The "atmosphere" in the Aviva Stadium

ToweringPerformance

I'm old enough to remember going to football games in the 70's at Lansdowne Road. Yeah it was an awful kip even back then but the atmosphere especially when Jack took over was electric. I've been to a few games at the Aviva but everything just seems contrived and forced and the crowd seems to spend more time on their phones than enjoying the game and supporting the team. Probably doesn't help that we are absolutely gash now compared to other international teams. Can't speak for rugby zero interest in it.

TagoMago

Lots of the former players are involved in management consultancy/business relationship management/other corporate jargon firms, and I'd imagine these places are awash with 6 Nations tickets, turning it into a big corporate piss up. Great for the coffers and managers in at Teneo and the likes, not so great for your average club member, province season ticket holder, et al.

As Jamie Heaslip said himself; "Ireland's rugby journey isn't just about sport".

MangleBadger

I think it is mostly the average age. It is very old. I've no issue with pints back to the seats. You could do that at World Cup in France and everybody commented about how good the atmosphere was. And those stadiums sold out. It is not the pints thats the problem. Drink usually helps the atmosphere. It is the OAPs who don't want to shout.

I'm well capable of shouting and drinking a pint.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121912436#Comment_121912436

The problem usually quoted when it comes to the drink is spending the whole game having to get up for people passing in and out to the bar. Not that you can't cheer and have a pint.

I'm sure the IRFU solution will be more flamethrowers and louder music after every score and maybe add some for every lineout and scrum won too.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121912436#Comment_121912436

I doubt its just OAPs who don't shout, I would never shout at a game, I just watch it.

artanevilla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121909352#Comment_121909352

What LOI club is 12 beans for a ticket?

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916153#Comment_121916153

Treaty United.

Ted222

Drink has always been a factor in rugby. In fact, the day was planned around it. Pubs like Scruffy Murphys were packed from early in the day. Jury’s hotel was packed with punters queuing to piss in the wash basins. Banter!!

The only difference now is drinking in the stadium itself.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121912245#Comment_121912245

the atmosphere especially when Jack took over was electric

I never had a opportunity to go then but the atmosphere looked electric.

I did however go to a lot of soccer games in the old Lansdowne between 2002 and 2006.

And to be honest it was fairly dead, I can't remember a single memorable atmosphere there.

I recall in about 2003 Fran Rooney was appointed CEO or something of the FAI.

On the back of Glasgow Celtics success in getting to a Uefa Cup Final that year and the energy of Celtic Park, Rooney tried to recreate it in Lansdowne by handing out coloured sheets that were to be held up at a certain time to make a great big Irish flag in the east stand.

None of us in the west stand got them because we would not have been visible for the TV cameras.

On the other side of these coloured sheets were the lyrics to chants that people could sing like.

"Ireland 'till I die"

"You'll never beat the Irish"

"Come on you boys in green "

Needless to say neither the sheets nor Rooney lasted that long.

So the moral of the story is, regardless of the name of the place or the price of a ticket, the atmosphere has always been pretty poor for soccer anyway, with the exception of the Charlton era

RoyalCelt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121903350#Comment_121903350

Exactly this. Most tickets don't go to rugby club members around the country and they're ridiculously expensive too.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121909241#Comment_121909241

Plenty of people at Croke Park leave early to get the halftime pints in, and don't come back until well into the second half

Ted222

It’s a different experience to the old days but not necessarily worse.

Years ago you stood on wet uncovered terraces and there was a sense of collective suffering that perhaps created “atmosphere”.

It’s a much more comfortable experience these days and perhaps that’s the problem. There’s less likelihood of contributing to producing atmosphere when you’re comfortably seated with a beer in one hand and a burger in the other.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916470#Comment_121916470

Or the comfort brings a different kind of fan.

Saw a similar change when concerts went online and people didn't have to queue overnight in the pissin rain for tickets anymore.

NIMAN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916691#Comment_121916691

Tickets, be it for major sporting events or concerts, are now prohibitively expensive, and that definitely attracts more casual fans, rather than hard-core fans. If it was more of the latter, you'd get a better atmosphere, it's not rocket science.

flatty

The problem is the 6 nations. It might get better now England look good again. The Welsh are so poor at present that they brought on a player who had played 2 hours as a professional, and never started a game. Italy have been an anchor on excitement for over a decade. Hopefully that will change, but I won’t hold my breath, and Scotland are inconsistent with not much depth. It has been boring. I turn over most games after 15 minutes as the result is inevitable. The best games by far this year were France vs England and England vs Ireland. I never ever thought I’d say this, but I enjoyed the England game more than any of our wins in the 6 nations. If England remain strong, there will be a brilliant atmosphere in Dublin next year and in the Aviva. All of the other games were grim enough and predictable.

flatty

Two further observations

1. The scrum has become a blight on the game. As soon as a scrum is called, the clock should be stopped and only restarted once the ball is put in. It would stop loads of messing and time wasting and running down a sinbin.
2. The referee can and does have an inordinate effect on a game, calling penalties which could have gone the other way, or not at all, and it detracts from the contest.

Hotblack Desiato

Grim and predictable?

Italy 24-27 England (OK, Italy were never close enough in normal time to win that one, but still)

Wales 26 - 27 Scotland (Wales looked well beaten but almost came back to win)

Scotland 16 - 20 France (Scotland could and arguably should have won)

England 16 - 14 Wales (England needed late scores to win)

France 13 - 13 Italy (Italy should have won with last kick)

Italy 31 - 29 Scotland (Scotland almost coming back to win)

England 23 - 22 Ireland, one point win at the death.

France 33 - 31 England, two point win almost at the death.