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Its Time The GAA Took On The USA Money Bags Before Football Turns Professional

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I don't blame any fella going over there and getting a few quid , it beats working anyway.
But surely there can't be any credibility whatsoever in club Championship football over there. Teams with the biggest financial backer parachuting top players in.

Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 1909 - 27/07/2022 21:13:06    2434974

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Replying To tomsmith:  "Tomsmith Cavan here

I see that the exodes of GAA players leaving Clubs to go and play in the US has really flourished this year.
While I have no hard evidence to the contrary I have to say I find it hard to believe that these players just go to the US for the love of the game.
I feel that the people running clubs in the US where transfers from Ireland take place ( some clubs have only a set of Jerseys) should not be allowed to have any transfers if the do not have an underage structure. I understand that some big businesses just buy in players for the season."
Fair play to anyone who can go and play a few games and get top dollar into the bargain. GAA own nobody. £15-25 grand, who in their right mind is going to say no.

Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2014 - 27/07/2022 21:48:53    2434981

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I've been watching lots of games from Chicago especially the McBrides as a bunch of Mayo lads are involved. The games are of a decent standard and while there's no GAA to watch on our screens here it fills a gap. The McBrides v Parnells game last Sunday was of interest because Parnells are backbones by many Ulster lads such as Conor Meyler, Rhian O'Neill and Barry O'Hagen. There is also a team called the Patriots who I believe have many 2nd and 3rd generation Irish lads playing so surely this is helping the game in the long run over there. While the lads going over are not doing it for that reason it is still a spinoff and if they can get a rewarding end to the Inter County season good luck to them. Prefer to see them going for a while to Chicago than full time to Australia.

ponga (Mayo) - Posts: 649 - 28/07/2022 07:57:39    2434983

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Have been in stateside for years now. I don't see a problem with the young bucks coming out for the summer. Mighty craic they have and rightly so. My problem is that its the yanks that suffer. They train with their club during the cold months and get a rake of minutes early in the season then the lads come out and the yanks have to fight even harder for the scraps of the last 5 minutes. The yanks are just being used so clubs can register by the deadline and fill the quota of yanks on the pitch at any one time. To be fair, the lads coming out for the summer are very skillful. The yanks don't have access to the same number and quality of matches that exist back home. You can see the yanks getting frustrated with the situation and then they just quit playing all together, let alone do they stay to help take over the club. This model of using yanks has blighted clubs into non-existence. The problem is that there's no where else for the yanks to play. The powers that be put their efforts and time, and yes by god their money, into the lads for the summer and pay poor lip service to yanks who love the sport. I've heard some dreadful things said of the yanks, always by some oul fella who runs a senior club but has never been to a training or seen a yank actually line out. With all the money floating around, why is it not put back into the youth? Where are the junior leagues? Clubs are skeletons without the summer lads, but shouldn't they these young lads adding to the contingent already there rather than being the bulk of these American clubs?

kilflynn (Kerry) - Posts: 66 - 28/07/2022 08:10:09    2434984

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If young men and women can go away gain a life experience and play football or hurling/Camogie for a few bob fair play to them . It should be encouraged not outlawed. It is one of the few benefits that players get from putting in huge effort and making a lot of sacrifices to play the sport. To suggest that this money is somehow due to a club in Ireland is the height of nonsense. I can tell you no one paying players to play are getting anything out of it other than bragging rights on winning a championship and the pleasure of having high profile inter county players grace their playing fields. It also helps to maintain a connection with our diaspora which they value greatly.

NorthWestern (Galway) - Posts: 14 - 28/07/2022 09:08:52    2434992

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Replying To tomsmith:  "Lockjaw Donegal
Tomsmith here

What I am referring to is that money Bags in the USA use the Gaa to buy in a team and it improves ones business .
if one wins the NY , Boston, Chicago, PA or SF titles one has ahigh profile
I feel that they club that trained these fellows in Ireland should get the money that is offered.
These money Bags do nothing for the GAA,
How many teams have any underage structure, the answer is very few.
If any player wants to play for money.. join that other merry go round round ball outfit..
The GAA is an amateur sport and was never intended that it could be used for financial gain"
I read a good book recently by Fintan O'Toole called We Don't Know Ourselves. In it, he describes the wink and nod, the blind eye, etc that we Irish are expert at deploying when it suits our agenda. Over the generations, successive governments/organisations/the general population have ignored the law being broken rather than opening up the proverbial can of worms.

e.g.
Doctors prescribing contraceptives for "woman's problems" when in fact everyone knew what they were really being used for.

Young women going/being forced to go abroad for illegal abortions. They simply were "away".
Or being forced into inhumane mother and baby homes....

Paedophile priests being moved around parishes by bishops rather than having the Catholic church exposed to their depravity.

People declaring themselves as "non-resident" to escape paying tax on their money despite the bank officials knowing the same people lived up the road.

Nowadays you can add multinational companies based here expoiting our corporate tax rate system. A blind eye is turned because if they all suddenly pulled out the country would be ruined.

Why would the GAA therefore be any different? Do you think we should get PWC, KPMG or the like to conduct a comprehensive audit of inter county (and many club) managers? There might be some unexplainable wealth uncovered. Better to say/do nothing.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9136 - 28/07/2022 09:25:31    2434995

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I dont think the GAA split season can work in the way it is currently constituted. Running off both hurling and football championships rapidly and having the All Ireland finals in July wasn't too bad this year but what happens when globally popular international sports are held in the the months of June and July as the normally are.... the Olympics , Rugby World Cup, European soccer championship finals etc. ? It's fortunate that the soccer World Cup is taking place in October/ November this year. Most years, the GAA will be putting its showpiece games in direct opposition to the most popular international sports on earth... I am not saying that it cannot hold its own against such competition but inevitably media coverage of its showpiece games will suffer, the build up to the semi finals and finals will get swamped by the necessity of media focus on those huge international sporting events , attendances will be affected and there will be plenty of moaning on HS from posters complaining about the neglect of our national games when the reality is it will be a case of the GAA shooting itself in both feet.

As has been stated here by others already, if club teams are going to be depleted in the summer because of players availing of opportunities to play and work in the US, and if many county's club championships are not going to start til September anyway, it makes little sense to have the inter county competitions finished in July. Imo the club/ county split season eventually will have to be flipped.....the All Ireland championships in the second half of the year rather that the first half. If fact something more in line with the traditional seasons will have to be reverted to in due course.....playing inter county from April to August with All Ireland finals in the month of August and playing club from September to March (with strictly no county games during that period) Personally I think it's the best way forward.

PoolSturgeon (Galway) - Posts: 1903 - 28/07/2022 09:59:58    2435007

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Replying To Bon:  "I don't blame any fella going over there and getting a few quid , it beats working anyway.
But surely there can't be any credibility whatsoever in club Championship football over there. Teams with the biggest financial backer parachuting top players in."
From my own experience, and this is going well back, the standard may not have been as high but it was still fairly cut throat. You'd want your wits about you. Any bit of showboating or acting the bo*****s and you could find yourself on the deck fairly quickly.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9136 - 28/07/2022 10:11:16    2435016

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Replying To Bon:  "I don't blame any fella going over there and getting a few quid , it beats working anyway.
But surely there can't be any credibility whatsoever in club Championship football over there. Teams with the biggest financial backer parachuting top players in."
Never got this either. "Oh we won the Chicago County title because Paddy had a bigger wad of cash than Mick".

ExiledInWex (Dublin) - Posts: 1128 - 28/07/2022 10:14:09    2435018

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Replying To ExiledInWex:  "Never got this either. "Oh we won the Chicago County title because Paddy had a bigger wad of cash than Mick"."
No No Lads. I think they all do it for the love of the Little Village.

Oldtourman (Limerick) - Posts: 4321 - 28/07/2022 10:50:24    2435030

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If we're going to be so supportive of young lads leaving their clubs for the summer to play in the states and live their best lives (get plastered drunk in other words), can we at least then be a bit more open to players switching counties and clubs here in Ireland?

Galway9801 (Galway) - Posts: 1708 - 28/07/2022 11:53:41    2435045

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Replying To tearintom:  "Is there really more of an exodus than normal does anyone know?

There are a couple of factors in that lads have been locked away for 2 years and are taking the opportunity to travel a bit when given the opportunity.

The second factor is a little different!

If there is a bigger exodus than normal are these players then just effectively abandoning their clubs and club championships? We have gone to great pains to restructure an entire GAA calendar for the benefit of the Club player to play championship in summer months so if it looks like we have done all this and that opportunity is not being availed off then whats the point?

If its a case of restructuring the calendar to enable lads to have a jolly in the US and still play Club championship when they always would have anyway it makes a mockery of the whole thing.

Taking aside the AI finalists in both codes i would presume all other championships are well up and running at this stage?"
I think more lads are going this summer due to covid. probably mad to get away and perhaps the US clubs have more money saved as they haven't brought over any lads for the past two summers so are spending big this summer.

southleitrim_mafia (Leitrim) - Posts: 110 - 28/07/2022 11:55:57    2435048

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The general consciences is that it is great for players to earn money in the summer aboard and I agree for the most part.

However what happens if players get used to this model? Example: Conor Meyler is away to Chicago for the summer. What happens if he does the same for the next 5-10 years. Plays for Tyrone for 10 games, goes to USA, comes back to play for his club for 1 game? (Tyrone Championship straight knockout, max games 4 to win it). Where does that leave the club whos nurtured him from 6 years old? Only comes back for Championship so only around the club a few weeks and away again. I would be unhappy if i was a club player training and playing the whole league and someone comes back for 1 game and starts ahead of me.

Im only using Meyler as an example and not saying he will do that but could easily happen. Then you have the domino effect where everyone does it.

The_Fridge (Tyrone) - Posts: 2088 - 28/07/2022 12:12:21    2435053

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Replying To The_Fridge:  "The general consciences is that it is great for players to earn money in the summer aboard and I agree for the most part.

However what happens if players get used to this model? Example: Conor Meyler is away to Chicago for the summer. What happens if he does the same for the next 5-10 years. Plays for Tyrone for 10 games, goes to USA, comes back to play for his club for 1 game? (Tyrone Championship straight knockout, max games 4 to win it). Where does that leave the club whos nurtured him from 6 years old? Only comes back for Championship so only around the club a few weeks and away again. I would be unhappy if i was a club player training and playing the whole league and someone comes back for 1 game and starts ahead of me.

Im only using Meyler as an example and not saying he will do that but could easily happen. Then you have the domino effect where everyone does it."
I agree that it would be difficult for a lad who has been training all year to then be shunted out for a lad who has been away all summer and takes his place. But that's sporting management issue, and if there is a county player, perhaps his manager should manage expectations of the lad who is staying at home.

What I do disagree with is the "nurturing" a player from 6 years old. GAA clubs are community based set up's, they are not academies where players are developed with a view to making an investment. If they are there, then great. But the typical guilt-tripping of young lads to give something back to the club who "nurtured" them is a fallacy. Another example of tall poppy syndrome in this country!

fancyaride (Mayo) - Posts: 180 - 29/07/2022 09:01:06    2435174

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Replying To fancyaride:  "I agree that it would be difficult for a lad who has been training all year to then be shunted out for a lad who has been away all summer and takes his place. But that's sporting management issue, and if there is a county player, perhaps his manager should manage expectations of the lad who is staying at home.

What I do disagree with is the "nurturing" a player from 6 years old. GAA clubs are community based set up's, they are not academies where players are developed with a view to making an investment. If they are there, then great. But the typical guilt-tripping of young lads to give something back to the club who "nurtured" them is a fallacy. Another example of tall poppy syndrome in this country!"
I agree. Is it any different to the county player replacing the club player who has played the majority of league games but is then dropped for the club championship? I know in Donegal there are some county players who have barely kicked a ball in the all county league fixtures but you can be damn sure they'll be the first names on the team sheet come championship in a couple of weeks. So what difference does it make if they've been in the US or not?

There would be nothing stopping someone going over each and every year (bar US immigration control maybe). But I think in general it's a young player thing. Most of the lads that go over are in college with few major responsibilities at home. They have no kids or mortgages to worry about, and are free to enjoy their youth the lucky b******s!

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9136 - 29/07/2022 10:07:24    2435186

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I should add that the county player who heads to the States for the summer has probably done 10x the volume and intensity of training than that of the cheesed off clubman who stays in the town for the summer. So in many cases its hard to feel sorry for them.

fancyaride (Mayo) - Posts: 180 - 29/07/2022 14:07:15    2435233

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Since when do clubs nurture players. Club officials use players for their own feeling of accomplishment. Then resent the players using their talents to experience The states and make money for themselves. Thankfully young lads are free to do what they want and grab any opportunities that come along.

Ashrules (Dublin) - Posts: 518 - 29/07/2022 15:15:57    2435252

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Replying To Viking66:  "Most club championships started weeks ago"
In limerick two rounds of the football championship has been played and 1st round of the hurling is been played this weekend.

cityman73 (Limerick) - Posts: 775 - 29/07/2022 17:03:13    2435286

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If a guy just packed up and went travelling for the summer after the inter county season but wasn't playing football on his travels would there be as much resentment? This boils down to fellas begrudging young lads making a few quid out of it.
Players owe people nothing whatsoever. Theyre the ones putting the time in, let them do as they want in peace.

Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 1909 - 29/07/2022 17:12:02    2435288

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What a rubbish post. Of course clubs nurture players. Club officials using players? How? No genuine GAA person would come out with such a statement

Claretandblue (Westmeath) - Posts: 1490 - 29/07/2022 18:22:04    2435304

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