Does anyone think the GAA is attractive? like,I mean in soccer you have ronaldo and messi doing all the flicks and tricks.The average attendance in a barclays premier league match is 34,151.I do not expect GAA matches to get these crowds but the average attendance at an ulster football championship match is 16,080, less than half the attendance for a premier league match.I know England is a lot bigger than Ireland but remember,in the premier league each team plays 37 matches and in the ulster football championship there are only 8 matches in the ulster championship.So the attendance should be higher.I know the stadiums are a lot bigger in England but if the GAA was made more attractive,this would make attendances higher and that would make more money and one thing you use with money in sport is to redevelop stadiums.But what we need to find out is how to make the GAA more attractive.What could it be?From the mark to off you go if you receive a yellow card or shorter periods or maybe it could be the format of the championship?Should they change it to Champions League format or just they way it was 20 years ago????

drumhowangaa (Monaghan) - Posts: 64 - 23/03/2010 16:52:43    596449

Why the need to compare ourselves with another country and a different sport?

More people attend GAA matches every year in Ireland than any other live sporting event.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13792 - 23/03/2010 17:08:26    596476

Aye the GAA is attractive, And so are some players ;)

Orlaith (Derry) - Posts: 4282 - 23/03/2010 17:14:14    596486

There's nothing as attractive like a good, tough, close Ulster Championship match. Compelling stuff. The game would die a death if we had Kerry v Cork/Mayo/Dublin/Galway finals every year. The 2006, 2007 and 2009 All Ireland finals have done more damage to Gaelic football than anything else in years, they were all over after 15 mins. How is that good for the games?

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9816 - 23/03/2010 17:14:24    596487

I mean in soccer you have ronaldo and messi doing all the flicks and tricks
_____________________________________________

Ever hear of Joe Canning?

dammon (Meath) - Posts: 1291 - 23/03/2010 17:17:35    596496

Orlaith
County: Derry
Posts: 2956

596486
Aye the GAA is attractive, And so are some players ;)

Totally agree francie bellew is a dreamboat!

beer baron (Cavan) - Posts: 3916 - 23/03/2010 17:19:39    596501

The question is not whether it is attractive but whether it is promoted properly!
At present the GAA falls down badly in presenting itself..... and the first step to improving that is doing what it takes to get it talked about a lot more on tv and radio as well as written about in the papers.

BIG SACKS (Tyrone) - Posts: 1681 - 23/03/2010 17:23:24    596512

Just watch enough football and you will see that the skills are unbelievable. The problem we have is that the Game is too fast for Tv to be showing 3 or four replays from different angles while the Game is resuming. And hurling needs no explanation I will never understand how them lads even at the standard Derry are at get that sioitar to do what they do with it and the courage shown is not only attracticve but hesrt stopping.

derryman (Derry) - Posts: 3246 - 23/03/2010 17:27:41    596523

If it wasnt attractive we wouldnt watch it, duhhhhhh

weered92 (Derry) - Posts: 296 - 23/03/2010 17:28:05    596525

Flicks from Joe Canning, Eoin Kelly and Henry Shefflin are more than anything any of those poncey soccer players could do.
Look at the population of Ireland. It is comparable to the population of Scotland. Look at the attendances of soccer in Scotland, excluding the old firm and the GAA is favourable.
Look at the attendance of LOI and the sectarian league in the 6 counties and again the GAA compares very favourably.

But i do think that you actually do raise an interesting question as I know there have been lots of threads about how to improve the GAA but making it more attractive is a different twist.

Puddersthecat (Kilkenny) - Posts: 1692 - 23/03/2010 17:29:31    596530

Maybe they should wear body hugging shorts and have a make over before the game . And ban them bicycle shorts that everyone seems to need now. There were no hamstrings in our day.

derryman (Derry) - Posts: 3246 - 23/03/2010 18:06:22    596626

Or Groins either

derryman (Derry) - Posts: 3246 - 23/03/2010 18:06:57    596627

I only started following Gaelic games in 2006 after following soccer since i was young. And i find it fascinating. Soccer may have fancy flicks, but its all about money. What has impressed me most is having seen Corofin and Kilmurry-Ibrickane come across to play TCG's in the last two years and how most of the population of these two small locales came across to support their team. It doesn't always have to be about fancy play for a sport to be attractive. The most fascinating / attractive thing about Gaelic games is the community and how the sports unite peoples from the villages and towns of rural communities.

Tongo (UK) - Posts: 1795 - 23/03/2010 18:43:14    596684

Is the GAA attractive?

**Insert reference to Polish Girlfriend here**

JuanVeron (Westmeath) - Posts: 1866 - 23/03/2010 19:35:29    596746

Have you ever been to a premiership football match? I have, and can tell you that for all it's attraction the whole affair is so fake, so false, and so dislikeable it is a joke.

Jersey kissing (when you'll kiss another one if your paid more to do so), supporters who need a police escort, players cheating so blatantly, managers who go through the same old spiel every week.

Nothing in it compares to Dublin v Meath, Cork v Tipp, Kilkenny v Wexford (ok maybe not recently!), the tradition, the sense of unity and pride of where you come from. The amateur status, the banter in the pubs before/after the games with some fellah who was roaring for the oppisition an hour ago.

We have so much to be proud of and our association, despite all the faults and failings and things that drive us mad, it's not a bad one. And to answer your question, yes it is attractive.

Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 23/03/2010 20:18:30    596796

There is something like 60 million people living in England and only 5 million in Ireland so they would obviously have larger numbers and that is is not to mention that the premiership is the most popular soccer competition in the world with the big clubs having worldwide support, we could never compete with a multimillion euro industry like the premiership but i do think there are things we could be doing to attract bigger attendances, actually if the GAA done anything it would be a start.

Louth Gael (Louth) - Posts: 1227 - 23/03/2010 20:29:53    596814

population of ireland 4million. Population of england 50million. Attendances arent that bad considering!

I think the promotion of the championship is very good in recent years actually. They have made it sexy and i think young kids really look up to the top GAA stars and want to be like them. The league could be better promoted though alright

redandgreen (None) - Posts: 691 - 23/03/2010 20:38:06    596829

All sport is attractive to those who are interested in it. Gaelic football and Hurling are probably the most parochial sports in the world though. Most football fans will watch every game in the World Cup if they can whereas in Gaa fans will more or less only watch their own county with the number increasing in the matches up to and including the final. Certain counties play football or hurling which is easy on the eye because they have the tecnical ability which makes the game more attractive. Unfortunately this ability is rarely rewarded, particularly in football which has turned very cynical.

AfricanGael (UK) - Posts: 1947 - 23/03/2010 20:55:12    596868

Well Said Pudders...

There's enought tinkering going on with the GAA as things stand. We don't need any more changes, and certainly no more taking bits and pieces from foreign sports.

redandblackgaa (Tyrone) - Posts: 251 - 23/03/2010 21:24:48    596939

its attractive to me anyway!

mondred (Wexford) - Posts: 872 - 23/03/2010 21:37:09    596966