That would have been a sold out game a couple of season ago, but fans have gotten fed-up really. If the O's continue to play as they have in the last few weeks, and win, then the fans will return. Holley and co just dragged the team down with a frustrating playing style, and an unsuccessful one to boot. This is not my idea of fun, and it appears many other supporters agree. I often felt robbed of my time after watching an O's game on tv, I'd be bloody livid if I'd wasted my time AND paid good money to watch the drivel they were putting out.
Also, as I said above, football is the number 1 sport in Wales, no matter what is often said. Aberystwyth FC have bigger crowds than Aber RFC etc. etc.
The Heineken Cup is the top level of rugby. But for a home game against the English champions this year, the stadium was 2/3 full, despite Welsh stars like Shane Williams and Adam Jones playing.
The Premiership isn't quite the top level of football. But for a home game against Blackburn on the weekend, one of the most uninspiring teams/ places in the Premiership, the stadium was full, despite Swansea having 0 star players.
I'll then add that rugby is supposedly the national sport of South Wales. And I'd wager that it's cheaper to go to rugby than it is to football, not that wealth typically matters since football is a nominally working class sport and up and down the country working class people turn out to support their teams still.
Either rugby is not the no. 1 sport, or the Ospreys are doing something seriously badly (which we all gather they kind of are). But it's still surprising.
Debatable, some of the rugby crowds have been bigger than the football this year!
I guess you could argue football is the number one sport in Wales. But nothing is bigger than a Welsh rugby international. That is part of the regions' problem.
They raised over £25k in the first couple of weeks of existence and the MP running the show is making a push for it. There's apparently lot support for it and that's why the WRU have allowed them to talk to them.
Your having a laugh?? I've been in Wales for three years and rugby is way more popular, well from what I've seen. You can walk into any village, ANY village, and they will have a rugby team, if it is a town then two teams. Apart from the uni team I have no idea where my 'local football team' are. I can walk into any pub in Wales and talk rugby, and have done so. I talked to my girlfriend's 10 year old sister today about who her favourite Welsh player is. I've worked part time in different schools and only one had a football team. Walk down the road and I promise you that you'll come across a rugby pitch and then maybe a few clubs and then perhaps a football team. Walk down the street and see how many regions or Wales shirts you see compared to football shirts.You guys have to be wrong about this.
But I suppose you could quote stadium numbers? 20-25K for Cardiff and Swansea games, only 5k for the regions. I wonder how the ratings would match? I'd bet my bed that rugby has more viewers. Then we could take into account playing numbers? And then fans of all ages. I love Wales because it is like New Zealand, rugby mad. When I was there I could walk up to anyone and say the All Blacks are crap do you agree and have a chat, I can do the same here. Back home most people don't know much outside BOD.
Where are you living in Wales?
I still think that overall, there are far more people who follow football than rugby in Wales. This might not be local teams necessarily, but there'll be loads who will follow their Premier League team of choice (Man U is one I come across most often). Swansea's success has tapped into this following, giving Welsh people a local team to support in top flight football. In Mid Wales, the non Welsh speaking population are usually football supporters, not rugby. The amount of local footy teams outnumber the amount of rugby teams in and around Aberystwyth for example. Most non-Welsh people living in Wales will prefer football if they follow sport as well, which will add to the numbers. Cardiff is well known for being a football city first and foremost, and North Wales is almost completely football driven.
The numbers just stack up in football's favour in the end, and the small towns and villages in the valleys of South Wales which are rugby mad just can't overturn those numbers.
As this debate has emerged from people questioning why Swansea and Cardiff can get big crowds, it's also important to remember that they are the ONLY two football teams playing in and around the top flight of football. They gain supporters from all over. Wrexham was the only other team playing in the English leagues, have they managed to re-enter yet? There are more high quality rugby teams in Wales, with the four regions and a club game with is of a reasonably high standard.
Completely agree with North Wales being a more football dominated area, one reason why I question the drive for North Wales to have a team. However, North Wales is a very small area of Wales and only holds a small % of the population. Completely disagree though with your comparison of language and sports. If that's what your trying to get at? As we both know North Wales is the heartland of the Welsh language while they support football. While the valleys who don't speak any Welsh love rugby. And of course the Valleys is a huge population centre, thanks to mining of course.
I go to Glamorgan so I live just outside the Valleys in Ponty but I was referring to my whole understanding of Wales. I have many friends from North, Mid, West Wales and Cardiff, including a friend to plays a gay plumber on a well know TV show (claim to fame) and they all love rugby.
I think perhaps you are underestimating the population centres that love rugby? The Valleys for example are not a few small towns and villages, like I said, it is one of the heaviest population centres of Wales. Hence why they are campaigning for a region to be established. Also perhaps you are focusing on the numbers in the stadiums to much? If Cardiff FC was on S4C every week there numbers would drop. The regions are going through a hard time right now, things will pick up again and the stadiums will fill again. Just like it was when the Blues had there good season in Europe and the league.
Your focus on Aberystwyth is a bit narrow do you not think? I played rugby there before and a good crowd showed up to watch and it only has a population of 15,000 or so anyway. This impression that Wales is a football country and only pockets of Wales like rugby in my opinion is wrong. Pick up the metro next time your on the train and see what sport will be on the back pages? Again I would bet my bed that it's rugby. If I had to use two words to sum up Wales I would use mining and rugby.
some rivalries are created through great matches
for example Arsenal and Manchester United weren't particularly teams geographically next to each other, but during the Vieira Keane era, their matches had as much rivalry as a local derby
Your having a laugh?? I've been in Wales for three years and rugby is way more popular, well from what I've seen. You can walk into any village, ANY village, and they will have a rugby team, if it is a town then two teams. Apart from the uni team I have no idea where my 'local football team' are. I can walk into any pub in Wales and talk rugby, and have done so. I talked to my girlfriend's 10 year old sister today about who her favourite Welsh player is. I've worked part time in different schools and only one had a football team. Walk down the road and I promise you that you'll come across a rugby pitch and then maybe a few clubs and then perhaps a football team. Walk down the street and see how many regions or Wales shirts you see compared to football shirts.You guys have to be wrong about this.
But I suppose you could quote stadium numbers? 20-25K for Cardiff and Swansea games, only 5k for the regions. I wonder how the ratings would match? I'd bet my bed that rugby has more viewers. Then we could take into account playing numbers? And then fans of all ages. I love Wales because it is like New Zealand, rugby mad. When I was there I could walk up to anyone and say the All Blacks are crap do you agree and have a chat, I can do the same here. Back home most people don't know much outside BOD.
Here is an idea....instead of another region why dont the current regions play at local grounds in the vallys instead of playing in half empty souless soccer grounds?
Each "region" could represent a certain part of south Wales ( i know ground breaking) and in pro 12 games go out and play at local valley clubs. If they require the dull empty expanse of a soccer ground for the HC (which they are almost certain to qualify for) then use it but keep league games with the real rugby following locals.
Scotland should also try it, Glasgow would get a better atmosphere playing at Dumfries or Annan and Edinburgh would get more vocal support playing at Kelso and Harwick.
The welsh and scottish regions will never get great crowds so why bother playing in huge grounds? Take the rugby back to the real rugby people, the players and members of the local clubs not the arm chair supporting sky sports watching occasional sports fan.