Match of the Day Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 I was just thinking what would happen if one of the uni teams won the league. There teams change every year so they could have a good team one season then bad the next depending on who stays or leaves uni. Plus there not proper clubs like the rest and if they cant go up whats the point in being in the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinabear Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 I think uni teams could in the right circumstances be a positive for the league. Look at some of the huge crowds college sports get in America. There is in theory large fanbases for Stirling and Edinburgh, bigger than many of the other LL teams infact. Whether this happens or not is another matter I think you can still play for uni teams even after you've graduated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen Archer (Raconteur) Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 I was just thinking what would happen if one of the uni teams won the league. There teams change every year so they could have a good team one season then bad the next depending on who stays or leaves uni. Plus there not proper clubs like the rest and if they cant go up whats the point in being in the league. Neither are Sevco and Livingston. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinabear Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 35,000 students at Edinburgh and 11,000 at Stirling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sureiknow Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 They can go up and a lot of their players are not students I believe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 Extraordinary. You'll actually find that university squads are far more stable than most part-time clubs: they retain their players for 4 or 5 years (or even longer - most of them allow a certain number of staff, alumni, etc) with a small turnover each year. If you did a comparison of university squads, versus those of other clubs in SPFL1 & 2, HL and LL, then I'd be very confident that the average retention and longevity in uni squads would be higher... What makes them not 'proper' clubs? They represent a community, and meet all the required criteria. If one ever wins the league and playoffs they will go up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burnie_man Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 35,000 students at Edinburgh and 11,000 at Stirling Yet next to nobody watches them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Old Northerner Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 They represent a community, A fairly transient one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaffenThinMint Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 A fairly transient one... No more transient that that of certain football clubs when their team's aren't winning. And what about those clubs whose fanbase is largely miles away from their ground? Queen's University Belfast have been bobbing around the second and third tiers of Northern Irish football since 1910, University College Dublin in Eire's first and second tiers since 1979. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parkgatequeens Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 UNAM in Mexico get huge crowds for home games Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Agent Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 Hamilton Accies, I believe, were essentially a school team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillonearth Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 College sports are huge in the States, mostly in secondary markets not big enough to attract an NFL/NBA etc franchise. Nearer to home, a good proportion of the top club rugby sides have their roots as FP clubs. Glasgow Uni might eventually attract a Edinburgh/Stirling size crowd were they to play out of the Science Park, but playing in Airdrie 15 miles away from the West End is never going to be conducive to attracting people to attend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ONeils40yarder Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 Hamilton Accies, I believe, were essentially a school team. ...some schools have bigger attendances Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geo87 Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 What kind of crowds do Edin and striking unis get on average? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bully Wee Villa Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 Do they only pick students or could they have ex-students or even people who have never studied there? I only ask this as I remember reading an article about Metropolitan Police FC and they said they had quite a few non-coppers in the team due to lack of numbers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillonearth Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 What kind of crowds do Edin and striking unis get on average? Actual paying customers, a few dozen tops, obviously more for Scottish Cup games and so on. Stirling aren't helped by playing at Forthbank which is several miles from the actual campus. Although Edinburgh is a huge university, the demographic of the student body isn't in their favour in terms of building a support, with a very high percentage from overseas and down south. The rugby team seem to do okay for crowds there though, so the class thing might be coming into play there as well, as a disproportionate amount of upper middle class types who don't strike you as football fans go to Edinburgh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 Each club has its own regulations. Usually all current students and staff are allowed, and there are quotas for alumni (I think Edinburgh's is 4?). Heriot-Watt also allow Currie Star players (their local youth link-up), and Stirling apparently allow a small quota of unconnected players. I attended Edinburgh Uni v Preston a fortnight ago and was surprised by the crowd, comfortably over 100 and many older fans, women and kids. I've been to Stirling a couple of times - last games of season v BSCG last season, Dalbeattie this season - and it was higher double figures. As said a good proportion will be 2nd XI, 3rd XI, committee etc. and won't pay in. Of course everyone comes out of the woodwork for a big Scottish Cup tie. I recall Edinburgh taking several coachloads to Cowdenbeath about 10yrs ago, and from the figures available they get decent turn-outs. Often the ties come too early in the season for them to progress far. Home ties since 2004: Glasgow University 2004-05 v Brechin City - 451 2007-08 v Buckie - 229 2008-09 v Vale of Leithen - 156 2009-10 v Girvan - 116 2010-11 v Burntisland - 120 2011-12 v Cove - 170 2012-13 v Selkirk - 70 2014-15 v Cove - 112 Edinburgh University 2006-07 v Keith - 1,000 2007-08 v Deveronvale - 348 2008-09 v Civil Service - ?? 2009-10 v Vale of Leithen - 164 2010-11 v Brora - 250 2011-12 v Whitehill - 250 2012-13 v St Cuthbert - ?? 2013-14 v Spartans - 200 2014-15 v Hurlford - 144 (at Preston) University of Stirling 2012-13 v Bonnyrigg - 598 2014-15 v Albion Rovers - 292 2015-16 v Queen's Park - 394 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burnie_man Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Just looking through some of this seasons programmes; Edin Uni v Edin City - 80 Stirling Uni v Edin City - 60 Edin Uni v Whitehill W - 55 Stirling Uni v Whitehill W - 68 Maybe Preston brought a big travelling support! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted May 13, 2016 Share Posted May 13, 2016 Just telling you how it was on that particular day. Stand was reasonably filled and they'd sold-out of programmes before I arrived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcastle broon Posted May 13, 2016 Share Posted May 13, 2016 Just looking through some of this seasons programmes; Edin Uni v Edin City - 80 Stirling Uni v Edin City - 60 Edin Uni v Whitehill W - 55 Stirling Uni v Whitehill W - 68 Maybe Preston brought a big travelling support! And ye wonder why some were holding back from entering........ Don't think anyone on this forum has ever denied the size of crowds in the LL. What's yer obsession Burnie_man ? You said on another forum the LL doesn't bother ye. It clearly does ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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