Unpopular GAA opinion - MOD Note #426

keane2097

testaccount123 wrote: »

Dont think anyone doubts the dedication of GAA members and volunteers, there are cults and militias with less zeal in their memberships.

GAA sports arent particularly well attended though, like many sports in Ireland it suffers from event-junkie-itis.

I don't think this has been proven very well tbh.

Stats here show inter county GAA compares favourably with major sports leagues around the world:

https://www.balls.ie/gaa/gaa-attendances-ranked-top-sports-around-world-124430

Club figures are not easy to come by but nothing in this thread has been particularly convincing that matches aren't well attended compared to other sports. If we compare the number of people going to watch soccer in Crewe on an average weekend to the number of people going to watch GAA in, say, Cavan I doubt we'd have much to be embarrassed about.

testaccount123

There are another 5000 clubs below the football pyramid (Sunday League) in England alone I think.

Comparing the GAA Championship to other sports' regular season attendances doesn't make much sense.

keane2097

testaccount123 wrote: »

There are another 5000 clubs below the football pyramid (Sunday League) in England alone I think.

Comparing the GAA Championship to other sports' regular season attendances doesn't make much sense.

This whole conversation started out making no sense and went downhill soon afterwards.

Fr Tod Umptious

keane2097 wrote: »

I don't think this has been proven very well tbh.

Stats here show inter county GAA compares favourably with major sports leagues around the world:

https://www.balls.ie/gaa/gaa-attendances-ranked-top-sports-around-world-124430

Club figures are not easy to come by but nothing in this thread has been particularly convincing that matches aren't well attended compared to other sports. If we compare the number of people going to watch soccer in Crewe on an average weekend to the number of people going to watch GAA in, say, Cavan I doubt we'd have much to be embarrassed about.

The original point was that because CP only gets 80K a few times a year then GAA fans are in the most part event junkies.
But if you look at the GAA I think you will find that the opposite is actually the case, support is concentrated at a very local level rather than anything else.

For rugby , and to a much lesser extent soccer, it's pure event junkie culture

testaccount123

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

The original point was that because CP only gets 80K a few times a year then GAA fans are in the most part event junkies.
But if you look at the GAA I think you will find that the opposite is actually the case, support is concentrated at a very local level rather than anything else.

For rugby , and to a much lesser extent soccer, it's pure event junkie culture

Hard to agree or disagree if nobody bothers to record or publish attendances.

I think the Ireland international football team caters perfectly to our football event junkies, how many will they get for the next friendly as opposed to the numbers who would have travelled for the world cup.

keane2097

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

The original point was that because CP only gets 80K a few times a year then GAA fans are in the most part event junkies.
But if you look at the GAA I think you will find that the opposite is actually the case, support is concentrated at a very local level rather than anything else.

For rugby , and to a much lesser extent soccer, it's pure event junkie culture

In fact, it's an annual criticism levelled at the GAA that instead of making all tickets for All Ireland finals available to day trippers from the two counties involved that instead tickets are given to each and every club in the country in order that all those who work at the grass roots around the country have a chance to attend the showpiece event in the calendar.

Bonniedog

Dublin and Mayo get big crowds all the year around and tickets are allocated strictly to club members and season ticket and county pass holders, so don't think either fit into the "event junkies" category. Lots of that type are hangers on from non participating counties who "know someone."

Skelp

Christ on a bike.....how can anyone even suggest that GAA supporters are somehow better attendees than English soccer fans is beyond unbelievable even taking the population into account.

The Munster Hurling championship which is one of the if not the best competitions organised by the GAA is being run on a round robin basis next year. There is considerable worry that crowds will be down as supporters will suffer from fatigue and too many games etc. I mean its a four game round robin with two away and two home at the very best time time of the year to watch sport. Imagine if it was a 46 game season through the winter like they have across the water. The GAA fans would be stretched off with fatigue by October.:D

The club argument is a complete red herring. Do you not think they have the equivalent of underage/minor/u21/junior/intermediate competitions in England?
Even if you had a couple of hundred people at a county junior final (while it would mean a great deal to the communities involved) the attendance itself is small fish. Also important to remember that championship for most clubs is generally 2 to 3 games. In Cork most Senior Championship games I was at had maybe 100-300 and crowds are falling fast. County League games are man and his dog territory.

Skelp

Of course if any GAA competition be it inter county or club was extended to a minimum 46 game season, lets face it crowds would be pretty sparse.

Bonniedog

Friend of mine who is avid Bohs fan, for his troubles, loves tormenting people in pub near Dalymount who are watching Sky.

"Would you not go up to see a real game lads?"

"No, its crap."

Then back to watching some mind numbing game on the TV. Kids have their electronic devices, dads have the big screen ...

MaxPower131

keane2097 wrote: »

You don't have stats you have a load of auld blather and comparisons that don't survive first encounter with inspection.

keane2097 wrote: »

I don't think this has been proven very well tbh.

Stats here show inter county GAA compares favourably with major sports leagues around the world:

https://www.balls.ie/gaa/gaa-attendances-ranked-top-sports-around-world-124430

Club figures are not easy to come by but nothing in this thread has been particularly convincing that matches aren't well attended compared to other sports. If we compare the number of people going to watch soccer in Crewe on an average weekend to the number of people going to watch GAA in, say, Cavan I doubt we'd have much to be embarrassed about.

Hahaha. I'm splitting myself here.
So you have quoted any article based on a tweet by a randomer which is completely wrong in the present time and the article proceeds to insert GAA into the table with a marker even though it is completely out of context.

Quite possibly the worst piece of evidence ever put on boards to support an argument.

Whos the blatherer now?

BPKS

Bonniedog wrote: »

Dublin and Mayo get big crowds all the year around and tickets are allocated strictly to club members and season ticket and county pass holders, so don't think either fit into the "event junkies" category. Lots of that type are hangers on from non participating counties who "know someone."

I'd say a considerable percentage of people who go to Dublin inter county games wouldnt go to more than a handful of club games a year. So I would consider those supporters 'GAA event junkies' - the event being an inter-county game.

MaxPower131

I knew as soon as I saw this thread that it would attract a small number who would shoot down (or beaat with thistles) anyone you pointed out a glaring obvious fact/criticism of the GAA.

Anyone who believes that GAA fans (or any other sport in Ireland for that matter) would turn out in their hundreds of thousands for a 46 game minimum season through the depths of winter is living in lala land.

The introduction of the back door in most inter county and club competitions has seen most teams play one or two extra championship games has resulted in major falls in attendance across the country. As another poster pointed out a four game Munster championship will almost certainly be too games many for fans.

Fr Tod Umptious

MaxPower131 wrote: »

I knew as soon as I saw this thread that it would attract a small number who would shoot down (or beaat with thistles) anyone you pointed out a glaring obvious fact/criticism of the GAA.

Anyone who believes that GAA fans (or any other sport in Ireland for that matter) would turn out in their hundreds of thousands for a 46 game minimum season through the depths of winter is living in lala land.

The introduction of the back door in most inter county and club competitions has seen most teams play one or two extra championship games has resulted in major falls in attendance across the country. As another poster pointed out a four game Munster championship will almost certainly be too games many for fans.

I don't think anyone thinks that fans would turn out in hundreds of thousands for a 46 game season.

I do think however that you might be able to sustain possibly 4k averages for the big teams and possibly 500 or less averages for the smaller teams.

Compared to England with 10 times the population that would be 40,000 and 5,000, which is what EPL teams down to Div 4 teams get

The above would of have to exist in a world where there was little or noting below that level

In the present setup there is a lot of well supported levels below inter-county.

Stoner

I guess professionalism would force that on the game to get revenue.

I think the UK guys attend more games.

I'm happy with the amount of games we have in the GAA. It's different to professional soccer, I haven't enjoyed the atmosphere in many of the soccer games I've been to and I'm not ashamed to say that I prefer watching them on TV.

I also have no real interest in the LOI again that's the way it is, each to their own. What ever time I have to watch soccer I'll watch it at the highest standard available to me, and it's less and less times these days.

Each to their own I know plenty of people who attend loi games and feel attached to their teams, that just never happened for me, the county bond is stronger and I can only spend so much time watching sport.

keane2097

MaxPower131 wrote: »

I knew as soon as I saw this thread that it would attract a small number who would shoot down (or beaat with thistles) anyone you pointed out a glaring obvious fact/criticism of the GAA.

Anyone who believes that GAA fans (or any other sport in Ireland for that matter) would turn out in their hundreds of thousands for a 46 game minimum season through the depths of winter is living in lala land.

The introduction of the back door in most inter county and club competitions has seen most teams play one or two extra championship games has resulted in major falls in attendance across the country. As another poster pointed out a four game Munster championship will almost certainly be too games many for fans.

No one believes that I'd say.

Fr Tod Umptious

Stoner wrote: »

I guess professionalism would force that on the game to get revenue.

I think the UK guys attend more games.

I'm happy with the amount of games we have in the GAA. It's different to professional soccer, I haven't enjoyed the atmosphere in many of the soccer games I've been to and I'm not ashamed to say that I prefer watching them on TV.

I also have no real interest in the LOI again that's the way it is, each to their own. What ever time I have to watch soccer I'll watch it at the highest standard available to me, and it's less and less times these days.

Each to their own I know plenty of people who attend loi games and feel attached to their teams, that just never happened for me, the county bond is stronger and I can only spend so much time watching spot.

Professionalism is a different kettle of fish altogether

Personally I think a professional football scenario would result in 6 teams.
Dublin
Rest of Leinster
Ulster
Connacht
Kerry
Munster

There is not the critical mass of population nor the international element to financially sustain much more

But like yourself I am happy with the amount of games we have in GAA, I happy, to a certain extent, with the structure, it does not bother me a hoot if a game is not full.

MaxPower131

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

I don't think anyone thinks that fans would turn out in hundreds of thousands for a 46 game season.

I do think however that you might be able to sustain possibly 4k averages for the big teams and possibly 500 or less averages for the smaller teams.

Compared to England with 10 times the population that would be 40,000 and 5,000, which is what EPL teams down to Div 4 teams get

The above would of have to exist in a world where there was little or noting below that level

In the present setup there is a lot of well supported levels below inter-county.

Allowing for the population don't forget we are talking 96 teams in the football league v 32 in the GAA.

Over a 46 + game seaon the only team I could see getting 4k support would be the Dublin footballers and at a stretch maybe Mayo.

As I said at the start the support just isn't there.

There is also a very strong non league football and Sunday league football in England(again 40+ games) so the argument about the club scene in ireland just doesn't hold water.