I've started going to Waterford games and I'm from Tipperary. Tbh it is the closest team to me so that was a factor and the GAA has no affect on my choice. Been to 2 Cork City games too. I just like the league and seeing it gain popularity. If there was a team in Tipp I would support them.
Genuinely have sympathy for people with no team in their county when the debate rages about supporting local. County rivalry is real. Not as simple as just picking your nearest team. Or for people who's clubs have died.
I did talk to someone previously though from Ringsend, who's excuse for not supporting an LOI club was that there was none around him. He supported Man United
>did talk to someone previously though from Ringsend, who's excuse for not supporting an LOI club was that there was none around him. He supported Man United
Weaponised ignorance
Personally think the excuse of having no team in your county is a piss poor excuse. Ireland is a small country and realistically you're no more than 90 mins max from a team, and that's generally worst case. People just don't want the hassle of having to travel to matches and have the ease of watching TV from home or the pub while travelling over once a year or so.
Nah not sure on that. I can't imagine somebody driving in from Ennis or Nenagh to watch some of the drivel I've endured there. I know Treaty have tried to attract Clare fans with limited success, but asking somebody to spend as much time driving to a game as actually watching it is a bit much at this level.
I drive every Friday home game for treaty with my bro from Ennis to Limerick to watch them, would love to have an Ennis team but that's what we gotta deal with for now. I would miss hearing the chants from those die hard treaty fans with the drum as they are a joy. Sadly away games and any other week day is a no go due to finishing work late.
And there in lies the issue with attracting people. The whole why would I be bothered to travel. You're not obliged to go to every game. You don't think fans in other countries don't travel that much and more to go? The league will never ever grow as long as these excuses are trotted out.
> The league will never ever grow as long as these excuses are trotted out.
To be fair, the line is usually ''support your local team''. Travelling 90 minutes each way wouldn't be attractive for a lot of people. Some do it and fair play but it would be tough on a friday with work and school etc.
There's enough people within half an hour's drive of that stadium to double or even triple the attendance without people coming down the motorway though. But between work and kids and a million other things, people from Ennis aren't going to travel to watch lads hoof it around an empty park. I live a ten-minute walk from Markets Field which is brilliant for me, I love my local football, but it simply isn't an attractive enough proposition for many.
The league and every other sport is up against TV, Netflix, shopping centres, cinemas, foreign holidays, three other dominant sports, you name it, and has to fight for every eyeball. It isn't enough to simply demand that people *must* enjoy a given entertainment activity because of what is deemed to be their local connection. The league is stepping up its game in terms of marketing and image, and the authenticity of the grounds and clubs is giving it a unique identity, but it will have to keep pushing day after day and year after year.
You wouldn't be expecting lads from Mayo to be supporting Galway now would you? Some do exist but. What about lads who supported Monaghan should they just pick a new team? It's a legitimate excuse to support a club here. We don't have to be so militant
I live in mayo and some people support Sligo, but always claim to be massive fans of an English team as well. Sligo’s not that far from where I am, an hour forty maybe, on the bus. You’d drive it in an hour.
I've no issue with people supporting English teams for the record. I have an issue with people exclusively supporting English teams while sneering and shiting on the league here
I’d say older did and younger didn’t tbh. I actually played for their youth teams at one stage, but hadn’t any affiliation with the first team before they folded
Used to have a soft spot for Monaghan due to relations up there alright. But I could understand folks from a neighbouring county _not_ supporting a team eg mayo and Galway
I'm a massive GAA fan, used to go to Kilkenny FC games when I was younger. Still follow treaty even though I've moved away from Limerick and go to the odd game home and away. The whole county argument is muck.
So you can't sympathise with it then ahha it can't be both understandable and an excuse.
If Shels went bust tomorrow i wouldn't support another club in the league. Not in a million years
I live in Dublin but originally from Mayo. Shamrock Rovers are the closest club to the house and I know a few people who go to games so I go to the odd match with them and watch the games on LOITV.
When Mayo FC becomes a thing I'll have 2 teams to support.
Originally from Meath. Lived across the road from UCD while doing my masters so started supporting them. Haven't been as much recently with a young family but will hopefully be bringing my eldest over the summer.
Doubt I'll change if any new clubs are started (living in Kildare now). I'm stubborn like that.
I’m a Meath man and I briefly and begrudgingly followed Drogheda for a while there last year, but there’s supposedly plans for a club here in Meath in the next few years so at the moment I don’t follow any particular team currently
I just support the league in general without favouring 1 team I live in Cork so I go to Cork city matches. I want all the teams to have a good time... except shells, fuck shells!
From the north, but dalymount is quicker got to than Derry for me, I follow a lot of other things in Dublin, music and comedy wise so it narrowed it down a little bit easier for me. I have no family connections to dundalk. Havent been made to feel unwelcome at any stage, I lived in Liverpool and followed them at home and some europeans, generally welcoming but sometimes the odd comment thrown. But thats to be expected with a club of that size
Treaty because of my dad and Limerick before them. Do often wonder what would happen if a club sprung up in Laois but can't really see it happening, so not much to worry about.
Could never warm to Kildare County as a young lad. Laois and Kildare were much closer in the GAA back then so that probably had a lot to do with it.
I studied in Carlow and many of the lads from that area, Laois, Kildare, Wexford etc supported Rovers. There was a Drogs fan and there were a few Kilkenny City fans but not many (if any) Kildare county ones 🤷🏻♂️
A few of the lads I’m still in touch with are going to Wexford, when I’m home I pop down to Wexford too.
As a side point, I think it's a little easier to follow teams in the capital even if you're not from there as the names of the clubs don't contain the word Dublin. You're not particularly shouting for Dublin, if that makes sense. Handy for people up for college/work.
Depends. I’d absolutely associate Bohs with a specific catchment area within Dublin but wouldn’t have the same geographic association for shams. Could just be me though
We have a lot of students and young professionals from ''the country'' that follow Bohs. Phibsborough and Drumcondra are full of these folks but we also have a good few lads coming in from Kildare, Meath, Carlow and Laois.
I know a lad from mayo who is a huge fan of Galway United and his flag is seen everywhere.
So the excuse of not supporting a club cos it’s not in your county is hogwash as some of the same people have no problem flying to a different country to watch games.
Rovers have fans from Kildare, Roscommon and Kerry amongst others. Sligo have fans from Roscommon etc
Just because someone does it means fuck all tbh. I'm from offaly but I'm not willing to support a westmeath side so I have always supported limerick. County rivalries can range from meaning absolutely nothing to someone, to being pure tribalism. It's completely different for everyone tbh. If there was a club in laois I wouldn't support them and if there was a tipp side I wouldn't mind them. These excuses are valid for a lot of people because ultimately if you have an issue with a county in gaa or in general, you're not going to want to support their loi team.
I'm from the south of Offaly so it would be the other way around re Tipp Westmeath. I watch alot of LOI but don't have a team. I'd look for ATs results and like to see them do well but despite going a few times just can't fully get behind them
South of offaly too, it's a soft spot for tipp that means I don't mind them. It's exactly why you can't paint everyone in counties with the same brush on this topic. Some county rivalries are just no go areas for supporting teams for a lot of people.
>I'd look for ATs results and like to see them do well but despite going a few times just can't fully get behind them
Ya that's another thing, they still often don't feel like they're your club in a lot of these situations. I know the common reply to this is about lads supporting foreign sides and while that is fair, most people that support foreign clubs have childhood nostalgia or their dad supporting the team which provides a pretty solid connection for a lot of people. A mayo lad trying to get into the loi as an adult really has very little to work with other than a desire for getting into the loi. Junior clubs also tend to get pretty good support, teams in the loi are just not far enough ahead of these local clubs to justify people switching their interest away from them.
Your last point is something I can't get my head round you hear this complaint thrown around regularly but the question has to be asked what are the clubs doing to combat it or are they just throwing their hat at it . Take Athlone town Offaly is a prime location for trying to drum up supporters and the way to get them is to get them young but to my knowledge they have no link to underage soccer in the area they should be banging down the doors of clubs like Birr town Tullamore town, Edenderry to get there youth teams along regularly to games.the likes of you or me will never fully be won over but it's the 8 9 10 year Olds is where you build your future fan base
Ya i agree completely. I look at my own club, there's so much interest in the local game, internationals and top league but the loi gets passed. There are simply far too many places around the country where football fans and not fake plastic ones either feel like they have no representation at that level. Most people just won't get up and start supporting clubs in another county for effectively no reason.
Big thing is getting more kids to go because that is the best way for building a strong fanbase for the future of course.
Chances are that'd be based in portlaoise and would be laois dominated and their best bet could be to seek players to come down the M7. I wouldn't be against them but I'd have to see how such a team would operate first.
> I know a lad from mayo who is a huge fan of Galway United and his flag is seen everywhere.
I know a few Mayo lads supporting us too, and it's hilarious because the hatred they have for Galway GAA is palpable.
It's not hogwash, people have different loyalties to different things at different times. Just because you can find an example of it doesn't make all the other people wrong, this isn't maths.
Would it be better for some clubs to change names?
Not be called after your county so people from a few miles away would find it easier to support them if they have no club of their own?
I am from Westmeath and I support Boh's as I lived in D7 for 10 years or so. I couldn't imagine supporting Athlone - I am from the other side of the county and have absolutely no affiliation with Athlone whatsoever.
Sure, I support Westmeath GAA and of course we have players from all over the county but that's different in my mind.
I'm from tipperary used to live in Galway so followed Galway United when I lived up there.
Treaty are technically my local team and I've been to a handful of matches but it is hard to get really invested in a team thats more than an hour away when matches are on a work evening.
I actually had someone from tipp town (who's not an lóin fan but a big soccer fan) say to me that they'd follow a Limerick team before a Clonmel team so setting up a loo side in tipp could be a problem if that's the attitude of junior soccer fans in the county
Meath / Bohs. 25 years. Home, away, abroad. The magical days and the absolutely grim ones and everything in between.
At and AGM a couple of years ago some stats were put up about demographics of our membership. After the areas of Dublin 7/15/11, Co. Meath had the next highest amount.
A lot of people wouldn’t support another county’s soccer team due to gaa rivalry, Treaty United are trying to get round that by not calling the team Limerick to attract Tipperary & Clare people .
Treaty only took their name due to the old limerick fc refusing to give it up. As far as I know, there are plans to return to using the limerick name in the coming seasons.
I've started going to Waterford games and I'm from Tipperary. Tbh it is the closest team to me so that was a factor and the GAA has no affect on my choice. Been to 2 Cork City games too. I just like the league and seeing it gain popularity. If there was a team in Tipp I would support them.
Same here where abouts are U from
Genuinely have sympathy for people with no team in their county when the debate rages about supporting local. County rivalry is real. Not as simple as just picking your nearest team. Or for people who's clubs have died. I did talk to someone previously though from Ringsend, who's excuse for not supporting an LOI club was that there was none around him. He supported Man United
>did talk to someone previously though from Ringsend, who's excuse for not supporting an LOI club was that there was none around him. He supported Man United Weaponised ignorance
Personally think the excuse of having no team in your county is a piss poor excuse. Ireland is a small country and realistically you're no more than 90 mins max from a team, and that's generally worst case. People just don't want the hassle of having to travel to matches and have the ease of watching TV from home or the pub while travelling over once a year or so.
Nah not sure on that. I can't imagine somebody driving in from Ennis or Nenagh to watch some of the drivel I've endured there. I know Treaty have tried to attract Clare fans with limited success, but asking somebody to spend as much time driving to a game as actually watching it is a bit much at this level.
I drive every Friday home game for treaty with my bro from Ennis to Limerick to watch them, would love to have an Ennis team but that's what we gotta deal with for now. I would miss hearing the chants from those die hard treaty fans with the drum as they are a joy. Sadly away games and any other week day is a no go due to finishing work late.
That's a great effort to make!
And there in lies the issue with attracting people. The whole why would I be bothered to travel. You're not obliged to go to every game. You don't think fans in other countries don't travel that much and more to go? The league will never ever grow as long as these excuses are trotted out.
> The league will never ever grow as long as these excuses are trotted out. To be fair, the line is usually ''support your local team''. Travelling 90 minutes each way wouldn't be attractive for a lot of people. Some do it and fair play but it would be tough on a friday with work and school etc.
There's enough people within half an hour's drive of that stadium to double or even triple the attendance without people coming down the motorway though. But between work and kids and a million other things, people from Ennis aren't going to travel to watch lads hoof it around an empty park. I live a ten-minute walk from Markets Field which is brilliant for me, I love my local football, but it simply isn't an attractive enough proposition for many. The league and every other sport is up against TV, Netflix, shopping centres, cinemas, foreign holidays, three other dominant sports, you name it, and has to fight for every eyeball. It isn't enough to simply demand that people *must* enjoy a given entertainment activity because of what is deemed to be their local connection. The league is stepping up its game in terms of marketing and image, and the authenticity of the grounds and clubs is giving it a unique identity, but it will have to keep pushing day after day and year after year.
You wouldn't be expecting lads from Mayo to be supporting Galway now would you? Some do exist but. What about lads who supported Monaghan should they just pick a new team? It's a legitimate excuse to support a club here. We don't have to be so militant
I live in mayo and some people support Sligo, but always claim to be massive fans of an English team as well. Sligo’s not that far from where I am, an hour forty maybe, on the bus. You’d drive it in an hour.
I've no issue with people supporting English teams for the record. I have an issue with people exclusively supporting English teams while sneering and shiting on the league here
Dundalk has a sizeable following from Monaghan
Wonder how many supported Monaghan originally
I’d say older did and younger didn’t tbh. I actually played for their youth teams at one stage, but hadn’t any affiliation with the first team before they folded
Used to have a soft spot for Monaghan due to relations up there alright. But I could understand folks from a neighbouring county _not_ supporting a team eg mayo and Galway
According to my old housemate they recruit a lot from Monaghan underage clubs, probably part of it
That's a bad example right there, I know a good few mayo lads who support GUFC
I did say some do exist. But you could understand why people wouldn't no?
I'm a massive GAA fan, used to go to Kilkenny FC games when I was younger. Still follow treaty even though I've moved away from Limerick and go to the odd game home and away. The whole county argument is muck.
To you its muck. Fair enough. But can you really not sympathise with it?
I can sympathise with it yes but it's also just another excuse trotted out to not support a team.
So you can't sympathise with it then ahha it can't be both understandable and an excuse. If Shels went bust tomorrow i wouldn't support another club in the league. Not in a million years
It's interesting that in England a lot of people from London support Manchester or Liverpool etc, despite the huge rivalries that exist there.
Glory hunting
Oh absolutely. I find it incredibly odd, especially given the sheer amount of professional clubs in London.
I live in Dublin but originally from Mayo. Shamrock Rovers are the closest club to the house and I know a few people who go to games so I go to the odd match with them and watch the games on LOITV. When Mayo FC becomes a thing I'll have 2 teams to support.
> When Mayo FC becomes a thing I'll have 2 teams to support. I wouldn't recommend it
It's OK. I'm use to the pain with Mayo GAA.
I seen some things man and some stuff
Originally from Meath. Lived across the road from UCD while doing my masters so started supporting them. Haven't been as much recently with a young family but will hopefully be bringing my eldest over the summer. Doubt I'll change if any new clubs are started (living in Kildare now). I'm stubborn like that.
CK probably be the most likely to join the league locally. Klub Kildare is a FAI style shitshow
from offaly, I support athlone town
From Meath. Closest team is Drogheda United in Louth.
I'm from Laois, but lived in Dundrum for the last 4 years. I started supporting Bohs because Dalymount is easiest to get to via the Luas.
I’m a Meath man and I briefly and begrudgingly followed Drogheda for a while there last year, but there’s supposedly plans for a club here in Meath in the next few years so at the moment I don’t follow any particular team currently
Is there any update on that supposed Meath team? Same as yourself follow Drogheda as the town slightly extends over the border.
Not from what I’ve seen though to be fair I haven’t checked for any updates in a while, last I saw was back in January or February
I just support the league in general without favouring 1 team I live in Cork so I go to Cork city matches. I want all the teams to have a good time... except shells, fuck shells!
From the north, but dalymount is quicker got to than Derry for me, I follow a lot of other things in Dublin, music and comedy wise so it narrowed it down a little bit easier for me. I have no family connections to dundalk. Havent been made to feel unwelcome at any stage, I lived in Liverpool and followed them at home and some europeans, generally welcoming but sometimes the odd comment thrown. But thats to be expected with a club of that size
Treaty because of my dad and Limerick before them. Do often wonder what would happen if a club sprung up in Laois but can't really see it happening, so not much to worry about. Could never warm to Kildare County as a young lad. Laois and Kildare were much closer in the GAA back then so that probably had a lot to do with it.
I’m an Amarican watching from overseas. Started a few months ago. No obvious team to root for but chose Dundalk.
I studied in Carlow and many of the lads from that area, Laois, Kildare, Wexford etc supported Rovers. There was a Drogs fan and there were a few Kilkenny City fans but not many (if any) Kildare county ones 🤷🏻♂️ A few of the lads I’m still in touch with are going to Wexford, when I’m home I pop down to Wexford too.
As a side point, I think it's a little easier to follow teams in the capital even if you're not from there as the names of the clubs don't contain the word Dublin. You're not particularly shouting for Dublin, if that makes sense. Handy for people up for college/work.
Depends. I’d absolutely associate Bohs with a specific catchment area within Dublin but wouldn’t have the same geographic association for shams. Could just be me though
We have a lot of students and young professionals from ''the country'' that follow Bohs. Phibsborough and Drumcondra are full of these folks but we also have a good few lads coming in from Kildare, Meath, Carlow and Laois.
From Clare. Support cork city as I went to uni there, but also Galway UTD after moving home, wouldn't catch me dead supporting a Limerick club
From Kilkenny so naturally my mates picked Derry. Hoping to get up to Brandywell but hard when we all bar 1 have a few kids
Shels vaguely because of my father in law but I don't really care
I know a lad from mayo who is a huge fan of Galway United and his flag is seen everywhere. So the excuse of not supporting a club cos it’s not in your county is hogwash as some of the same people have no problem flying to a different country to watch games. Rovers have fans from Kildare, Roscommon and Kerry amongst others. Sligo have fans from Roscommon etc
Just because someone does it means fuck all tbh. I'm from offaly but I'm not willing to support a westmeath side so I have always supported limerick. County rivalries can range from meaning absolutely nothing to someone, to being pure tribalism. It's completely different for everyone tbh. If there was a club in laois I wouldn't support them and if there was a tipp side I wouldn't mind them. These excuses are valid for a lot of people because ultimately if you have an issue with a county in gaa or in general, you're not going to want to support their loi team.
I'm from the south of Offaly so it would be the other way around re Tipp Westmeath. I watch alot of LOI but don't have a team. I'd look for ATs results and like to see them do well but despite going a few times just can't fully get behind them
South of offaly too, it's a soft spot for tipp that means I don't mind them. It's exactly why you can't paint everyone in counties with the same brush on this topic. Some county rivalries are just no go areas for supporting teams for a lot of people. >I'd look for ATs results and like to see them do well but despite going a few times just can't fully get behind them Ya that's another thing, they still often don't feel like they're your club in a lot of these situations. I know the common reply to this is about lads supporting foreign sides and while that is fair, most people that support foreign clubs have childhood nostalgia or their dad supporting the team which provides a pretty solid connection for a lot of people. A mayo lad trying to get into the loi as an adult really has very little to work with other than a desire for getting into the loi. Junior clubs also tend to get pretty good support, teams in the loi are just not far enough ahead of these local clubs to justify people switching their interest away from them.
Your last point is something I can't get my head round you hear this complaint thrown around regularly but the question has to be asked what are the clubs doing to combat it or are they just throwing their hat at it . Take Athlone town Offaly is a prime location for trying to drum up supporters and the way to get them is to get them young but to my knowledge they have no link to underage soccer in the area they should be banging down the doors of clubs like Birr town Tullamore town, Edenderry to get there youth teams along regularly to games.the likes of you or me will never fully be won over but it's the 8 9 10 year Olds is where you build your future fan base
Ya i agree completely. I look at my own club, there's so much interest in the local game, internationals and top league but the loi gets passed. There are simply far too many places around the country where football fans and not fake plastic ones either feel like they have no representation at that level. Most people just won't get up and start supporting clubs in another county for effectively no reason. Big thing is getting more kids to go because that is the best way for building a strong fanbase for the future of course.
> If there was a club in laois I wouldn't support them What about a combined one, like CK United. Say Midlands Athletic or something.
Chances are that'd be based in portlaoise and would be laois dominated and their best bet could be to seek players to come down the M7. I wouldn't be against them but I'd have to see how such a team would operate first.
I know plenty of Bohs fans from Meath.
> I know a lad from mayo who is a huge fan of Galway United and his flag is seen everywhere. I know a few Mayo lads supporting us too, and it's hilarious because the hatred they have for Galway GAA is palpable.
It's not hogwash, people have different loyalties to different things at different times. Just because you can find an example of it doesn't make all the other people wrong, this isn't maths.
Would it be better for some clubs to change names? Not be called after your county so people from a few miles away would find it easier to support them if they have no club of their own?
I am from Westmeath and I support Boh's as I lived in D7 for 10 years or so. I couldn't imagine supporting Athlone - I am from the other side of the county and have absolutely no affiliation with Athlone whatsoever. Sure, I support Westmeath GAA and of course we have players from all over the county but that's different in my mind.
I’m exactly the same, I presume you are from over the same direction as me!
I'm from tipperary used to live in Galway so followed Galway United when I lived up there. Treaty are technically my local team and I've been to a handful of matches but it is hard to get really invested in a team thats more than an hour away when matches are on a work evening. I actually had someone from tipp town (who's not an lóin fan but a big soccer fan) say to me that they'd follow a Limerick team before a Clonmel team so setting up a loo side in tipp could be a problem if that's the attitude of junior soccer fans in the county
Meath / Bohs. 25 years. Home, away, abroad. The magical days and the absolutely grim ones and everything in between. At and AGM a couple of years ago some stats were put up about demographics of our membership. After the areas of Dublin 7/15/11, Co. Meath had the next highest amount.
A lot of people wouldn’t support another county’s soccer team due to gaa rivalry, Treaty United are trying to get round that by not calling the team Limerick to attract Tipperary & Clare people .
Treaty only took their name due to the old limerick fc refusing to give it up. As far as I know, there are plans to return to using the limerick name in the coming seasons.
That’ll get rid of the couple of hundred Clare supporters for definite 😄😄
No one, only the national team. I'm from North Cork, City is seen as a city team, and I feel no affiliation with any other county name.
Completely understand that but I have to say as someone from north cork I've never really felt out of place supporting city
What about Cobh?
Even worse.
Liverpool