At the expense of swans survival in the premier league ? So let's ask this question instead, would you prefer the swans to stay up, or Wales to win the rugby world cup ?
I am surprised by the comments above. I was expecting "3 Points for the Swans" to be an easy winner - just proves how wrong you can be! My own view - I would take the 3 points. For the Swans, staying in the Premiership is our "World Cup Final". I don't go to see Wales play rugby any more so watching the Swans is more personal to me.
Thats a tough question....ask me if we get past the French on the weekend I watch them both and am a massive supporter of both, always have been and always will be. Asking me that question is like asking me if i had kids which one is my favourite (hypothetically obviously as i dont have kids but the principle stands lol )
Dai: "rugby the number one sport of the nation and always will be" A commom myth. A good indicator is how many people go and watch these respective sports. We're great at international level but club and regional rugby is pretty crap. At International level all the egg chasing 'fans' come out of the woodwork, particularly when we're having a resurgence like right now. I'm one of them because I like to see us do well at any sport. Wales are also in the top 5 teams in the world - a remarkable feat for such a small nation. But how many games do Wales play every year? At football we are minnows internationally and imo this is due to the fact that football has been historically ignored in schools at the expense of rugby. But at club level far more people watch football - and by a massive margin. Compared the Ospreys crowds to the Swans lately? Or the Blues to Cardiff City? No contest.
Of course football is the number one sport in not only Wales but the UK as a whole no other sport comes close
There are many factors affecting the sale of tickets for regional rugby. Mainly the price especially compared to the quality of some of the opposition (Just shy of what the swans are charging now!) plus quality of the home team given that in large chunks of the seasons the best players are playing internationals. You will nearly always get a an good sized crowd down there for the games for Heiniken Cup and local derbies against Newport, Blues and Scarlets and usually the top irish teams, but you are right, the demand is no where near what they have for the football But i think it balances out again a bit if you go lower that large club level to smaller clubs (eg Afan Lido for football and Bridgend for Rugby) and then lower again to grass roots level/local clubs etc. In my experience there is a lot more support for the rugby than the football. Be interesting if we could get actual figures but thats just me
Naughty Jager... a horrible question! Unlike some, I am a fan of both sports. I couldn't decide on a personal level, but the fact that winning the World Cup would be a shot in the arm for the whole nation due to rugby being ingrained in the nation's psyche, as opposed to a single city edges it (just). I would insist on a clause that the Swans went straight back up though!
football has never been or will ever be the no1 sport in wales, dont argue because its a proven fact, i know you always like to say the opposit to whatever i say as no doubt others have bound to of picked up on that but you are definately 100%wrong.
Ok where are the proven facts ? And dai I don't always say the opposite to you in some things we agree
Its a well known fact that rugby supporters out weigh football supporter at matches throughout wales. i told you I'm more knowledgeable than you or aussie...
So we get 20k at home games, bluebirds about 25k , tell me which games get more than that ? The fact is football is more widely supported across the country
If it was straight down to one or the other Premiership survival...................................................................But it's not going to be an issue
Can see both sides of the argument. At international level the rugby team will have a bigger fanbase than the football team. Why ? Who knows, maybe it's because of the pissed up valley girls you see at international matches dressed up like the Welsh equivalent of those Russian dolls or them again maybe not ! At club level the Ospreys,Blues, Dragons and Scarlets cannot live with the support ourselves and Cardiff can generate both home or away. For two consecutive seasons 40,000 fans went to Wembley to follow the football clubs. That support is something the regions could only dream of. Rugby fans will pick Wales and football fans would chose the Swans so it's pointless arguing about it really, let's just hope both win. Food for thought though, who is in sporting terms is doing more to raise the profile of our country on the World map, the rugby teams exploits in NZ or the Swans competing in the PL ?
Everything as it's two or three times as much as the best rugby sides in Wales , on the amateur side of the games there are equally a huge amount of games played and support of the sides. The fact remains that there is a huge amount of support for football in Wales, the only time rugby can match it is during the 6 nations and if we play the southern teams in friendlies, so maybe 8-10 games a year. The swans and bluebirds play about 50 games a year apiece, and generally they sell most of their seats out, so what does that tell you ?
Its a weird one as it is skewed at all levels. Based this year's averages International level: Football - 25,822 Rugby - 74,276 Top Club level: Football - 41,942 (Swans and Cardiff) Rugby - 23,684 (Ospreys, Blues, Scarlets and Dragons) National League level (Welsh Premiership - going on this weekend attendances) Football - 1,754 Rugby - Struggling to find as it didnt come up straight away with a google search lol and its late but i will attempt to find it So if anything, id suggest that both sports are equally popular, it just depends on what level you are looking at it from!
Good arguments and Stats though ultimately we want all Welsh teams to win don't we?. Well maybe most? Anyway, hopefully Saturday will be a great day for Wales, victory over the French and a fine first away win against Norwich for the Swans and with all other Welsh teams successful then maybe the press here in the USA will print more photo's of the ratarsed drunks in Cardiff which are always good for a laugh.
"....ultimately we want all Welsh teams to win don't we?" Well I hope so. Dai, I don't disagree with you just out of devilment because it's you - that's just your paranoia. I do agree with you from time to time as you know. You just happen to be wrong most of the time.
Swansea by far....much more important to the majority of a football supporting city....no 1 sport in Swansea must come first every time in top competitions and the premier league is huge. Swansea first welsh second.....
there are more rugby supporters in wales than football supporters..<fact> ...go and watch grass routes rugby I.E penclawdd rfc, bont rfc, mumbles and you will see what i mean, overall rugby is the no1 sport of wales and it has always been that way......look at the wales match in NZ and football cant come close. The wru advertised 25,000 free tickets to watch big screens in the millennium stadium and what happened 60,000 turned up and they have had to put another huge screen in the stadium. will there be more fans that will turn up at 7.30 am to support wales....you bet your last quid there will be, and when you think its live on the tele anyway that is some support from the welsh population..... totally amazing....
