From a hurling perspective, I think the 3 main threaths come from woman, drink and gaelic football. All three are similar in that they take very little skill or dedication but some mild pleasure can be gained from each.

onlyhurling (Galway) - Posts: 800 - 26/08/2011 09:28:06    1019333

Mighty stuff Onlyhurling

omaghredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 3656 - 26/08/2011 10:15:28    1019374

26/08/2011 09:28:06
onlyhurling
County: Galway
Posts: 335

1019333 From a hurling perspective, I think the 3 main threaths come from woman, drink and gaelic football. All three are similar in that they take very little skill or dedication but some mild pleasure can be gained from each.

The biggest problem all sports face is that many lads between 17-22 or 23 turn into father jack wannabes "drink... girls" and many give up playing

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 26/08/2011 10:25:11    1019378

I have pondered about this, i have lost underage players in the past 15 years to soccer but some will try to combine the 2, some will drop the gaelic only to come back in later years, those who don't come back invariably don't even stick to the soccer,

the biggest treat to GAA ( and at the same time all other sports) is drink and anti-social behaviour and poor parental involvement. Most will see big numbers at u-8 through to u-12, at u-14 a couple will drop off, but my main problem is u-16 to minor. Here they geta part-time job, extra money for socialising, girls, drink etc.....

lets face it ,it must be a problem as there is a serious amount of teams amalgamating at u-16 and minor level

cuchulainn35 (Armagh) - Posts: 1687 - 26/08/2011 10:38:56    1019390

From over the pond it seems like GAA is the main sport judging by the number of clubs and pitches. But when I listen to RTE or Radio Kerry or Shannonside radio they give the EPL results first. Followed by rugby then GAA. Yesterday RTE gave soccer scores first, rugby, GAA and then horse racing.
I was suprised considering there is a semi-final tomorrow.

mikeyjoe (USA) - Posts: 415 - 27/08/2011 13:43:36    1020242

27/08/2011 13:43:36
mikeyjoe
County: USA
Posts: 147

1020242 From over the pond it seems like GAA is the main sport judging by the number of clubs and pitches. But when I listen to RTE or Radio Kerry or Shannonside radio they give the EPL results first. Followed by rugby then GAA. Yesterday RTE gave soccer scores first, rugby, GAA and then horse racing.
I was suprised considering there is a semi-final tomorrow

They will announce international sport first generally except for when the GAAs biggest games are on(and rightfully so)
Ireland are playing their final game before the world cup today so rightfully that should be ahead of the game tomorrow, in my opinion soccer or wendyball as i like to call it should be last. at least if rugby news is announced before gaa news the news will be read will for the majority be about players and teams that are irish and who play in ireland and are supported by people who are supporting a team representing the country/province they are from

In summertime GAA news should always be read out first apart from extraordinary stories like a boxer winning a world title etc

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 27/08/2011 14:04:55    1020252

I think the biggest competitor to the GAA is the GAA itself , all the surveys that have been done show that the biggest percentage of drop off from sport in Ireland between the age of 18 and 22 is in the GAA , my personal opinion is that there is to much pressure on young lads to win as they come up through the age groups that they lose the love for the game and just give it up.

tinrylandman (Carlow) - Posts: 387 - 27/08/2011 16:57:23    1020329

It really depends on the area. In South Kerry the only other sport to have a real following is rowing. Maurice Fitzgerald was a great crew member on the Liberator seine boat in his day. Soccer or rugby don't really feature in these parts. However I know its different in other parts of the country. I don't think we should view every other sport to be an enemy of the GAA. The rowing and GAA community in South Kerry have always been harmonious. Or take a look at Cooper or Donaghy who bring their basketball skills to the game. However the IRFU seem to be bent on a mass recruitment drive. Brian O'Driscoll has announced that once he retires he will try to get as many young people as possible playing rugby.

The advantage the GAA have is that they are still present in many primary schools. Starting children when they are young is what is important to keep the tradition alive. Also the GAA has the advantage of being full of heroes. Rugby and soccer are run by Sky Sports and are very well marketed. When young people see the flashy marketing of these sports on television they obviously aspire to be like these stars. However these two sports cannot offer young people what the GAA can offer. The GAA allows young people to become heroes in their own community. The vast, vast majority of those who play soccer and rugby will never be sporting heroes. They will never get to play with the best, will never get to play in Wembley or the Millennium Stadium. If they continue playing into their adult career they will probably play to a crowd that doesn't reach double figures. However, the GAA allows young people to grow up be heroes. They may not necessarily play for their county but the GAA doesn't need Sky Sports to tell them that they are heroes. Whether they win the county championship or win a junior b trophy they can still be heroes in their own community. That is why the GAA will always be stronger than the garrison sport or egg ball.

redpaddy69 (Kerry) - Posts: 9 - 27/08/2011 21:32:45    1020494

27/08/2011 21:32:45
redpaddy69
County: Kerry
Posts: 5

1020494 It really depends on the area. In South Kerry the only other sport to have a real following is rowing. Maurice Fitzgerald was a great crew member on the Liberator seine boat in his day. Soccer or rugby don't really feature in these parts. However I know its different in other parts of the country. I don't think we should view every other sport to be an enemy of the GAA. The rowing and GAA community in South Kerry have always been harmonious. Or take a look at Cooper or Donaghy who bring their basketball skills to the game. However the IRFU seem to be bent on a mass recruitment drive. Brian O'Driscoll has announced that once he retires he will try to get as many young people as possible playing rugby.

The advantage the GAA have is that they are still present in many primary schools.
Rugby is inreasingly in a lot of primary schools thanks to the work of club, youth and regional development officers, which is great to see as kids get to play a variety of sports

Starting children when they are young is what is important to keep the tradition alive.
Also the GAA has the advantage of being full of heroes.
Rugby and soccer are run by Sky Sports and are very well marketed.
the gaa is also very well marketed
When young people see the flashy marketing of these sports on television they obviously aspire to be like these stars. However these two sports cannot offer young people what the GAA can offer.
The GAA allows young people to become heroes in their own community.
The vast, vast majority of those who play soccer and rugby will never be sporting heroes.
Yes local soccer and rugby players get to become heroes in their communities, winning competitions in ant sport brings some pride to people in the local area no matter the sport

They will never get to play with the best, will never get to play in Wembley or the Millennium Stadium.
take limerick for example, the finals of cup competitions from u12 to senior are played in thomond park and players young and old get to play on the same pitch as heroes like paul o connell and david wallace
If they continue playing into their adult career they will probably play to a crowd that doesn't reach double figures.
i was at a senior rugby charity cup game last night that had 400 people in attendance
However, the GAA allows young people to grow up be heroes. They may not necessarily play for their county but the GAA doesn't need Sky Sports to tell them that they are heroes. Whether they win the county championship or win a junior b trophy they can still be heroes in their own community. That is why the GAA will always be stronger than the garrison sport or egg ball.
RUGBY AND SOCCER AT AMATUER CLUB LEVEL ARE THE SAME IN EVERYTHING YOU JUST SAID

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 27/08/2011 21:46:18    1020503

Soccer and Rugby are great sports and we must keep raising the bar to compete, competion is great and we should relish the challenge it brings and it will drive us all to a higher place.

ochonlir (Cavan) - Posts: 4343 - 27/08/2011 21:59:47    1020513

with health and safety people getting more and more powerful (and power mad) its probably only a matter of 10 or 15 years before children are banned from playing rugby til they are about 16 years old.

9801 (Galway) - Posts: 126 - 28/08/2011 11:55:03    1020570

might be generalising but in the north i would say very few gaa boys are lost to rugby , definitely more to soccer and losing interest in playing. Also ive seen a lot of players lost to drinking

cboyle92 (Down) - Posts: 184 - 28/08/2011 12:06:49    1020579

9801
County: Galway
Posts: 17

1020570 with health and safety people getting more and more powerful (and power mad) its probably only a matter of 10 or 15 years before children are banned from playing rugby til they are about 16 years old.

no offence but that is a load of rubbish, rugby with its coaching development system etc is very safe and while there is a tiny chance of hurting your neck(and there have been freak accidents like matt hampson and stuart mangan but they were 1 in a million accidents) RIP stuart mangan
if you are a front row forward but there is the same chance of bring injured like that as there is of getting a sloithar in the eye and going blind while having a few pucks with a few friends

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 28/08/2011 12:16:11    1020585

my god in heaven ormondbannerman, that was a joke, a dig at the health and safety crowd. I cant believe you took that seriously.

9801 (Galway) - Posts: 126 - 28/08/2011 12:27:15    1020590

27/08/2011 21:46:18
ormondbannerman
County: Clare
Posts: 119

i was at a senior rugby charity cup game last night that had 400 people in attendance 

That may be the case in Limerick and a few other rugby strongholds but in most areas of the country amateur rugby and soccer games have very low attendance. Take a club like Dromid Pearses who Declan O'Sullivan plays for. They are in Division 3 of the Kerry County League. Anyone here could probably make it onto a Division 3 team. That means you could play with or against one of the best players in the country. Darren O'Sullivan also plays Division 3 football. As a amateur rugby or soccer player have you the same chance to play with the best in the game? That is what the GAA should sell to young people. No matter how great a player may be, you can play alongside the Colm Coopers or Henry Shefflins if you stick with the game. That is what makes the GAA so great

redpaddy69 (Kerry) - Posts: 9 - 28/08/2011 12:27:58    1020591

28/08/2011 12:27:58
redpaddy69
County: Kerry
Posts: 6

1020591 27/08/2011 21:46:18
ormondbannerman
County: Clare
Posts: 119

i was at a senior rugby charity cup game last night that had 400 people in attendance

That may be the case in Limerick and a few other rugby strongholds but in most areas of the country amateur rugby and soccer games have very low attendance. Take a club like Dromid Pearses who Declan O'Sullivan plays for. They are in Division 3 of the Kerry County League. Anyone here could probably make it onto a Division 3 team. That means you could play with or against one of the best players in the country. Darren O'Sullivan also plays Division 3 football. As a amateur rugby or soccer player have you the same chance to play with the best in the game? That is what the GAA should sell to young people. No matter how great a player may be, you can play alongside the Colm Coopers or Henry Shefflins if you stick with the game. That is what makes the GAA so great

The game was on in nenagh, co tipperary, plenty of the games involving the top club teams in tipperary get attendances of a couple of hundred as do most top junior and senior rugby clubs in munster
No a 2nd row who plays for nenagh will never get to play against paul o connell(unless he is on comeback from a serious injury) but pros should never get to play a full team of amatuers in a sport like rugby as insurance costs would be astronomical

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 28/08/2011 12:39:03    1020601

I'd have to agree that our club loses more young lads to drinkin' and taking it handy than either - including me when I was younger!

Loads of lads on the team I play on play football for 6 months then rugby for 6 months. I don't see that cross-polination with our local soccer club(s). At the top level, we're losing plenty of lads to rugby; Tommy Bowe, Shane Horgan, Donncha Ryan, Denis Leamy, Gavan Duffy, Rob Kearney to name a few. In my own county Geordan Murphy, Fionn Carr, Fergus McFadden and Johne Murphy were all footballers. Jamie Heaslip played a bit too. When someone turns pro tho, I think of it the same way as when a lad moves abroad to work - as an amateur organisation we just have to accept it.

We'll always lose guys to their career, whatever it is. For example, Niall Quinn was offered a contract with Melbourne Demons just after he ahd signed for Arsenal (they did ok with their second choice tho - Jimmy Stynes). But I don't see other sports as 'competition.' Playing sports complements playing other sports, imo. The best guys will turn pro in one code or another. The rest of us can play more than one game.

Count_Awesome (Kildare) - Posts: 736 - 28/08/2011 15:19:16    1020671

fair point count awesome. stephen hunt and shane long played hurling and it didnt do them any harm. i suppose all of this rugby vs gaa vs soccer isnt very healthy. the drink/xbox/fast food lifestyle is the biggest enemy of all these sports anyway.

9801 (Galway) - Posts: 126 - 28/08/2011 15:38:14    1020686

940,000 people tuned into watch sundays all ireland semi final between dublin v donegal making it the most viewed sports event this year on rte

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 30/08/2011 17:28:01    1023151