So I decided to write this post to see what the story about club football and the commitments that is being looked for from club players around the country?

In my own club, we had a meeting on the 30th December this year. A code of conduct was handed out with strict guidelines as to what you can/can't do this year. No drinking for 5 days before games. Training 3 nights a week and 2 gym sessions to be done in our own time outside of these 3 nights. No holidays, stag dos during on season. No player to miss any trainings unless the circumstances are absolutely exceptional and in that case the player must do a training session in his own time. Training started on the 6th of January and we have trained 3 nights a week ever since for 2 hours. No drinking on the weekends because there is training on Friday and Sunday.

We're a junior club with a community spirit but have two 'outsiders' taking 10k each a year and the club is seriously struggling to pay so one has to ask - is the word 'community' existent in the gaa anymore? The enjoyment is gone, 10 men have left the panel since last year because of the amount of commitment that is looked of us but still the mantra is roared out at every training "THIS IS THE LEVEL OF COMMITMENT NEEDED IF YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE ANYTHING". 5 injuries already this year. Amateur sport? I don't think so.

Didn't the GAA used to be part of a healthy lifestyle where you only played to have a bit of craic with the local lads? Now it shapes your life, both on and off the field. A line has to be drawn. The game is being ruined by a load of bluffers with no experience of GAA in some cases, taking massive bucks out of rural clubs and leaving them in disarray with little success to show from it.

Is there any way back for our once great game?

Monaghansclown (Monaghan) - Posts: 174 - 08/03/2017 11:17:25    1965363

It really is a sad state of affairs when club football takes over young lives to the extent that they can't even have a drink at the weekend or go away on a stag do with their mates. The senior inter-county sides probably are no more dedicated than this. I feel some limit should be put on the amount of training club players should have to do, I don't have an answer on how to do this. Paying managers and coaches for a club team is just ridiculous.

How did we actually get to this stage? It seems the GAA have just slept-walked their way to this point. What is next - under-10's not allowed to go to a birthday party?

Green_Gold (Donegal) - Posts: 1873 - 08/03/2017 12:01:25    1965379

Great post

Crazy stuff

So glad it wasn't like that when I played, it was good to take it serious yet still have fun.

Winning games was great, losing wasn't but it was about just getting out and playing with fella's I've known since I was 8 or 9 years old.

Again, I'm happy to have had the opportunity to enjoy it.

Because I wouldn't have entertained the above. Life is about far more than the above and don't be wasting your best years with that above lark.

They go pretty quickly

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20600 - 08/03/2017 12:12:52    1965383

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 08/03/2017 12:37:52    1965393

Madness, did anyone notice on Michael Murphys toughest trade episode that players shared a drink with him over there meals. The Gaa relationship with alcohol is very dangerous. Young men and Women particularly in rural Ireland need social outlets other than their local GAA team, purley for mental health. For some people this may be music or some other other way to release tension or stress. Drink bans produce a very negative relationship with alcohol and encourages binge drinking. In my opinion a relaxed player has more opportunity of producing a good performance than a stressed one. Especially at Junior and intermediate level.

bugsie (Leitrim) - Posts: 199 - 08/03/2017 12:54:39    1965399

ridiculous that any club can dictate to players of an amateur sport what and what they cannot do during a year where club players at all levels don't know when they will even have a game to play. What would motivate any young lad to agree to these dictats especially from a couple of "outsiders" who have no loyalty to the players or the club apart from the money they will get. Money is hard to come by and to be handing out those sorts of "expenses???" is crazy and one would have to question where does it end? These figures seem to be the norm with some managers collecting maybe double this in "expenses" with no guarantee of success and then just up sticks and head off to the next club who buys into their speil. { mavericks and mercenaries } and the gaa coming out and saying that they could find no evidence of paid managers. The ostrich effect doesn't wash and it's looking more likely we will have semi pro players at county level being paid from central office before the end of this decade and to hell with the club players as they don't generate the income and will probably have a 2 tier gaa with separate officials to run each.

bulmccabe (Tyrone) - Posts: 361 - 08/03/2017 12:55:12    1965400

XPAC (Westmeath) - Posts: 86 - 08/03/2017 13:18:02    1965410

Unfortunately as long as players are willing to put up with this it will continue. People walk away but there are always those willing to put in the sacrifices for a chance of winning a Championship.

I played senior for about ten years and it was good fun. We took it seriously, won a couple of championships, but it was a hobby at the end of the day. We had good managers that didn't push things too far and understood that, shock horror, sometimes there are more important things in a players life than hurling!

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13705 - 08/03/2017 13:19:31    1965411

My Club is a Div 3 senior championship club , no contract but an understanding , new manager came in set down with lads and asked what they wanted from season , from that point meeting those expectations a plan was drawn.
In no way is it as draconian as original posters "contract" but and there is a but , we have four adult teams , two of which can absolutely be described as social teams , our second team dedicated with an element of the social side , our first team is full of young enthusiastic ambitious players fed up with failure and wanting to play at the best level possible.
My point being if its for you and you want it and you have the time and ability what's wrong with committing to playing at the highest standard you can , equally there should always be room in any club for a person who just wishes to PLAY

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 08/03/2017 13:23:27    1965413

with the greatest respect - Yous are mugs for complying with this nonsense. Whoever is paying the coaches or agreed to or proposed should be got rid of. These codes of conduct just give the mercenary gobshites an excuse when they are , inevitably , not adhered to .

Finsceal (None) - Posts: 559 - 08/03/2017 13:23:47    1965414

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13705 - 08/03/2017 13:37:35    1965420

PoolSturgeon (Galway) - Posts: 1902 - 08/03/2017 13:43:48    1965422

Stretched would be an understatement. We went from a panel of 40 last year to a panel of around 26/27 this year and since we have to grade players we are seriously struggling to have enough numbers for a second team.

I know in Dublin there is a bigger pick and there can be 4 teams, 2 of which is social but in rural clubs (and I'm sure a lot of players of rural clubs will agree with me) there will be two teams max - a reserve team and the senior team. Both of these teams will train together and have the same manager so the level of commitment is the same for all players and if you were to say I just want to play a bit of social football to these managers you would be shown the gate.

My point is if this wasn't the case, a GAA without these ultra competitive coaches, I guarantee there would be a lot bigger turnouts and players would play on until nearly 40. Its rare in todays GAA that you would have a club player playing until 35/36, well in my club anyway its very rare.

In my opinion, the amount of club players is declining and sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but its not going to get any better unless something is done.

Monaghansclown (Monaghan) - Posts: 174 - 08/03/2017 13:45:25    1965423

Great and for me this kind of carry on is causing far more people giving up the game than any other issue.

lillyboy (Kildare) - Posts: 429 - 08/03/2017 13:54:03    1965429

This is the type of stuff that club players need to stand up against

Never mind fixtures

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20600 - 08/03/2017 14:07:33    1965434

benjyyy (Donegal) - Posts: 1422 - 08/03/2017 14:31:30    1965442

Maybe a manager/ coaches rule where clubs must manage and coach from within their club boundaries would firstly stop the money drain .
Secondly it would bring the community spirit back within clubs.
Gone would be the journeymen managers who spend a year or 2 at a club then move on to greener pastures.

Awwwwnow (Cavan) - Posts: 1050 - 08/03/2017 14:45:10    1965447

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 08/03/2017 14:49:29    1965450

Suas Sios (None) - Posts: 1550 - 08/03/2017 14:50:02    1965452

When I first started playing senior we trained Tuesdays and Thursdays with a game on Sunday. The heavy training was in the spring but we kept on top of our fitness throughout the year. There were no gym sessions or dietary requirements. The only drink ban was from Friday night til after the game was played on the Sunday. We maybe went a week off the beer before Championship! Simpler times.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9116 - 08/03/2017 15:28:07    1965472