How many football fans actually play football?

Pisco Sour · 11-12-2011 10:30AM #1

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 · 11-12-2011 10:51AM

13

stovelid · 11-12-2011 11:01AM

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 · 11-12-2011 11:08AM

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

homerjay2005 · 11-12-2011 11:21AM

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 · 11-12-2011 11:30AM

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 · 11-12-2011 11:37AM

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 · 11-12-2011 12:11PM

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 · 11-12-2011 12:34PM

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 · 11-12-2011 01:02PM

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 · 11-12-2011 01:26PM

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

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

Xavi6 · 11-12-2011 01:32PM

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. · 11-12-2011 01:38PM

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 · 11-12-2011 03:00PM

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 · 11-12-2011 04:36PM

/raises hand

What do I win?

redzerdrog · 11-12-2011 04:59PM

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

Pro. F · 11-12-2011 05:02PM

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 · 11-12-2011 07:19PM

I get paid to play football 5 days a week.

By FÁS!

Feckin' lovin' it too.

Pisco Sour · 11-12-2011 10:26PM

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 · 11-12-2011 10:49PM

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 · 11-12-2011 11:12PM

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 · 11-12-2011 11:16PM

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

ScummyMan · 12-12-2011 12:30AM

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 · 12-12-2011 12:39AM

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 · 12-12-2011 01:01AM

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 · 12-12-2011 09:44AM

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 · 12-12-2011 11:55AM

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 · 12-12-2011 12:23PM

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 · 12-12-2011 12:32PM

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 · 12-12-2011 12:39PM

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 · 12-12-2011 01:52PM

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

How many football fans actually play football?

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