I’m a firm believer in build it, and they will come.
We have seen women’s college basketball shatter all sorts of records in the United States. We have seen the European Championships break attendance records, viewership records, sponsorship records and everything in between.
We have watched Barcelona’s women’s team sell out Camp Nou to record attendances. Behind the scenes, we know that marketing, sponsorship, and shoving women’s sports down your throat can be a way to full houses.
For example, Barcelona decided to tap into their season ticket holders and encourage them to bring a friend. Even better if you were a family of four and wanted to bring both your children with you.
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These tickets were sold at low prices and marketed in a way that made them family friendly at a time when they are outpriced by male sports.
At the end of the day, children, no matter their gender or age, are usually just happy to tag along and enjoy the day out with their family and friends.
Yet, time and time again, whenever I tune into big days in ladies football or camogie, I find it discouraging to see Croke Park pretty much empty (apart from All-Ireland final day) with the camera specifically pointed to the Hogan Stand to take the bad look off it.
I understand Croke Park is the big arena where everyone wants to play. And I know that not only it is a big day for family, friends, and partners of the team, but it could be the pinnacle of the players’ careers. I also understand the impact of seeing the third-largest European stadium celebrating women’s sports.
But, unfortunately, Croke Park is tough to sell out aside from the odd concert here and there, or the latter stages of the men’s football and hurling championships. But that’s just a few times a year.
Croke Park deserves its revered place in Irish history and is an absolute joy to be in when it is packed out. With the crowd almost on top of the teams on the field, it truly can be the greatest ground. But it can also be the loneliest one.
And the ladies football league and camogie finals in Croke Park did look slightly lost with the atmosphere understandably diminished in the huge ground. It really isn’t the type of image you would like to project regarding the promotion of the women’s game here in Ireland.
It’s not going to matter to the winning teams and their captains. At the end of the day, they got to climb the steps of the Hogan Stand to lift their trophy and celebrate with all their families and loved ones.
Included were some underage intercounty squads who got to support whatever team they were representing that day. They got to take pictures with their heroes, take photos with their respective trophies and have a lovely day.
But the truth is, to grow ladies football and camogie, we need to think about how to use Croke Park and whether all marketing and resources should be pushed into making sure that it is some bit of a sell-out, at least make the lower tiers look full and brimming with colour.
This shouldn’t be an excuse to give away tickets to underage teams and clubs nationwide to get their young girls into Croke Park. Giving away free tickets implies that women’s sport isn’t valuable.
I’m not saying these tickets have to be anything above €20, but some discount could apply if you are a fully paid-up member of a club. The day of literally giving away tickets for free to make sure that it looks like a sell-out should be well and truly gone.
Otherwise, we need to consider moving games that aren’t expected to come close to a sell-out to stadiums that won’t look empty with over 20,000 people. Build it and they will come is a lovely catchphrase.
But we also need to build the experience and be realistic in where we stage showpiece women’s games.
