GAA Fans Support 2009 Progress
As the GAA Championships season concluded with yesterday’s Final of the Football between Cork and Kerry, the 125th Anniversary celebrations in 2009 appear to have put the sport onto a firm new footing among its core fanbase, with new research by Onside Sponsorship and Teamer.net revealing that 7 in 10 GAA fans surveyed agree that the Anniversary celebrations including fireworks and Light Show Spectacular in Croke Park made them feel proud to be part of the GAA.
The Onside Sponsorship / Teamer.net ‘GAA Season ‘09 Review’ explored a series of issues that made the headlines in 2009 to gain the views of GAA fans nationwide. The survey found that RTE’s overall coverage of Gaelic Games through their live broadcasts, magazine shows, highlight shows and news coverage was rated positively by 89% of the respondents, with TG4 coverage following in second place with a score of 69%.
Colm O Rourke was voted the favorite Gaelic Football pundit of 2009, with 20% of the vote, followed by his fellow Sunday Game analysts Pat Spillane (17%) and Joe Brolly (16%). RTE analysts similarly filled the top 3 positions in relation to the favorite hurling pundit with Ger Loughnane (33%) the clear top scorer with armchair viewers, followed by Donal O’ Grady (12%) and Cyril Farrell (11%).
While there is clear agreement among GAA followers that there is just the right amount of live GAA Championship matches shown on TV this year - with 68% of respondents thinking this – an appetite remains among core fans for even more – with 1 in 4 claiming they would like to see more coverage of the sport on TV in 2010.
Interestingly 35% of GAA fans surveyed feel that plans by the GAA to restrict fans entering the playing surface on Finals day in Croke Park is the right one, while 46% disagree with these plans, highlighting the varied views on this ongoing challenge for the sport. Fans are also divided on the staging of concerts in Croke Park, with 37% of GAA fans surveyed agreeing it is a good idea, and the same percentage disagreeing with the idea – and 1 in 5 staying neutral on the issue.
John Trainor, Managing Director of Onside Sponsorship noted: “In relation to sponsorship, the survey discovered that 8 in 10 respondents wanted companies to maintain or increase their spend on sponsorship of county teams, with a relatively similar score of 72% when it came to sponsorship spend on events such as the Football and Hurling championships. However in relation to spend on sponsorship at club levels, a significant 79% wanted companies to increase their spend at this level.” Star GAA sponsors of ‘09 identified by the fans included Guinness and Vodafone.
Commenting on the findings, Ken Moulton, Director of Teamer noted: “The passion that GAA fans have for their sport reverberates throughout the findings of this survey – from their pride in the 125th celebrations to the continuing appetite for more games on TV. The 2009 season appears to have sown the seeds for a new era of opportunity for the sport and their supporters – sponsors and fans”.
- ENDS -
To discuss further, contact:
John Trainor
Managing Director
Onside Sponsorship
(T) +353-1-479 0520 / (e) john.trainor@onside.ie
(m) 086-38 38 787 (w) www.onside.ie
• Onside Sponsorship is a leading specialist in sponsorship consulting and research services – With a proven track record and strong industry experience in a cross section of sectors, Onside is currently feeding into the sponsorship decision making of circa €50m+ of Irish sponsorship spend – working on many of Ireland’s premier sponsorships – on sporting, music, cause-related, broadcast and other platforms.
• Teamer.net is an online team management system created and designed to minimize the effort involved in organizing sports teams. Founded by a unique mix of internet professionals with extensive experience of team captaincy at both the competitive and social level, Teamer uses the web to significantly decrease the amount of time it takes to get teams on the field.
More About the Survey:
Onside / Teamer.net Research
In the GAA Fans research cited in this release, Onside Sponsorship and Teamer.net surveyed 253 players, coaches, administrators and parents connected with GAA nationally in September 2009 through an online survey via the Teamer.Net database of GAA ‘fans’.
The Onside Sponsorship / Teamer.net ‘GAA Season ‘09 Review’ explored a series of issues that made the headlines in 2009 to gain the views of GAA fans nationwide. The survey found that RTE’s overall coverage of Gaelic Games through their live broadcasts, magazine shows, highlight shows and news coverage was rated positively by 89% of the respondents, with TG4 coverage following in second place with a score of 69%.
Colm O Rourke was voted the favorite Gaelic Football pundit of 2009, with 20% of the vote, followed by his fellow Sunday Game analysts Pat Spillane (17%) and Joe Brolly (16%). RTE analysts similarly filled the top 3 positions in relation to the favorite hurling pundit with Ger Loughnane (33%) the clear top scorer with armchair viewers, followed by Donal O’ Grady (12%) and Cyril Farrell (11%).
While there is clear agreement among GAA followers that there is just the right amount of live GAA Championship matches shown on TV this year - with 68% of respondents thinking this – an appetite remains among core fans for even more – with 1 in 4 claiming they would like to see more coverage of the sport on TV in 2010.
Interestingly 35% of GAA fans surveyed feel that plans by the GAA to restrict fans entering the playing surface on Finals day in Croke Park is the right one, while 46% disagree with these plans, highlighting the varied views on this ongoing challenge for the sport. Fans are also divided on the staging of concerts in Croke Park, with 37% of GAA fans surveyed agreeing it is a good idea, and the same percentage disagreeing with the idea – and 1 in 5 staying neutral on the issue.
John Trainor, Managing Director of Onside Sponsorship noted: “In relation to sponsorship, the survey discovered that 8 in 10 respondents wanted companies to maintain or increase their spend on sponsorship of county teams, with a relatively similar score of 72% when it came to sponsorship spend on events such as the Football and Hurling championships. However in relation to spend on sponsorship at club levels, a significant 79% wanted companies to increase their spend at this level.” Star GAA sponsors of ‘09 identified by the fans included Guinness and Vodafone.
Commenting on the findings, Ken Moulton, Director of Teamer noted: “The passion that GAA fans have for their sport reverberates throughout the findings of this survey – from their pride in the 125th celebrations to the continuing appetite for more games on TV. The 2009 season appears to have sown the seeds for a new era of opportunity for the sport and their supporters – sponsors and fans”.
- ENDS -
To discuss further, contact:
John Trainor
Managing Director
Onside Sponsorship
(T) +353-1-479 0520 / (e) john.trainor@onside.ie
(m) 086-38 38 787 (w) www.onside.ie
• Onside Sponsorship is a leading specialist in sponsorship consulting and research services – With a proven track record and strong industry experience in a cross section of sectors, Onside is currently feeding into the sponsorship decision making of circa €50m+ of Irish sponsorship spend – working on many of Ireland’s premier sponsorships – on sporting, music, cause-related, broadcast and other platforms.
• Teamer.net is an online team management system created and designed to minimize the effort involved in organizing sports teams. Founded by a unique mix of internet professionals with extensive experience of team captaincy at both the competitive and social level, Teamer uses the web to significantly decrease the amount of time it takes to get teams on the field.
More About the Survey:
Onside / Teamer.net Research
In the GAA Fans research cited in this release, Onside Sponsorship and Teamer.net surveyed 253 players, coaches, administrators and parents connected with GAA nationally in September 2009 through an online survey via the Teamer.Net database of GAA ‘fans’.