The Mail Bag
Lack of interest of Irish Toffees
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When we sit here and discuss Everton's inability to attract investment and its inability to attract extra revenue, we should consider Everton pre-season tours. For the last number of year Everton has consistantly gone to Switzerland and Italy along with the US for their pre-season tours. These are not likely to be hotbeds of support for Everton.
Places like Ireland, Holland, Scandanavia where Everton do have a sizeable support are being ignored. Thousand travel from these places each week to attend matches in the UK. Sunderland noticed this through Niall Quinn and now they have about 1000 - 1500 supporters travelling each week to the Stadium of Light and this is increasing. If you consider that Sunderland had virtually no support here pre-Keane, this shows what could be achieved for a club with a traditional link to this country.
On the merchandising here in Ireland, getting the Everton gear is difficult but this is improving. JJB sell it here also (as far as I can see it is exclusive to this here. Could be wrong about that) but there is not a great selection of stuff. I get my Everton stuff in Liverpool when I travel to games.
There are a lot of Toffees here in Ireland, some are more hardcore than others. However, with a concerted campaign here (ie, a couple of friendlies, some player visits, some promotional work etc), I believe we could awaken the dormant support here and add to the revenue stream for the Club.
It has started. For years, I felt I was the only Toffee here among the reds of Liverpool and United but this is changing. I can see far more royal blue shirts around the street these days but Everton must cultivate this.
John Nolan, Posted 20/07/2008 at 11:17:37
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"Tiocfaidh ar la" ? Irish for "our day will come".
Thing is, the current custodians of Everton Football Club are so fucking incompetent that they don?t give a shit, or actually care, about the fanatical / latent support that exists in Ireland (north and south) for our dearly beloved Blues.
"And if you know you?re history.....!" ????
Pre-Munich Air Disaster - who was the best supported (English) club in Ireland?
What English club, to this very day, has had more Irish senior international players than any other club?
Ask a fucking gobshite of a Red persuasion, in Ireland, about his club?s connections to the game in Ireland and then, when correcting him, inform him of Everton?s long standing relationship with the game in Ireland, now going back three - YES, THREE - centuries (I?ll leave it to other sages to mention Val O?Connor!!!) - enlighten the twats that it is (or rather, was!) EVERTON who were the chosen team to follow in Ireland.
That?s why our side was so full of Irishmen back in the late 40s and into the 50s. That?s why England faced Ireland, on hallowed Goodison Park soil, back in 1949 in a game that obviously never EVER happened, as Ireland (shitty little "Eire") humbled the mighty England 2-0 (Con Martin, a penalty and Everton?s own Peter Farrell) to confirm England?s first ever defeat on home soil. The FA records may well point to the Mighty Magyars of Hungary defeating England 6-3 at the Empire Stadium, Wembley - but most Evertonians know this is not true!
I have spent many years, standing up like a twat at AGMs asking about Everton in Ireland, only to be patronised by that actor who is currently chairman. He loves playing to an audience.
As far as I can see, Ireland, as a market for Everton to realise some form of potential, remains untapped. This is despite Everton launching in tandem with the Irish Toffees Supporters Club an "Everton In Ireland" initiative. As a mark of respect to those involved with that on this side of the water I?ll refrain from saying what I honestly feel on the matter, and leave it at that..........
In the meantime, Everton continue their truly appalling and embarrassing email mailshots, asking Irish Evertonians would we like to buy a case of shit Chang lager for a certain price. Oddly enough, those resident outside of the UK cannot avail of such a wonderful offer.
Typical Everton!
As one of thousands of Irish Toffees I too spend loads on getting to see the blues!
As we already know the marketing team at Goodison must be clueless by now, I would have the blues touring Ireland, Australia and Nigeria .....these are just a few places that have massive Everton support !
Not sure what in Chicago attracts Everton esp the way Soccer is treated in the US.
On the original point there still actually is large support for Everton in Ireland. I travel to most home games and John Lennon Airport is always full of Irish Toffees on their way home after a game. We have played recently in Bray and Coleraine but could probably do a little more in Ireland to be honest. The crowd at the Bray game really showed me the level of support we have in Ireland - the game was only announced two days in advance and was on a weeknight but was still sold out with Bluenoses!
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1 Posted 20/07/2008 at 19:35:48
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