The Athletic Grounds were rocking last Saturday night. A capacity crowd crammed into the wonderful Armagh venue to witness a match in which fortunes swayed wildly between the home side and the visitors from Mayo, before finally settling at stalemate between the teams.
It was a great game to be at, a contest that was enjoyed thoroughly by all who were there. From our perspective, though, it was noteworthy that, all bar what seemed like a few hundred, the entire crowd was comprised of Armagh fans.
In more than one sense, that’s not a huge surprise.
These are heady times to be a supporter of the Orchard County. The glitter from their Sam Maguire success of last year – in many ways an even more surprising All-Ireland win than their breakthrough one in 2002 – hasn’t even begun to dull, nor will it for some time yet.
They know full well that they may not live to see a day like it again. But they have been to the mountain top and the memories their fans have of the view from there last July are ones they’ll always carry with them.
Given the distance our supporters would have had to travel to get to the game, plus the significant cost of a night away, it’s no huge surprise that the vast majority of Mayo fans opted to watch it at home on TV instead.
It’s also the case that we’re in a very different place compared to Armagh right now. We had our days in the sun – coming within millimetres of ultimate glory more than once – but those halcyon times are long gone now.
Gone too are the big Mayo crowds that other counties were, for a number of years, almost in awe of. Wherever the team played we turned out in huge numbers, year after year after year dusting ourselves off and going again. Until we did so no longer.
In that sense, the 6,029 attendance at the Tyrone game in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park a fortnight ago represented a brutal reality check, for Mayo GAA in the first instance but for the organisation more widely too.
This is what it looks like when the fans fall out of love with their team.
In the last column I penned before the Tyrone game I pointed to the frustrations that supporters were feeling about the team’s style of play in the opening two rounds. Fed for so many years on a healthy diet of Heavy Metal Mayo, the slim pickings of excitement to be had from our current über cautious approach left fans craving for something different.
To that end, it was possible to discern hints about a more digestible playing style up in Armagh. Facing down the barrel of proper trimming at half-time, Mayo adopted a far more direct approach after the break and it paid rich dividends for them.
Few supporters are calling for Kevin McStay and his colleagues to sanction a Horanball approach from first to last. Physically, such a task would be impossible and ultimately self-defeating.
But fans – certainly those who contribute their opinions on the blog – would like to see an alteration in the playing recipe. Less in the way of caution and more in the way of chaos, if you will.
To be fair to Kevin, I think that’s what we seem to be, at least in part, inching towards already. That controlled first half period against Tyrone now looks better in retrospect, when you consider it was married with a more aggressive, attack-minded finish to the game.
Likewise, I think we attempted something similar against Armagh last weekend but the strong run they got on us in the first half meant these efforts weren’t successful. However, by opening the jets sooner than we’d done against Tyrone we were still able to come away with something tangible from the Athletic Grounds.
As supporters we can often be an irrational lot. We want to win (always) but we want to be entertained too. We might say that we’d prefer to lose playing open, expansive football rather than to win playing in an overly cautious way. But do we really mean this?
Where Mayo supporters have been loud and clear of late, however, is that they want a bit more excitement. They want a reason to shout. We do love a good shout.
The very low attendance at the Tyrone game was evidence that the fans were voting with their feet.
But, in their absence, the team they support showed flashes of a playing style most Mayo fans would, I reckon, be comfortable with.
If there’s further evidence of an injection of greater flair to our play against Kerry on Saturday that could go a long way towards enticing supporters back to the stands in greater numbers over the coming weeks.
Tirawleybaron says:
February 27, 2025 at 6:15 pm
The reason the FRC changed the rules was to improve the spectacle.
In the case of Mayo GAA (and their huge costs and debts) bums on seats is key.
This year was the first since 2011 where season tickets were available. The people want to see Mayo give it there all. Edge of the seat stuff. Its our way - all guts but no glory.
The current team play with the handbreak on unless they fall well behind. No one wants to pay in to see a team not try their best to win.
You can still play cautiously and win (watch Donegal and Galway) but to be cautious and then lose is just criminal.
I dont mind dropping back to defend, but when you get a turnover - attack with pace. Slow build up is not worth watching, especially when we have no long range kickers to punish a team that sits back.
Richie duck says:
February 27, 2025 at 10:09 pm
To contact direct WJ? Could you please email me a address. . Want you to check something before I do or don't post it.
Paddyjoejohntom says:
February 28, 2025 at 12:50 am
https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-41583730.html
20 second rule for kick outs now applies to free kicks as well
Willie Joe says:
February 28, 2025 at 6:45 am
Just mailed you directly there, Richie.
JP says:
February 28, 2025 at 12:15 pm
Good rule tweak. Long elaborate free taking doesn't add to the game, Less goalies wasting time with frees.
Pebblesmeller says:
February 28, 2025 at 12:32 pm
The reducing attendance numbers has many factors feeding into it, the current style of play being only one.
For me, and many on here from what I read at the time, the 2021 AIF defeat to Tyrone broke many of us in terms of our pure, blind, loyalty to the team. Horan being allowed to remain in charge led to frustration in many and further proved a lack of ruthlessness in our county board. Change was desperately needed but it fell on deaf ears. For Horan to then come out in his interview and effectively blame the supporters for the AIF losses was a kick in the teeth, especially when Horans errors were all over those defeats. Losing both Keegan AND Mullin from that team further dampened the mood and the expectation levels.
In addition to this, was the further hollowing out of the perks and incentives of the season ticket. The season ticket in Mayo was once considered almost like an heirloom, something you'd leave behind you in your will, such was scarcity of them and their unavailability. However, the season ticket price went up each year, the benefits were slowly removed each year and we ended up at the point where you were better off without a season ticket. From getting a seating group of 10 people between the two 45m lines for an All Ireland Final, to being shoved up in the clouds, alone, along the endline for another. For the first time, I started asking myself do I really want to spend over €600 a year on season tickets? For an amateurs sport? On top of club memberships etc.? While the "sunglasses in the hair brigade" fly in the morning of the AIF and sit in prime seats, despite never having attended a game in their lives (except the previous AIF)!
Then Ticketmaster arrived on the scene. FFS is there anything more frustrating than trying to buy a ticket for a game on this portal? For the GAA to hand over the ticketing of OUR amateur game to a multi-billion dollar global organization whose only aim is to fleece the customer and make it as difficult as possible to buy a ticket (a process that still hasn't been streamlined!) while still trying to cry about "community, parish, love of the club" PR bullshit, was yet another indication of the distain the Croke Park HQ has for the normal supporter. Oh, and by the way, the auld lad that just turned up at the turnstile with cash in his hand to go in and watch his club play, Oh My God, call the cops quick, that man is to be locked up for even producing cash! We now need a bank card, credit card, address, eircode, credit rating, pins, passcodes and nearly a fucking DNA swab before we will be let in.
As you said WJ, the current style of play, on top of the above, has kept the numbers small. But I remember not so long ago, it was 2011 in Croke Park, AI quarter final,, Mayo v the then All Ireland holders Cork, and the Mayo crowd that day was tiny. There were no "sunglasses in the hair brigade" that day. The crowd was so small we could actually walk around and move to better seats during the game. A win, certainly a Connaught win (which I think we are more than capable of) would arrest the decline.
TsuDhoNim says:
February 28, 2025 at 12:39 pm
@JP: Keepers were causing the clock to be paused (since R3). So slowing the game as a spectacle for sure, but at least not cynically wasting game time/black card time with those any more.
It'll be interesting to see if this replaces that (e.g. keepers no longer pausing the clock or able to take many frees depending on their starting position) to speed up the game or if it comes in alongside it. Hopefully something we'll know before throw-in at the weekend. I'd hope for the former myself, I'm not on the poor keepers side on any potential rule changes hitting them.
Pebblesmeller says:
February 28, 2025 at 12:45 pm
** In addition to list above, we can now add.....
Charging U16s in to watch their county team. In an era where other sports are making it easier and cheaper for young people and kids to become involved, the Grab All Association will now charge kids in to watch games. For fear they'd miss out on a euro or two.
And, we are now held captive inside MacHale Park once you enter. If you want to leave at half time, for any reason, you have to pay again to get back in or else stay outside.
Remember though, it's all for the love of the parish!
You Three says:
February 28, 2025 at 1:37 pm
@Pebblesmeller, 100% correct on Ticketmaster, kick them out, if the GAA can run a TV company it can easily manage ticket management. They are an awful company, we shouldn't be sending a penny their way
Robe Green & Red says:
February 28, 2025 at 2:21 pm
Bring Back Mayo Mayhem
Bring Back the Supporters
Following Mayo since 1985 and need the next generation to get excited
No Brainer
Last Chance Saloon Mcstay
Ex-pat says:
February 28, 2025 at 2:35 pm
Management should have been booted out of the Saloon before the start of this season. As it is we have a four star group of players managed by a two star management team. They deserve better.
Totally agree with Pebblesmeller re the impact of 2021. That should have been our clowning glory but instead it just revealed in full that when it comes to the crunch we cannot get it done. That is why so many of us are impatient for change and innovation.
Martin says:
February 28, 2025 at 2:38 pm
Guys can we purchase tickets at mc hale pk tommorow
2 hops says:
February 28, 2025 at 2:43 pm
@Martin. No would be the short answer, but; local Centra shop and Supervalu stock them.
Ever the optimist says:
February 28, 2025 at 3:07 pm
Pebblesmeller, well said. Couldn't agree more.
John+McHale says:
February 28, 2025 at 3:35 pm
Pebblesmeller that post is so bang on the money from start to finish. One can only hope the boys who sit at the top table and call the shots have a good read of it and that includes the management team too!!!
joemamas says:
February 28, 2025 at 4:04 pm
Ex-pat says:
February 28, 2025 at 2:35 pm
Management should have been booted out of the Saloon before the start of this season. As it is we have a four star group of players managed by a two star management team. They deserve better.
Totally agree with Pebblesmeller re the impact of 2021. That should have been our clowning glory but instead it just revealed in full that when it comes to the crunch we cannot get it done. That is why so many of us are impatient for change and innovation.
Ex Pat,
While I totally agree that we have been poor to adapt to the new rules, and this slow build up drives me bat shit crazy at times, if Mayo are stupid enough to get rid of Kevin Mcstay, (no comment on some of his backroom team), then who do you propose will step in to be the next manager.
As the song goes
"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss"
Be careful what you wish for.
JJ Kelly says:
February 28, 2025 at 8:55 pm
Well said Pebblesmeller Spot on in everything you have said. To outsource tickets to Ticketmaster was and continues to be a disgrace.
Stephenite says:
February 28, 2025 at 11:54 pm
I think we need to be honest with ourselves regarding the support. Others have mentioned the 2011 QF v Cork and having been there that day that example is very apt. Nobody went because nobody thought we'd win and furthermore nobody thought we were within an asses roar of winning an All Ireland. Two years later before the 2013 final the ticket hunt was probably the peak it's ever been
The decade since has seen a social element involved, it was the thing to do. Being honest, some of this crew couldn't spell football and sitting in the stand in particular became a bit tedious with some of the shouts going in at the referee at the slightest bit of legal contact
The bandwagon is gone now and we can stop this "greatest fans in the country" pretence. We're the same as every other county so, and nothing wrong with it either. The lesser numbers have made it feel like more of a football crowd over the last 18 months tbh, more like ones you get at the club semis and finals. These new rules with the 2017 crowd in without an iota would've been an experience