Anyone I’ve talked with who went said it was absolutely shit atmosphere wise
The Aviva is terrible for rugby – ban pints at seats and bin the music during breaks in play.
The PA at the Aviva is fecking godawful, and not just for the rugby.
The stadium really is too small in fairness
Find this so annoying, maybe the shit atmosphere is down to the privileged twats riding on the free sponsor tickets… There’s your real story.
They have made the tickets prohibitively expensive and hard to get. Lots of clubs end up selling their allocations to companies resulting in half the people there being on a corporate gig and therefore more interested in drink than the match
Iv heard they blare the music right up until kickoff which prevents any sort of build up of an atmosphere. Amateur stuff really.
The first thing they should do is ban drinking in the seat.
It’s had a negative affect on the atmosphere at ireland soccer games since it was allowed again after covid, IMO.
Its just not a great stadium for rugby imo.
50,000 capacity is not too small for a small nation.
Anyone saying otherwise needs their heads checked.
How tickets are distributed is the issue.
I don’t like the Indo. I wouldn’t read it, it makes me cringe. But Lansdowne road is lame when the play music and have some guy speaking on the PA, Ireland’s Call is also fucking dreadful
I can’t be the only one who read that in Tommy Shlug’s voice.
​
“the aul Aviva experience, twasn’t quite up to scratch”
It sells out for big football/rugby games but there are a lot of visibly empty seats in the majority of games that have taken place at the stadium.
The Indo has really become a tabloid in disguise the last few years, rag of a newspaper
To be fair that music in all the breaks was really annoying and don’t think it’s needed
I know there’s been a lot of complaints (rightly) about more people being interested in the sesh than the games and getting up but I thought last week there was less of it and the atmosphere was great
Didn’t the Irish set a record for most attendance at a rugby match in 2015 against Romania,,f-ing ROMANIA at rugby world cup 🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
Not sure what this article is trying to do the Aviva was built and opened in 2010 as much as I would like a bigger one we’re stuck with it for the foreseeable future I wouldn’t call this journalism for calling out a 12 year old problem? But is it even a problem we’ve gotten on ok and just now suddenly the music has rubbed ppl the wrong way.
All that being said the whole thing was a f-ing joke like anywhere else in the world large state of the art stadiums are built out on the outskirts of a city not slap bang in the middle and to sign off with 1 end of the stadium like that is embarrassing they had too many nobs with no love of sports just money making the decision and there is how many areas on the north side or outside the M50 or the poolbeg area even was up for grabs at the time.
As for the size per our population I don’t think it matters if the population was 200,000 and we regularly fit a 100,000 seater then why not build a 100,000 seater 🤷🏻♂️ rugby was only getting good here I guess when they decided to rebuild and capacity wasn’t a priority
Well it is too small. Raffle in each rugby club for who gets tickets. Any good match almost never goes on General sale.
Pre match MC on Sat was awful. Yer man Dave from Dermot and Dave with a big D4 accent shouting “when I say Johnny, you say sexton… Johnny?”. Only plus from that was a chorus of people telling him to fuck off.
Music is always terrible as well. Have friends from England and Wales that have said it’s one of the worst rugby stadiums in Europe. Second only to Stadio Olympico in Rome.
The stadium’s too small??
Are they still stopping people going for a smoke at half time because that’s stopping me enjoying myself going to games.
I don’t know what it is exactly but something in the Aviva just sucks the life out of any atmosphere. I’ve been to many football and rugby games and it’s always underwhelming. More than a few people have said to me they think it’s something to with the small North Stand but Croke Park isn’t fully enclosed either and that can have incredible atmosphere
Does be great for the soccer. In the big match against Portugal last year the atmosphere was very good and same for Scotland.
The music during the match is awful.
Have to confess that I loved the pre-match buildup last week. Thought it was brilliant. Was there with a few friends but I’m really looking forward to bringing my son to the Australia game next week.
The worst thing about the stadium is the name.
Stade de France, Stadium Australia… er, The Aviva.
If only Aviva hadn’t bought Hibernian, it might be called The Hibernian Stadium, a much better name.
Even then, the old Landsdowne Road was much better known, and like Murrayfield is just what it’s always been called.
That and the 3 Arena need to find another way of raising money that doesn’t involve selling the name of the stadium. What next – ~~Stephens Green~~ Aldi Park?
I’ve been to two international rugby matches in the Aviva. My experience is that anyone who is getting up out of their seat is either on the way to the bar or letting someone in from or to go out to the bar.
I’ve been told there are some people who pay to go into the Aviva only to stay at the bar for the game watching it on the screen inside.
I’ve heard also that this constant back and forth to the bar is more worse at inter provincial games.
If I want a pint, I’ll go to the pub. If I want to experience a match I’ll go to the stadium. If I want to enjoy the game, I stay at home.
He’s absolutely right. The music was ear shattering. Nobody could talk, chat or sing. No atmosphere right up until kick off. Then it stopped abruptly and the dead silence of the crowd was jarring. They just had to sit there and be assaulted by the noise. Horrible experience tbh.
Game was great though
Aviva is a class stadium, great atmosphere for the ROI games anyway and a few players have said it’s their favourite stadium, can’t speak to the rugby games though, haven’t been.
The PA is annoying but to suggest the stadium is too small is madness
I’ve not been to an international rugby match since it became the aviva (yes I’m old, shut up, who asked you anyway!) but going tomorrow for the Fiji match. I don’t suffer fools so any of this getting up to let people in with pints every 5 mins won’t be happening! They can go another way! I’ve also been wondering what the craic with the music recently in rugby games is. Started a couple of world cups back I think…music after a try, before the restart etc…seems unnecessary.
That said I’m going in with an open mind ready to enjoy a great match!
How many Brendans are there in Irish hack opinions now?
Setting aside the talk on here about whether the new landsowne road is a good* stadium or not for rugby or soccer or whatever or is it too big or not big enough
I do think that there should be some sort of ‘national stadium strategy’ whereby sporting facilities at all levels from schools and local clubs all the way up to national level could be consolidated as much as possible so as to provide the best facilities at the most cost effective way possible
At top level I’d see this as the top stadiums being designed as ‘national stadiums’ for example Croke Park and the aviva would be the obvious ones but also the likes of Thomond Park or Pairc Ui Caoimh could also be designed as such. I would provide these facilities with public funds to improve and run them but on the proviso that they would not be for the sole use of one or other sports
I’m not suggesting that suddenly you’ll find soccer/rugby teams playing regularly out of gaa grounds but I’d like to see that as a possibility if say for example Munster rugby were to regularly need a higher capacity and not having to move to Dublin to get it. Perhaps a new league of ireland soccer team is joining the league and needs somewhere decent to play out of, why not the local gaa county ground if there’s one available
That also doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for sport specific grounds. For example in Limerick, treaty utd, munster rugby and Limerick gaa all have grounds at various sizes that meet different needs and there is little point in having the soccer team play in Thomond but the option should be there if markets field is too small. Similarly in Cork munster rugby and Cork City might find that their stadium needs are best suited by sharing and then having Pairc Ui Caoimh as a step up for if and when needed
I have to say they want a more raucous atmosphere deliver more tickets to clubs down the country.
The comparisons from the soccer for the National anthem is unparalleled it sounds like the church choir when Tarquins Mom Sheila and her friend Lexus scored a ticket through the Wesley Rugby club.
The big dip in it is an eyesore.
The planning permission naysayer brigade alive and well.
Had I had the powers, I would have just built it elsewhere.
Could have added another 10,000 seats easily.
I do hate the music in fairness.
My bad! Was at the game last night so reading skills clearly a bit off. Thought you were talking about the rubgy, so as you said, story seemed very unlikely.
Its also fucking ridiculously hard to get a ticket unless you are in a rugby club !
The only real criticism I would have is that the service for food and pints is way too slow
I was at a 6 nations match and it took the entire half time plus 10 minutes of the second half (so like 20 minutes) to get pints.
Their system was really inefficient and you had massive queues for only a couple of taps.
Kind of made it pointless.
I have to agree with him. There was Zero atmosphere before kickoff except for the Anthems. The inane music stops a lot of folks for initialing songs I think.
There was very little atmosphere until the second half tries.
Provincial games have a better atmosphere than the international games TBH.
I can see some dickhead in the IRFU with a presentation saying how “we can be like America!”.
Don’t want to be like America.
Hopefully they take note and change it back to da good auld days.
Needs a kiss-cam
It’s a culture thing. If you aren’t a snob after having a glass of wine or a brandy before the game while staying seated and reminiscing about your Blackrock college days you aren’t welcome
Brendan is bringing in the website traffic and that’s all that fucking matters.
He’s not wrong. Anyone that thinks he is either hasn’t been to a match in the Aviva or is part of the problem.
I go to Ireland rugby matches regularly and unless they’re a hugely important or marquee match the atmosphere is shite. And now with the music at every break in play during the SA match they’re truly trying to outdo themselves in American-ising the sport – its a sham. Only to be outdone for shite sporting atmosphere by a league match in the RDS, to be honest.
Honestly it’s becoming more and more like baseball, where half the crowd don’t give a toss about the game and are more interested in consuming whatever they’re holding, making a trip to get some more, or taking a selfie.
Finally the drinking is beyond the joke. Been to rakes of GAA matches where people aren’t pissed out of their mind or running in and out to the bar/toilet the entire match (apart from the hill, but that’s a different buzz to be fair) – it just kills the buzz and makes it impossible to enjoy the game when you’ve got some arsehole who can’t sit still for 10 minutes cos of his desire for booze. Last year I was at a match and a lad pissed himself in front of us, yet still went out to the bar for more drink; everyone lost the rag with him when he refused to give the booze to the lady steward who tried to stop him.
They’re ruining the game by not making tickets more accessible to honest fans of the sport who want to watch rugby, not just go to be seen at social event or go on an upmarket piss-up.
Man shouts at cloud?
Too many Leinster fans at it just for the day out. Rugby is secondary
Anyone want a single ticket to game today. Can’t make it. DM and I’ll send on
43 comments
Anyone I’ve talked with who went said it was absolutely shit atmosphere wise
The Aviva is terrible for rugby – ban pints at seats and bin the music during breaks in play.
The PA at the Aviva is fecking godawful, and not just for the rugby.
The stadium really is too small in fairness
Find this so annoying, maybe the shit atmosphere is down to the privileged twats riding on the free sponsor tickets… There’s your real story.
They have made the tickets prohibitively expensive and hard to get. Lots of clubs end up selling their allocations to companies resulting in half the people there being on a corporate gig and therefore more interested in drink than the match
Iv heard they blare the music right up until kickoff which prevents any sort of build up of an atmosphere. Amateur stuff really.
The first thing they should do is ban drinking in the seat.
It’s had a negative affect on the atmosphere at ireland soccer games since it was allowed again after covid, IMO.
Its just not a great stadium for rugby imo.
50,000 capacity is not too small for a small nation.
Anyone saying otherwise needs their heads checked.
How tickets are distributed is the issue.
I don’t like the Indo. I wouldn’t read it, it makes me cringe. But Lansdowne road is lame when the play music and have some guy speaking on the PA, Ireland’s Call is also fucking dreadful
I can’t be the only one who read that in Tommy Shlug’s voice.
​
“the aul Aviva experience, twasn’t quite up to scratch”
It sells out for big football/rugby games but there are a lot of visibly empty seats in the majority of games that have taken place at the stadium.
The Indo has really become a tabloid in disguise the last few years, rag of a newspaper
To be fair that music in all the breaks was really annoying and don’t think it’s needed
I know there’s been a lot of complaints (rightly) about more people being interested in the sesh than the games and getting up but I thought last week there was less of it and the atmosphere was great
Didn’t the Irish set a record for most attendance at a rugby match in 2015 against Romania,,f-ing ROMANIA at rugby world cup 🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
Not sure what this article is trying to do the Aviva was built and opened in 2010 as much as I would like a bigger one we’re stuck with it for the foreseeable future I wouldn’t call this journalism for calling out a 12 year old problem? But is it even a problem we’ve gotten on ok and just now suddenly the music has rubbed ppl the wrong way.
All that being said the whole thing was a f-ing joke like anywhere else in the world large state of the art stadiums are built out on the outskirts of a city not slap bang in the middle and to sign off with 1 end of the stadium like that is embarrassing they had too many nobs with no love of sports just money making the decision and there is how many areas on the north side or outside the M50 or the poolbeg area even was up for grabs at the time.
As for the size per our population I don’t think it matters if the population was 200,000 and we regularly fit a 100,000 seater then why not build a 100,000 seater 🤷🏻♂️ rugby was only getting good here I guess when they decided to rebuild and capacity wasn’t a priority
Well it is too small. Raffle in each rugby club for who gets tickets. Any good match almost never goes on General sale.
Pre match MC on Sat was awful. Yer man Dave from Dermot and Dave with a big D4 accent shouting “when I say Johnny, you say sexton… Johnny?”. Only plus from that was a chorus of people telling him to fuck off.
Music is always terrible as well. Have friends from England and Wales that have said it’s one of the worst rugby stadiums in Europe. Second only to Stadio Olympico in Rome.
The stadium’s too small??
Are they still stopping people going for a smoke at half time because that’s stopping me enjoying myself going to games.
I don’t know what it is exactly but something in the Aviva just sucks the life out of any atmosphere. I’ve been to many football and rugby games and it’s always underwhelming. More than a few people have said to me they think it’s something to with the small North Stand but Croke Park isn’t fully enclosed either and that can have incredible atmosphere
Does be great for the soccer. In the big match against Portugal last year the atmosphere was very good and same for Scotland.
The music during the match is awful.
Have to confess that I loved the pre-match buildup last week. Thought it was brilliant. Was there with a few friends but I’m really looking forward to bringing my son to the Australia game next week.
The worst thing about the stadium is the name.
Stade de France, Stadium Australia… er, The Aviva.
If only Aviva hadn’t bought Hibernian, it might be called The Hibernian Stadium, a much better name.
Even then, the old Landsdowne Road was much better known, and like Murrayfield is just what it’s always been called.
That and the 3 Arena need to find another way of raising money that doesn’t involve selling the name of the stadium. What next – ~~Stephens Green~~ Aldi Park?
I’ve been to two international rugby matches in the Aviva. My experience is that anyone who is getting up out of their seat is either on the way to the bar or letting someone in from or to go out to the bar.
I’ve been told there are some people who pay to go into the Aviva only to stay at the bar for the game watching it on the screen inside.
I’ve heard also that this constant back and forth to the bar is more worse at inter provincial games.
If I want a pint, I’ll go to the pub. If I want to experience a match I’ll go to the stadium. If I want to enjoy the game, I stay at home.
He’s absolutely right. The music was ear shattering. Nobody could talk, chat or sing. No atmosphere right up until kick off. Then it stopped abruptly and the dead silence of the crowd was jarring. They just had to sit there and be assaulted by the noise. Horrible experience tbh.
Game was great though
Aviva is a class stadium, great atmosphere for the ROI games anyway and a few players have said it’s their favourite stadium, can’t speak to the rugby games though, haven’t been.
The PA is annoying but to suggest the stadium is too small is madness
I’ve not been to an international rugby match since it became the aviva (yes I’m old, shut up, who asked you anyway!) but going tomorrow for the Fiji match. I don’t suffer fools so any of this getting up to let people in with pints every 5 mins won’t be happening! They can go another way! I’ve also been wondering what the craic with the music recently in rugby games is. Started a couple of world cups back I think…music after a try, before the restart etc…seems unnecessary.
That said I’m going in with an open mind ready to enjoy a great match!
How many Brendans are there in Irish hack opinions now?
Setting aside the talk on here about whether the new landsowne road is a good* stadium or not for rugby or soccer or whatever or is it too big or not big enough
I do think that there should be some sort of ‘national stadium strategy’ whereby sporting facilities at all levels from schools and local clubs all the way up to national level could be consolidated as much as possible so as to provide the best facilities at the most cost effective way possible
At top level I’d see this as the top stadiums being designed as ‘national stadiums’ for example Croke Park and the aviva would be the obvious ones but also the likes of Thomond Park or Pairc Ui Caoimh could also be designed as such. I would provide these facilities with public funds to improve and run them but on the proviso that they would not be for the sole use of one or other sports
I’m not suggesting that suddenly you’ll find soccer/rugby teams playing regularly out of gaa grounds but I’d like to see that as a possibility if say for example Munster rugby were to regularly need a higher capacity and not having to move to Dublin to get it. Perhaps a new league of ireland soccer team is joining the league and needs somewhere decent to play out of, why not the local gaa county ground if there’s one available
That also doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for sport specific grounds. For example in Limerick, treaty utd, munster rugby and Limerick gaa all have grounds at various sizes that meet different needs and there is little point in having the soccer team play in Thomond but the option should be there if markets field is too small. Similarly in Cork munster rugby and Cork City might find that their stadium needs are best suited by sharing and then having Pairc Ui Caoimh as a step up for if and when needed
I have to say they want a more raucous atmosphere deliver more tickets to clubs down the country.
The comparisons from the soccer for the National anthem is unparalleled it sounds like the church choir when Tarquins Mom Sheila and her friend Lexus scored a ticket through the Wesley Rugby club.
The big dip in it is an eyesore.
The planning permission naysayer brigade alive and well.
Had I had the powers, I would have just built it elsewhere.
Could have added another 10,000 seats easily.
I do hate the music in fairness.
My bad! Was at the game last night so reading skills clearly a bit off. Thought you were talking about the rubgy, so as you said, story seemed very unlikely.
Its also fucking ridiculously hard to get a ticket unless you are in a rugby club !
The only real criticism I would have is that the service for food and pints is way too slow
I was at a 6 nations match and it took the entire half time plus 10 minutes of the second half (so like 20 minutes) to get pints.
Their system was really inefficient and you had massive queues for only a couple of taps.
Kind of made it pointless.
I have to agree with him. There was Zero atmosphere before kickoff except for the Anthems. The inane music stops a lot of folks for initialing songs I think.
There was very little atmosphere until the second half tries.
Provincial games have a better atmosphere than the international games TBH.
I can see some dickhead in the IRFU with a presentation saying how “we can be like America!”.
Don’t want to be like America.
Hopefully they take note and change it back to da good auld days.
Needs a kiss-cam
It’s a culture thing. If you aren’t a snob after having a glass of wine or a brandy before the game while staying seated and reminiscing about your Blackrock college days you aren’t welcome
Brendan is bringing in the website traffic and that’s all that fucking matters.
He’s not wrong. Anyone that thinks he is either hasn’t been to a match in the Aviva or is part of the problem.
I go to Ireland rugby matches regularly and unless they’re a hugely important or marquee match the atmosphere is shite. And now with the music at every break in play during the SA match they’re truly trying to outdo themselves in American-ising the sport – its a sham. Only to be outdone for shite sporting atmosphere by a league match in the RDS, to be honest.
Honestly it’s becoming more and more like baseball, where half the crowd don’t give a toss about the game and are more interested in consuming whatever they’re holding, making a trip to get some more, or taking a selfie.
Finally the drinking is beyond the joke. Been to rakes of GAA matches where people aren’t pissed out of their mind or running in and out to the bar/toilet the entire match (apart from the hill, but that’s a different buzz to be fair) – it just kills the buzz and makes it impossible to enjoy the game when you’ve got some arsehole who can’t sit still for 10 minutes cos of his desire for booze. Last year I was at a match and a lad pissed himself in front of us, yet still went out to the bar for more drink; everyone lost the rag with him when he refused to give the booze to the lady steward who tried to stop him.
They’re ruining the game by not making tickets more accessible to honest fans of the sport who want to watch rugby, not just go to be seen at social event or go on an upmarket piss-up.
Man shouts at cloud?
Too many Leinster fans at it just for the day out. Rugby is secondary
Anyone want a single ticket to game today. Can’t make it. DM and I’ll send on