A fella made a point on the 11aside site, and its interesting. Want to see what people think. He claimed that no Club side in GAA can come even close to sustaining the crowd and support that soccer clubs like Shamrock Rovers, Bohs, Derry City and whatever Cork club are in existence at any one time
is he right? Is it a fair point?
Rovers and Bohs would average 3000 at their home games
can any GAA club say likewise?
I realise many GAA clubs are rural and come from a population of less than 3000 but even the bigger city clubs in Limerick Dublin Cork Galway etc.... they represent huge areas
Do any GAA club in Cork come near the average gate Cork City got for the last 5 years. Can any Dublin club claim anything like parity with average attendances that Rovers and Bohs get etc
And Derry, well, thats a lost cause to GAA, as is Limerick.
Does this mean that strip away the glory hunters and the bandwagoners in every county, does this point to , despite what we are brought up to believe, that grass roots soccer is actually bigger than grass roots GAA in Ireland?

I am NOT saying it is, i am merely posing the question.

Hillstreetblue (Dublin) - Posts: 163 - 21/04/2010 14:38:54    624604

Surely the comparison is unfair and unjust. Bohs, rivers etc are the top line of soccer in this country so inter county championship is our top line. Clubs especially big clubs would have numerous teams at both codes and different grades so to give an accurate number in attendance would prove difficult. I have been at big games in Dublin senior championship over the last couple of yrs in parnell pk and the crowd was big. I dont know the statistics and even if its true but i remember some one pointing out to me that you could get up to 8-10 thousand at a Longford senior club final.

51longago (Mayo) - Posts: 2981 - 21/04/2010 15:20:26    624661

FAI Cup Final 2009 : Attendance 8105
All-Ireland Ladies Senior Final 2009: Attendance 21606

Says it all.......

jamsie (Westmeath) - Posts: 471 - 21/04/2010 15:47:42    624711

comparing bohs,rovers etc to gaa club teams in unfair. i think they should be on a par with county teams while gaa clubs in dublin would be on a par with FAI junior cup teams, ballymun utd,portmarnock. in dublin if all league of ireland teams fans got together and dublin were playing a leinster final then the dubs would win out by far. soccer at that level is a joke,never been to a league of ireland match and never will!

superdub (Dublin) - Posts: 392 - 21/04/2010 15:50:35    624715

In the interests of your own sanity it would probably be better not to read anything on the 11aside site

dhorse (Laois) - Posts: 11374 - 21/04/2010 15:53:37    624724

definately a porr comparison. he should be comparing fermanagh and western soccer and club football in the same area and the same for other league. you cant compre top end of one sport to the grass roots of another

speedy12 (Fermanagh) - Posts: 592 - 21/04/2010 15:54:16    624725

jamsie
County: Westmeath
Posts: 25

624711 FAI Cup Final 2009 : Attendance 8105
All-Ireland Ladies Senior Final 2009: Attendance 21606

Says it all.......



No it doesn't. Sligo Rovers only represent one town, not a county. Sporting Fingal are 3 years old and don't have a big following as of yet. So in fact, it didn't even say half of it

MayoMark (Mayo) - Posts: 332 - 21/04/2010 15:59:04    624733

I wish people would stop comparing GAA with soccer.

Floops (Dublin) - Posts: 1623 - 21/04/2010 16:04:13    624744

Hillstreetblue
County: Dublin
Posts: 43
As has already been stated, your comparsion is rediculous and displays a complete misunderstanding of both soccer and gaa at grass roots. League of Ireland is not Grassroots soccer. You should be comparing League of Ireland clubs to InterCounty GAA, and comparing local club soccer to local club GAA. I think the GAA wins both of these comparisons hands down.

Lebowski (Meath) - Posts: 363 - 21/04/2010 16:06:37    624746

There are far less soccer clubs than GAA clubs, therefore meaning the soccer clubs will be able to draw bigger crowds due to their being less choice etc. An ignorant comparison i would say, likely from someone who hasn't put any thought into his / her point other than attempting to say soccer is bigger than GAA. And these comparisons are futile. I saw a couple of soccer matches when i was over in Ireland a couple of summers ago and they were dreadful affairs. The standard was appalling and very dull to watch.

Tongo (UK) - Posts: 1795 - 21/04/2010 16:07:22    624747

dhorse
County: Laois
Posts: 5475

624724 In the interests of your own sanity it would probably be better not to read anything on the 11aside site



because other sports are BAD?


bring back the ban ridicule other sports

that's really helpful!

ochonlir (Cavan) - Posts: 4343 - 21/04/2010 16:11:22    624754

The soccer lads trying to say that more people attend soccer games than GAA games is laughable!

laflour (Cavan) - Posts: 528 - 21/04/2010 16:12:32    624755

IGNORANCE you say


surely not!

on this site?

ochonlir (Cavan) - Posts: 4343 - 21/04/2010 16:24:11    624778

Mayo Mark is right, Sligo Rovers are a classic example of a garrison town club, i know townies who are rovers supporters and who have never seen or were at a gaelic football match, seriously.

In fact some of the more 'enthuastic' fans actually jeered when word came through on the PA of the result against Tyrone in 2002.

salmoneile (Sligo) - Posts: 65 - 21/04/2010 16:24:32    624780

local gaa clubs should be compared to local soccer clubs. top soccer clubs like bohs should be compared to top gaa county teams so thats the answer

laser (Galway) - Posts: 230 - 21/04/2010 16:26:20    624784

MayoMark
County: Mayo
Posts: 70

624733 jamsie
County: Westmeath
Posts: 25

624711 FAI Cup Final 2009 : Attendance 8105
All-Ireland Ladies Senior Final 2009: Attendance 21606

Says it all.......



No it doesn't. Sligo Rovers only represent one town, not a county. Sporting Fingal are 3 years old and don't have a big following as of yet. So in fact, it didn't even say half of it

Regardless of who was competing there would be more than 8105 at the All-Ireland final. Thats comparing like with like.

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12291 - 21/04/2010 16:31:53    624802

As others have said the comparison made is not exactly the fairest one available.

Sure there are probably more senior GAA clubs in Dublin alone than there are League of Ireland teams in the whole country. Of course the likes of Bohs, Rovers, Cork City etc should be able to attract bigger crowds due to less competition.



Why don't we compare the number of members GAA clubs and Rovers have instead?

I think I'd be right in saying there'd be quite a few GAA clubs with bigger numbers if that comparison was the one in question...

if_in_doubt (Kildare) - Posts: 3691 - 21/04/2010 16:34:06    624805

Breffni, that's not like with like. Nonsense statement. It's the same as comparing Rovers and Bohs to all the GAA club games.

More people attend Celtic gmes than Mitchells games in Castlebar. That is like with like

MayoMark (Mayo) - Posts: 332 - 21/04/2010 16:41:58    624817

If that is not like with like, what is the soccer equivalent of the All-Ireland Final?

Do Castlebar Celtic represent the exact same area and population as Castlebar Mitchells? Do they have the same competition for support?

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12291 - 21/04/2010 17:01:39    624853

Do Rovers get 3,000 a game? Used to be nearer a 1,000 (official figures) but perhaps it has gone up since they stole Tallaght Stadium :-) I was watching their game against Fingal on TV and there appeared to hardly anyone there - it was in Santry. Dublin people tend not to go to club matches to extent that people in rural areas do where club is more central to community and indeed I've only seen our footballers about three times in as many years, and that included a match to win the league. A symptom of the anomie of urban life! (Get the sociologists!!)

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 21/04/2010 17:09:35    624866