Summer football should see increase in attendances
Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
The consistently asked question as to why attendance figures for League of Ireland games are so low has never been sufficiently answered. One reason which has been mentioned before is that people would much prefer to go the pub or stay at home and watch their favourite English, Spanish or Scottish team play on TV rather than support their local league of Ireland club.
However, in less than 3 weeks the English Premiership season will come to a close. For the best part of the summer there will be no more watching and supporting our beloved Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and co. So how can we take advantage of this and attract people to come out and get behind their local team?
One major reason which has made the English Premiership so exciting this season is the fact that the race for the title is much tighter this year than in previous years. A single point lies between Man Utd and Chelsea. Even in the popular Spanish league, the close battle for the title between Real Madrid and Barcelona has captured Irish football fans attention. Again, a single point is the difference.
If one was to take a closer look at home, the same can be said with regards the race for the Airtricity League title this year. So far, with 10 games played already, we have seen UCD, St.Pats, Dundalk and Sporting Fingal reach top spot at some stage, with Bohemians, Sligo and Shamrock Rovers all lingering around the top. This year, this season, the battle for the league title promises to be the closest it’s been for years.
St.Pats have not won a title for years but they are flying at the moment and I’m sure their fans will be anxious and hopeful that their team can continue their run of form. My team, Sporting Fingal are in our first year in the top league so to be near the top at such an early stage is exciting for fans. Dundalk, a team which has struggled at the wrong end of the table in the past are showing very positive signs that they can be a major challenge this season as are Sligo. And then we have Shamrock Rovers, and the champions Bohemians, many people’s favourites for the title this year. Both teams are guaranteed to be there or thereabouts come the business end of the season.
All in all, early signs suggest the race for the Airtricity League of Ireland title is on course to be one of the most thrilling and exciting we have seen for years. I am, therefore, hoping that this will encourage more people and new potential fans to come out and support their local team; especially now that the English Premiership season is coming to an end.
When I was playing with Bray Wanderers back in 2005, I was loaned out to a Norwegian top-flight team and subsequently spent four months there. Whilst I was there, it was obvious to see how passionate Norwegians were about their football in Norway. However, at the same time, they were equally fanatical about the English Premiership. It was then that I thought, why can’t it be like that here in Ireland where people can come out and support their local League of Ireland team whilst still watching and supporting their favourite English Premiership team?
Before I continue, I want to point out and for people to keep in mind that Norway has a population almost identical to Ireland’s and the standard of football over there is only slightly better than that seen here in Ireland. The league as a whole is of better standard in Norway but I would think on experience that the top 5 or 6 teams in our top flight would put it up to all of the teams over there.
So continuing on, one thing I noticed over in Norway was that on any given match day, stadiums were packed. Some held 10,000, others 20,000, 30,000 and more. I played for a team called Aalesund fk which was situated in a small town which contained around 40,000 people. Yet, week in week out, Aalesund’s 12,000 all seated stadium reached full capacity. Like the League here, match days were mostly Friday Nights.
So that gave people the opportunity to come watch their local team play on a Friday night and still get to see their favourite English team play on a Saturday or Sunday. So why can’t it be like that over here? Why can’t people come out and support their local league of Ireland team whilst still supporting their favourite team abroad?
The only difference between Norway and Ireland and rational reason that I can think of is that over here, Irish football has the GAA to compete with. Either way, I believe that we can take a leaf out of Norway’s book and support both our local league of Ireland team as well as our favourite team from England. I am also hoping that this summer, with the English season coming to a close in less than 3 weeks, and with the title race heating up nicely over here, that people can turn their attention domestically and come out and support their local team.
However, in less than 3 weeks the English Premiership season will come to a close. For the best part of the summer there will be no more watching and supporting our beloved Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and co. So how can we take advantage of this and attract people to come out and get behind their local team?
One major reason which has made the English Premiership so exciting this season is the fact that the race for the title is much tighter this year than in previous years. A single point lies between Man Utd and Chelsea. Even in the popular Spanish league, the close battle for the title between Real Madrid and Barcelona has captured Irish football fans attention. Again, a single point is the difference.
If one was to take a closer look at home, the same can be said with regards the race for the Airtricity League title this year. So far, with 10 games played already, we have seen UCD, St.Pats, Dundalk and Sporting Fingal reach top spot at some stage, with Bohemians, Sligo and Shamrock Rovers all lingering around the top. This year, this season, the battle for the league title promises to be the closest it’s been for years.
St.Pats have not won a title for years but they are flying at the moment and I’m sure their fans will be anxious and hopeful that their team can continue their run of form. My team, Sporting Fingal are in our first year in the top league so to be near the top at such an early stage is exciting for fans. Dundalk, a team which has struggled at the wrong end of the table in the past are showing very positive signs that they can be a major challenge this season as are Sligo. And then we have Shamrock Rovers, and the champions Bohemians, many people’s favourites for the title this year. Both teams are guaranteed to be there or thereabouts come the business end of the season.
All in all, early signs suggest the race for the Airtricity League of Ireland title is on course to be one of the most thrilling and exciting we have seen for years. I am, therefore, hoping that this will encourage more people and new potential fans to come out and support their local team; especially now that the English Premiership season is coming to an end.
When I was playing with Bray Wanderers back in 2005, I was loaned out to a Norwegian top-flight team and subsequently spent four months there. Whilst I was there, it was obvious to see how passionate Norwegians were about their football in Norway. However, at the same time, they were equally fanatical about the English Premiership. It was then that I thought, why can’t it be like that here in Ireland where people can come out and support their local League of Ireland team whilst still watching and supporting their favourite English Premiership team?
Before I continue, I want to point out and for people to keep in mind that Norway has a population almost identical to Ireland’s and the standard of football over there is only slightly better than that seen here in Ireland. The league as a whole is of better standard in Norway but I would think on experience that the top 5 or 6 teams in our top flight would put it up to all of the teams over there.
So continuing on, one thing I noticed over in Norway was that on any given match day, stadiums were packed. Some held 10,000, others 20,000, 30,000 and more. I played for a team called Aalesund fk which was situated in a small town which contained around 40,000 people. Yet, week in week out, Aalesund’s 12,000 all seated stadium reached full capacity. Like the League here, match days were mostly Friday Nights.
So that gave people the opportunity to come watch their local team play on a Friday night and still get to see their favourite English team play on a Saturday or Sunday. So why can’t it be like that over here? Why can’t people come out and support their local league of Ireland team whilst still supporting their favourite team abroad?
The only difference between Norway and Ireland and rational reason that I can think of is that over here, Irish football has the GAA to compete with. Either way, I believe that we can take a leaf out of Norway’s book and support both our local league of Ireland team as well as our favourite team from England. I am also hoping that this summer, with the English season coming to a close in less than 3 weeks, and with the title race heating up nicely over here, that people can turn their attention domestically and come out and support their local team.
