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has the gaa ever had such a list of issues to sort out as it has in the next few years? perfect10 (Wexford) - Posts: 3929 - 12/09/2018 10:47:13 2141177 Link 3 |
Superb post,I was just thinking the same thing myself. ifindoubt (Donegal) - Posts: 133 - 12/09/2018 12:45:29 2141212 Link 2 |
The GAA have no interest with club level, it doesn't bring in enough money to headquarters. Its the same with a lot of county boards, everything ploughed into elite county teams and county finals being played at Christmas. I can't see it changing anytime soon either. Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 1913 - 12/09/2018 12:50:03 2141213 Link 3 |
Agreed, very good tread. Ban (Westmeath) - Posts: 1415 - 12/09/2018 13:49:26 2141228 Link 2 |
Tommy Walsh said recently that the way things are going, there won't be club hurling in 10 years time, it will just be "elite" inter-county hurling. Probably could say the same for football. An exaggeration maybe, but not unthinkable. ballydalane (Kilkenny) - Posts: 1246 - 12/09/2018 14:44:37 2141246 Link 0 |
the only way the gaa will listen is if people cut the hand that feeds them. perfect10 (Wexford) - Posts: 3929 - 12/09/2018 16:16:35 2141267 Link 0 |
When the Club players association are refereed to as "that other crows" or a nutty crowd by the powers that be in the GAA then what do you expect? tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1351 - 12/09/2018 17:09:18 2141278 Link 0 |
If the rules state that players are from or living in a county why doesn't the same rule apply to Managers and Coaches? Inaroundehouse (Cavan) - Posts: 975 - 12/09/2018 17:15:08 2141279 Link 1 |
Other "Crowd" even!
tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1351 - 12/09/2018 17:16:28 2141280 Link 0 |
Very hard to disagree with anything you say there as always it is how you go about tackling these things. The process for change is NOT a process for change, it is a process designed to do anything but change. I cannot see how it is going to survive unless there is a complete root and branch reform and overhaul of the games. The GAA has to compete with Rugby and Soccer for instances to survive but the attractions these sports provide to the spectator are trying to be replicated by the GAA. Too much emphasis is placed on other sports as a justification for doing things. We need a vibrant relevant local game to generate the players, we need a vibrant county game, the problems are the contradictions at the heart of it all. We want the county games more local yet we do not have the local venues to provide it. But the biggest problem is doing absolutely nothing because doing nothing is just killing our games. When players are virtual prisoners on a county team such sacrifices without reward are not sustainable. You cannot expect county players to put their lives on hold in the way we do. The GAA needs to commission outside people from outside the sport to redesign the structures, setup, look at rules and formulate some serious restructuring. Right now everyone is loggerheads, the GAA is actually screaming out for vision and leadership and sadly the current setup cannot provide it.
arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4898 - 12/09/2018 18:37:36 2141289 Link 1 |
Went through the crossroads long ago, now driving down a cul de sac. Club game is in serious decline from Minor level upwards, the drop out rate is massive, some lads have had no games for four months this year. Leadership is very poor at the top, retired & current. You can add some other disgraces to the list, 1/ the fact that Congress saw fit to dismiss the CPA despite its numbers representing clubs & dismissed & mocked its motion on openness & transparency. There is something seriously wrong with an organisation that sees fit to dismiss transparency, it hides things & allows the corrupt GAA politics thrive. 2/ Laughable to watch a senior figure who was involved in negotiations with SKY who had no subscription, knew nothing about them & doesn't watch games on TV & yet signed a deal that has not lived up to any of the stated claims made at the time by the GAA. 3/ The failure to fine InterCounty teams who openly defied the training ban for April, just showed that despite all their bluster they have no respect nor had any intention of definitively making April for clubs. To allow county managers & players make the most outlandish "dog ate my homework" excuses for their training camps & accept that shows utter contempt. 4/ How the GPA who represent less than 1% of membership are given millions per annum & a percentage of all commercial GAA revenue, elitism at its worst in an organisation that is supposed to treat all as equal with its amateur ethos that is in its regulations. You could keep listing but what's the point, those at senior level don't care. Most people got out at the crossroads & don't care about it any more, apathy is now rife. Clubs, selflessness, togetherness, community, volunteerism are all dead or dying, replaced by politics, dishonesty & greed. It will eventually devour itself, good luck to it, it has gone beyond change & wont change. Look at how a great Gael like Colm O Rourke who has contributed on the ground at club, school & inter county level, who has made very good suggestions yet he has been openly named, dismissed & mocked by those at the top, if Colm gains no respect, what contempt do the hold the rest of us in.
Uimhir.a.3. (Galway) - Posts: 409 - 12/09/2018 19:31:44 2141292 Link 1 |
Whilst hugely controversial and against the founding ethos of the GAA, does the GAA now need to accept how far it has come as an organisation? Would there be a problem of running an intercounty season alongside a club season? Breaking down the issues we would need to split inter county (football) teams into two competitions - 16 and 16. Drop the national league and Provincial Championships and have two groups of 8 with home and away games. Have a system where there is play offs at the end with All Ireland finals over by the start of August (start in Febuary) and run through spring and summer with promotion and relegation. Clubs could plan their leagues knowing they won't have inter county players until club Championships which could start in August and run through to November. Yes it would result in some form of elitism where inter county players are brought away from clubs for most of the year. The current situation of one foot in, one foot out is actually the problem why club games are not taking place. Whatever the GAA do inter county teams will have priority within successful counties. Imagine the club league starting in March with no interuptions right through to August, club football whilst minus inter county players would have a continious season. With at least 14 big games each at intercounty against teams of their own level every player selected for the county will have game time due to the intense nature of the Championship. This will result in club and county players having game time and a planned programme but still room for the same club championships come August. I do think GAA people need to allow our best players to play against each other in big stadiums, with big audiances but also to allow club players the room to continue local GAA games. There is room for both. At the minute we are trying to square a circle and making a complete mess. sam1884 (UK) - Posts: 999 - 12/09/2018 21:21:16 2141311 Link 0 |
This will not be a popular opinion but I think the most stable solution is to try to move towards a National club league style model. Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4240 - 13/09/2018 07:21:51 2141333 Link 2 |
In this instance the GAA is probably right. I stated here when they were put together that it was farcical that we are being represnted in the majority by former intercounty players/managers. They havent had the same exposure to the issues the bog standard club player has. The CPA havent been heard of all summer despite the farcicial April month of the club and numerous other issues! There's a good reason why club standard has dropped and its less common now to see decent size club panels at games and who could blame them. A brillaint hurling champioship is masking the reality of a game that's dying from the bottom up. On a side note and with the risk of contradicting myself... its interesting that in the majority the counties that are winning and reaching all ireland's have cities in their counties. Not any kind of a dig at Dublin but the is GAA in cities like Limerick, Waterford and possibly to a lesser extent Galway growing stronger? tiobraid (Tipperary) - Posts: 4119 - 13/09/2018 08:46:57 2141337 Link 0 |
Club leagues are being played in most counties throughout the summer. In Monaghan, where the county team have had a very busy year, all football clubs have played 14 league games and a few championship games as well I think. If you play hurling you can add another 9 games on top of that. So even though we are only in the 2nd week of September a dual club player in Monaghan could have played 25 games. As the competitions started in late March that averages a game a week roughly. In Dublin 14 league games have been played in football and 11 in hurling. Even if you only play 1 sport you are getting a game every 2 weeks on average. I wonder what county has had the least number of club games so far this year?
Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 13/09/2018 10:24:03 2141357 Link 0 |
The worst thing that is often said on this debate is to play the club games without county players (apart from some league games obviously). You cannot punish clubs for producing good players by taking them away from these clubs completely. A better solution would be to scrap inter-county football altogether, it's not fit for purpose at the minute anyway Northsidegaels (Meath) - Posts: 237 - 13/09/2018 10:39:00 2141362 Link 0 |
Some great posts here and the common thread here is the massive frustration and apathy that exists in the GAA today. I've been a club administrator for the past 10 years and truly the GAA is rapidly declining as an organisation. For me the GAA has become a two tier organisation county and club or more accurately Master and Slave. The county master is devouring all before it and club slaves are completely subservient to the county scene. I'm not sure the organisation as currently structured is fit for purpose. Some reforms I would like to see: Brendanj (Westmeath) - Posts: 67 - 13/09/2018 11:57:28 2141381 Link 1 |
Good posts all round. The problem with the GAA, is there are too many corners looking after their own patch. There is no reasoning with many managers, coaches, etc who pull players all over the place without ever thinking about their welfare. StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 1737 - 13/09/2018 12:38:34 2141395 Link 0 |
All manner of problems would be solved by there simply being one committee making fixtures for the whole country, rather than the current hodge-podge of random games. extranjero (Wexford) - Posts: 375 - 13/09/2018 13:04:50 2141405 Link 0 |
I would say in the next 10 years we are going to see more Irish born soccer players coming through. For 20 years the GAA has dominated the sporting landscape in Ireland. As the club game suffers and declines I think more and more kids will switch codes. The clubs have to take some of the blame themselves, it's not all Croke Park's fault. I had young nephews that were told ,if you play soccer you won't be picked for GAA, good young players they walked away. cluichethar (Mayo) - Posts: 454 - 13/09/2018 15:27:38 2141483 Link 0 |