Most counties are spending huge amounts of their money on developing their own centres of excellence and there's Dublin just get a ground that would rival clubs of the EPL landed there for free.

The GAA say it's for the entire country you'd have to be some naive fool to believe that one.

Uncle_Fester (Meath) - Posts: 217 - 19/04/2016 17:41:21    1847338

Nobody is blaming Dublin for this, or that they'll have every one of their under-age teams and adult teams training her in the future. What is frustrating is the GAA HQ overwhelming favouritism for Dublin.

Instead of everybody focusing on Meath for some reason look at other counties. Kerry, Donegal, Mayo, Clare, Derry etc these counties are no easy drive away from abbotstown yet the GAA deems it as fair to them as Dublin Meath Kildare Wicklow etc.

Abbotstown shouldn't have been built it wasn't necessary. €400,000 to each county would go an awful long way to player development not some place with 4G pitches 200 Km away.

Uncle_Fester (Meath) - Posts: 217 - 19/04/2016 17:55:02    1847343

Uncle Fester when you say that Dublin are getting this facility for free what do you mean? Do you mean that the DCB doesn't have to pay anything at all to use the pitches there but other counties do? If that's the case then I agree that this is grossly unfar. I thinks it's fair that they get usage of the gym if the DCB paid for it. Of course the NSC was always going to be in Abbotstown. In fairness this was a government decision, not the GAA's. This project is effectively the GAA's bertie bowl, a white elephant in the making I would say. The national sport was always going to have a huge presence there unless Enda decided to reloacte the NSC to Westport. Dublin already have excellent training facilities at DCU and at some of the bigger clubs so I don't think using Abbotstown to any degree is going to enhance their prospects. The hard work is being done at club level to produce and then refine the raw talent. Roscommon, Mayo, Tipp, Kildare are all at it. As this article suggests, Abbotstown is unlikely to be used intensively by the Dubs, whose hurlers are already hosted at DCU and where the DCB has already invested. However, if this facility does all start to go white elephant then I would not be surprised if HQ put pressure on the DCB to become an anchor tenant or they will end up with egg on their face. Think Spring Series here, except, unlike Croker where you can jam in a Springsteen concert to make it look like a viable facility, you can't do the same at Abbotstown, not unless Crystal Swing are now doing outdoor venues anyway.

http://m.herald.ie/sport/gaa/dubs-to-stay-put-as-gaa-open-12m-facility-34597963.html

Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4748 - 19/04/2016 18:41:08    1847362

@ Joxer if you read McEntee's article he suggests that the Abbotstown site shouldn't be an All Ireland GAA facility. It should have been set aside as a Dublin GAA facility. It would have then been Dublin GAA's responsibility for developing the site.

It is not appropriate to compare the GAA to the other sports bodies being based in Dublin. The GAA is not an International game so the facility isn't going to be used for National team training purposes, it will be used by County teams and a handful of county teams have more access to the facility than their competitors. That is what is unfair.

There's no problem with the GAA having a presence in Abbotstown but it should be a Dublin GAA presence.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4600 - 19/04/2016 19:22:37    1847376

Il repeat again the gaa did not pick the location. Why is this so hard for people on here to understand? ???
It was a government facility and all the top sports in Ireland have a base there,
so what were the gaa ment to do turn it down? Don't get what the whinging about is as both senior panels have declared they won't be using it and like I already asked how does facilities make players better players.if Meath kildare mouth and so on already have state of the art facilities howcome it hasn't made them superstars if that's what the people think will happen with abbotstown ?

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 19/04/2016 19:47:08    1847382

Joxer, apart from paying to outfit the gym Dublin County Board were not asked to make a contribution to Abbotstown. Yet they now find themselves with a state of the art centre of excellence within the confines of the county. Should they chose to use it they will have to pay to do so. I have worked with two relatively small counties. Both have developed very fine centres of excellence. Both of those centres of excellence cost large amounts of money which had to be raised and which continue to be raised. Both cost significant amounts of money on an annual basis to maintain. That is money that cannot be invested in player development. The Dublin county board do not have to deal with the cost of developing a centre of excellence nor will they have to deal with the on going costs of maintaining a centre of excellence. That means they can use that money for games and player development. They currently have 60 full time coaches employed in player development. Allied to the fact that don't have to finance a centre of excellence is the fact that they receive 47% of all games development grants disbursed by The GAA. This also gives them a significant advantage over other counties. Dublin have developed their players very well and deserve all their recent success but I don't think anyone can deny that they have been very favourably treated by The GAA. Abbotstown is another example of Dublin being advantaged by The GAA from the point of view of not having to finance and maintain a centre of excellence and as a consequence being able to plough that money in to additional player development. Other counties have not been afforded that luxury. Dublin posters have said that it is all about players and their development. Those posters are correct. It is time to acknowledge however that Dublin have significant advantages when it comes to player development. Abbotstown affords them another one. I am not anti Dublin. I admire what they have achieved and having worked with teams who have played against them I appreciate how good they are. However they cannot be afforded any more advantages over competing counties.

Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6181 - 19/04/2016 19:48:04    1847383

Yes Whammo but it's a NATIONAL Sports Centre and Dublin don't need, nor want I suspect, this facility. They've been doing alright without it. Duffy himself said that the GAA were always going to build big here. The location was by accident more than design in that the NSC was destined for Abbotstown from day 1. The GAA is a national sports body not a Dublin sports body. Imagine the uproar on here if the GAA built this and just handed the keys of the car to Dublin as you suggest.

Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4748 - 19/04/2016 20:17:00    1847391

Joxer and Hill you are missing points. Joxer it was not suggested that the keys of Abbotstown be handed to Dublin free of charge. It was suggested that they make a significant financial contribution to it. Dublin were already investigating the possibility of developing a centre of excellence. I believe they will now come under pressure to use Abbotstown in order to make Abbotstown viable. Hill the point you are missing is that other counties have developed centres of excellence at very significant cost not just in terms of development but in terms of maintenance. That is money that cannot be spent on coaches, player and games development. Those are very, very significant costs that Dublin don't have to pay. Consequently they are in a position to employ 60 full time coaches. Allied to this is the fact that a disproportionately large percentage of the games development grants have been disbursed to Dublin over the last ten years . It's fairly clear that Dublin have been advantaged. They have done brilliantly and they thoroughly deserve their success but the playing field has to be levelled .

Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6181 - 19/04/2016 20:37:35    1847400

Yes Greengrass but the NSC is a national facility. Regardless of whether Dublin were to pay for it or not the NSC is not supposed to be the exclusive reserve of any one team, county, group etc. What do you think the reaction would be if the GAA said Dublin give us €6m and we will build you a state of the art facility at the National Sports Campus? There would have been uproar, not least from McEntee's CB who have just ploughed 5m or so into a centre of excellence up the road, part funded by the Leinster Council and government of course. There are no winners here and yes I agree with you per my original post that it's likely that Dublin will be forced into using this potential white elephant when they have already bespoked DCU for their needs. The GAA should have built a scaled down facility at Abbotstown and split the rest of the funding out to the provinces. I suspect that the egos at HQ wouldn't allow this though. No way would they want to look like a minority partner in a national sporting facility. Duffy said as much himself.

Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4748 - 19/04/2016 21:14:09    1847411

I agree with a lot of what you say Joxer. We are a national organisation but we could never have a national centre of excellence in the true sense of the word because we don't have international teams . The top brass can posture all they like but Abbotstown will never be a national centre of excellence . I think Dublin will be pressurised in to using it . There should have been less money spent on it and more money should be given to counties for games development .

Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6181 - 19/04/2016 21:47:16    1847420

I agree with a lot of what you say Joxer. We are a national organisation but we could never have a national centre of excellence in the true sense of the word because we don't have international teams . The top brass can posture all they like but Abbotstown will never be a national centre of excellence . I think Dublin will be pressurised in to using it . There should have been less money spent on it and more money should be given to counties for games development .

Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6181 - 19/04/2016 21:52:37    1847422

I feel sorry for the genuine Dublin GAA people on here.

Some of the stuff is strange, apparently DCU doesnt have a state of the art training centre for example, was pretty state of the art when i was there. http://www.dcu.ie/dcusport/index.shtml

Apparently its nothing to do with funding at all and the full time coaches etc, Dublin are just better and its tractor boyz coming out to whinge, apparently everyone outside of Dublin drives tractors!

Again its all about players and nothing else, Dublin are just developing better players than everyone else and thats it. Of course the link between more funding and developing better players is just coincidental. The fact that Dublin has over 70 full time coaches and are developing better players is just coincidental. Other teams just need better players, where are they going to magic them from? maybe Dublin will give up all their full time coaches to other counties seeing as they seem to make no difference, funny how Dublin fight tooth and nail every time there is talk of funding being cut! Oh yeah the Dublin County Board is just better than everyone else, nothing to do with funding.

Another post goes on about Dublin dont need Abbotsston because of all the great facilities, Brigids GAA for example and other southside clubs, "state of the art facilities, we already have that ladies""funny cos earlier posts claimed that Dublin didnt have any state of the art facilities, not even DCU!

Most genuine Dublin fans get what other counties are saying. I dont begrudge Dublin their funding and success, they are not sitting there demanding it and are making the most of what they are getting, again in this respect everyone knows a few years down the line this will be dublins training centre, but again they didnt ask for it, they wanted to develop their own.

But again the GAA is following its zeitgeist when its comes to Dublin, successful Dublin means a lot of money for the GAA, Wicklow or Carlow arent going to fill Croke Park after all.

tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1526 - 20/04/2016 08:24:44    1847427

The financial doping of the Man City of GAA continues. The GAA is creating a monster in Dublin GAA and granted, they seem to be responding but will it take Dublin winning 10-in-a-row before the GAA cop on to the fact that it's a competitive sport that keeps things alive?

€1.45m handed out in a recent year to Dublin and an approximate of €14-15m over the last 12 years. People go on about structures in Dublin, but they would not have done this by themselves. They're getting >50% of the county allocations despite having only about 7% of the clubs. If anyone thinks playing membership numbers will bridge that percentage gap, I'd like to see it.

As one poster said, the GAA is dying a death around the country. Lads want to win and the honour of playing for your junior c club no longer interests most now. The bright shining lights of Croker are all that matter and when the GAA realise that they've killed the golden goose, it will be too late.

The GAA will go the way of football in Kilkenny and hurling in lots of counties.......barely causing a ripple, until the wailing banshees lament its passing.

Cully (Laois) - Posts: 375 - 20/04/2016 09:18:33    1847443

I dont know how to make this any more clear.
Dublin will NOT be using this facility, we dont need it

You will find louth meath and kildare running like hot snots to it

and your welcome
as dublin paid for it for all you boyz

is that clear enough

heresam (Dublin) - Posts: 156 - 20/04/2016 09:23:19    1847445

The financial doping of the Man City of GAA continues. The GAA is creating a monster in Dublin GAA and granted, they seem to be responding but will it take Dublin winning 10-in-a-row before the GAA cop on to the fact that it's a competitive sport that keeps things alive?

€1.45m handed out in a recent year to Dublin and an approximate of €14-15m over the last 12 years. People go on about structures in Dublin, but they would not have done this by themselves. They're getting >50% of the county allocations despite having only about 7% of the clubs. If anyone thinks playing membership numbers will bridge that percentage gap, I'd like to see it.

As one poster said, the GAA is dying a death around the country. Lads want to win and the honour of playing for your junior c club no longer interests most now. The bright shining lights of Croker are all that matter and when the GAA realise that they've killed the golden goose, it will be too late.

The GAA will go the way of football in Kilkenny and hurling in lots of counties.......barely causing a ripple, until the wailing banshees lament its passing.

Cully (Laois) - Posts:286 - 20/04/2016 09:18:33

id like to hear what your opinion is on kilkenny who have dominated hurling for 100 years made it unattractive to half the country, destroyed the football ethos in the county and ensure it will always be a munster sport other than kerry, galway and dublin

heresam (Dublin) - Posts: 156 - 20/04/2016 09:28:30    1847448

Give up heresam. You're embarrassing . Louth won't be going anywhere near Abbotstown . Nor will Meath . They have developed their own centres of excellence .

Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6181 - 20/04/2016 09:58:32    1847460

Whinge whinge whinge you do realise Dublin have as I already said stated they won't be using it. Your giving out that Dublin had money to pay coaches
Why don't your county boards do the same instead of spending it on fancy facilities and team buses. Oh I suppose I'll get that's another thing Dublin don't have to buy their own bus next bus eireann is a national service Dublin should have to buy their own. The club I grew up with barely got 15 players together each weekend for underage games we played in a public park yet the neighbouring club had always 25 players dogged out had own facilities yet guess what I have never lost to them from any age up to senior.vqhy simply because we had better players and worked harder for each other. Facilities and money and coaches are all just excuses it's having the players with ability or not

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 20/04/2016 10:07:45    1847466

Kilkenny last won a championship match in 1926 v Longford.

Cully (Laois) - Posts: 375 - 20/04/2016 10:14:19    1847470

exactly

heresam (Dublin) - Posts: 156 - 20/04/2016 10:34:24    1847486

A bit off topic but just one thing about full time coaches(GPOs). We have one in our club. His time is divided, roughly, like this.

20% Juvenile Camogie (A and B teams)
20% Juvenile Hurling (A and B teams)
20% Juvenile Ladies football (A and B teams)
20% Juvenile Football (A and B teams)
20% Doing PE or coaching boys and girls teams in local schools

He is a terrific coach and brilliant with kids but those 2 or 3 elite players in each year don't see him very often. With the best will in the world, he won't be the one responsible for bringing through any inter-county players we're likely to produce in the years to come.
He is, however, playing a big part in bringing kids into our club who would be from Rugby/Hockey/Soccer backgrounds and teaching their parents how to coach. I suspect that's why the GAA fund so many GPOs in Dublin, because they see a lot of competition from Leinster Rugby, etc. and want to cement GAA into areas with only a patchy gaa presence.

Mickmick (Dublin) - Posts: 104 - 20/04/2016 12:18:18    1847569