HoganStand GAA Football and Hurling

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Could the GAA go professional?

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It could be done but it would have to be started with new teams. The football and hurling county teams could be left amateur for whoever wants to stick with tradition can play. Then you could make a professional football league with 8 teams to start off with. 2 Dublin city teams (north/south) 1 Leinster team 1 munster team 2 Uslter teams 2 Connacht teams brisbane (Galway) - Posts: 674 - 14/05/2019 01:13:46 2183866 Link
Replying To brisbane: "It could be done but it would have to be started with new teams. The football and hurling county teams could be left amateur for whoever wants to stick with tradition can play. Then you could make a professional football league with 8 teams to start off with. 2 Dublin city teams (north/south) 1 Leinster team 1 munster team 2 Uslter teams 2 Connacht teams" If that ever happens that will be the day I stop supporting the GAA...I would continue at club but outside that no interest yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11227 - 14/05/2019 17:33:39 2184056 Link
Replying To yew_tree: "If that ever happens that will be the day I stop supporting the GAA...I would continue at club but outside that no interest" A lot of people would agree with Yew Tree. thelongridge (Offaly) - Posts: 1735 - 14/05/2019 18:05:34 2184069 Link
Replying To yew_tree: "If that ever happens that will be the day I stop supporting the GAA...I would continue at club but outside that no interest" A thread resurrected 7 years after it was started. Think you would need to be on the magic mushrooms to see any merit in it or to think the proposal above would have a snowball's chance of working. PoolSturgeon (Galway) - Posts: 1902 - 14/05/2019 18:11:16 2184072 Link
Replying To yew_tree: "If that ever happens that will be the day I stop supporting the GAA...I would continue at club but outside that no interest" Couldn't agree more yew_tree. lilywhite1 (Kildare) - Posts: 2987 - 14/05/2019 18:11:59 2184073 Link
I think I'd literally never attend a game and I think many would follow suit. Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4208 - 14/05/2019 19:23:30 2184099 Link
Replying To Whammo86: "I think I'd literally never attend a game and I think many would follow suit." why would you not attend if sport was professional? And would you really stay away long term? And if you did stay away do you just mean inter county level? KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3495 - 14/05/2019 20:13:32 2184119 Link
Replying To KillingFields: "why would you not attend if sport was professional? And would you really stay away long term? And if you did stay away do you just mean inter county level?" I mean the franchise sounding system with 8 teams. There'd be nothing heart or tradition to any of those teams. Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4208 - 14/05/2019 20:38:02 2184121 Link
Looking at the balls they are making of things at the top level, going professional would be like throwing petrol on a fire of incompetence & corruption. MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 14/05/2019 21:22:20 2184135 Link
Replying To KillingFields: "why would you not attend if sport was professional? And would you really stay away long term? And if you did stay away do you just mean inter county level?" By the nature of such a set up you could have players playing that are not from your own county. I would have no interest in say a Dublin/ Meath combination / franchise team. Or a Kildare Laois Offaly combination and where would they play? Would new stadiums have to be built? lilywhite1 (Kildare) - Posts: 2987 - 14/05/2019 22:31:41 2184164 Link
The GAA is very parochial...parish against parish, town against town, county v county....I think we all identity with our county before our country. It's what makes it special, unique and despite what some may say, the GAA is the heartbeat of every town and village in Ireland. yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11227 - 14/05/2019 23:13:24 2184173 Link
A lot of the guys who quit at all levels would continue playing if they could earn a living playing football. No longer would it be just the management/backroom staff and GAA top brass getting paid brisbane (Galway) - Posts: 674 - 14/05/2019 23:25:26 2184175 Link
The market here is tiny and cannot possibly support a professional system. GeniusGerry (Kerry) - Posts: 2105 - 14/05/2019 23:43:56 2184179 Link
Replying To brisbane: "A lot of the guys who quit at all levels would continue playing if they could earn a living playing football. No longer would it be just the management/backroom staff and GAA top brass getting paid" No they wouldn't. Besides family and friends football and hurling is the love of GAA players lives. It's what they look forward to when they're working, studying, getting on with life. Making it professional means it's their job. Arguably hurling and gaelic football are the purest most noble sports in the world because they are amateur, players play for the jersey not for money. By all means give them more expenses, maybe a tax rebate at the end of their careers. But trying to turn it professional, when the GAA top brass are determined to make an elite division and not care about the lower standards will just encourage some players from weaker counties to move to elite counties for more money and glory. GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7336 - 14/05/2019 23:56:11 2184183 Link
Replying To GeniusGerry: "The market here is tiny and cannot possibly support a professional system." Exactly...what 5 million or so on a small island...the population ain't there to support a professional sport that is only played here by and large. yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11227 - 15/05/2019 18:31:13 2184376 Link
Replying To yew_tree: "Exactly...what 5 million or so on a small island...the population ain't there to support a professional sport that is only played here by and large." There will be pay for play through a central player grant system but I don't envision seeing professionals in my lifetime unless the sport is picked up overseas in a major way which is unlikely. There is a definite push back against the demands on players nowadays and I can see more and more of the better youngsters trying their luck in the AFL instead going forward. The pathway there has never been more accessible. GeniusGerry (Kerry) - Posts: 2105 - 15/05/2019 22:07:25 2184424 Link
Professionalism in sport is inevitable. It's already semi professional Will it rival soccer - certainly has the potential to be bigger than League of Ireland, Pro 14 in Ireland Anyone saying they wouldn't attend if it turns professional is talking nonsense. What would you do? Spit the dummy and go watch Soccer/ Basketball/Athletics/MMA/Rugby/Golf??????? Oops A thriving professional sport in Football is easily achievable and could be done fairly if the GAA had the Vision to take it on instead of this slow creep to a non-sustainable, semi-professional fiasco we are currently in. Even semi-pro Hurling wouldn't be sustainable in any scenario. Also, some lads talking about refusing to watch a combined team made up of 2 or 3 counties obviously hasn't been part of a club that has been forced into amalgamation to keep at the top level. Anyone ever heard of Corofin- they seem to be doing alright- fair bit of interest in them at the minute also. tirawleybaron (Mayo) - Posts: 1105 - 16/05/2019 04:04:26 2184461 Link
This again ? It aint going professional - there is simply no appetite for it and would be the end of the GAA - football especially . I'm convinced that this old chestnut comes from 1 of 3 sources 1) Non GAA folks looking to demean the heart and soul of the GAA 2) Opportunistic Media types looking for attention - an angle from which to spout forgettable nonsense. 3) Ex players or ageing players - again for attention or relevance. There is always an agenda with this.. and its nothing to do with improving our games. Finsceal (None) - Posts: 559 - 16/05/2019 10:26:04 2184499 Link
What happens to the players once they're retired from the game ? Its a short career and soccer players struggle with work and income post retirement, never mind a GAA player that would not earn near to a professional soccer player. If the game were to go professional, young lads will pursue it as a career and have little to no employable skills or educational qualifications post retirement. Then the club vs county debate arises. The county pay the wages, clubs will suffer as the county paying could give them authority to refuse the release of a club player for a game. dakid (Australia) - Posts: 284 - 16/05/2019 12:54:38 2184575 Link
What happens to the players once they're retired from the game ? Its a short career and soccer players struggle with work and income post retirement, never mind a GAA player that would not earn near to a professional soccer player. If the game were to go professional, young lads will pursue it as a career and have little to no employable skills or educational qualifications post retirement. Then the club vs county debate arises. The county pay the wages, clubs will suffer as the county paying could give them authority to refuse the release of a club player for a game. dakid (Australia) - Posts: 153 - 16/05/2019 12:54:38Why are you assuming if the sport went professional that players wouldnt have many educational qualifications or employable skills post retirement? Players would still be attending college/university and getting degrees as they wouldnt by and large be making anywhere near enough money to be able to finish after playing inter county pro sport. Rugby has top guys getting 400/500k a year and even they need to work after retirement.... Most rugby and pro sports people bar soccer players generally have degrees and are encouraged/told to study in third level by coaches to assist them afterwards. KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3495 - 16/05/2019 20:05:35 2184710 Link