Time for an Offaly GAA Merchandise Shop in O'Connor Park

[kinnittyman]

I was just browsing the oneills.com website and I must say the Offaly gear on there is fantastic. The only problem I have with buying O'Neills gear online is that the sizes can be fairly inconsistent year on year and you would really need to try the stuff on.

Surely there is an opening in O'Connor Park to have something like a "Club Shop" for match days where official merchandise is on sale. With the Senior County Finals coming up surely this would be a indeal time to give this a couple of trial runs and hopefully extend it to Offaly league games in the Spring and onto (hopefully) championship games in the Summer.

[bracknaghboy]

Kinnittyman, you are on the ball here. I was calling for this also years ago this very forum. Not only should there be a well stocked shop in OCP but the county board website should have an online shop. The new OCP is there 6 years now and its incredible to think there isn't a shop in it. There is a large room under the stand where auld ones drink tea before and during games......I'd scrap that and put the shop in there. Sure they'd make a fortune. Its unlikely to happen considering the county board won't even update the fixtures and results on the website never sell county merchandise. But yeah its a great idea.

[Abercrombie Fitch]

I'd agree wholeheartedly. There's a lot to be said for trying on gear. I bought a windcheater/training top and got a large and its definitely an xxl. Had hardship sending it back to the UK I might add.

[kingscounty]

I was just browsing the oneills.com website and I must say the Offaly gear on there is fantastic. The only problem I have with buying O'Neills gear online is that the sizes can be fairly inconsistent year on year and you would really need to try the stuff on.

Surely there is an opening in O'Connor Park to have something like a "Club Shop" for match days where official merchandise is on sale. With the Senior County Finals coming up surely this would be a indeal time to give this a couple of trial runs and hopefully extend it to Offaly league games in the Spring and onto (hopefully) championship games in the Summer.

excellent idea kinnittyman, . i to have bought gear off the oneills website and it doesnt always fit great. plenty of room in o connor park for a good decent shop.

[DAF]

Definitley should be done.Also every club jersey in the county should be on sale in it.

[TheManFromFerbane]

Definitley should be done.Also every club jersey in the county should be on sale in it.

+1

[True Red]

Fully concur with this. I have been to a good few sporting events and done stadium tours in different countries and the first/final port of call before i leave was always the stadium shop to buy whatever team jersey the stadium was affiliated to as a reminder of the trip.

Its a no brainer from the county boards point of view and should have been in situ a long time ago. It might invole an initial outlay in terms of buying stock from O'neills etc but on big match days they would make it back 10 fold.

[Bord na Mona man]

There is a risk in stocking up on certain items like jersies. If they don't sell, the County Board would be stuck with them. Most of the other stuff (pens, mugs, keyrings ) would be timeless.
Also the CB could start sourcing these merchandise items direct off various manufacturers. Lads in China make this sort of stuff for cents.

Alteratively you could charge someone like Elverys a few bob to set up their own stall on match days.
There is probably more to be made from direct selling though.

[Daleamar]

I dont think you are being realistic lads. A sports shop in O Connor park? Go down the town and ask the sports shops how much Offaly/Gaa merchandise they sell? Its not feasible.

Would you take a staduim tour of O Connor park and buy merchandise at the end? Get real lads.

Letting elveries or preferably a shop from within the county sell gear there. That may work. Maybe a few times a year.... I doubt those selling "hats, flags and headbands" would be too happy!

[Daleamar]

Also on big match days where you might concievably sell some gear, you dont have the freedom to go between the terraces and stand, so thats ruling out about half (at least) of the potential customers.

Every club jersey should be on sale? The county board has no input what so ever into the purchase of jerseys at club level. So how can this happen?.... A person would have to be employed full time as it would be a lot of work going to clubs for designs and it wouldnt be all o' neills. Not at all feasible either.

If you want a club jersey I would suggest you go to your own club and get the designs, then find enough people to buy one to make it feasible (a lot of work, isnt it?)

[Bord na Mona man]

I dont think you are being realistic lads. A sports shop in O Connor park? Go down the town and ask the sports shops how much Offaly/Gaa merchandise they sell? Its not feasible.

Impulse buying.

[Daleamar]

I dont think you are being realistic lads. A sports shop in O Connor park? Go down the town and ask the sports shops how much Offaly/Gaa merchandise they sell? Its not feasible.

Impulse buying.

ha ha. You should go on dragons den.

[manfromdelmonte]

Put an Offaly GAA museum into O'Connor Park as well as the merchandise shop. There's a huge history there to be told in print, video, audio, images and items of historic value.
That would draw a few tourists and native Offaly people in.

O'Neills themselves have shops up the north. A partnership deal with them could work.

[DAF]

I dont think you are being realistic lads. A sports shop in O Connor park? Go down the town and ask the sports shops how much Offaly/Gaa merchandise they sell? Its not feasible.

Would you take a staduim tour of O Connor park and buy merchandise at the end? Get real lads.

Letting elveries or preferably a shop from within the county sell gear there. That may work. Maybe a few times a year.... I doubt those selling "hats, flags and headbands" would be too happy!

I don't think anyone is talking about a massive superstore, just a stall like the Elverys stalls they have in Croke Park. The Offaly County Board could do a similar thing whenever Offaly have a match in Tullamore or at county finals.Even though O'Connor Park is an excellent ground some of it is very badly organised.They didn't have the mens Toilets at the far end of the stand open last week,they never seem to open the entrance/exit at the far end of the stand either and the seemed to have forgotten that some people do like to have some soap to wash their hands with after they go to the toilet

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

Ah Jays DAF? OConnor park badly organised?

There are loads of toilet space open to cater for the crowds in general in OConnor park, and opening the other entrance would lead to more manpower to man it.
Reality is its very hard to get enough stewards to cover off the matches in there, and compared to many of the other provincial grounds, it is very well run.

Only argument I would have is that if there is any sort of a crowd there it can be hard to get the mug of tay, and the auld sambos are muck be times.

Do feel there could be some sort of stall there. Get the clubs to nominate people to take turns to run it, and sell some of the gear from each club, depending on who is playing? Let the clubs get the benefit from the club gear thats sold, and the county gear sales can go back in to the county board.
Clubs could buy the merchandise themselves if they feel it could be sold there.
However, I would question whether people going to club games would hand out 20e for a polo shirt, and 40e at least for a jersey on impulse. Lads whinge all the time about the entrance fee.!