By all accounts the “Gathering” marketing campaign has been very successful this year in attracting visitors and doing wonders for the struggling economy, at least in 26 of our counties. For reasons best known to themselves, NITB excluded themselves from the campaign.
Last year tourism numbers in the North East declined by 12%
Tourism on the rest of the Island increased by .2% over the same period. So far this year numbers are up by 5.4%.
Below is a fantastic video taken by two Canadian tourists on their 2 1/2 week trip around Ireland (all of it!). I suggest Tourism Ireland just buys and screens this for next years campaign. I also suggest the blindingly obvious idea that the Island is marketed by a single body.
Job Done! Enjoy……… (I’m looking forward to the comments)
"We in coming days may be" 
Northern Tourist Board.
Staffed by Heather and Ian talking about the ‘mainland’.
If ever there was dodgy Goverment agency needing a clear out the NITB would be first on the list.
Wonder if they still use that UVF logo.
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Apologies BD, however, shameful plug time. Cleanish has a new post up if your readers would care to view and it will be the first of a series with all opinions (so long as no trolling) welcome. http://wp.me/p1eiVW-nV
GRMA!
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Impressive video, shame they didnt make it to the Skelligs. Was there with a friend a few years back and we were fortunate to be the only 2 on the island other than a few residents from the university who we didnt bump into – it was just a fantastic experience
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Yep Boondock, never been myself. You’ve given me the idea though 😉
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There are many places in RoI that I’d like to visit that I haven’t been to yet (I’ve only visited Donegal on a uni field trip many moons ago and Dublin a few times – twice to watch the Glens).
It’s interesting to note the number of tourists coming into Belfast on cruise ships at the minute, it seems there’s at least three boats per week at present and that number will increase next year with the new docking facility.
Also bus and coach tours that are on an all-island basis seem to be quite regular at the minute, with the major issue being that they only spend one night at most in Belfast.
If the tourist board can start making representations to the likes of Land and Property Services (who I think are the biggest obstructionists to growth in NI at present) that they should slash city centre rates considerably to stimulate local shops in Belfast if they can be encouraged to stay open until 9pm every evening bar Sunday, this would fill the time for tourists, promote employment and reduce vacancy rates.
Otherwise, bar drinking in pubs, there’s not much else to attract people into the city, either locals or tourists, throughout the week.
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Couldn’t agree more Carrick (hence the thumbs up!). We had over about 18 months ago a friend of the Brother or more accurate would be a work colleague. She was a laywer working in London but from Southern California; she is tee-total, fairly serious and an ex-Marine (I kid you not).
She cam over on a Saturday morning where we picked her up and brought her to the Connor Cafe for the fry and then we proceeded to show her Rostrevor and the Mournes for lunch time and brought her back to the Big Schmoke for tea time. My mate and I went to work in a pretty famous pub in the Cathedral Quarter (he works there fulltime, I have worked there when in between jobs or if there is a month lead in to another job or trip) and left her to it and she asked the simple question, what is there to do here on a Saturday night?
The simple answer for someone not interested in going to a pub or club is actually very little. We recommended she check the Lyric or GOH out but were lost for suggestions aside from this as she wasn’t a big music fan (for local gigs I mean). This is a bit of a shame (no, not her being a teetotaller!) as it is clearly something that is missing from the City.
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As a teetotaller myself, I feel her pain. Cities are poor at providing non-alcoholic information. Check out the Easyjet magazines with mini-city guides the next time you’re on a plane.
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Oh I know Carrick, that mag and all mags you see from aircarriers basically push you to go get hammered in the most expensive bars imaginable whilst you buy crap from stores in every major city throughout the western world. I genuinely feel your pain.
I try and have an ‘event’ to plan my hol around, whether its a concert, sporting event or something of that ilk, but these all (possibly) involve alcohol too
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Carrickally,
“stay open until 9pm every evening bar Sunday” – Interesting comment. We’re not opening up the ‘locked playground gates’ argument again I trust?
I know the OO likes arguing lost causes but……….;-)
Seriously, I agree the cruise ships and bus tours are great but the numbers (and their spending) don’t seem to be increasing overall. Apart from the Pubs perhaps more entertainment venues, theatres and restaurants is the way to go?
Of course there is a dilemma here. One of the biggest attractions is unquestionably the whole ‘conflict tourism’ aspect.
I believe city Centre businesses have been busy filling in a questionnaire regarding the impact of the 12’th weekend. Those results will be interesting?
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Not so much locked swings but my wife works in the city centre and that includes many of the Sundays in the year. It’s nice to actually get some family time.
I know of one place that opened and hoped to market itself as a dessert house but it has had to go down the cafe focusing on lunchtimes route as the business isn’t there in the city centre (Victoria Square to be precise).
I’ve heard a couple of reports back on the city centre businesses and they mainly run along the lines of “don’t open again, we don’t make enough back to cover staffing costs; who’s going to shop in here for clothes and then go back to watching the parade?” and similar. Those are from pure retail units. Convenience stores seem to be happy enough on the parade route, there are only a handful of the bars that open and they seem to do okay but there isn’t the “usual crowd” in town to do the browsing and shopping – the figures for some shops on the Twelfth and St Patrick’s Day are remarkably similar, Pride slightly better but the lesson seems to be that, while it’s great to have big events in the city centre, they attract spectators rather than shoppers.
That’s something that needs worked on big time by BCCM, BCC and whichever event organisers are on the ball.
I think those are all local issues we can agree on, rather than national or nationality ones.
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I can agree with that Carrickally.
What did you think of the video and have you a view on an integrated Tourism marketing strategy?
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A joint NI-ROI strategy for some things is fine but Northern Ireland is a marketable entity in its own right, and things like ‘close to the rest of Ireland’ or ‘close to the rest of the UK’ should be part of that strategy. Northern Ireland loses something when its tourism marketing is subsumed into an all Ireland thing.
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OK Alphiedale,
I’d be interested to hear you expand on that. I’d also be interested to hear you provide any evidence of it working given the links I’ve put into the post above which seem to prove that actually it ain’t working.
‘close to the rest of the UK’. What do you have in mind as a marketing strategy there?
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I ain’t going hoaking about for evidence Bangdub. but am wary of statistics I think they can always be portrayed in a light one wants.
But whats wrong with Northern Ireland having the best of both worlds – tagging on to an all Irteland marketing strategy while at the same time marketing its own unique selling points, golf tourism, Causeway Coast, Glens of Antrim, Uk city of culture, titanic, Belfast, the notoriety from the troubles, Fermanagh lakes, even the border is a selling point in its own right ‘look up here its British pounds down here its euro’s’..
If the NI TB need to do a better job then so be it.
‘close to the rest of the UK’ well you don’t seem to have a problem when I said ‘close to the rest of Ireland’ they are similar concepts really.
Northern Ireland exists, and it seems an increasing cross-community section of the Northern Irish are proud and comfortable of that fact and to that end want Northern Ireland well-marketed in its own right. But we’re not narrowminded or cut our noses off to spite our face. WE’re also happy to ALSO go under an all Ireland marketing campaign when they arise, or indeed an all-UK one. Hell, even an all Europe wide one if it exists.
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You’re being silly here with this talk of being close to the rest of the UK and close to the rest of Ireland. It reeks of OWC syndrome.
Ireland is an island and the north is part of that island and tourists are coming here to experience Ireland not the UK.
Why would you even want to mention the UK when all you’d be doing is pointing them in the direction of England or Scotland. Would defeat the purpose of attracting them here in the first place.
Keep them here for as long as possible and show them the various attractions the island has to offer means more interesting places to see and do from north to south.
Clearly the north, although not Donegal is missing out more than the rest.
We should be keeping politics out of this and let the tourists discover the differences themselves when they arrive. But lets get them here in the first place and use Ireland as the selling point.
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If you took the whole past and present troubles story out of the history of Belfast, what would be the attraction of the place.
Titanic, let’s squeeze every last drop out of that.
Then what.
Where would it be in the big tourist plan.
An Irish Hull perhaps.
You know its over there somewhere but you’ve never met anybody that been there.
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Political Toourist
“”If you took the whole past and present troubles story out of the history of Belfast, what would be the attraction of the place””
A nice layout, good pubs, restaurants, decent arts scene including decent live music scene, also included good museum and theatreand several concert venues big and small, the Queen’s University of Belfast and its very nice compact layout, shipyard cranes, George Best, Van Morrison, CS Lewis fans, Cavehill country Park, yes titanic, yes the fabric of the city ie the divided neighbourhoods people are curious about that and its fairly unique, very easy to get to with 2 airports, rail and ferry links, ‘events’ to cater for all tastes going eg belfast marathon and triathlon for athletes, loads of mini music festivals etc, , St.Patricks Day, the Twelfth (don’t start), the immediate surrounds of Belfast whether it be pleasant villages/towns like Holywood, Hillsbro, Comber with their own attractions, the countryside, the seaside, Stormont estate, Lagan Toepath and Lady Dixon, Belfast Zoo! And of course its a hub for wider Northern Ireland and all to do there.
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Alfiedale,
Of all the things you mentioned you missed out the most important thing of all.
The people of Belfast.
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I was at Queen’s Island today for the Segway tour; brilliant fun and I’d recommend it to anyone (I can’t ride a bike and was a bit nervous that I wouldn’t be able to balance but I took to it like a duck to water after a couple of minutes). What interested me though was the different offerings going on in that area, TQ as it is known today. We went past the Game of Thrones set, past HMS Caroline and to the Pumphouse, which is where the new cruise dock will be. You could see the current one on the County Antrim side of the Lagan and it’s like a polished turd.
There is also so much land on offer, I would hope that instead of more half-assed apartments owned by NAMA via some fool of an “investor” that can’t fit more than a skinny hooker and her pimp, some houses with gardens would be on offer to bring life to the area on a more permanent basis than 9-5.
On an all-island strategy, I agree with alfie that NI can get lost. Let’s face it, we are different. You can choose to view it in partitionist terms or as a provincial construct but either way, Nordies are a different breed. There are however areas where an all-island approach can work; perhaps for long distance tourists on a week’s tour, or even those who are doing a British Isles or European staging. I would also suggest that fly-drives could be a growth area, fly into Dublin, pick up your car, fanny around for a week and drop it off at the City or International (or vice versa).
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If you keep developing the number of things to do, then more people will come to NI and stay for a week there.
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It makes sense, factual. Broaden the range and not just will more people come, locals will find more things to do. Now I know that the good weather over the past number of weeks has almost certainly lifted everyone’s mood but I’ve done loads of outdoors activities because I’ve been able to find out about them. First steps should be to market what is already here to do and I believe NITB are doing what they can.
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In marketing terms, its important to have something distinctive – a USP.
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factual, I think our distinctiveness can very well be summed up in a whole list of 3 lettered acronyms, never mind adding USP to it!!
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Apropos of nothing, I was in Rostrevor earlier this week and in Carlingford yesterday. The difference between the two places was absolutely staggering.
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Carrick—“”There is also so much land on offer, I would hope that instead of more half-assed apartments owned by NAMA via some fool of an “investor” that can’t fit more than a skinny hooker and her pimp, some houses with gardens would be on offer to bring life to the area on a more permanent basis than 9-5.””
Spot on, what is the obsession with apartments (other than developers squeezing as much money as they can for themselves”” surely Belfast is near saturated with apartments yet has a shortage of decent 3 bedroom family homes with a small garden.
RJC, there was even less difference when I crossed over from Holland to Belgium. Didn’t even have to change currency
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Brilliant Mr Dub. How can I get that video onto Facebook.
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Play the video and click the “Share” button!
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GRMA Dub
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BD, shameful plug 2 here! Cleenish has a post up on the SDLP and I would love to hear your and your readers thoughts on it, all comments welcome of course (http://wp.me/p1eiVW-o2 ).
GRMA
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FC,
I think you meant “Shameless” but it’s a good one
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Cheers BD, hope you’re good!
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LOL, I’m good, hope you’re showing the above video to all the Aussies?
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The perception of Ireland as a single, unitary island-nation seems to be the view amongst some in Corporate America:
“Dublin remains one of the best values among major European capitals, but it’s Belfast two hours north that’s making all the noise.
“2012 was our best year since pre 9/11, especially from the US market, both in leisure and business tourism,” says Marie McKown, manager of business tourism at Tourism Ireland. “And all indications suggest we’ll exceed those figures this year…. For 2015 and ‘16, we already have mega large groups booking.”
McKown adds that Ireland’s destination management companies, which serve the meetings and convention market, “are absolutely booked for 2014.”
In Belfast last year, the new Titanic Belfast museum exceeded its first year visitation goals in six months. Also garnering interest, the Black Taxi Tours are led by ex-political prisoners who talk about “The Troubles” during the IRA years, while driving black cabs around the Protestant and Catholic neighbourhoods. Meeting the guides and hearing their unfiltered stories is an unforgettable experience.
Today, Citibank, the New York Stock Exchange, Chicago Mercantile, Intel, Bombardier, renewable energy and medical research companies are moving into Belfast. Dormant for half a century during the internal strife, the city is now open for business. Or, rather, reopened. Before the IRA, the city was among the most advanced in Europe due to the thriving dockyards where Titanic was built.
“All of that new investment is attracting an incredible amount of corporate travel to Ireland,” says McKown. “Belfast is a new destination within an established destination. It adds an entirely unique layer to the Irish experience, and it’s incredibly convenient to combine with Dublin.”
President Obama stayed at The Merrion Hotel the last time he was in Dublin. The boutique property epitomizes the new luxury vanguard in the capital.
“We’ve probably never seen the American market so strong as it is today, going back to the pre ‘Celtic Tiger’ days (1995-2008),” says Matthew Rowlette, director of sales at The Merrion. “There’s a lot of pent up demand and inbound airlift is up 26 percent.”
Rowlette explains that Ireland’s traditional castle and country tourism product is well known, but today’s corporate travellers, especially Millennials, are seeking more urban luxury experiences, as well as the famous Irish pub scene.
“Similar to its scenery, which is rugged and coastal, Ireland is in some ways perceived like that in terms of its accommodations,” says Rowlette. “You know, you get in a car, drive around, do something coastal, play a little golf and stay with John and Mary up at the country house. That’s what built Ireland so successfully because it was all to do with the personal connection with the locals. But you also have that connection among the luxury hotel product in Dublin…, which all of us are working to promote to the corporate market.”
Comprehensive renovations recently wrapped at the Four Seasons Dublin and The Shelbourne Hotel. The Constitution Room at The Shelbourne, where the Irish Constitution was drafted in 1922, is the hottest ticket in town for VIP corporate dinners.”
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I love the structure of the English Language in US/Canadian articles. It’s all very clipped and puts quotes around words that no-one in UK/Ireland would ever say. Could you imagine the Merrion employee uttering the words, “inbound airlift is up 26 percent?”
Me neither.
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Carrickally
The Titanic Centre has been a great success, at 1million visitors in its first year, more than double projection.
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Yes, it’s a very popular stop, judging by the number of people walking around the city centre with the little gift shop bags.
I was at a football conference in it a couple of months ago, in the room where the big staircase is – ruined by a brass railing, no doubt at the insistence of some jobsworth from BCC’s H&S Department!
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Yes it has really added to NI’s tourism business big time. The challenge will be to see if customers keep coming, whether this level of business is sustainable.
I think that NI does have a marketable package, and that it is growing all the time.
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@Factual,
“NI” is part of the island-nation of Ireland and should be marketed as such. The whole point is that packaging Ireland as two separate entities has been a failure. Its resulted in a confused mess of websites, agencies, and missed opportunities.
You are a decidedly odd Irish Republican 😉
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Carrickally
Has anyone seen the plans for the lost town of Dunluce, which was vacated after it was attacked in the uprising of 1641? The plan is to uncover it – it is very well preserved. Looks like it is going to turn into a kind of “Pompeii”, as Alex Attwood says in this piece:
http://www.u.tv/News/Coastal-dig-unveils-lost-Dunluce-town/4cfe9e84-6c64-448b-a87b-733ed9aecbe7
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I’d forgotten about that, factual. There hasn’t been anything more newsworthy since 2011 but the video is very interesting. In my own town, there’s lots of stuff that turns up during rebuilding and C’Fergus is quite well endowed with archaeological knowledge; there are still missing pieces and suppositions, mainly under the Town Hall, where Joymount and the monastery used to be.
One other area nearby that’s also worth a read about is Altfracken and Dalway’s Bawn; Chichester’s brother lost his head there to the Scots of the Glens in the last years of Elizabeth 1’s reign.
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Because of its academic interest, this one will take a decade, I guess. Its intriguing to think what the archaeologists will uncover.
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SOS if you think of Ireland as a body, then NI is an organ of that body. The body needs each organ to function for the body to work as a whole, but we must treat each organ well and with respect in order for it to function properly. Carrickally and his neighbours are a part of our diversity and we must internalise their views for the whole to work in harmony, if we are to achieve a UI. Trying to suppress their specialness, their distinctiveness, will only do what suppression always achieves: strenthgthen their resolve to be different.
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Factual, you’ve hit the nail on the head and when the boot was on the other foot, it is why Unionism failed and one of the reasons behind the Troubles – not appreciating diversity and protecting it. Fortunately for the Union, there are as many intransigent Republicans now as there were intransigent Unionists then.
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very good post factual and then carrick ally.
though I hope now that there will be a third way that grows in Northern Ireland, that is those who will intransigently face down intransigent republicans and intransigent unionists. I hope so.
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Ive no problem with that factual but where do you draw the line?
They make up a small minority of our country and I don’t see any reason why they should be afforded any more special treatment than that of minorities elsewhere.
This pandering to Unionism has led the IRFU to ditch our national anthem and flag.
How do you think the Scots or English would react if the Irish community in those countries demanded the shamrock or harp be placed on the Saltire or George cross?
There is no third way alphiedale. British rule and partition wouldn’t last a day longer but for British military superiority.
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Newdawn, the rugby example it a good one, remember it belongs to all of us, not just the 26 counties. In particular, the unionist tradition on the island has always been very into rugby. Moreover, it has been a real success, with both traditions in harmony, with a really positive outlook for the future, growing, attracting more and more schools who play the game, from both traditions on the island, playing in harmony on the same field, supporters side by side. Moreover it should not be about us and begrudging special treatment for them (as though they are alien minorities): Carrickally and his neighbours are a part and an important part of our diversity, a part of our story. We need to integrate them into our narrative. As Nuala O’Loan has pointed out in the following words: Above all, perhaps, we have to acknowledge that ultimately peace is made in the hearts of men and women who must live side by side, and who need to be able to recognise the goodness in each other. It may not be easy but we do not want our children to experience what we knew, so we have to keep trying to build a different future for them for them and for our country. Nuala O’Loan 2013
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Dame O’Loan, Baroness, member of the House of Lords and proud recipient of an OBE. That Nuala O’Loan? Of all people why would you choose to quote her.
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She is highly regarded. She was the policing ombudsperson and hails from an SDLP background. She is a staunch catholic.
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Factual,
“She is a staunch catholic” and your point is?
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Highly regarded by who? The fact she is a staunch Catholic would be another reason not to like her. Her comments were not even that interesting, patronising actually. She might as well have trotted out the ten commandments.
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@Factual,
I believe you’ll find that political Unionism in Ireland exists on the principle that the organ you refer to should be cut from the original body and transplanted to another one, leaving the original crippled for life!
Diversity, specialness, distinctiveness are all fine words and sentiments. However you seem to equate these fluffy soundbites with political and ethno-national separatism deriving from a history of invasion, occupation, colonisation and annexation.
You recipe for a reunited Ireland seems to be an Ireland divided in greater and greater detail,
You cannot integrate while simultaneously disintegrating 😉
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SOS: Thing is, you cannot force or impose from top down a false homogeneity: if you push to achieve it without respect for the other tradition on the island, you will only increase the resolve of the other to be different. The unionist tradition have clearly a strong resolve in this regard and so I do think that to unite Ireland you actually have to begin by respecting all members of the family and respecting that they are different, when that is established I think a new UI will be possible, and a better one than could be achieved by other means that do not start with genuine respect.
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Factual, if you keep indulging a sort of Unionist/Pro-Union “two Irelands” ideology that arguably copperfastens the division of our island-nation then a reunited Ireland will never happen. You yourself have argued against a federalist or confederalist reunited Ireland or even one with devolved powers for the N-E region yet here you argue that “Northern Ireland” needs even greater distinction and visible separateness from the rest of the country?
You cannot play both ends of the pitch at the same time.
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I’m beginning to suspect he’s some sort of trojan horse for letgetanlongists deep undercover. Norn iron is brilliant, Catholic schools cause sectarianism, certainly ticks all the boxes. Who’s your handler factual? 🙂
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Hey BD, 2nd post on the SDLP is up if you and your readers are interested
wp.me/p1eiVW-oe
(Link to above -BD) http://footballcliches.wordpress.com/2013/08/01/irish-nationalism-party-representation-nation-building-the-sdlp-part-2/
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anewdawn:
“They make up a small minority of our country and I don’t see any reason why they should be afforded any more special treatment than that of minorities elsewhere.”
That’s true, “we” make up around one sixtieth of the United Kingdom.
“This pandering to Unionism has led the IRFU to ditch our national anthem and flag.”
I don’t think I get you here. You do realise that the IRFU refused to fly the Union Flag or play the National Anthem at Ravenhill when they finally ended their self-imposed exile from Northern Ireland? You do realise that the Soldier’s Song is still played at Landsdowne/Aviva, the flag of the RoI is flown?
Fortunately my former school turned me off rugger to such an extent that I don’t have to worry about the fortunes of the all-island rugby team that represents two countries but it is very much the case that the southern nation refuses to accept the symbols of the northern one.
“How do you think the Scots or English would react if the Irish community in those countries demanded the shamrock or harp be placed on the Saltire or George cross?”
Phew, you’d almost think there was a flag that represented the three kingdoms. I wonder if there is?
“There is no third way alphiedale. British rule and partition wouldn’t last a day longer but for British military superiority.”
Bluster. I’ll play your “what if” game and say that partition will last much longer than either of us will live.
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‘and say that partition will last much longer than either of us will live’. Why even bother talking about it then? If the’ union is safe’ lets get a poll just for the craic? Lets solve it once and for all.
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“That’s true, “we” make up around one sixtieth of the United Kingdom.”
Its events on this island that matter and the artificial inbuilt majority is on the verge of becoming a minority. Those across the water will have no vote in a border poll.
“I don’t think I get you here. You do realise that the IRFU refused to fly the Union Flag or play the National Anthem at Ravenhill when they finally ended their self-imposed exile from Northern Ireland? You do realise that the Soldier’s Song is still played at Landsdowne/Aviva, the flag of the RoI is flown?
Fortunately my former school turned me off rugger to such an extent that I don’t have to worry about the fortunes of the all-island rugby team that represents two countries but it is very much the case that the southern nation refuses to accept the symbols of the northern one.”
The IRFU represent Ireland who play in the six Nations not the seven nations with two different Irish teams. Only Unionists like to peddle the idea of a two country Ireland. GSTQ and the Union Jack have been rejected by the the vast bulk of the Irish people whom the IRFU represent. Belfast or Dublin it makes no difference.
If football was organised like rugby on an all Ireland basis we’d have a much better chance of qualifying for tournaments with our clubs being much more likely to gain entry into European competition.
Linfield v Barcelona would sell out Windsor ten times over. Instead we shoot ourselves in the foot while our rugby teams are among the best in Europe.
“Phew, you’d almost think there was a flag that represented the three kingdoms. I wonder if there is?”
A flag which lacked legitimacy and had to be imposed by force. No different to the afrikaner flag in South Africa.
“Bluster. I’ll play your “what if” game and say that partition will last much longer than either of us will live.”
Partition is a drain on the British purse costing them billions.They’ve no reason to hold on any longer but for saving face and seeing it is achieved democratically.
Change is inevitable.
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“If football was organised like rugby on an all Ireland basis we’d have a much better chance of qualifying for tournaments with our clubs being much more likely to gain entry into European competition.
Linfield v Barcelona would sell out Windsor ten times over. Instead we shoot ourselves in the foot while our rugby teams are among the best in Europe.”
Not quite sure you understand domestic football on the island of Ireland. I don’t know how an all-island footballing solution would see those dirty bastards play Barcelona? BTW, I would be a supporter of an all-island league and some of the best football I’ve seen in the past decade has been in the Setanta Cup, where the Glens have been able to go toe to toe in footballing terms without having to use the (lack of) muscle required to win the IL.
Rugby provinces from Ireland can easily be among the top tier in Europe; there are only four of them, three of which compete in the top level of competition that only involves the six nations you mentioned. It’s a bit like being great at Gaelic, when there’s only a limited pool to test yourself against; to be rubbing shoulders with Barcelona, or Bayern, involves the investment of millions of pounds or Euros into facilities, player contracts, academy development and marketing. To do that requires a product that can be sold to a TV audience, and even an all-island league wouldn’t be capable of bringing that to fruition when there are two Scottish clubs and a plethora of English ones who have “supporters” from Galway to Garvagh.
I’m proud that my kids, when asked who they support, instantly respond, “Glentoran!”
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Imitating the setup of the GAA and IRFU is the way forward. If they can do it why not football? All thats missing is the will to make it happen.
An elite league of the best teams will attract bigger crowds plus money from TV/sponsors.
Our clubs need a better standard to progress in Europe. I don’t even think many of them are that far off.
CL qualification is worth a £10million cheque from UEFA. Qualifying for the Europa League gained Shamrock Rovers more money than they made in an entire season. They don’t have to compete, just being there gets you the money.
Teams from smaller countries with less interest in football make the group stages regularly.
It would take time, better stadia, facilities, getting the interest back in the game etc but at least it would be an improvement.
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I think Shamrock Rovers in the group stages netted them the equivalent of winning the LoI for around 30 years in prize money.
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Anewdawn and carrickally: I don’t think there’s any single panacaea that will solve the problem. Sport needs to be fun to go watch, and a whole range of things including the quality of the stands to the whole experience can be beneficial. Shouldn’t be targeted at diehard soccer fans, want to attract new people.
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I’m just back in from an evening in Belfast trying to nick cash out of rich coppers’ wallets (some of that sentence is true). The place is positively heaving and it’s good to see our night economy reaping the benefits after the hammering taken due to the flag protests. Here’s hoping the cafes and restaurants will also do well during the day and that it’s money going to local, good quality places rather than multi-nationals.
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Good Man! That is exactly what the future should be about!
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