Salthill 'gamble' fails to draw crowds
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So one of the league’s new-boys are struggling to get a three figure number through their gates at Drom, while Gortakeegan is eerily empty every week despite Mons good start to their campaign.
“What a disgrace,” I hear you heckle.
“What an embarrassment to the league,” I bet you’re thinking.
And to be fair, even the most avid Salthill or Monaghan folk (Yes, there are some despite the poor attendances) would probably agree that it cuts a poor image for the league.
Sure, packed out grounds would be great to see and the atmosphere at a full Flancare Park or Jackman Park would be great every second week.
However, we must put things into perspective.
Firstly, families just don’t have the disposable cash to spend on a trip to their local club every two weeks, nevermind make a trip to an away game in between that.
It’s not just the Airtricity League suffering either, the GAA have also suffered during the NFL and NHL – with last week’s Hurling Division One top of the table clash bringing in less than 1,000 at Pearse Stadium.
Two of the top three supported sides are now playing in the First Division. This not only sees less attractive opposition coming to town, but also sees less top quality players at Turner’s Cross and the Brandywell taking to the field every second Friday.
Of course, the other side of the coin is the fact that Cork, despite being a First Division club, have still had some impressive figures while Shamrock Rovers, despite an erratic start, have also pulled in a lot of people to Tallaght, an attractive venue to watch football in.
In the case of Salthill, they should not be TOO worried about the poor turnouts so far. For a club of their magnitude they are doing remarkably well. They are only learning how to crawl now, so give them time to walk before they can run.
It is a dream for anybody involved with a football club to make the move up to the LoI – and hopefully they can stay on the right side of the accounts and build up from scratch.
Sure, they are struggling at the foot of the table. But that is expected and nobody really thought them to do much on the field in their first season.
Simply, they are testing themselves at the highest level, and although it doesn’t really make the League seem as attractive in terms of drawing in crowds, we say fair play to them for doing things the right way.
Now, if only they can get people to come off those seaside slot machines on a Friday night.
“What a disgrace,” I hear you heckle.
“What an embarrassment to the league,” I bet you’re thinking.
And to be fair, even the most avid Salthill or Monaghan folk (Yes, there are some despite the poor attendances) would probably agree that it cuts a poor image for the league.
Sure, packed out grounds would be great to see and the atmosphere at a full Flancare Park or Jackman Park would be great every second week.
However, we must put things into perspective.
Firstly, families just don’t have the disposable cash to spend on a trip to their local club every two weeks, nevermind make a trip to an away game in between that.
It’s not just the Airtricity League suffering either, the GAA have also suffered during the NFL and NHL – with last week’s Hurling Division One top of the table clash bringing in less than 1,000 at Pearse Stadium.
Two of the top three supported sides are now playing in the First Division. This not only sees less attractive opposition coming to town, but also sees less top quality players at Turner’s Cross and the Brandywell taking to the field every second Friday.
Of course, the other side of the coin is the fact that Cork, despite being a First Division club, have still had some impressive figures while Shamrock Rovers, despite an erratic start, have also pulled in a lot of people to Tallaght, an attractive venue to watch football in.
In the case of Salthill, they should not be TOO worried about the poor turnouts so far. For a club of their magnitude they are doing remarkably well. They are only learning how to crawl now, so give them time to walk before they can run.
It is a dream for anybody involved with a football club to make the move up to the LoI – and hopefully they can stay on the right side of the accounts and build up from scratch.
Sure, they are struggling at the foot of the table. But that is expected and nobody really thought them to do much on the field in their first season.
Simply, they are testing themselves at the highest level, and although it doesn’t really make the League seem as attractive in terms of drawing in crowds, we say fair play to them for doing things the right way.
Now, if only they can get people to come off those seaside slot machines on a Friday night.
About Features Team
Extratime's team of feature writers give their unique take on various matters within the league, backed by editor Alan Smith. View Full Profile