Good Arsenal Pub in Limerick to watch soccer tonight?

goingpostal

The Bull O'Shea wrote: »

Another point is that if all of the premiership wearing Limerick men spent the same amount of money supporting the local team there would be a better product. This goes for the whole country. You would surely take better pleasure in seeing Limerick with an Irish soccer league than Manchester, chelsea winning an English league

I saw Limerick FC beat shelbourne 3-2 up in Jackman Park two years ago after they had been behind for most of the match. It was great craic.

TheLoc

The Bull O'Shea wrote: »

Another point is that if all of the premiership wearing Limerick men spent the same amount of money supporting the local team there would be a better product. This goes for the whole country. You would surely take better pleasure in seeing Limerick with an Irish soccer league than Manchester, chelsea winning an English league

In fairness. Everyone says it, the english premiership is the most entertaining and best footballing league, soccer wise, in the world. Thats why it has so many followers. were not as bad as other countries. did you see when that gob****e bekham landed in japan? all hell broke loose. I played in jackman park 2 years ago and play it myself. I think to love football you have to play it and just love watching good football no matter where it comes from. Barcelona and arsenal are my favourite but largely because of 3 legends Ian wright, Thierry henry and paddy vieira. its not that I don' support limerick but I couldn't be bothered stadin in the freezin cold at a crap atmosphere to watch crap football. that sounds bad but... no other explanation

goingpostal

If its a choice between sitting in the comfort of my own living room and watching the best footballers in the world or paying 12 euro to stand and watch Limerick FC, after standing at work all day, there is usually only one winner.If they even had a few seats up there, I would go more often. Or charge an entrance fee more commensurate with the facilities and quality of entertainment on offer. Me and my brother went to see them play Cork City last summer and the most entertaining thing about it was this really fat pakistani kid who was playing in the under 12s match at half time and his shorts fell down. Hardly worth 12yoyos to see that though!

Amazotheamazing

goingpostal wrote: »

If its a choice between sitting in the comfort of my own living room and watching the best footballers in the world or paying 12 euro to stand and watch Limerick FC, after standing at work all day, there is usually only one winner.If they even had a few seats up there, I would go more often. Or charge an entrance fee more commensurate with the facilities and quality of entertainment on offer. Me and my brother went to see them play Cork City last summer and the most entertaining thing about it was this really fat pakistani kid who was playing in the under 12s match at half time and his shorts fell down. Hardly worth 12yoyos to see that though!

I'll buy you your first pint back in the Market's field


Limerick FC make Markets Field return a priority


EMMET MALONE
SOCCER LEAGUE OF IRELAND: REPRESENTATIVES of Limerick
Football Club, the FAI, Bord na gCon and a number of other
organisations will make a presentation to a specially convened
meeting of Limerick City Council on Monday afternoon as part of a
process that could result in the first division club returning to the
Markets Field this summer – 25 years after senior football in the city
moved away from what many still regard as its spiritual home.

Talks about the club switching from its current base at Jackman Park
to the greyhound stadium on what would initially be a temporary
basis are at an advanced stage. However, the prospect of the move
being completed depends on a package being put together for the
purchase of the stadium from Bord na gCon and its transformation
into a multi-sport municipal stadium.

The FAI and Bord na gCon recently commissioned Gilroy McMahon,
the firm of architects behind the redevelopment of Croke Park to
produce “a vision” for the 5.3 acre site and Des McMahon is due to
present his ideas to Monday’s meeting.

It is believed that in addition to Limerick FC, a new
rugby league club, Limerick Flame, which plans to enter a team in the
British based Championship in 2010 is anxious to play out of a
revamped stadium while the Munster Branch of the IRFU and
local GAA authorities have
apparently expressed enthusiasm for the idea of a 5,000 to 7,000
seat venue so close to the centre of the city.

In addition, it is envisaged that the adjacent Limerick City College
and other local educational institutions would use rooms in the facility
for meetings and classes as they do at English clubs like Sunderland
and Charlton Athletic.

In total the proposals are estimated to have a price tag approaching
€12 million with a third of that likely to go to Bord na gCon, who plan
to move to a new stadium at Dock Road next year.

“A lot of stars still have to become aligned if it’s going to happen, but
so far there certainly seems be a will to move it forward and that’s a
start,” says Limerick FC’s American-based owner Jack McCarthy.

The club’s CEO, Andrew Mawhinney, will be amongst those at
Monday’s meeting and he is hopeful that the club could start playing
there either after the mid-season break or at the start of next season
while remaining pessimistic about the future if the move doesn’t
come off.

“I think from the point of view of the club, the Markets Field is do or
die at this stage,” he says. “The club needs to offer something that’s
attractive to the spectator if it’s going to survive.

“The football we played last year was good, but you only have to
look at the size of the crowds we attracted to see that that isn’t
enough. I’m not saying it would be easy but at the Markets Field
there is at least the possibility of putting some serious numbers
together.”

The FAI has been extremely supportive of the proposal with John
Delaney and Richard Fahey, the association’s Director of club
Licensing and Facilities Development, having already attended a
considerable number of meetings in relation to the scheme.

Bord na gCon are anxious to facilitate the move with a spokesman
for the organisation making it clear yesterday that if the basis for a
long term deal could be agreed then they could make the stadium
available for football matches within a matter of weeks.

“We’re very enthusiastic about the idea of Limerick FC getting what
can be a semi-permanent and hopefully permanent home there,”
says Rob Hartnett.

Representatives of the city’s government backed regeneration
agencies have also been enthusiastic about the project’s capacity to
provide a significant boost to the city’s sporting and educational
infrastructure although the stadium, which is in the Garryowen area
of the city, lies outside their target areas.

That, acknowledges Brendan Hayden of the Southside Regeneration
Agency prevents the body from providing funding for the move, but,
he says, “we have been active in getting all of the relevant parties
together around the table”.

Council support for the project now is vital if it is to move forward
and the city’s mayor, John Gilligan, is anxious to see that it is
forthcoming. “I’ll be lending as much support as I can,” he says.

Cooperation on the project would also cement the developing
relationship between the various sporting organisations in the city,
something that has already given rise to plans by Limerick FC and
the FAI to use Thomond Park.

Limerick hope to host a number of friendlies there in July with
Sunderland having agreed to come and Real Madrid, Aston Villa and
Celtic said to have reacted positively to approaches while the FAI is
expected to stage two friendly internationals there in August and
September.

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times

goingpostal

Markets field would be brilliant if it comes off. Here's hoping!

brousuka

OP here, wow I was amazed at the kinda can of worms I opened by starting this thread with a simple question!! As I sit here happily with still the remnants of a hangover from last night (Ooh to, ooh to be, ooh to be a Gooner)!!!! I must clarify that as mentioned above, I knew there is not really any pub aligned or associated particularly with any one team but some pubs may have a bias or some tie with a particular hostelry and in saying that it's nice to cheer your team on with a bunch of lads of the same mind. Btw I follow soccer, rugby and golf in the main but I like all sports and the reason i love soccer is because although I'm Irish I grew up as a kid in London and the rest is history. I do not see anything strange at all about local lads who are passionate about English football because that what soccer is all about - Passion - it's a sort of way of life something to get excited about for 10 months of the year every week and imo not really matched by any other sport.

JerryHandbag

Soccer is the biggest sport in the world, and if a Limerick lad is gonna follow someone its invariably gonna be a Premiership club, thats where most of the Irish players play and it has much more exposure/hype/money than the Irish league, so its easy to see why.....my uncle has followed United since the 50s!!

That said, I do look out for Limerick FCs results and would love if they won a trophy soon. But in fairness if a young child is gonna choose a team to follow then hes gonna look at whats on telly/in sticker albums, and thats gonna be Steven Gerrard or Cristiano Ronaldo, not Limerick FCs striker

brousuka

JerryHandbag wrote: »

Soccer is the biggest sport in the world, and if a Limerick lad is gonna follow someone its invariably gonna be a Premiership club, thats where most of the Irish players play and it has much more exposure/hype/money than the Irish league, so its easy to see why.....my uncle has followed United since the 50s!!

Very true, I have been to Old Trafford on many ocassions and the amount of Irish there is phenomenal - and couldn't get over the amount of Irish catholic Priests there as well!