Return to Winter Soccer

Lollymcd

Are there many LOI fans out there who would go to a match if it was on tonight?

GLaDOS

I would, whether the match went ahead is another issue

Oat23

If it went ahead then of course.

dreamers75

If the pitch was playable i would go.

Lollymcd

Oatesy23 wrote: »

If it went ahead then of course.

dreamers75 wrote: »

If the pitch was playable i would go.

ScienceNerd wrote: »

I would, whether the match went ahead is another issue

Fair play to you all, I'm not sure!

I wonder does Hunky Dory Park have underpitch heating....

bohsman

I'd go, strongly against a return to winter football though.

stovelid

Of course, I'd go but anybody that says it would be more enjoyable than summer ball is a masochist or the type that brings Bovril to games in a flask and bemoans new fans in the league

Lamper.sffc

If I could get there id go, no question about it but in saying that not everybody who goes to games would.
Would families go? I doubt many fathers or mothers would bring their young children to LOI games in weather like this. Some would but a lot wouldnt.

Sure a bit of rain keeps people from going to matches in the summer, id hate to think what weather like this would do to attendances in a winter league.

bohsman

stovelid wrote: »

Of course, I'd go but anybody that says it would be more enjoyable than summer ball is a masochist or the type that brings Bovril to games in a flask and bemoans new fans in the league

The only things I miss about winter football are matches under floodlights (its just better) and the cup final in May.

stovelid

I've said it loads of times before but the hardcore like everybody here will always go if they possibly can, whatever the weather but if we want new support in the league, summer is a far better time to attract them given the relative lack of facilities in the league. Family attendance is crucial to getting kids into the league at an early age even if the parents are only looking for something to do on a summer evening.

bohsman wrote: »

The only things I miss about winter football are matches under floodlights (its just better) and the cup final in May.

I love games under floodlights too and ditto cup final too. At least a handful of games do end up under lights in the summer season.

dreamers75

stovelid wrote: »

Of course, I'd go but anybody that says it would be more enjoyable than summer ball is a masochist or the type that brings Bovril to games in a flask and bemoans new fans in the league

We had more fans at winter soccer than summer. Prefer whiskey in my flask tho.

I would rather winter league than summer.

Lamper.sffc

dreamers75 wrote: »

We had more fans at winter soccer than summer. Prefer whiskey in my flask tho.

I would rather winter league than summer.

Is the drop in numbers down to summer football though or is there other factors which have influenced the drop.
Is there any figures for this.

Honest questions btw.

stovelid

dreamers75 wrote: »

We had more fans at winter soccer than summer.

That's decided so. Back to winter football.


:pac:

Pauleta

With the way the buses are no.

CiaranC

dreamers75 wrote: »

We had more fans at winter soccer than summer.

We have more fans at summer soccer than winter.

dreamers75

CiaranC wrote: »

We have more fans at summer soccer than winter.

Are you sure about that tho?

During winter soccer you brought more to Richmond than you do now. Taking into account you had no stadium and were not very good. It would suggest if you were winning leagues then you would have more fans.

bohsman

Weather hasnt been a deciding factor in our attendances.

aliveandkicking

dreamers75 wrote: »

Are you sure about that tho?

During winter soccer you brought more to Richmond than you do now.

Absolute bullcrap. We used to be accomodated in one corner of the main stand in the winter soccer days. Now we have a corner of the main stand, the whole lot of the shed and half the camac terrace. If you think that's less than what we brought to Richmond in the winter football days you need to re-do your junior cert maths exam.

Saint_Mel

Lollymcd wrote: »

...

I wonder does Hunky Dory Park have underpitch heating....

Surely it would hold up to the crisp weather!

dreamers75

aliveandkicking wrote: »

Absolute bullcrap. We used to be accomodated in one corner of the main stand in the winter soccer days. Now we have a corner of the main stand, the whole lot of the shed and half the camac terrace. If you think that's less than what we brought to Richmond in the winter football days you need to re-do your junior cert maths exam.

Vague memories there?

You had blocks A and B in the stand the entire inchicore end and the lower half of the camac beside the toilets which you filled. Assume as your doing your junior cert you dont recall these games?

aliveandkicking

dreamers75 wrote: »

Vague memories there?

You had blocks A and B in the stand the entire inchicore end and the lower half of the camac beside the toilets which you filled. Assume as your doing your junior cert you dont recall these games?

The entire Inchicore end which was nothing but a single row of people looking over the advertising boards (there was no stand there remember?) The toilet side of the camac was frequently a mixture of crowds. When the allocated blocks of the main stand were filled Rovers fans had to buy home tickets and used to go over to that side of the camac terrace. I remember watching games from there with my Pats supporting mate. Absolutely no way were we bringing anywhere near the crowds we are doing now. It's laughable to suggest otherwise.

stovelid

Summer is better for Tallaght. It's more of an open-plan stadium at the foot of the Dublin mountains with decent food facilities. Plus we're attracting a major amount of families since we moved up there. Summer footballer is a no-brainer for Rovers.

All the arguments pro-winter so far are based on the preferences of the hardcore existing support - not based on making the league attractive to mew support.

Dreamers - you also said recently that your attendances have been on the slide in recent seasons anyway and this was a reason you needed to get in St Michaels. I can't see any logical reason why winter/summer football would really impact hardcore support in the city.

redzerdrog

I know personally I would be able to get to more games during the winter. To many other commitment like GAA during the summer

stovelid

redzerdrog wrote: »

I know personally I would be able to get to more games during the winter. To many other commitment like GAA during the summer

No offence meant at all, but it's not the LOI's concern if people want to prioritize other sports over football. I'm not going to see winter football in Tallaght just so people can play GAA.

CiaranC

Might be tinfoil hat time, but I find it very suspicious that as soon as Rovers start getting huge crowds and winning trophies based on the summer football model, other clubs start wanting to go back to winter football.

It smacks of failure and minnowism.

gustavo

CiaranC wrote: »

Might be tinfoil hat time, but I find it very suspicious that as soon as Rovers start getting huge crowds and winning trophies based on the summer football model, other clubs start wanting to go back to winter football.

It smacks of failure and minnowism.

Jesus

Lollymcd

Saint_Mel wrote: »

Surely it would hold up to the crisp weather!

Uuuuurgh!!!

GLaDOS

CiaranC wrote: »

Might be tinfoil hat time, but I find it very suspicious that as soon as Rovers start getting huge crowds and winning trophies based on the summer football model, other clubs start wanting to go back to winter football.

It smacks of failure and minnowism.

In fairness, Bohs fans such as myself and Bohsman are against winter football. Define tin foil hat territory.

OhNoYouDidn't

CiaranC wrote: »

Might be tinfoil hat time, but I find it very suspicious that as soon as Rovers start getting huge crowds and winning trophies based on the summer football model, other clubs start wanting to go back to winter football.

It smacks of failure and minnowism.

You are part right. Clubs like Longford are leading the charge because they have regressed under summer football. Now that is because they got relegated in the first season, so there is a cause and effect there that makes no logical sense.

I haven't heard any compelling argument to return to winter ball. If someone isn't going to head to a game on a warm July evening they aren't going to go in December in the snow.

The only reason I can think of for a return to winter ball from the rural clubs, and they are driving it, is that they are head to head with the Gah, and thats not really a factor for the city based clubs.

bohsman

Think Dreamers is the only Dub in favour of winter football. Definite failure and minnowism from CiaranC

Mr. Presentable

stovelid wrote: »

Of course, I'd go but anybody that says it would be more enjoyable than summer ball is a masochist or the type that brings Bovril to games in a flask and bemoans new fans in the league

Can you "Irish up" that Bovril? Otherwise it'd take wild horses to get me to a freezing stadium. I'm an actual fair weather footie fan - Summer season best idea ever.

stovelid

Mr. Presentable wrote: »

Can you "Irish up" that Bovril?

Best I could do :pac:

theoneeyedman

Ya it would be great to get outta the house and wrap up well on a nice dry night and go to a game. Used to love hitting Flancare for winter games very accessable to where I live and much better than trying to compete with club gaelic games during the summer. Not against change but the experiment over the last few years has reinforced to me that summer = Gaa and winter = soccer ....now LOI soccer is falling between 2 stools IMO-ceded winter TV etc to Magners league and never strong enough to compete with GAA in the summer

3hn2givr7mx1sc

theoneeyedman wrote: »

Ya it would be great to get outta the house and wrap up well on a nice dry night and go to a game. Used to love hitting Flancare for winter games very accessable to where I live and much better than trying to compete with club gaelic games during the summer. Not against change but the experiment over the last few years has reinforced to me that summer = Gaa and winter = soccer ....now LOI soccer is falling between 2 stools IMO-ceded winter TV etc to Magners league and never strong enough to compete with GAA in the summer

Ah you're missing the best kinda stool, though. The barstool.:pac:



/Flees from thread.

HalloweenJack

OhNoYouDidn't wrote: »

You are part right. Clubs like Longford are leading the charge because they have regressed under summer football.

Are Longford seriously claiming they've regressed under summer football?

They won two FAI Cups and a League Cup in the summer season and were only relegated in 2007, the fifth season of summer football. Their most successful period ever began in the first season of summer football, how could they possibly claim they've regressed under summer football? If they hadn't pissed about with the licensing in 2007, they would have stayed up. Had that happened, I doubt they'd be complaining about the switch to summer football. It sounds like the board are unwilling to take the blame for the club's self-inflicted problems. I hope none of their fans are buying that nonsense.

From what I've read on here and on foot, it's clubs (and, for the most part, fans of those clubs) who have further distances to travel that want a return to winter football. To me, that makes no sense.

The difference in the ease of travel in the summer compared to the winter is like day and night. Why would clubs who have MORE travelling to do want to put themselves in a more difficult position?

Jesus, just look at the travel disruption at the moment. Weather wouldn't be the only cause for games being postponed if we switched back to a winter season. I'd be fairly certain games would be delayed and possibly postponed because of the other team or the officials struggling to get there on time.

Personally, I don't mind winter football but I don't see any overwhelming reason to switch back. Summer football isn't perfect but I doubt winter football is the holy grail some would have you believe.

stovelid

HalloweenJack wrote: »

...

You're used to the Carlisle in the winter. Think of us other mortals.

OhNoYouDidn't

theoneeyedman wrote: »

Ya it would be great to get outta the house and wrap up well on a nice dry night and go to a game. Used to love hitting Flancare for winter games very accessable to where I live and much better than trying to compete with club gaelic games during the summer. Not against change but the experiment over the last few years has reinforced to me that summer = Gaa and winter = soccer ....now LOI soccer is falling between 2 stools IMO-ceded winter TV etc to Magners league and never strong enough to compete with GAA in the summer

If LOI clubs cannot compete with CLUB Gah, then they are fcuked regardless....

Dublin clubs don't have this problem to be fair - Rovers average home league crowd is higher than the Duds hurlers championship turnout.

I'm not saying its not a legitimate concern for provincial clubs, but we shouldn't revert back to winter ball because the rural clubs can't take on a load of fat farmers wrestling in a field...

theoneeyedman

[QUOTE=HalloweenJack;69367262 If they hadn't pissed about with the licensing in 2007, they would have stayed up. .[/QUOTE]


of couse nobody either before or since ever had any liscsncing problems....