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Why is club football 30 mins a half?

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I don't know but it bugs me that club football is only 30 minutes a half, why is this? In soccer it's 45 minutes at all adult levels throughout the world. I hate going to big club championship games at Parnell and being robbed of 10 minutes more action. We pay good money to go watch these games so gives us more time.

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 12/10/2016 11:08:47    1925272

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There's a huge difference in the intensity of a GAA match and a soccer match. Not comparable.

pdempsey (Mayo) - Posts: 1313 - 12/10/2016 11:25:04    1925283

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Replying To pdempsey:  "There's a huge difference in the intensity of a GAA match and a soccer match. Not comparable."
True but I doubt that's the reason why it's 30 mins a half

keithlemon (Australia) - Posts: 920 - 12/10/2016 11:30:55    1925286

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yea i agree...they should be 35 minutes as well.. the intensity of a premier league game is greater than that of a non league game, but their both 90 mins long... it should be the same for GAA, regardless of the level..

Frederick (Louth) - Posts: 479 - 12/10/2016 11:37:29    1925292

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I completely disagree Dempsey , in soccer there's no hiding places it's full tilt non stop for all players for a full 90 minutes, there's certain positions in gaa where you can hide and come off the pitch as fresh as a daisy.

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 12/10/2016 11:52:46    1925301

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Replying To pdempsey:  "There's a huge difference in the intensity of a GAA match and a soccer match. Not comparable."
Do you mean soccer is less intense? Have you ever played adult soccer. As much as I love Gaelic, soccer is at leastas intense and physically demanding.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4519 - 12/10/2016 12:07:00    1925308

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I've played football, hurling and soccer. Hurling and soccer to a relatively decent standard.

90 mins is no joke. When your team is possession everyone is working as there only 11 of you. When the opposition is in possession everyone is working. The same isn't true of football or hurling as you can definitely get a break in either GAA codes. In soccer your break tends to come from slowing the play down yourself when your team is in possession.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13796 - 12/10/2016 12:09:50    1925311

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Back in the late 19th Century Irish Suffragists had managed to infiltrate a number of the different groups which were coming to the fore at that time - the Land League, Gaelic League and not surprisingly the GAA (where it was commonplace for women to glue hair or brush bristles below their noses to pass off as men - indeed it is rumoured that Cusack was a well known woman who worked in a barbers as a cleaner). When the rules were being set out these Suffragettes realised that it would be the club player who would suffer with prolonged months spent training and playing matches - months which meant they would also directly suffer as they tried to get all the housework done while looking after the 12 weans by themselves. So they proposed that the Club game would only be 30 minutes a half, meaning that the husband could be home again in time for tea. They had also suggested a different format to the Inter County scene which would mean the club season would be shorter and finished "well before Michaelmas" but this along with other suggestions such as a version of the games for women deemed "ridiculous and laughable" and "something only a woman would suggest" before the question was asked "Are there any women here?".

It's all there on wikipedia!

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 12/10/2016 12:19:40    1925315

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soccer games can be quite long to play but gaelic football is more physically demanding as u play with a lot more intensity in gaelic football due to the nature of the game

alano12 (Dublin) - Posts: 2208 - 12/10/2016 12:28:41    1925321

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i agree it should be 70 minutes, club or county

SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2558 - 12/10/2016 12:43:16    1925329

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The intensity argument is a bit silly anyway. People will adjust to suit the length of time necessary to play. If the game was only 5 minutes per half then everyone would be flat out the whole 10 minutes.

benjyyy (Donegal) - Posts: 1428 - 12/10/2016 12:57:52    1925334

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The amount of hard tackling and physical contact in a soccer match is minimal. Teams spend a lot of time passing the ball around and throwing shapes. There's no hiding place on a GAA pitch these days - unless you're playing Junior B or C. If you hide, you won't be on the team the next day out. I have played soccer at adult and underage level, same with Gaelic Football. Would find Gaelic Football far more intensive and physically challenging.

pdempsey (Mayo) - Posts: 1313 - 12/10/2016 13:01:31    1925336

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Replying To clondalkindub:  "I don't know but it bugs me that club football is only 30 minutes a half, why is this? In soccer it's 45 minutes at all adult levels throughout the world. I hate going to big club championship games at Parnell and being robbed of 10 minutes more action. We pay good money to go watch these games so gives us more time."
Good point. All games should be 70 minutes duration.

thelongridge (Offaly) - Posts: 1879 - 12/10/2016 13:55:47    1925356

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Replying To pdempsey:  "There's a huge difference in the intensity of a GAA match and a soccer match. Not comparable."
We used to play Schoolboy rugby from U18 for 40 minutes a half.

Rugby is at least on par with football in terms of intensity

Seansy48 (Tyrone) - Posts: 237 - 12/10/2016 13:57:15    1925358

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I've play both as well and would disagree again, for me playing 90 minutes of soccer is way more physically challenging than Gaelic football imo. Yes there's harder hits in football but the demands for certain positions are nowhere near demanding as all the positions in a soccer game.

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 12/10/2016 14:04:42    1925364

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Replying To Seansy48:  "We used to play Schoolboy rugby from U18 for 40 minutes a half.

Rugby is at least on par with football in terms of intensity"
Rugby is only intense for very short periods. Gaelic has much more consistent aerobic demands.

benjyyy (Donegal) - Posts: 1428 - 12/10/2016 14:19:08    1925371

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Replying To pdempsey:  "The amount of hard tackling and physical contact in a soccer match is minimal. Teams spend a lot of time passing the ball around and throwing shapes. There's no hiding place on a GAA pitch these days - unless you're playing Junior B or C. If you hide, you won't be on the team the next day out. I have played soccer at adult and underage level, same with Gaelic Football. Would find Gaelic Football far more intensive and physically challenging."
If you hide in soccer you don't get picked the next day. I'd say even more so in soccer.

I've played most positions in both sports at adult level.

Centre half in soccer is a pretty easy gig, it's probably easier than any Gaelic position.

Centre midfield in soccer is ridiculously tough though. Every game is like playing corner back in Gaelic with the ball down your end for the whole game.

Centre forwards in soccer get knocked about too. It's physical work trying to hold the ball up against a couple of big centre halves.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4519 - 12/10/2016 14:25:25    1925376

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Replying To benjyyy:  "Rugby is only intense for very short periods. Gaelic has much more consistent aerobic demands."
Very short periods? Have you played the game?

You'll never be as tired doing anything as after you engage a maul and try to push it up field.

If you're playing in the backs I get your point but if you're playing upfront there's no where to hide you have to try to be in every ruck and if not every ruck you have to join the line and get ready to tackle. Jumping for a line out after running around the pitch is no joke, the lifting required after running around is also no joke

Seansy48 (Tyrone) - Posts: 237 - 12/10/2016 14:34:14    1925378

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Replying To Seansy48:  "Very short periods? Have you played the game?

You'll never be as tired doing anything as after you engage a maul and try to push it up field.

If you're playing in the backs I get your point but if you're playing upfront there's no where to hide you have to try to be in every ruck and if not every ruck you have to join the line and get ready to tackle. Jumping for a line out after running around the pitch is no joke, the lifting required after running around is also no joke"
Its a completely different type of intensity (to a varied degree depending on position). Its mainly about power.

A GAA player will run about 50% more than a rugby player during a game.

Anyway, this is off-topic. I agree that all games should be 35 min halves.

benjyyy (Donegal) - Posts: 1428 - 12/10/2016 14:49:21    1925384

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This really is a double edged sword.
Ok it would be great sometimes for a game to be 70 minutes but I have also played in Multiple club matches where you only have 15/13 players.; Your getting battered by 20 points and have ran yourself into the ground just for a bit of pride. That whistle is a god send in them moments.

I amn't getting any younger and I rarely last 60 minutes these days. To add 10 minutes more would kill me and other lads like me.

dstuction (Donegal) - Posts: 1209 - 12/10/2016 15:01:54    1925392

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