UR and UK City of Culture

[weeHughF]

Who was it who said "I love the smell of bigotry in the morning" ?

Tell me wee Shug, do you ride the bigotry train? I reckon Scranner has the right side of this bullshit, of course it would be good to play a non-competitve game up in Stroke and if they can supply a decent pitch which would meet Rabo standards maybe a competitive game.

If we want to see Ulster fans grow from more than just the usual 7000-8000 suspects things need to be done to encourage current non-believers or armchair fans to get with the programme.

Sometimes I think there are just too many self-interested chubes wanting on one hand to get bigger & better but on the other hand thinking it has to be done without any change.

Idiots as I like to call them, actually what I'd like to call the dumb assholes wouldn't scrape past the word censor. It would come out a bit like this:

Absolute stupid who don't know their ar$e from a hole in the ground. If the were given a brain cell, it would only fight with the other one and then the would become even more brain damaged. Why oh why can't some of Ulster's bigoted not see the wood for the trees.

See that just doesn't have impact.

Just winding your wee leg Baggy!

S'all about the Money, and the money's in Belfast. If there was money in L'Derry then there would be some hope for the place.
There is no hope and we end up in the vicious cycle that city is in.

What came first, the chicken or the egg?

[bigchiefally]

Why not the Brandywell stadium?

I would doubt the suitability purely from a spectator safety prospective. There has been numerous public order incidents following soccer games featuring teams from Belfast. The local youth are highly strung.

To be honest I really have no idea about any of the stadiums up there. If there genuinely isnt a 10000 seat ground we could use once a year then fair enough, it doesnt happen, but surely there is something suitable in that neck of the woods?

[Big-al]

I wonder how many Ulster fans around Belfast would travel 40/50/60+ miles to watch Ulster play every other week?

Not many I reckon!!! Some people tend to forget that Ulster rugby is not just a Belfast team, if they where they wouldn't be having the likes of Ferris, Best, McAllister, Spence, Gaston, Brady, Cocheran, Porter, Marshall (Luke), Trimble, Bowe, Gilroy et al (and many more) playing for them.

[UIBF]

Why not the Brandywell stadium?

Oh dear God. Are you serious?

[Scranner]

I wonder how many Ulster fans around Belfast would travel 40/50/60+ miles to watch Ulster play every other week?

Not many I reckon!!! Some people tend to forget that Ulster rugby is not just a Belfast team, if they where they wouldn't be having the likes of Ferris, Best, McAllister, Spence, Gaston, Brady, Cocheran, Porter, Marshall (Luke), Trimble, Bowe, Gilroy et al (and many more) playing for them.

Not to mention Pienaar, Muller, Afoa, Terblanche etc

[UIBF]

Why not the Brandywell stadium?

I would doubt the suitability purely from a spectator safety prospective. There has been numerous public order incidents following soccer games featuring teams from Belfast. The local youth are highly strung.

I have heard the game will be held at Judges Road the home of City of Derry. Which means a trip of 10 minutes up the road compared to my usual hour and a bit to Ravers.

Not limited to teams from Belfast.

Ask fans from other LOI clubs who have been attacked and had their buses stoned.

[weeHughF]

I wonder how many Ulster fans around Belfast would travel 40/50/60+ miles to watch Ulster play every other week?

Not many I reckon!!! Some people tend to forget that Ulster rugby is not just a Belfast team, if they where they wouldn't be having the likes of Ferris, Best, McAllister, Spence, Gaston, Brady, Cocheran, Porter, Marshall (Luke), Trimble, Bowe, Gilroy et al (and many more) playing for them.

Why don't we rename it something like the Belfast Knights?

Simple, effective, encompasses the hardcore support!

If it is the only pro team in the area, and you desire to play pro rugby then you will need to man up and go play!

Would save this hassle of

Ooooo should we play at the Maze, should we play in Londonderry

No, we play in Belfast and that is that

About time the population of Northern Ireland also started repopulating it's capital city!

750,000 strong ulstermen used to live there, with a few weemen

Now it is around 250,000 and the place is barren!

Get them back in - first step on world domination!

[AyeYerMa]

I wonder how many Ulster fans around Belfast would travel 40/50/60+ miles to watch Ulster play every other week?

Not many I reckon!!! Some people tend to forget that Ulster rugby is not just a Belfast team, if they where they wouldn't be having the likes of Ferris, Best, McAllister, Spence, Gaston, Brady, Cocheran, Porter, Marshall (Luke), Trimble, Bowe, Gilroy et al (and many more) playing for them.

You could safely rule out almost all of those who rely on public transport.

[DavyG]

There are no suitable venues in the North West other than those listed below and 2 & 3 would be unsuitable for the reasons I mentioned previously.

1 The Riverside Stadium
Address: YMCA Grounds, Glenshane Road, Drumahoe, BT47 3SF.
Capacity: 2000

2 The Brandywell
Capacity : 2900

3 Celtic Park
Capacity : 22000

Judges Road has no seating therefore I presume temporary seating will have to be erected.

[Scranner]

I wonder how many Ulster fans around Belfast would travel 40/50/60+ miles to watch Ulster play every other week?

Not many I reckon!!! Some people tend to forget that Ulster rugby is not just a Belfast team, if they where they wouldn't be having the likes of Ferris, Best, McAllister, Spence, Gaston, Brady, Cocheran, Porter, Marshall (Luke), Trimble, Bowe, Gilroy et al (and many more) playing for them.

Why don't we rename it something like the Belfast Knights?

Simple, effective, encompasses the hardcore support!

If it is the only pro team in the area, and you desire to play pro rugby then you will need to man up and go play!

Would save this hassle of

Ooooo should we play at the Maze, should we play in Londonderry

No, we play in Belfast and that is that

About time the population of Northern Ireland also started repopulating it's capital city!

750,000 strong ulstermen used to live there, with a few weemen

Now it is around 250,000 and the place is barren!

Get them back in - first step on world domination!

Not quite sure how seroius you were with this post so I'll take it at face value. Ulster Rugby is predicated on being the professional team put forward by the Ulster Branch, part of the IRFU. It's not a Belfast team. It's not a Northern Ireland team. It's an Ulster team - formed from the nine counties of Ulster. It's there to be supported by the people of Ulster as a whole. And rightly so. The population/target market/possible fan base is small enough already without trying to segment it further. And FYI the current population of the Greater Belfast Area is just under 650,000 approximately 1/3 of the total for NI.

[Big-al]

I wonder how many Ulster fans around Belfast would travel 40/50/60+ miles to watch Ulster play every other week?

Not many I reckon!!! Some people tend to forget that Ulster rugby is not just a Belfast team, if they where they wouldn't be having the likes of Ferris, Best, McAllister, Spence, Gaston, Brady, Cocheran, Porter, Marshall (Luke), Trimble, Bowe, Gilroy et al (and many more) playing for them.

You could safely rule out almost all of those who rely on public transport.

Get a train.

[UIBF]

I wonder how many Ulster fans around Belfast would travel 40/50/60+ miles to watch Ulster play every other week?

Not many I reckon!!! Some people tend to forget that Ulster rugby is not just a Belfast team, if they where they wouldn't be having the likes of Ferris, Best, McAllister, Spence, Gaston, Brady, Cocheran, Porter, Marshall (Luke), Trimble, Bowe, Gilroy et al (and many more) playing for them.

Why don't we rename it something like the Belfast Knights?

Simple, effective, encompasses the hardcore support!

If it is the only pro team in the area, and you desire to play pro rugby then you will need to man up and go play!

Would save this hassle of

Ooooo should we play at the Maze, should we play in Londonderry

No, we play in Belfast and that is that

About time the population of Northern Ireland also started repopulating it's capital city!

750,000 strong ulstermen used to live there, with a few weemen

Now it is around 250,000 and the place is barren!

Get them back in - first step on world domination!

Not quite sure how seroius you were with this post so I'll take it at face value. Ulster Rugby is predicated on being the professional team put forward by the Ulster Branch, part of the IRFU. It's not a Belfast team. It's not a Northern Ireland team. It's an Ulster team - formed from the nine counties of Ulster. It's there to be supported by the people of Ulster as a whole. And rightly so. The population/target market/possible fan base is small enough already without trying to segment it further. And FYI the current population of the Greater Belfast Area is just under 650,000 approximately 1/3 of the total for NI.

In reality it is professional club side based in Belfast open to players from all over the globe.

[fuzzylogic]

by bigchiefally » Wed May 09, 2012 11:21 am

These fans choose to support a team called Manchester or Liverpool. They dont live anywhere near Manchester or Liverpool. I doubt they expect the Manchester or Liverpool based team to move to them.

Ulster rugby on the other hand allegedly are the team of the entire province of Ulster, not a small and relatively densely populated eastern bit of it. It isnt called Belfast Rugby, its Ulster Rugby.

So the folk in stroke city expect Ulster matches to come to them then?

If thats the case, as an Ireland supporter I expect at least 1 six nations game a year at Ravenhill. Because I dont want to travel to Dublin.....

[lovesthehardground]

Sorry, dont get this. How will playing a match in the NW increase UR's fan base that will attend matches at Ravenhill. Yes I am sure there are many in the NW who would go to a match played in Derry but how many would then start to come to Ravenhill on a regular basis? Very few I would imagine.

Ulster Rugby play at Ravenhill. We are not Stade Francais who have tried playing games in Belgium. Did that increase the number of fans attending Paris every week. I doubt it.

To increase the fan base in these areas get the players into the local schools for coaching sessions and target the GAA-playing schools in particular.

[DavyG]

I wonder how many Ulster fans around Belfast would travel 40/50/60+ miles to watch Ulster play every other week?.

You got me thinking about traveling to games, this season
15 home games x 150 mlie round trip = 2250 miles
Add on away games Clermont, Limerick, Dublin and Twickers.

But the way I look at is if I want to watch top class rugby I have to travel.