical mass of population that are willing to pay those prices for all those games to have good attendances prior to QFs and SFs.

MachaireConnacht (Roscommon) - Posts: 1000 - 28/05/2024 13:04:12    2547897

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Replying To yew_tree:  "The current format is a shambles. We are now seeing counties like Mayo and Dublin getting less home crowds at championship games than league games….

I remember the Connacht final of 2006 in Castlebar when 34,000 showed up to watch Mayo v Galway. Now we seem to be "happy" that 19,000 showed up for the Connacht final this year.

Of course there is no one reason, cost of living, the style of football most teams are playing is boring etc. I know alot of people who have not gone to games since covid, they just got out of the habit."
The biggest problem is the dire style of football being played…. Hurling attendance figures are very good because the game is exciting to watch…. People are not fools (well not all of them) and won't pay to see boring rubbish…. The silly format doesn't help but if the football was good then the people would turn up…

ForeverBlue2 (Cavan) - Posts: 3784 - 28/05/2024 13:20:10    2547900

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Replying To totalrecall:  "an element of Dubs fans taking their fine team for granted, Mac Cumhaill park was packed on Saturday night because Donegal are going well and there is an expectancy of success ( and even if there isn't any success, there is a team that Donegal people feel they can be proud of again). I am not a fan of the condensed season either . I cannot understand given Dublin's population why so few attended the game on saturday night. Roscommon and other counties are going in to some of these games on hope, Dublin are going in with an expectancy to claim the all-Ireland again, I can't understand why they are not better supported."
The expectancy of getting to the quarter finals, not the expectancy of winning All Ireland.

The first is as sure a thing as Frankel or Sea the Stars. The second is by no means and you'll see big crowds when all this meaningless ****ing about to eliminate 4 of 16 teams is out of the way.

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3469 - 28/05/2024 13:37:00    2547903

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I think this has been great so far. Beat Derry in a very clever performance and the whole of the Derry support which may have 3/4s of the support was completely stunned.
Et against Tyrone and pennos against Armagh and beat Tyrone again in a really good performance. Support is the best it's been in years. Children really buying into it and that helps with the future.
It's no doubt a fickle business as there were hardly any support last year and a defeat or two and the bubble bursts. Enjoy the ride while it lasts.

Ulsterchamps_32 (Donegal) - Posts: 806 - 28/05/2024 13:38:54    2547904

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Replying To MachaireConnacht:  "Yea definitely. The idea was to have all the top teams playing each other and the people would just be bursting through the turnstiles. Galway Derry was meant to be the blockbuster game of round 1 and was a flop from a bums on seats point of view. There seems to be a combination of factors at play. Tickets are expensive, especially for Connacht championship. League tickets are much more reasonable. Then you have expensive tickets, more games and squeezed into a short few weeks so people are being tactical on which games they go to. Add to that very little jeoprady until maybe the last game of the group stages. As you say some have got out of the habitat since covid. Barriers put up to older people for getting tickets. I know Centra/Super valu sell them but there was a stage initially when a lot of older people thought you could only get tickets online. If you won a Connacht final in the 90s you were straight into a All Ireland semi, in the early 2000s you were into a QF. Now if you win a provincial you have at minimum 3 and potentially a 4th game before you reach a QF. Then people also busy with the club scene and underage county teams. Maybe we just don't have a critical mass of population that are willing to pay those prices for all those games to have good attendances prior to QFs and SFs."
It's a series of 3 games so most regulars will do the home and neutral game.
The big day, 1 match a year types won't be going as there's no trophy and no pitch invasion.

Fixtures made at short notice so away game is out for most. NFL fixtures are known well in advance, plus cheaper hotels etc in February and March. Also no Minor or u20 games then while club scenes mainly dormant.
Also the lack of real competitiveness in the football scene, we all kinda know it will be D v KY again unless they meet in the Semi Final.
By the way attendances tiny at TC group games but no one calling for their abolition.

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2270 - 28/05/2024 13:50:14    2547908

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The GAA must have been too embarrassed to publish the official attendance figure for the Dublin/Roscommon game… reckoned to be under 10k… The GAA football Championship is in a pityfull position at present thanks to the big wigs greed and constant changing of both rules and competition structures…

ForeverBlue2 (Cavan) - Posts: 3784 - 30/05/2024 10:14:49    2548307

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