Should Leinster play some home games outside Dublin?

Leinster4life · Post by **Leinster4life** » March 10th, 2006, 9:41 am

there is no doubt we should play games outside Dublin. The team is called Leinster, not Dublin. I managed to get tickets for the three HEC matches in the RDS this year and they were great games, but it was a nightmare getting to Dublin and back. I think that a stand should be done up for Leinster matches in a club ground with a good pitch. I would reccommend Carlow for this, as Athlone is too close too Dublin to make a big difference. The reason people think that people outside Dublin won't go to Leinster matches is because Leinster matches are always in Dublin and therefore too hard to get to. I'm a die hard Leinster fan but I'm not a snob who looks down on other sports, and I know plenty of people who are GAA fans but are also into rugby and would go to the matches if they were close by. So stop thinking that Dublin is the only important county in Leinster and stop thinking it's just people from fee-paying schools who follow rugby

Uncle Mort · Post by **Uncle Mort** » March 10th, 2006, 10:01 am

Leinster4life wrote:there is no doubt we should play games outside Dublin. The team is called Leinster, not Dublin. I managed to get tickets for the three HEC matches in the RDS this year and they were great games, but it was a nightmare getting to Dublin and back. I think that a stand should be done up for Leinster matches in a club ground with a good pitch. I would reccommend Carlow for this, as Athlone is too close too Dublin to make a big difference. The reason people think that people outside Dublin won't go to Leinster matches is because Leinster matches are always in Dublin and therefore too hard to get to. I'm a die hard Leinster fan but I'm not a snob who looks down on other sports, and I know plenty of people who are GAA fans but are also into rugby and would go to the matches if they were close by. So stop thinking that Dublin is the only important county in Leinster and stop thinking it's just people from fee-paying schools who follow rugby

There is no doubt that we should NOT play games outside Dublin. That the team is called Leinster is an anachranism. The team is a club and not a provincial side - those days have passed with professionalism. I am a season ticket holder and live outside Dublin - getting to Donnybrook and back can be a nightmare but it's my choice and one I freely chose to support my local professional rugby team. According to the AA Carlow is 53 miles (1hr 16min) from Dublin, Athlone 78 miles (1hr 46min) so your Carlow/Athlone comparision is wrong. Also if you go to Carlow then people from the north of Dublin would have a considerably harder journey than they do now, as would Carlow people if the matches were held in Dundalk. As I have said before on this thread no-one expects Liverpool to play matches away from Anfield, Manchester United away from Old Trafford or Spurs away from White Hart Lane. These are the traditional homes of these clubs. What Leinster rugby has to do is promote the brand it has which includes Donnybrook being the home ground and promote rugby as a sport that all can play regardless of education or upbringing.

StuF · Post by **StuF** » March 10th, 2006, 11:30 am

I can't believe this thread is still going.

If you moved a match to Longford, how to people in Wicklow town get there? Through Dublin I guess. And vice-versa.

The simple fact of the matter is that there is only one place with good transport links to the whole of Leinster and that's Dublin. Unfortunate but true. Complain to the government and not to the LB

CM · Post by CM » March 10th, 2006, 11:36 am

StuF wrote:I can't believe this thread is still going.

If you moved a match to Longford, how to people in Wicklow town get there? Through Dublin I guess. And vice-versa.

The simple fact of the matter is that there is only one place with good transport links to the whole of Leinster and that's Dublin. Unfortunate but true. Complain to the government and not to the LB

Very true. It's all well and good that people with cars can get to the game easier if it's out of Dublin but a lot of people don't have cars (or want to drive) so Dublin really is the only place. It's also pretty much equidistant from everywhere in Leinster. Only places to go would be due west of Dublin. North or South makes it even harder for people to go.