National Football League Final attendance

kevin99

What do people here think of the attendance at Croke Park for the League final?
I listened to RTE radio on Friday evening and the GAA punters predicted 60k for the two games.
I thought 37k was disappointing. I know it was a bank holiday weekend and people are away, but still only 37k was a surprise. One of the pundits told Marty Morrissey only a few thousand Cork footie fans would travel for the game, but the Dubs would be there in their thousands.
Obviously, the Dubs must have been on holiday on Dollymount beach because they didn't show.
I'd be interested to hear other views.

ShamoBuc

I am not surprised that Cork did not travel in numbers - in the middle of a bank holiday weekend a trip up and down to Dublin was not very appealing. I am surprised the dubs didn't 'travel' though. If you take away the Cork/Donegal/laois support, the Dublin fans really didn't turn up. It's not as though they win the league every few years or so. I would have expected 55000 approx - so It was a surprise that it was less than 40,000. Maybe ticket prices could have been better priced as an enticement. I'm sure the Hill will be full come the championship though, which is far more important afterall.

kevin99

How much were the tickets for the Cusack and Hogan?
Were they more expensive than for the other League matches?

eigrod

ShamoBuc wrote: »

I am not surprised that Cork did not travel in numbers - in the middle of a bank holiday weekend a trip up and down to Dublin was not very appealing. I am surprised the dubs didn't 'travel' though. If you take away the Cork/Donegal/laois support, the Dublin fans really didn't turn up. It's not as though they win the league every few years or so. I would have expected 55000 approx - so It was a surprise that it was less than 40,000. Maybe ticket prices could have been better priced as an enticement. I'm sure the Hill will be full come the championship though, which is far more important afterall.

Don't think you'll get better than €25 and €5 for a child to be honest. I thought the projections of 50,000+ was way off to be honest. I think the GAA will be happy enough with 35,000 - that's as much as they'd get for most championship matches now, AI finals excluded.

howiya

kevin99 wrote: »

How much were the tickets for the Cusack and Hogan?
Were they more expensive than for the other League matches?

Yes they were more expensive than other league matches. €25 yesterday

Koltashe

ShamoBuc wrote: »

I am not surprised that Cork did not travel in numbers - in the middle of a bank holiday weekend a trip up and down to Dublin was not very appealing. I am surprised the dubs didn't 'travel' though. If you take away the Cork/Donegal/laois support, the Dublin fans really didn't turn up. It's not as though they win the league every few years or so. I would have expected 55000 approx - so It was a surprise that it was less than 40,000. Maybe ticket prices could have been better priced as an enticement. I'm sure the Hill will be full come the championship though, which is far more important afterall.

A good few of my friends who would be dublin supporters took the advantage of 4 days off in a row and went off to get some sun in warmer countries within the EU. I would've done the same myself if I could get out of my commitments. And besides 25 euro for two matches was great value but when u can get a flight to sunny spain r italy for that same price you hardly gonna stay just to watch Gilroy doin mad subtitutions in the last min...

DessieMG

Having it on Easter Sunday was a ridiculous idea, everybody always has family plans and are unlikely to travel to Croke Park to get ripped off by extortionate prices for match-day programmes/food

popebenny16

Not sure if this is a serious thread.

take a look at the leauge final of 1999 between Dublin and Cork in PUC. there was around 10,000 at that game, and a large proportion of them were dublin support, and it was not played on easter sunday. (may 9th actually).

I would have gone sunday with my two boys had it been any other weekend, but sticking it on that day was nuts.

anyway, sure every manager, player and official in the country talks down the league - except in the presence of someone from Allianz - so why should the supporters be any different? Even RTE ignores it.

ShamoBuc

popebenny16 wrote: »

Not sure if this is a serious thread.

take a look at the leauge final of 1999 between Dublin and Cork in PUC. there was around 10,000 at that game, and a large proportion of them were dublin support, and it was not played on easter sunday. (may 9th actually).

I would have gone sunday with my two boys had it been any other weekend, but sticking it on that day was nuts.

anyway, sure every manager, player and official in the country talks down the league - except in the presence of someone from Allianz - so why should the supporters be any different? Even RTE ignores it.

Thank God for TG4 then.;)

popebenny16

ShamoBuc wrote: »

Thank God for TG4 then.;)

absolutley, i agree, but my point is that it is a minority channel (sorry, and so is Setanta Ireland) and not even TV3 seem too interested in the league, which tells a lot.

In any other country you would think that a commerical TV station would jump to pick up the secondary national tournament of the largest sporting organisation (lets leave the junior soccer pedants out of this one) in the country, show live matches and build something around it. But they havent, and they havent because at the end of the day they know, the audience knows and the GAA knows its only the league. For years I have been advocating on this board that the Dubs take the league seriously because those that do in the last decade usually end up at the business end of the championship. They now have and that is good. It is a pity that other teams are not doing likewise. It seems that, well in Hurling anyway, more energy is spent moaning about getting relegated then actually putting in performances in the leauge. Untill that mindset changes you will not be seeing big attendances at it.

rebel girl 15

To be fair, Cork people don't travel in numbers to Cork football games. I agree that it was madness as well for it to be played on Easter Sunday, a day when a lot of families meet up. There were quite a few club games played over the weekend as well, so I wouldn't expect people to travel, with the cost of the whole lot.

bobbysands81

popebenny16 wrote: »

Not sure if this is a serious thread.

take a look at the leauge final of 1999 between Dublin and Cork in PUC. there was around 10,000 at that game, and a large proportion of them were dublin support, and it was not played on easter sunday. (may 9th actually).

I think there was around 7/8k there that day, the majority of which were Dubs.

kevin99

Well we shall see how many fans turn up on Sunday at Croke Park for the National Hurling League Final between Dublin and Kilkenny.
I don't think they will break last week's official attendance of 37,000.
And many Dubs supporters going will be watching their county's hurling team for the first time, so there will be the novelty factor.
Then there will be the 'hangers on' supporting the Dubs.
The guys and gals who have to attend everything sporting, so they can tell their work mates on Tuesday morning that 'yes, I was there, brilliant'.

The same hangers on attend Leinster rugby matches and manage to get Rugby international tickets.
But they couldn't name more than four or five players on either side.

I do think the main television stations would have sought transmission rights if they thought Dublin would have made it to the two respective finals.

TG4 does an excellent job, but not everybody speaks fluent Irish or can understand it. So, for that reason most people, if they are not going to Croker on Sunday, will listen to the game on the radio. I enjoy TG4's Historical documentaries about Irish life, culture and history with subtitles.

I believe the National League should be played during the Championship and then give the players a well earned rest during the winter.

The League will attract more followers and gain bigger status, while the Championship would be like the FA cup in England.
You would have weekly top leavel games between May and September, fantastic!!
Instead, we have a truncated Championship, a backdoor arrangement, that seems unfair, and a national league that is played in winter and which is not taken seriously by most counties.

rebel girl 15

kevin99 wrote: »

Well we shall see how many fans turn up on Sunday at Croke Park for the National Hurling League Final between Dublin and Kilkenny.
I don't think they will break last week's official attendance of 37,000.
And many Dubs supporters going will be watching their county's hurling team for the first time, so there will be the novelty factor.
Then there will be the 'hangers on' supporting the Dubs.
The guys and gals who have to attend everything sporting, so they can tell their work mates on Tuesday morning that 'yes, I was there, brilliant'.

The same hangers on attend Leinster rugby matches and manage to get Rugby international tickets.
But they couldn't name more than four or five players on either side.

I do think the main television stations would have sought transmission rights if they thought Dublin would have made it to the two respective finals.

TG4 does an excellent job, but not everybody speaks fluent Irish or can understand it. So, for that reason most people, if they are not going to Croker on Sunday, will listen to the game on the radio. I enjoy TG4's Historical documentaries about Irish life, culture and history with subtitles.

I believe the National League should be played during the Championship and then give the players a well earned rest during the winter.

The League will attract more followers and gain bigger status, while the Championship would be like the FA cup in England.
You would have weekly top leavel games between May and September, fantastic!!
Instead, we have a truncated Championship, a backdoor arrangement, that seems unfair, and a national league that is played in winter and which is not taken seriously by most counties.

You've got to be joking! When would you intend playing county leagues and championship??

premierstone

kevin99 wrote: »

Well we shall see how many fans turn up on Sunday at Croke Park for the National Hurling League Final between Dublin and Kilkenny.
I don't think they will break last week's official attendance of 37,000.
And many Dubs supporters going will be watching their county's hurling team for the first time, so there will be the novelty factor.
Then there will be the 'hangers on' supporting the Dubs.
The guys and gals who have to attend everything sporting, so they can tell their work mates on Tuesday morning that 'yes, I was there, brilliant'.

The same hangers on attend Leinster rugby matches and manage to get Rugby international tickets.
But they couldn't name more than four or five players on either side.

I do think the main television stations would have sought transmission rights if they thought Dublin would have made it to the two respective finals.

TG4 does an excellent job, but not everybody speaks fluent Irish or can understand it. So, for that reason most people, if they are not going to Croker on Sunday, will listen to the game on the radio. I enjoy TG4's Historical documentaries about Irish life, culture and history with subtitles.

I believe the National League should be played during the Championship and then give the players a well earned rest during the winter.

The League will attract more followers and gain bigger status, while the Championship would be like the FA cup in England.
You would have weekly top leavel games between May and September, fantastic!!
Instead, we have a truncated Championship, a backdoor arrangement, that seems unfair, and a national league that is played in winter and which is not taken seriously by most counties.

I dont know whether to cry or laugh tbh, I hope you are joking.

popebenny16

kevin99 wrote: »

Well we shall see how many fans turn up on Sunday at Croke Park for the National Hurling League Final between Dublin and Kilkenny.
I don't think they will break last week's official attendance of 37,000.
And many Dubs supporters going will be watching their county's hurling team for the first time, so there will be the novelty factor.
Then there will be the 'hangers on' supporting the Dubs.
The guys and gals who have to attend everything sporting, so they can tell their work mates on Tuesday morning that 'yes, I was there, brilliant'.

The same hangers on attend Leinster rugby matches and manage to get Rugby international tickets.
But they couldn't name more than four or five players on either side.

I do think the main television stations would have sought transmission rights if they thought Dublin would have made it to the two respective finals.

TG4 does an excellent job, but not everybody speaks fluent Irish or can understand it. So, for that reason most people, if they are not going to Croker on Sunday, will listen to the game on the radio. I enjoy TG4's Historical documentaries about Irish life, culture and history with subtitles.

I believe the National League should be played during the Championship and then give the players a well earned rest during the winter.

The League will attract more followers and gain bigger status, while the Championship would be like the FA cup in England.
You would have weekly top leavel games between May and September, fantastic!!
Instead, we have a truncated Championship, a backdoor arrangement, that seems unfair, and a national league that is played in winter and which is not taken seriously by most counties.

I am not sure what specific part of your post of meant to be a wind up, so I will plump for all of it.

Usually, I bite. Sure I bit the O/P. This is one where I may have to just stick you on ignore altogether.

kevin99

County leagues and championships would be played during the winter months thereby freeing up inter county players to focus on the National leagues and the Championship.

I believe it would be a win win for everybody.

rebel girl 15

kevin99 wrote: »

County leagues and championships would be played during the winter months thereby freeing up inter county players to focus on the National leagues and the Championship.

I believe it would be a win win for everybody.

WTF?? Ahm, your previous post was about giving county players a break during the winter - and yet you want to play the county leagues and championships during winter?? The players would be playing all year round so!

ShamoBuc

kevin99 wrote: »

County leagues and championships would be played during the winter months thereby freeing up inter county players to focus on the National leagues and the Championship.

I believe it would be a win win for everybody.

As a wind up merchant kevin - you are good, I'll give you that.
If you are actually serious - nah ..... you couldn't be.