We're in the thick of the off season so here's an off season thread!
Who is the biggest franchise in the capital?

Is it Leinster Rugby, is it the Dubs or is it a soccer team like Manchester Utd?

I'd still give the Dubs the edge myself especially when you consider a lot of Leinster's support comes from outside the capital. But you have to say they've caught up a lot in the last 10 years.

1: Dubs
2: Leinster
3: United

Who's top for you?

Jack_Goff (Meath) - Posts: 2920 - 14/12/2013 17:53:00    1523743

14/12/2013 17:53:00
Jack_Goff
We're in the thick of the off season so here's an off season thread!
Who is the biggest franchise in the capital?
Is it Leinster Rugby, is it the Dubs or is it a soccer team like Manchester Utd?
I'd still give the Dubs the edge myself especially when you consider a lot of Leinster's support comes from outside the capital. But you have to say they've caught up a lot in the last 10 years.
1: Dubs
2: Leinster
3: United
Who's top for you? Dubs and Leinster 1/2. Who knows after that

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 14/12/2013 17:58:39    1523744

Who do you think is 3rd if you had to guess?

Jack_Goff (Meath) - Posts: 2920 - 14/12/2013 19:07:40    1523759

Celtic

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 14/12/2013 19:42:48    1523770

Dubs by a country mile. Leinster is a province Jack, you may have noticed!

There are as many people from your own county and Kildare and Wicklow who go to Leinster matches as there are Dubs and they have minimal support in most of the city. Very much a middle class phenomenon.

I don't count people who only watch Sky TV as serious sports supporters.

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 15/12/2013 11:48:18    1523819

dubs is defo biggest.
leinster only pull supporters from specific postcodes of dublin and a lot of people on the northside that dont follow rugby I know would rather see munster or another side beat them if watching it as they come across as posh and up themselves so they dont relate to them.
where as dublin gaa pulls supporters from all over the county.

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 15/12/2013 13:18:23    1523840

I'd say the Dubs followed closely by United and Liverpool, but if you added those two up they'd out number the amount of Dubs fans by a distance. Leinster rugby would trail significantly behind the football and Gaa.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 15/12/2013 13:24:39    1523845

People who follow British soccer teams do not count. LOI supporters are actual soccer supporters.

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 15/12/2013 13:33:35    1523849

15/12/2013 11:48:18
hurlingdub
Dubs by a country mile. Leinster is a province Jack, you may have noticed!

There are as many people from your own county and Kildare and Wicklow who go to Leinster matches as there are Dubs and they have minimal support in most of the city. Very much a middle class phenomenon.

I don't count people who only watch Sky TV as serious sports supporters. not a middle class phenomenon in the slightest. Go to RDS to a Leinster game and you would know they have significant support across the city. Not minimal at all
15/12/2013 13:18:23 hill16no1man
dubs is defo biggest.
leinster only pull supporters from specific postcodes of dublin and a lot of people on the northside that dont follow rugby I know would rather see munster or another side beat them if watching it as they come across as posh and up themselves so they dont relate to them.
where as dublin gaa pulls supporters from all over the county. rubbish. Leinster pull support all across the city and province. And that perception of people from northside etc supporting Munster has virtually disappeared thanks to work Leinster branch has put-in in schools, clubs all over the province

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 15/12/2013 14:04:15    1523852

Have to agree with Ormond that the perception of Leinster pulling fans from certain postcodes is very much outdated and wrong.

Also how can a premiership team be a Dublin franchise? I'm sure Liverpool, Utd, etc pull the same level of support all over the country and not just in the capital. Third franchise after the Dubs and Leinster would possibly be Shamrock Rovers or Bohs.

bubba83 (Dublin) - Posts: 333 - 15/12/2013 14:10:56    1523855

With respect Ormond, myself and Hillman know north Dublin better than you do! Finglas was awash with Dub flags and bunting all Summer. I've never seen a Leinster flag.

I enjoy watching rugby by the way. I just don't identify with either Leinster or Ireland for that matter. Nothing to do with me.

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 15/12/2013 14:14:25    1523857

Biggest franchise in Dublin ?? Eh hold on until I think about that !!!!

Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6182 - 15/12/2013 15:16:45    1523863

Dubs would have far bigger support in the city and county then Leinster Rugby. A lot of the rugby support would come from the rest of the province as well as in Dublin.

Leinster Rugby support had obviously grown of late but it'd still have a long way to go to catch up to the levels of interest that the Dubs create. When Dublin are in an All-Ireland final you see flags and bunting all across the city and county whereas with the exception of the odd flag on a car you'd never see Leinster bunting around the place when they've a big match.

The interest in Premier League soccer would be more comparable to GAA though and as a whole would actually still probably outstrip the GAA but not by as much as it used to imo. Although that only exists as a TV sport of course.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13833 - 15/12/2013 15:16:49    1523864

Bubba

I don't think anyone would deny that there are Rugby fans in all corners of Dublin nowadays. I think the point people are making it that the areas where the majority of people are Rugby supporters first and foremost are still the traditionally upper class areas.

I sing think that can be denied to be honest.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13833 - 15/12/2013 15:28:26    1523866

Alone should read:

I don't think that that can denied to be honest.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13833 - 15/12/2013 15:32:52    1523870

Jaysus I hate predictive txt wha! Another mistake in the above post!

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13833 - 15/12/2013 15:44:35    1523872

not rubbish at all ormond!
leinster pull support from outside dublin yes I never said they didnt this thread is about the capital.
I said in dublin its only in certain postcodes.
With all due respect im from the northside of dublin I live hear I think I know the score in my own area more then what you read in a newspaper or hear on some rugby site on the internet.
rugby is virtualy alien anywhere near where I live
Donaghmede,Baldoyle,Kilbarrack,Clongriffin,Belmayne,Balgriffin,
Kinsealy,Edenmore,Ayrfield,Coolock,Raheny,Artane,Donnycarney
are all areas near me not one rugby club.you would be lucky to get a handfull of people who would go to the rds from them areas to watch a leinster rugby match.
I never stated they were munster supporters,I stated they would rather see munster win if playing leinster as they are not as up themselves as leinster in these peoples minds.

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 15/12/2013 17:43:14    1523912

also I dont think you can class somebody who will watch a match only if they happen to be at home and turn on the tv at the time or somebody who will simply look up the teletext to see a result in the evening time as a supporter,which a lot of people tend to do.

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 15/12/2013 17:48:04    1523915

I certainly think that a strong percentage of the playing population and bases of rugby clubs in Dublin can be linked to traditional middle class areas. But the term middle class doesn't exactly mean what it used to and one has to be very careful when using such terms! Its probably easier to state that rugby is not as popular in many traditional working class areas of Dublin where soccer probably has the strongest hold followed by GAA! Those tradional working class areas are still working class but the same cannot really be applied to the term middle class areas.

But the main point here is not playing numbers, its support base, and its not easy to extrapolate the above to supporters. These days social strata's are more fluid but id suggest on average rugby does manage to draw a higher income supporter to its games than GAA and soccer do. But the GAA itself has very strong links to some so called affluent areas but that belt of south county dublin along the coast is not a GAA stronghold. Other semi/affluent areas of Dublin are. Perception probably doesn't match reality here in all cases but the line there is no smoke without fire does apply somewhat in relation to rugby as a non working class game in Dublin. Nepotism is a main factor too i havn't seen mentioned, and one with strong links to the past!

All of the sporting franchises in Dublin in respect to teams are relatively small. The GAA is huge along with soccer and rubgy! Along with seasonal supporters the Dubs would claim the most attention and support in my view!

seany16 (Dublin) - Posts: 1663 - 15/12/2013 17:50:55    1523917

Ive mates who go to rugby through corporate freebies , personally have never been to a game , wouldn't know how you'd go about even getting a ticket , however since a nipper my dad who's a huge Dubs fan had me watching , Slattery , Gibson , Moss Keane, Ward and Campbell , so I've always had an interest, but its a TV interest which is what the majority of friends and family I know would have , no participation and unaware of anyone personally who plays .
For me the premiership and its main players Man U , Pool , etc still hold the majority of hearts and minds unfortunately , however the Dubs and the success thats come our way is slowly eroding into the soccer boys .

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 15/12/2013 18:03:19    1523925