How far have you gone for the team this year?

Willie Joe

Photo: Joe.ie

Here’s a little All-Ireland final conceit: I was just thinking earlier on about all the games we’ve played this year and how many of them I managed to get to. I decided to do a quick tot of these to see what kind of distance this entailed.

I’m far from the county’s best supporter. I missed two League games this spring and I was also away for two of our championship matches this summer. I still, though, put in a fair bit of mileage following the lads over the course of the year. Here are the details:

  • Kiltoom, 21st January (FBD League v Roscommon): 286 km
  • MacHale Park, 4th February (NFL v Monaghan), 486 km
  • Tralee, 11th February (NFL v Kerry), 614 km
  • MacHale Park, 25th February (NFL v Roscommon), 486 km 
  • Croke Park, 4th March (NFL v Dublin), 5 km
  • MacHale Park, 2nd April (NFL v Donegal), 486 km
  • MacHale Park, 21st May (Connacht championship v Sligo), 486 km
  • Pearse Stadium, Galway, 11th June (Connacht championship v Galway), 440 km
  • MacHale Park, 1st July (All-Ireland qualifiers v Derry), 486 km
  • Cusack Park, Ennis, 8th July (All-Ireland qualifiers v Clare), 502 km
  • Croke Park, 30th July (All-Ireland quarter-final v Roscommon), 5 km
  • Croke Park, 20th August (All-Ireland semi-final v Kerry), 5 km
  • Croke Park, 26th August (All-Ireland semi-final replay v Kerry), 5 km 

For the purpose of this exercise, I’m confining my distance covered to match-related travel. I did a few other trips – to Galway and to London – for the podcast but I’m not including these.

As I’m living in the capital, that more or less rules out travel to other inter-county matches – underage and ladies games – that some of you will, no doubt, have been at. What I’m interested here, though, is the distance covered in following the senior team this year.

So, totalling the above, my overall distance following Stephen Rochford’s charges in 2017  comes to 4,292 km. What about the rest of you? Come on, get the calculators out – it’ll help to calm the nerves ahead of Sunday.

45 thoughts on “How far have you gone for the team this year?”

  1. I live in Birmingham , UK. For the Tyrone league game I travelled to Edinburgh (Thursday), Glasgow (Friday), flew to Belfast on Saturday, bus to Omagh & back on Sunday. Flight back to Brum on Monday. Also, went to Galway & Cork games via Dublin . Worth every penny.

  5. A game on a trip home from Australia, think that will skew the point of the exercise!

    What I take from it though WJ is the serious effort we as fans put in, but more so, our Dublin based players have all the above trips (to all games!) plus midweek training etc. really puts the effort into perspective.

  6. On a separate note I see the big screen for the match in Smithfield in Dublin city centre on Sunday is cancelled. One of the reasons is that they will be busy preparing for the celebrations on Monday evening and won’t have time. Lovely to hear that – keep it up.

  7. The final will make it four football only trips (Ross, Kerry, Kerry) home this summer from Switzerland. Was home for the Cork game on holidays so only count the trip from Leitrim to Limerick.

    3,192 kms by 4 = 12,768 kms + 430 kms

    So I’m looking at just over 13k kms for the summer. And every minute of it was a pure pleasure.

  8. Not sure what the exact mileage is but I’ve definitely put on about a stone and a half between sandwiches and pints to celebrate wins ..!!

  9. Seven league games missed the two connacht games Ennis Limerick Castlebar and four Croker so far 3940 km and 2 more Croker to come replay 30 September another 1000 km worth it all when we hold Sam

  10. Not been to all the matches this year, but been there for the best ones. This is an indication of my time / mileage with football. ( have blotted the league match v Dubs in Croker out of my head )
    Drive to Wexford over to Waterford ( 2 building sites ) drive back to Dublin and take some of the u 11’s in a football coaching session.
    Manage the boys U 11’s in a Saturday morning match, go home, have a cup of tea and a sandwich, drive to Claremorris, pick up a stand ticket, dinner in Dalton Inn, drive back to Dublin and bring myself and the next generation to the All Ireland football final and get soaked wet.
    Pay double the amount for tickets on some All Ireland final days, and in the past of semi final days.
    Pay € 445 membership in the football club but never get a ticket for the final ( but always given a chance in a draw ), 3,000 members of a huge club.
    Pass on skills to the kids, boys and girls.
    Hopefully I will be there again on Sunday, that brings me to the question, can ANYBODY tell me when the tickets will be distributed in the Mayo clubs ?, there seems to be a communication blackout from my source there.
    Keep the 3 girls in the Gaa club, but moved the boy to a different club ( to get a fair chance playing at a higher level ), while also helping the 3 girls at the old club.
    Bring two kids to a legends tour of Croker this coming Saturday with none other than James Nallen.
    Have 2 of the girls openly supporting Mayo in their Glasnevin School.

    Like yourself Willie Joe, we might be exiled here in Dublin but have always supported the Green and Red ( although I really like the look of the black and red jerseys ).

  11. I’d like to echo Melbre’s comments about the effort the players put in, especially the Dublin based players… Just reading the article in the Indo about Ciaran Kilkenney’s difficult build up last year:

    ‘ It was just a week before the game and it wasn’t ideal but he made it work.
    “I went back (to Dublin) for one session and I just did my gym session in Gaoth Dobhair so it was alright,” he recalls. ‘

    OMG, get the violins out! Mayo players have to do this week in week out…

  12. I also got in the game in Kiltoom but I missed 2 – the game against Tyrone in the league and the drawn game vs the Rossies. That brings my total to 4,808km.

  13. Supposedly it’s 1465km from Prague to Dublin. This will be the 4th trip this summer. Rough calculation 11,920km plus the 1km to my local Irish Pub, Beckett’s, (now HQ for Mayo supporters in Prague – again mostly me).

    Glad to help Michael O Leary fund his children’s schooling when it means I am home for Mayo in the All Ireland Final .
    In both Men’s and Ladies. Fantastic. And nothing compared to the sacrifice these players and management give.

    Thanks for shortening the distance to home with this great site WJ.

    I hope to see you (and hear) you all in your thousands on Sunday. Hon Mayo!

  15. How is ticket hunt going. By all accounts sounds like dublin are taking a lot of business/corperate tickets. Even if a ticket is secured dont let up, get as many is going. Criticle they dont outnumber us sunday

  17. Foolishly I strayed onto the Indo to read some of the commentary – terrible click bait – rehash trash. Made a hasty retreat back to this site. Think I’ll sit here till it’s all over.

  18. I removed that link, Casual Observer – it’s just Indo clickbait and there’s no point drawing people’s attention to it as that’s exactly what they want. Best ignore it altogether.

  19. I have been at all matches this championship year but any chance of bonu Points W J I am following MAYO since 1966!!!!!

  20. Seniors – 17 matches totalling 4,372 kms – useful exercise. Also U21s 60kms and FBD final (Mayo not playing) 60kms. Also 30 club matches approximately 2,000 kms. Overall a very busy year. Every match also attended by my better half and most of them by my brother.

  21. But I would walk 500 miles
    And I would walk 500 more
    Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles
    To help you bring Sam in the door

  23. Grateful to have been able to follow Mayo for nearly 70 years and lucky enough to get tickets for all matches involving Mayo in Croke Park. Convinced we will win on Sunday and so am enjoying build-up without the usual nerves.Team now family with all that that entails.
    Secrets of Stephen: ‘Hardest job this year was to convince team they had to lose to Galway. Serious coaching over many sessions required.When told one would have to get himself sent off there were serious misgivings, but when advised what had to be done and target selected, all volunteered. Auditions all week at training most enjoyable and eventually outstanding winner emerged’.

  25. The first game I was at in croke park was the 1955 all ireland semi final between mayo and Dublin which ended in a draw with dublin winning the replay by a point. Then you did not need tickets to attend you just queud up.
    Since then I have rarely missed a game at heaquarters. When tickets were introduced I was fortunately a reporter and down the country my trusty press pass always got me into games. I now retired but still hopefull of getting a ticket to see ou r boys bring home sam home to where he belongs. The omen’s are good. We beat kerry in the 1951 all ireland semi final after a replay and went on to win the final. At 3 to 1 I might eBen prove the bookies wrong again and win a nice few bob.

  26. Mileage c3,500km to all championship games and all league games bar Kerry and Tyrone.

    But, hey, it’s not all about the car! Rail used to get to the Cavan league match, the in the championship, the Sligo match and the Derry match (On 8:05 from Castlebar the following morning to catch the Galway v Wexford LF).

    Bicycle used to all matches in Croker (additional ones here include 2 evening qualifiers preceding the Mayo/Ros QF), and bicycle to Houston for rail connections

    OK Wolfie (70 years), and John McHale (1955), I know when I’m beaten! My first match in Croker was the 1960 AISF replay between Down and Offaly. Down came out that day and picked up bits of grass to see which way the wind was blowing. How cool was that! 1966 was my next one (Mayo minors), ’68, ’69, ’71 &’72 and since 1977 every final including replays.

  27. Somebody is such an clown!
    Why is someone so fucking stupid to leek details to the Irish independent. …
    The headline was so predictable. .. buthese what an utter naive idiot to giverify that rag of a newspaper any info regarding Mayo GAA.

  28. SuperValu are running a competition for 2 tickets where they are dropping a football in a secret location in DUBLIN tomorrow. The person that picks it up gets 2 tickets to the match. Check out their FB Page and maybe ask them if they would consider dropping a football in MAYO as well!

  30. Mchale Park Castlebar.. x 7… .4 x league, 2 x Championship. 1 x FBD.. 150km.. Croke Park x 5….. 4, Championship & 1 League… 2500km…. ..Pearce Stadium Salthill …170km….Cusack Park Ennis.. .330 km… Gaelic Ground’s Limerick ….400km…. All told 3550km, and another 500km yet to do…. Allot of tasty and tempting food at Supermac’s…. How would that measure up to what the usual Dublin fan would travel.? …. In the last 12 years only 3 of Dublin’s championship games were outside Croke Park and that dosent mean that Dublin’s opposition gets home advantage.. Eg in 2016 Dublin travelled to Nolan Park Killkenny to play Laois, and this year they played Carlow in O Moore Park Portlaoise which was where they should have played Laois in 2016… Imagine what would happen if the Opposition got to play Dublin with home advantage???.. Surely the Sky would fall in… Couldn’t be allowed… So Dublin always gets 1..(unless they are playing Antrim) .to have the same changing room in Croke Park, 2..to come out first… 3….warm up in front of the Hill… 4 parade on the outside…. But Laois cannot play in their own ground when they play Dublin, ???…. Shortly after the championship is over the amount spent on the various teams will be made public, Mayo will not be too far away from Dublin, but a big proportion will not spent on training the teams…. It will be spent on these nessary expenses that Dublin rarely have to pay.. Mayo will by then payed the teams hotel expenses for 6 match’s in Dublin… Kerry, Tyrone, Limerick etc, don’t think Mayo stayed in a hotel for the Galway or Clare match’s… And the expense of bringing 12+ Dublin based player’s to regular training in Mayo….. The cost of keeping this Mayo team on the road is huge… Expense that Dublin don’t have….. And if that’s not bad enough the rest of the Gaels in Ireland and worldwide have paid for Croke Park, that Dublin gets to use as a home ground ….. If you go into detail you can see just how much the ‘Dice is Loaded’…. It’s the same in terms of the travelling costs for Mayo fans in comparison to the Dublin fan’s… Is it any wonder, the rest of Ireland wants Mayo to win!

  31. Dublin have no problem planning such an event and nobody bats an eyelid about it – isn’t that one of the reasons why there’s no big screen in Smithfield.

    Why shouldn’t Mayo plan a victorious homecoming? This team is as good as any we’ve ever had maybe even better. It’s time for us to be confident. Every other year we have been too cautious to tempt fate. We should anticipate success. I am.

  32. Is that your car, Willie Joe? it’s sure as hell a very fine spraying job, especially with the Mayo Crest on the doors and the bonnet.

    My measly traveling consisted of one League match in MacHale Park v Cavan which we lost, our Championship match v Sligo and the drawn matches and replays v Roscommon and Kerry, and living in Dublin they didn’t clock up too many miles. So I guess when you compare that to some of the above, I hardly qualify as a supporter at all.

  34. Thank you very much once again Willie Joe for this wonderful site which keeps us up to date on all Mayo football affairs, especially if we don’t feel so well,I am glad but not surprised that Stephen has proved such a successful manager,I have spoken to a lot of Corofin players and supporters who really rate him,and am confident that Sunday evening he will have guided Mayo to the top ,he has of course an outstanding team as well,we should have realized after the squad and management sat down and decided to go again that they would not settle for second, so on Sunday I fully expect Mayo to win a lot easier that people expect,by five or six at least and really prove that they are by far the best team.just to let John Cuffe know I read his first of many books and really enjoyed it

  35. Monaghan League match – 388
    Cavan League match – 388
    Dublin League match – 108
    Donegal League match – 388
    Sligo championship – 294
    Galway championship – 336
    Derry championship – 294
    Cork championship – 86
    Roscommon championship (draw) – 514
    Roscommon championship (replay) – 514
    Kerry championship (draw) – 514
    Kerry Championship (replay) – 514
    Total: 4,338
    Worth every kilometre!!
    Missed my first championship game (Clare in Ennis) since New York in ’14 and Cork in ’11 for frigging Coldplay. The shame.

  36. When i decided a number of years ago to go for the season ticket a big part of that decision was based on location. I guess i’m lucky to be centrally located and that cuts down a lot on the millage. I go to the MacHale park league games and avoid the long distance trips to say Austin Stacks or Healy. I try to get to most of the championship games but missed the Roscommon one’s but still managed to get to 13 out of the 17 bringing me well over the 60% attendance requirement to get the all important golden ticket. It has been an interesting exercise and I cant believe that it totaled to 3168km but then again i would travel the same again in a heart beat.

  38. Have not done the km check but have been to all game all year. Safe to say we would drive as far as we had to for Sam to come home.

  40. I was under the impression, the Gaa is about the club and those people who put so much effort, time and money into keeping it afloat, without those people they would be no county team. I’m sick reading about those people who feel they have a god given right to get a ticket. people who are not members of a club and probably never been to a club game ,should they have a ticket before the players, coaches, those who cut the grass clean the club house, people who give their saturday night up to sell the club lotto, tickets etcetc. all volunteers Its no good just going to see the county play, the grassroots has to looked after as well. I will quite confidently say all clubs in Mayo has looked after the workers in their club.

  41. i agree with you Norris wholeheartedly about all those volunteers should get tickets for the All Ireland Final

  43. James Fleming, that would leave. One thousand for Derry and for Kerry.. Some great gaa people and their counties have never contested an All Ireland final… Do they deserve a chance?.. I think 25 housand for each of the senior teams County’s,.. And 5.thousand for the minor teams… That leaves approximately 12thousand “” “for other worthy people…, over,,, 10 “thousand seat’s are already predestined for long term.. Premier and Corporate seats..

  45. From Belmullet so even Mac Hale park is a journey!! 🙁 flew back from Spain early for the replay also, at all league games except Monaghan and all the championship.. I’m afraid to put the number in writing in case the missus sees it and uses it in a divorce court some day!!
    What is the story with tickets this year, they are exponentially harder to get this year.. last year was almost trying to give them away before the final and the replay, this year can not even locate one! Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

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