25/02/2015, 12:35 AM
A new proposal by the FAI led by high performance director Ruud Dokter to move all schoolboy leagues to summer soccer is a worrying development for both the GAA and soccer in my opinion. It will weaken both codes and the only winner will be the Rugby clubs who will have all the winter months to themselves. Delaney and co would want to realise that they are not Living in Scandinavia.

record (Limerick) - Posts: 129 - 09/06/2015 11:40:03    1734529

Record, as far as I know it is not just underage, it is the junior leagues too.

If this goes ahead it will be chaotic.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 09/06/2015 11:55:23    1734544

record
County: Limerick
Posts: 83

1734529
25/02/2015, 12:35 AM
A new proposal by the FAI led by high performance director Ruud Dokter to move all schoolboy leagues to summer soccer is a worrying development for both the GAA and soccer in my opinion. It will weaken both codes and the only winner will be the Rugby clubs who will have all the winter months to themselves. Delaney and co would want to realise that they are not Living in Scandinavia.

There has been summer soccer in Mayo for 20 years, but we all know which sport is top dog there. It doesn't necessarily follow that everyone's going to switch to rugby in winter- after all, a lot of schoolboy GAA and soccer is also played then.

I can see why they would want to go in this direction, given the improved quality of playing surfaces at that time of year. Remember also that this is merely a proposal at this stage, with no guarantee of being voted through, so I wouldn't worry too much, just yet.

Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 09/06/2015 12:14:30    1734557

This would really affect GAA in urban areas, Probably the last thing Leinster needed anyway with soccer being so popular in the likes of Louth, Wicklow and Kildare.

Victorious87 (Wicklow) - Posts: 597 - 09/06/2015 12:42:06    1734581

I'd say Delaney's days are numbered now anyway so it may not be an issue if justice prevails.

SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2385 - 09/06/2015 12:55:02    1734591

It will affect some clubs in smaller parish's too. Some small clubs have the same lads playing both codes. In some area the soccer is playing at a higher level than the GAA and the reverse in other areas. I know one or two GAA clubs in Donegal that would really struggle to put out a GAA team if the soccer game was on at the same time.

Tir Conaill Abu (Donegal) - Posts: 1671 - 09/06/2015 13:18:34    1734604

Typical idiotic FAI

Jack_Goff (Meath) - Posts: 2920 - 09/06/2015 14:09:38    1734651

record,

"A new proposal by the FAI led by high performance director Ruud Dokter to move all schoolboy leagues to summer soccer is a worrying development for both the GAA and soccer in my opinion. It will weaken both codes and the only winner will be the Rugby clubs who will have all the winter months to themselves. Delaney and co would want to realise that they are not Living in Scandinavia."

Yer man is Dutch, not Scandanavian.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 09/06/2015 14:19:54    1734656

I know he is Dutch. It is the FAI copying Norway with their Summer football is what i am referring to. The whole thing will be a disaster if this proposal goes through. Making a young child make a decision between GAA and soccer is awful unfair. If they play both it will lead to player burnout and then they will have nothing to do in the winter apart from playing computer games. I hope this madness doesn't go ahead. The Dublin District League are in favour. I'm not sure bit there probably isn't a big overlap between both sports there. It will seriously damage Limerick city GAA if it goes ahead.

record (Limerick) - Posts: 129 - 09/06/2015 15:28:05    1734707

Ah fair enough, lad! You're right - in Scandinavia "winter sports" are the big sports during the winter. No point trying to compete with that so it makes sense to play soccer then. I actually started a thread here a while ago on the same topic because while kids here will choose Gaelic or soccer some will try to combine both & that will probably be the end of hurling here. The soccer season has being getting later & later here every year anyway. After U14 grade it mostly disappears altogether but in the mean time those kids who prioritised it are often lost to Gaelic Games.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 09/06/2015 15:59:39    1734728

GAA club players are lying idle in summer months. If the FAI are bringing in change, it'll really force the GAA to take a serious look at the club scene.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 7822 - 09/06/2015 20:55:25    1734873

Yeah the two most played sports going head to head. The only winner is the rugby.

Jack_Goff (Meath) - Posts: 2920 - 09/06/2015 21:31:15    1734898

GAA will probably whinge about this rather than doing something proactive like ensuring bucket loads of games.At least one every week for it's at all levels of the club game.We have an obsession with training and knockout championship rather than giving the players the only thing they want which is playing matches.Players should have a minimum of 30 matches per year to play at all levels.

I played 3 years of adult football and 95% of the agmes I played were between February and June.One year the season was finshed in the first week of June.

If the GAA was actually a well run organisation this wouldn't be a huge issue but because it is so badly run it probably will be a massive issue for the GAA.

uibhfhaili1986 (Offaly) - Posts: 1296 - 09/06/2015 21:55:06    1734926

The Dublin District schoolboys clubs voted to go for Summer soccer for the 2017 season. How is this faring out so far regarding clash with GAA season ect. ?

record (Limerick) - Posts: 129 - 12/05/2017 11:39:00    1986158

the proposal makes perfect sense....from a soccer point of view.

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 12/05/2017 12:08:55    1986191

i understand its going ahead as well

-could easily have an effect on soccer too as some lads may pick gaa over soccer. In the main it probably wont be an issue as most youngsters play with a local club and a lot of times the local gaa/rugby/soccer clubs deliberately pick separate days for training to facilitate those who want to play different sports - that in my view is the correct attitude

in my own club (rural co limerick) there is no issue with clashing with rugby and soccer as we train and play games at times which dont usually clash. Big threat im seeing at early underage level (under 6/7/8) is from swimming/karate/taekwondo parents telling me they aint going training coz they doing say swimming tonight . now i dont have any problem at all with somebody choosing one sport over another , but thats what im noticing

janesboro (Limerick) - Posts: 1502 - 12/05/2017 12:10:01    1986192

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 12/05/2017 12:12:18    1986195

In my opinion it is a big mistake by the soccer authorities. The rugby crowd must be laughing to themselves. They have from October to March all to themselves now. Irish soccer made a big mistake years ago moving the League of Ireland to Summer. All they had to do was get their pitches in order developing all weather ect. Its time for the GAA and Soccer people to get together and try and organise separate nights for training and matches. This might be possible in single code counties like Dinegal and Mayo but dual counties like Limerick and Cork will be in big trouble.

record (Limerick) - Posts: 129 - 12/05/2017 13:11:12    1986212

Mayonman (Galway) - Posts: 1826 - 12/05/2017 14:00:25    1986240

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 12/05/2017 17:39:13    1986310