How many football fans actually play football?

Pisco Sour

I'm not talking about a kickaround with the lads in the local park, or the occasional five-a-side footy match every now and again. I'm talking, actual regular competitive football for a club team, regardless of standard (either 11-a-side or indoor).

When you look at many of the other sports forums on boards there is always a reasonable mix of topics and a decent split between the viewing and participative elements of the sport. However on the soccer forum, 99% of the topics are about the likes of Ronaldo, Messi etc etc etc. You never see any topics related to looking for advice on how to improve certain skills, fitness levels, tactics, strategy etc etc. Just the same oul stuff about Manchester United, Arsenal etc, which leads me to assume that most posters here don't actually get involved in their sport on a participative level. Why is this so?

If you look at sports like tennis, athletics, boxing, golf etc, generally speaking, the die-hard fans of those sports, will also be heavily involved in their sports and be part of a club. This doesn't seem to be the case in football.

Maybe I am completely off the mark, but they are my observations.

What are people's thoughts?

Jesus Wept

13

stovelid

Only play 5 a side regularly these days. Haven't played on a team for years.

As for the club participation part: a fair few posters are probably involved with league of Ireland or junior football clubs on a membership/volunteer level.

killwill

I used to but I concentrate on my best sport now which is basketball.

homerjay2005

i play 11 a side, been playing grass soccer since i was a schoolboy and enjoy it more than other forms of competitive soccer. dont play at a really decent level now anymore though, purely based on i dont have the time anymore for training and the club i used to play for would have taken it serious. now i just play for fitness and the social aspect really. also playing GAA would effect my ability to full dedicate to playing soccer.

play in the astro.ie 11 a side dublin league which is enjoyable and competitive.

dont really play 5 a side, not a huge fan of it, though it is great for fitness and 5 a side tournements are great.

ill keep playing hopefully until the body allows it.

Doodee

Play a 5a side and a 7a side game every week. Both fairly competitive. Used to play 11's but I stopped being picked

AwayWithFaries

Playing 11 a side, started back again this season after a 3 year break. Had a match called off just there actually. Only reason I'd be up this early on a Sunday morning.

joe123

You should of stuck up a poll if you wanted an answer really. I play, but am currently recovering from tearing my ACL last March.

Eirebear

Football is what it is because anyone can participate, unlike the sports you mentioned it doesnt need specialised kit, or training in order to understand and play the game.

For me, a bunch of kids kicking a tennis ball around out the back is every single bit as paticipatory as a well trained group of players facing their local rivals in a cup final on Sunday.
That's what makes football the most supported, played and talked about game on the planet, that's why we all love it.
We all have some sort of attachment to it, wether we havnt kicked a ball in years, or wether we turn out for our local 11 every weekend.

Jimmy Iovine

I play in an 11-a-siade league every Subday. Out for the last three months with a hamstring injury though. Can't wait to get back playing

ROCKMAN

I'm 42 but am still waiting on Fergie's phonecall .....


He will call .....he will.......

Xavi6

I play at a high amateur standard but have missed the last year with a ruptured ACL of the Vidic/Lucas variety.

The thing with football is that it's very much a spectator sport as well. Marathon on the other hand...

G.K.

My school doesn't play football, focuses on Rugby, and I'm too tied up with drama to play at weekends atm. I love to play though and can't wait till Uni, where there'll srely be a club. I'm a utility player really.

Mushy

I want to get back into playing, so right now is a no. Closest teams to me are Wayside Celtic or one who plays in Leopardstown. I should find out when they train, although Im very unfit and wouldnt know anyone.

Savman

/raises hand


What do I win?

redzerdrog

I play with my local club in the meath and district league also play indoor and astrofurf during the week

Pro. F

04072511 wrote: »

When you look at many of the other sports forums on boards there is always a reasonable mix of topics and a decent split between the viewing and participative elements of the sport. However on the soccer forum, 99% of the topics are about the likes of Ronaldo, Messi etc etc etc. You never see any topics related to looking for advice on how to improve certain skills, fitness levels, tactics, strategy etc etc. Just the same oul stuff about Manchester United, Arsenal etc, which leads me to assume that most posters here don't actually get involved in their sport on a participative level. Why is this so?

Imo it's because football is much better to watch than most other sports. The soccer forum is the most popular forum by far iirc. Also the horrible knee injuries which are so common in football can end regular involvement fairly quickly.

Personly I do a fair bit of sport, but football is mostly for watching.

Mars Bar

I get paid to play football 5 days a week.

By FÁS!

Feckin' lovin' it too.

Pisco Sour

Pro. F wrote: »

Also the horrible knee injuries which are so common in football can end regular involvement fairly quickly.

There are horrible injuries in most sports, so that can't be used as an excuse for people who would rather prop up a bar stool watching the sport, instead of trying to get involved in their sport to improve it at a local level. (Nothing stopping people from doing both!).

Injuries in rugby are far more common and extreme than in football for the record.

Iang87

04072511 wrote: »

There are horrible injuries in most sports, so that can't be used as an excuse for people who would rather prop up a bar stool watching the sport, instead of trying to get involved in their sport to improve it at a local level. (Nothing stopping people from doing both!).

Injuries in rugby are far more common and extreme than in football for the record.

you see thats the thing. Would rather, just cos you would rather otherwise doesn't make them wrong.

By them I mean me, and by barstool you mean couch. recession and whatnot

Pro. F

04072511 wrote: »

There are horrible injuries in most sports, so that can't be used as an excuse for people who would rather prop up a bar stool watching the sport, instead of trying to get involved in their sport to improve it at a local level. (Nothing stopping people from doing both!).

I'm not saying that there aren't horrible injuries in most sports, but obviously some sports have a higher rate of them then others. From what I've seen football is one of the worst common sports for knee injuries.

04072511 wrote: »

Injuries in rugby are far more common and extreme than in football for the record.

Are you talking about professional or amateur? I agree about professional, I wouldn't know about amateur as I don't know anybody who plays contact rugby any more.

EdenHazard

dont play anymore but i always play out on the road/on green with mates.

ScummyMan

Yeah i do, Left Back (on the bench) for my local club!

Love playing, and hopefully will be for a good few years yet.

token56

Started this year, a group of us who used to play for fun decided to set up a club and enter the local league, the ccfl, we're one of the lowest divisions but doing quite. Dont have as much time as I would like to dedicate to training though. Good fun still.

ShooterSF

Why do you exclude 5-a-side kickabouts? I love football, ain't much good at it and no real desire to work on improving my game, though it does naturally happen when you play regularly. I play because it's fun and it's social and it keeps the beer belly down a little. I don't post about playing because what's there to discuss? Unlike most other sports football seems to have a great casual base that take part. Actually outside of Man United playing or Ireland I will favour a kick about than propping up a barstool to watch a game.
May I say you seem to have already decided that most of us don't play when I'd bet if you take the restrictions off competitive football, most do.

GavRedKing

Play 11 a side with a team of ok standard in Cork and have doen since I was 16. Training on Tuesday and Thursday nights with matches on Saturday/Sunday and 6 a side on Monday and Wednesday with my friends keep me fairly fit.

I just really enjoy it and as long as I'm able I'll be playing the sport I love.

Pisco Sour

ShooterSF wrote: »

Why do you exclude 5-a-side kickabouts? I love football, ain't much good at it and no real desire to work on improving my game, though it does naturally happen when you play regularly. I play because it's fun and it's social and it keeps the beer belly down a little. I don't post about playing because what's there to discuss? Unlike most other sports football seems to have a great casual base that take part. Actually outside of Man United playing or Ireland I will favour a kick about than propping up a barstool to watch a game.
May I say you seem to have already decided that most of us don't play when I'd bet if you take the restrictions off competitive football, most do.

Every now and again I'd go for a kick about. I wouldn't for a second consider myself somebody who "plays football" though. The same way I wouldn't classify somebody who jogs to keep fit or to lose weight as somebody who does athletics, or somebody who plays a few games of pool when pissed on a Saturday night as somebody who plays pool, etc etc.

On the otherhand somebody who plays for a regular team (regardless of standard) and trains a couple of times a week, is somebody who is a regular competitor in the sport.

It just appears to me that a fair chunk of die-hard football fans don't play the game, due partly to many friends I know who you wouldn't see near a football field, but will watch every single premiership game. But also due to the nature of this forum. You'll be hard pushed to find a thread that isn't about elite professional football. You simply don't see participative topics, such as questions and topics about how to improve fitness in the last 10 minutes of a match, how to improve agility, injury recovery techniques, benefits and drawbacks of certain tactics, how to improve speed, strength, endurance etc etc etc. You don't see any of these topics. I'm not a regular poster here but do lurk quite a bit, as while I'm not a die-hard, I do like the sport, but being honest many of the topics can be quite boring and there is no variety. It is all about the viewing element of the sport. No technical advice for people looking to improve. Nobody looking for that advice. It is for these reasons that I believe a lot of posters here don't kick a ball from Monday to Sunday. Not a completely unreasonable assumption.

Tusky

Why don't you include 5aside? I play 5aside twice per week and absolutely love it. Used to play 11aside for years - but I actually prefer 5aside. Football is the most popular sport in the country and in the world so of course you're gonna get fans who don't play.

I read an article a while back that said 5aside was the fastest growing sport in Ireland.

Pisco Sour

Tusky wrote: »

Why don't you include 5aside? I play 5aside twice per week and absolutely love it. Used to play 11aside for years - but I actually prefer 5aside. Football is the most popular sport in the country and in the world so of course you're gonna get fans who don't play.

I read an article a while back that said 5aside was the fastest growing sport in Ireland.

Not excluding 5-a-side if it is regular competition, training etc.

Excluding a bunch of lads getting together for a 5-a-side kick about on the astro-turf in UCD every month or so.

eagle eye

He is asking why there are no threads about playing the game/tactics/fitness at whatever level you play the sport at. He is right that there are no threads relating to actually playing the game on this forum which is unlike almost every other sports forum on here.

stovelid

My formation/training schedule/cup run is bigger than yours.

Nalz

Had to retire due to health but interesting thread nonetheless. Was destined to become the next Michael Reddy.

stovelid wrote: »

My formation/training schedule/cup run is bigger than yours.

cool!

homerjay2005

eagle eye wrote: »

He is asking why there are no threads about playing the game/tactics/fitness at whatever level you play the sport at. He is right that there are no threads relating to actually playing the game on this forum which is unlike almost every other sports forum on here.

well lets start one then and see where it goes!

Mars Bar

There is a forum in the works I think to do with discussion about coaching and tactics and all of that but they have been very slow to start it up. AFAIK, it has been approved.

SantryRed

homerjay2005 wrote: »

well lets start one then and see where it goes!

I tried it before. Set up a thread about people's tactical preferences. It bombed. Haven't been arsed since.

Wonder who the best player in the soccer forum is?

Mars Bar

SantryRed wrote: »

I tried it before. Set up a thread about people's tactical preferences. It bombed. Haven't been arsed since.

Wonder who the best player in the soccer forum is?

Remember the guy who claimed to be a LOI player but was posting the time they were playing a match?! That was all sorts of LULZ...

homerjay2005

Mars Bar wrote: »

Remember the guy who claimed to be a LOI player but was posting the time they were playing a match?! That was all sorts of LULZ...

a rovers player iirc....said he was in talinn at the time, despite his ip being in cork or someplace.

i wouldnt mind starting a conversation about the standard of crossing in top flight football. its absolutely shocking in the EPL, especially corner delivery.

its a huge problem for united since beckham left, our set piece delivery is awful at the best of times. we sometimes get 15 corners a game and 10 of them dont beat the first man.

v3ttel

homerjay2005 wrote: »

a rovers player iirc....said he was in talinn at the time, despite his ip being in cork or someplace.

Not to mention the fact that he said he was in Tailinn, and someone said something along the lines of "Your actually telling me I should believe your in Latvia right now" and he said he was......Tailinn, Latvia, Cork? The guy was omnipresent.

On topic, not playing for a team right now, playing astro turf at a reasonable level if that counts.

EdenHazard

thing bout football is a lot of people stop playing it at a certain age and since this forum is prob all mid to late 20's(mostly) i can see why they don't pop up. i mean on other forums youll get people askin for free kick advice but a 27 year old really isnt going to do this.

Gillington

I'd actually ask have any of ye any tips or training exercise or anythinng at all regarding increasing your speed or is that something that yous all reckon gets worse the older you get!? Lost a fair bit of weight since last year to try help my ace but it aint working!

Mars Bar

Gillington wrote: »

I'd actually ask have any of ye any tips or training exercise or anythinng at all regarding increasing your speed or is that something that yous all reckon gets worse the older you get!? Lost a fair bit of weight since last year to try help my ace but it aint working!

I'm very slow, always have been but like to think I won't always be so I've been trying to get some understanding of how to increase speed. I think, for me anyway, it's the fact that I have tight hamstrings. Couple that with the fact that I only stand at 4ft 10inches, I can't make very long strides.

I'm hoping that some stretches to loosen my hamstrings and to lose some weight will help with my speed.

Sean7

I'm a big fan but I'm actually terrible at playing football, haven't played regularly since I was a kid and when I went to stand in for a mate who couldn't play with his indoor team I realised just why I stopped, was even worse than I remembered. Sticking to Pro Evo/Football Manager for my soccer playing from now on.

Dante

I play 11-a-side in the AUL premier A which is a fairly good standard compared to most leagues. I'd also play 5-a-side a couple of times a week, not competitively though although I'm thinking of starting soon.

Pisco Sour

Gillington wrote: »

I'd actually ask have any of ye any tips or training exercise or anythinng at all regarding increasing your speed or is that something that yous all reckon gets worse the older you get!? Lost a fair bit of weight since last year to try help my ace but it aint working!

Well, why not start up a thread about it

And if that bombs, then there's people on the Athletics forum who would be happy to give you advice.

Frisbee

I played for my local side from u7s right up to u18s when I had to stop as we trained Tuesday and Thursday 6.30 - 8.00 and I was in college in UCD till 6 on Tuesdays and Thursdays so could never make training. We weren't that good tbh, we yo-yo'd up and down the DDSL for years.

Don't play nearly as often anymore, played a season with Boardeaux last year and fill in the odd time when Des asks me if he's short players or for cup games etc. Have played with a few lads here from the forum through it; homerjay, KaG, Voltwad, Neil1984.

Try and get out and play 5-a-side as much as I can but unfortunately that's pretty rare as me and my mates all play different sports and have training on different days midweek which makes it tough to arrange and especially hard to get people to commit during the season.