for the GAA's sake i hope you're right hill. cork are favs for this match their fans have no reason not to travel. i'd imagine a few neutrals will go along with the usual big donegal contingent.

BettystownRoyal (Meath) - Posts: 3353 - 23/08/2012 17:11:33    1250663

I expect a huge Donegal crowd to travel anyway, definitely expect us to outnumber Cork

up_donegal (Donegal) - Posts: 659 - 23/08/2012 17:56:40    1250702

Crowds Down on Last Year

http://www.hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=175949

There didn't seem to be any high profile replays this year although we came close on a few occasions. 2007 for example there were a lot. So maybe all is not so bad. A draw in either semi for the football would provide a big boost.

BettystownRoyal (Meath) - Posts: 3353 - 23/08/2012 17:57:38    1250703

well there was 40 thousand sold by yesterday evening so there should be between 50-60 thousand come throw in on sunday.

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 23/08/2012 18:15:37    1250715

God some people are never happy.So buy the end of the championship we will probably have had over 1.3 million people at games out of a total all ireland population of 6.5bit million by fcuk that isnt too bad.Add in the I think 300,000 for the league that was reported by gaa a few months ago and they are figures any sport would love to have.Of course they might be down a bit but the country is in a terrible and quite frankly sad state these days so i think getting people out spending money on looking at sport.

fishman (Kildare) - Posts: 6 - 23/08/2012 19:02:01    1250738

Fishman....not sure that the population of the island is 6.5 million.....also don't see the relevance of this figure.....if you're trying to make out that 1.3million of 6.5million have attended championship matches, then you're technically wrong.....as youre not taking into account that of that 1.3 million are those that have attended more than one game....

Lifford Gael (Donegal) - Posts: 1925 - 23/08/2012 20:39:54    1250789

i don't think 1.3 million individuals went. f you go to 10 games you count as 10 people i think.

BettystownRoyal (Meath) - Posts: 3353 - 23/08/2012 20:41:57    1250791

the reason that it is down is because we havent had the same amount of matches as last year which saw a few more replays.
if you take the hurling semi finals over all they were up by 15 thousand on last year and if you take the hurling quarter finals they were up 5 thousand on last year so the bigger matches are still attracting the big crowds.
there was 115 thousand attended the football quarter finals last year spread over two weekends where as 108 thousand attended them this year spread over two days
so its not a significant drop by any means so far and 50 thousand and 81 thousand attended the football semi finals last year i would be confident that they will be simliar crowds again this year

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 24/08/2012 12:05:28    1251016

that's about right. ulster championship attendances were up about 20% this year as well. the GAA were just unlucky when it came to high profile replays. there may well be one after both these semi's are played.

BettystownRoyal (Meath) - Posts: 3353 - 24/08/2012 14:21:38    1251122

55,000 i was on the hill yesterday and i'm guessing there was less than 300 from meath and mayo for this. you could barely hear a ripple of applause when we scored or mayo did.

considering both teams are from either end of the country 55,000 is an unreal turnout and donegal showed again why they're the best fans in the country. must have been close to 40,000 there from donegal.

BettystownRoyal (Meath) - Posts: 3353 - 27/08/2012 13:58:20    1253017

I never seen or heard anything like the Donegal support that was there Sunday ...Be some atmosphere if its the dubs in the final!

BigJohn.6_8 (Galway) - Posts: 704 - 27/08/2012 15:55:32    1253197

pity they cant get them to turn out all year

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 27/08/2012 15:58:28    1253204

hill16no1man
County: Dublin
Posts: 2374

1253204 pity they cant get them to turn out all year

Very true but always happens when a team wins a few games! It would be nice to have the league games in Ballyshannon, Ballybofey or Letterkenny near full next year.

DLlegends (Donegal) - Posts: 503 - 27/08/2012 16:15:26    1253219

agreed hill and i'd say that for every county in the country. it's a pity we can't fill every county ground in the country for the league or early championship rounds. but as a man said yesterday, there will be no money left to spend in donegal. they are one of the poorest counties in ireland. couldn't see most who were there yesterday having the money to go all year around. but hey at least they come out for the big games unlike some counties like cork and kerry! was a pleasure watching from the hill yesterday and just soaking up the atmosphere. by far the best i've experienced since watching meath back in the nineties.

BettystownRoyal (Meath) - Posts: 3353 - 27/08/2012 16:56:18    1253280

BettystownRoyal
County: Meath
Posts: 2988

1253280
agreed hill and i'd say that for every county in the country. it's a pity we can't fill every county ground in the country for the league or early championship rounds. but as a man said yesterday, there will be no money left to spend in donegal. they are one of the poorest counties in ireland. couldn't see most who were there yesterday having the money to go all year around. but hey at least they come out for the big games unlike some counties like cork and kerry! was a pleasure watching from the hill yesterday and just soaking up the atmosphere. by far the best i've experienced since watching meath back in the nineties.


You use the excuse of lack of funds for Donegal supporters not attending games all year but then you use the same argument to throw a dig at Kerry and Cork supporters, who have almost the same distance to travel, and who are in Dublin every year.

Cute_Kerry_Hoor (Kerry) - Posts: 2518 - 27/08/2012 17:03:05    1253290

we all know how wealthy you cute Kerry Hoores and rebels are. are you saying that it's not a very poor county with a serious economic problem? it's definitely a factor and many fans have broke the bank to attend their last 4 games alone.

BettystownRoyal (Meath) - Posts: 3353 - 27/08/2012 17:19:25    1253323

BettystownRoyal
County: Meath
Posts: 2994

1253323
we all know how wealthy you cute Kerry Hoores and rebels are. are you saying that it's not a very poor county with a serious economic problem? it's definitely a factor and many fans have broke the bank to attend their last 4 games alone.


We're all in the same boat.

Cute_Kerry_Hoor (Kerry) - Posts: 2518 - 27/08/2012 17:28:03    1253335

You use the excuse of lack of funds for Donegal supporters not attending games all year but then you use the same argument to throw a dig at Kerry and Cork supporters, who have almost the same distance to travel, and who are in Dublin every year.

just re read your post..... where the hell did you get it into your head that they haven't traveled in big numbers this year? they put kerry and cork to shame. you had the same distance as them so no excuse getting outnumbered 5/6 to 1. i was saying that its amazing they travel in such big numbers because after all they are not the wealthiest bucks in the world.

BettystownRoyal (Meath) - Posts: 3353 - 27/08/2012 17:28:06    1253336

yeah betty i cant see how you can honestly say 1 county has poorer supporters then another its too extreme of a statement
by a survey done on countys your own county meath actualy rates as the richest county in ireland but to say that that means all meath supporters have more money then kerry dublin donegal supporters is too far fetched

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 27/08/2012 17:34:43    1253347

55 thousand supporters is not record breaking at a semi final. If that had been Dublin an Donegal it would have been a sell out. 2005 all Ireland semi final Armaghv Tyrone 82 thousand . thats two teams from the same province. out of yesterdays 55 thousand i would say 40 thousand came from Donegal. 2008 semi final 62 thous. the southern teams dont seem to have the same level of support as the northern teams even though have the same distances to travel and theres no trains from most of the Ulster counties.

border Gael (Monaghan) - Posts: 906 - 27/08/2012 18:25:21    1253399