Petition for RTE to show Irish football!

irish life

http://www.petitiononline.com/el12004/petition.html

Pats -v- Boh's attracted viewing figures of 200,000 which was more than the figures watching CL football that week. Therefore, ratings is not the reason we can't see Eircom league football on TV, RTE are just too lazy to send a few camera men down the road to Inchicore, Cork City, or wherever.

Todays match, Nantes v Cork is being shown live in Holland yet the state broadcaster of one of the participating teams won't even show it.

DerekD Goldfish

they dont have cameras at the eircom league games cause tv3 have the rights altough when they had the rights they didnt show it much either. They should however be showing the european games as tv3 sont have the rights for these but they are to tight to do so.

Pigman II

Do you not have TV3? Or on the other hand is it just vitally important to you that RTE is the one providing this service?

Your comment 'Even a highlights programme' seems to suggest you would like live matches shown but as EL clubs can't even half fill their grounds at the best of times live coverage is not the answer because it would just be a deterant against going out and seeing games.

My opinion is any (home) match involving an EL club that looks like being a fullhouse should definetly be shown live in order to give exposure for the league as well as generate some cash for the home side. Otherwise coverage should just be bunged into a highlights package (which TV3 already do).

Show all the away European matches you like by don't let attendances suffer because of live coverage. As far as I know most clubs have this opinion themselves and generally won't let a game be shown live unless it looks like being a full house. So your problem might be with them and not RTE after all?

And in fairness to RTE they will occasionally show a game if it ground capasity looks like being met. They've (or at least I seem to remember it was RTE?) shown a number of Bohemians European games and their encounters v Shels when matches were sellouts.

To sum up, find a way to get the people inside the ground first and then worry about showing it on TV. I say this because from my own experience people who actually visit their local clubs will often come back again, whereas people who just watch on TV won't suddenly rush out and buy season tickets.

AngelofFire

I cannot believe the hypocracy of RTE.They are our national station and they refuse to show our national league,yet they are happy to give highlights of foreign leagues like the premiership and broadcast live champions league games of which there are no irish teams taking part in.If they even showed highlights of the EL i would be happy.The eircom league isnt the premiership but our national tv station should take pride in our national league.

irish life

First of all, I did not set this petition up and it has been signed by almost 750 people so far.

TV3 do not have sole rights to show matches.

Attendances would probably be affected by a few hundred for the first few months but most countries show their league matches so its not really an issue. Anyway, surely clubs will gain financially by being shown on TV (Bohs got tens of thousand from RTE last year) and I'm sure most clubs would welcome it.

"Do you not have TV3" - TV3 have not shown one match this season, they will be showing Cork -v- Shels next month though. Their highlights program isn't the best either and RTE could do a lot more with the money they have.

BTW, this petition will definitely be sent to RTE.

gimmick

Well TV3 are screening Cork City Vs Shels in August.

The way City are playing at the moment, there is no reason why it wont be another sell out, making it a good advertisemnt for the league as a whole.

DMC

My God, the wording of this petition is so obviously pathetic that you want to ignore contract law. :rolleyes: Its amazing that people forget where we were 2 years ago.

When RTÉ had the rights, they showed around 10 games per season IIRC. When FAI did "the dirt" and took the Sky shilling, they agreed with TV3 to show less LoI matches.

When the Government intervened and got the World Cup and Euro qualifiers back on "loive" on RTÉ, it didn't change the rest of the contract that the FAI had with Sky or TV3, so that still stands. RTÉ show nothing because they don't have the contract! Its out of their hands.

Its the FAI's fault for agreeing to show less games on what really is a channel that couldn't care less. Aim a far better worded petition at TV3 and the FAI.

gimmick

Anyone see the RTE sports news this evening?

The City result, a quarter final in a european competition, merited a few words at the end. It didnt give the venue, the home team, the competition....nothing.

They just dont care. i mean, last night, Cobh were playing a ROY Keane xi. The sports news showed that, but neglected to give the latest score between Derry and Shams from the Brandywell.

As FourFiveOne said in one of their fanzines years ago..... half heaRTEd

cournioni

I'm no EL fan, but RTE should get their finger out of their hole and start showing some local games. I would watch it. They should show Saturday games when there is no GAA on or whatever. It is a disgrace the way they have neglected the growth of teams in their own country.

The Muppet

Originally posted by PORNAPSTER
I'm no EL fan, but RTE should get their finger out of their hole and start showing some local games. I would watch it. They should show Saturday games when there is no GAA on or whatever. It is a disgrace the way they have neglected the growth of teams in their own country.

They can,t show games they don't have the rights to. Dont TV3 have the rights to the Eircome League as part of teh Sky deal? I don,t know why they dont show more Eircom Leagues games but if they could draw enough viewers to satisfy the advertisers I am sure they would. IMO the problem lies with the quality of the product on offer and that is the reason for lack of coverage.

RTE are rightly cheesed off after the stunt the FAI pulled on them with the National games so I can't see them doing anything to promote the FAI. Before that RTE had started showing Eircom League games so if the FAI had the best interest of home football in mind when negotiating the Sky Deal why did they not insist on them covering the Eircom League as part of the deal. I'm afraid this whole scene is just another example of the incompetence of our national football organisation.

20 Times 20 Times

guys ,

You are all sayin they should show live games with your local teams in it... if you have time to sit down and watch the game on TV then you have time to go to your local club and support them....

eirebhoy

TV3 do not have exclusive rights to show matches!

RTE can show matches if they like.

194,000 viewers tuned into Bohemians -v- St. Pats on RTE last year. The premiership attracts an average of 200,000 viewers and RTE paid millions for premiership rights.

cournioni

Originally posted by Sarge
guys ,

You are all sayin they should show live games with your local teams in it... if you have time to sit down and watch the game on TV then you have time to go to your local club and support them....

True Sarge but the club would still benefit from TV rights money, because there would be alot of neutral viewers. And some TV coverage may attract some support to the EL. You can't just expect people to show up to games like that, especially when they know nothing about how good or bad the EL is. People will not fork out €15 when they don't know what they're going to see.

gimmick

Originally posted by PORNAPSTER
True Sarge but the club would still benefit from TV rights money, because there would be alot of neutral viewers.

Nope. City are only getting €5k from TV3, and Shels are getting €2.5k, so City will actually be down money, as many from West Cork (and other areas where ppl have to travel a fair distance) will not bother going to the game and just watch it on the TV. Same can be said about away fans.

Originally posted by PORNAPSTER

And some TV coverage may attract some support to the EL. You can't just expect people to show up to games like that, especially when they know nothing about how good or bad the EL is. People will not fork out €15 when they don't know what they're going to see.

Its only €10 in Turners Cross.

I have never quite understood the argument of "well im not going because Im unfamiliar with the players". Everyone has to start soemwhere. Im sure the first time fellas watched Lpool or whoever, they werent au fait with all the players etc. Same can be said of international tournaments. What was the point in watching Greece Vs Portugal in the opening game. No one knew more than 4-5 players?

I dunno, I reckon that the eL will always be seen as a poor relation, no matter what it does, no matter what our clubs will achieve, and lets be honest, the people who are staying away are loosing out. Big Time.

thejollyrodger

Its an outrage !! All the big matches should be shown !! not even 1 of the matchs are shown as advertised on that "RTE look at all the sport thats coming up ad "



Firm backing to EL and some of the teams will eventually go places in Europe !!

Bateman

Not advocating a live game every week or anything like that, but for TV3 to be showing their first live game all season next month makes a mockery of their deal. The highlights package is nicely put together, but we have been promised a better slot for a long time now, and they have still failed to deliver. Cup semi finals and the final should all be shown, as should EVERY single European home game involving an Irish club, and aways where possible. After Euro 04 and before the EPL kickoff, there is a market there, TV3 would get great figures for a live Dublin derby or Saturday evening Cork European game, it's a mystery why they won't have it.

gimmick

Originally posted by Bateman
Saturday evening Cork European game, it's a mystery why they won't have it.

because its probably too much hassle to them, and thye couldnt be arsed. Pity, as TX is one of the few good grounds in the eL, and it will be jammed to the rafters.

That said though, i reckon City are glad financially its not being screened by RTE or TV3, as Id imagine it would keep people away, and just watch it at home/pub.

I do agree though Bateman, one of the bradcasters should really show ALL home eL European games, apart from those that clash that is.

Bateman

For one example, our game and Longford's game will be on different nights, so games clashing is rarely a factor. The Saturday evening summer atmosphere down in the Cross sounds invaluable to the promotion of the league, and at least it's having some effect down there, even if the national broadcaster is more interested in showing a pervert's wife cooking that the national champions vying for qualification to the biggest club competition in the world.