Irish Sports
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10 Sep 14
14:03
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20 May 10
Watched a few games with some Brits and they love it, they think it's a mad mental game with great skill. I also watched a few GAA football matches these games went down less well, our of a matter of interest when is the last time the Football was a better championship than the Hurling?
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I don't suppose Wembley would be big enough for hurling? Twickenham might.
It would be great to bring a Championship game to Britain to showcase it. |
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Wait until Hurling takes off over in the Sligo/Donegal area and you will hate it too.
Super year for the GAA, IT JUST GETS BIGGER AND BETTER YEAR AFTER YEAR. I hear the Brits will be coming over in droves to watch it, happy days. |
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Ozy.......super idea. They could do a deal with a Premiership club to return a fixture.
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Nah, The Premiership doesn't need the exposure in the ROI, shure we are all already hooked on it, tis like crack cocaine.
It would be great though if we could establish Hurling outside of our boundaries. Is that one of the GAA objectives? How many countries would we need playing it before we could push for it to be in The Olympics? |
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Please Gant we know you don't like Hurling, Soccer or Rugby. In Meath Hurling is not played, there are more hurling clubs in Sligo per head of population than Meath.
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But the ROI go mad for soccer....Liverpool got 42000 in the Aviva and only put out half a team.
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We play hurling in Meath and try hard but we are probably League of Ireland standard when compared Kilkenny/Tipp.
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Totally agree Ozy, Gant lives in a place where there is only one sport played, i know that Hurling is banned in some GAA clubs in Meath because they are afraid the kids will want to play other sports.
In regards to your question about establish Hurling outside the usual boundries i think it is possible byut the GAA has shot itself in the foot by exposing viewers to live GAA football and the sky viewing figures have shown this to be the case. |
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Poor reply Rocketfingers, I hear you lads are under pressure in Sligo Rovers.
Anyway onwards and upwards. I hear RTE got a nice few quid from the FAI to show a few live LOI matches. |
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Gant this is a hurling thread, are you happy the GAA allowed GAA football to be shown live? I would have thought they would have got more people interested if they had shown a scores only package at first and then shown more Hurling matches live. I think Sky think the same and their viewers
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Only grounds big enough for hurling outside of Ireland would be cricket grounds or the like . As hurling is far better in summer than winter , non starter re spreading the game .
Unfortunately hurling is never going to prosper playing wise outside of certain parts of Ireland , ( and the Irish colonies abroad perhaps ), only certain counties have the innate skill to play properly . Need to be playing the game from a very early age , very few good players have taken up the game later in life . But the GAA is sitting on a goldmine for TV exposure , provided the matches are played in a sporting spirit . Marketing mans dream , going with Sky will bring a good reaction . |
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notice ye didnt reply to this bird o donnell
richters richters 08 Sep 14 21:12 Joined: 27 Jan 12 | Topic/replies: 8,394 | Blogger: richters's blog 1040 hearty souls in sligo showgrounds tonight,ffs there was more turning up in thurles for tipp training sessions on a tues night Rate reply: | report block user richters richters 08 Sep 14 22:57 Joined: 27 Jan 12 | Topic/replies: 8,394 | Blogger: richters's blog and 100 of the 1040 were stewards who forced the removal of a palestinian flag from travelling bohs supporters.....what i want to know where have the 1000s of loyal bit o red fans dissapeared to? Rate reply: | report |
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that put a swift stop to the slabbering me thinks.....
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Can Rocket fingers provide figures for the assertion that there are more hurling clubs in Sligo than Meath?
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syt pass no remarks on the attention seeking imbecile he once told me there was no such village in sligo called bellaghy,he is not from sligo infact he is from ballymun hence has got the name on here the hun from ballymun....
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IF memory serves hurling and football were played in Wembley in the 60S AND 70S in front of big crowds[friendly games] the hurling was a bit of a joke as players could score 20y from there own goal,
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Dont remember the hurling , but Down played in Wembley early 1960's post All-Ireland win . Never heard any of them talking much about it though . The pitch would have been way too short even for football , and ridiculous for hurling . Like getting Jack and Tiger and Rory to play pitch and putt.
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Checked that out from James's book , played Wembley in 59 and 60 . Patsy O'Hagan apparently was the first Irishman to score a hat trick at Wembley !
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There was a game of hurling played at HT of the recent American Football game in Croke Park. Soccer goals were used, no points allowed, only goals. Can't remember what the exact wording the program was but it was along the lines of "makes it more exciting, removes long range points" or something like that. I'll get the exact wording later when I'm at home. I hope the GAA aren't going to be promoting this mickey-mouse game instead of the proper sport.
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Cant believe any true Gael would sanction that sort of mucking about with our national game in Croke Park of all places . I trust it was purely for the Americans in the crowd , who after all like baseball and basketball as spectator sports and dont buy into lacrosse which is worth watching ,( and it just across a huge land border ) .
The long range points are spectacular , especially from play , and are high in the individual skills aspect of hurling . And hawkeye is proving worthwhile results wise , even if it does slow things down , but it is impractical on any but the bigger occasions . |
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db1974 and Kelly.....I disagree. The GAA needs to invent a social element to it's codes ala Tag Rugby and 5-a-side soccer. Whether Super Elevens is the answer I don't know or indeed if such a game could be created especially in hurling given the specialized skills involved. Gaelic Football might be easier to start with. However it would be something I would support.....investing in promoting a dumbed down social Gaelic Football game that can be played by one and all regardless of previous experience and fitness levels. I'll use the Tag Rugby and 5-a-side soccer examples again.
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"The GAA needs to invent a social element to it's codes" .... Is that for real ?
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Wixim....I think he is just pulling a few legs. Golf and Soccer are perfect when the body can no longer cope with the demands of GAA.
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Please explain what is wrong with my suggestion Wixim and GANT007
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te hurling final was superb
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Kelly 11 Sep 14 11:40 Cant believe any true Gael would sanction that sort of mucking about with our national game in Croke Park of all places . I trust it was purely for the Americans in the crowd , who after all like baseball and basketball as spectator sports and dont buy into lacrosse which is worth watching ,( and it just across a huge land border ) . Lacrosse is a contender for most boring spectator sport ever invented imo. I'd rather watch dry paint degrade. |
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So you think
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/enough-whining-about-sky-deal-says-gaa-boss-duffy-30583863.html http://www.sligotoday.ie/details.php?id=31762http://www.sligotoday.ie/details.php?id=31762 |
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One mans meat , Mikael . The few matches I have seen were good . Not within a beagles gowl of hurling skillwise , but plenty of movement around the field , and you dont have to be a defined physical shape to excel at it .
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SYT
Have a look at the Gaa club results section in the Indo or Examiner today. Ask yourself have enough clubs played over the weekend to make it sociable enough for you. This is what and who the Gaa is really about not the 20 or so games a year played on RTE or SKY that give bar stool merchants ammunition to pontificate about how the Gaa needs to be more sociable(what absolute twaddle).The games do not need to be dumbed down. They are what they are for every single club player around the country including kids from about 5 years of age onwards. " investing in promoting a dumbed down social Gaelic Football game that can be played by one and all regardless of previous experience and fitness levels" If thats what your after perhaps you should join your local juinor B team.You will get all the social elements you want there. |
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Took my sons dog ( weekend lodger) out yesterday morning to our local playing fields , early , 9.30 am . Pick your spot in the parking area . By the time I was leaving there was not a parking space anywhere in the ( large) parking area . The local GAA club , mainly under age , arrived like locusts at 10.00 am , soon about 5 or 6 pitches were occupied . Think they have over 1000 members , and demonstrate the rude health of the GAA at grass roots level .
When I was playing on those fields 60 years ago there were 3 of us GAA players spread over 3 different parishes in the neighbourhood , the nearest club was 20 miles away unless you crossed the city . GAA spent the Croke Park ( and the like venues) revenue wisely , there is hardly a parish in rural Ireland without a decent GAA facility , whereas the soccer people wanted freebies from the local council , certainly in the North . |
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Wixim, I disagree. I work in what I would consider a typical Irish workplace. On a Monday morning at breakfast the discussion is about the latest transfers in the soccer and the rugby scene. It's rare that the discussion ever focuses on the weekend's football and hurling. On a Friday morning people are talking about the same and thrown into the mix is the 5-a-side soccer they played the night before or in some people's case, the tag rugby.
There is a large percentage of Irish people which the GAA does not target. People who maybe came from not GAA communities who were never exposed to the sprt, in particular the cities. A social GAA game would address this. I also find it interesting that people can meet up with their friends, their work colleagues, etc and play soccer and rugby into their 40s and 50s, men and women, yet there is no option for this in the GAA. Fair enough if you think it's not the solution but from my experience, things like this are one of the reasons soccer and in particular rugby are going in popularity. |
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i wouldn't worry about the game of gaelic football(its a ball hop from the op but f**k it
 )man to man marking! high fielding! 20-50 yards foot passes! a dead ball kick over the bar from 50 yards! the physical exchanges! the turn on a six pence the moment the ball hits the inside forward chest! the outside of the right or left foot from 50 yards! the pick up on the run! the feint to buy time and space!ah magic! what more do ye want? |
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SYT
"Fair enough if you think it's not the solution" To what actual problem do you think the Gaa needs a solution ? I doubt the fact that your workmates talk about Soccer and Tag Rugby on a Monday and Friday is of much concern to the Gaa. Soccer is a professional game played 10 months of the year with wall to wall coverage on as many tv stations that can afford its rights and driven by as much media exposure as it can possibly get because it sells. To the exact people you are referring to in your work place. Most clubs (community driven) around the country will be involved for 8/9 months of the year with those lucky enough to get to county finals mabye 10/11 months. The Gaa(a non profit making organisation) has a 4 month window to expose its amateur games and this is provided by the same club players who are good enough to represent their county. They do all this because they want to not because they have to or are worried that the game might be under threat from whatever problem you think the Gaa has. Perhaps they like the SOCIAL side of it. Irish Soccer has one stadium that it cannot afford . Rugy has two propper stadiums. The Gaa with only its annual 4 month window could probably build another Croke park in the morning without having to even consider the bank manager and without mentioning the other venues they have around the country. I am not trying to say the Gaa is better than the above sports , quite the contrary. I enjoy all three. However to say the Gaa needs some solution to a non existent problem and that it needs to be a more sociable organisation is as I say twaddle. No offence meant |
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So you think , the GAA club scene works largely on parish boundaries . Most parishes in Ireland historically have close ties with the GAA club in their midst . Soccer and rugby do not have that association . Soccer is essentially a professional sport , and the young players only aspire to "making it to England " , if they are not capable of that ( usually around 17-18 ) they are essentially cast aside , there is very little outlet for any talent they wish to express on the field . Most GAA clubs in Ireland operate up to 3 "senior" teams , which accomodates 60 or more players into their forties ( and fifties ) . And their wives and girl friends ( and the boy friends and husbands of the ever increasing number of female players ) often attend matches . Built in social associations .
Went to see one of my grandchildren playing a match last Sunday ( Hurling final day ) , it was a girls under 14 match , there were over a hundred spectators at the match , and after the match there were still quite a few knots of people ( from both sides involved in the match ) still exchanging chat and views / discussion about the match , and no doubt the hurling final imminent . And not a drink in sight ! My club has about 1000 members , few of the "senior" players can kick snow off a rope unlike when I was involved and we had 4 current county players ( and 2 past Railway Cup medallists as well in our 15 ) with only 100 members to boast off . Rugby is different to soccer , more like GAA organisation due to the largely amateur ethos prevalent up to 20 years ago . Unfortunately for rugby , current developments centred around provincial teams locally will detract from the local club rugby scene which used to dominate activity . Once you lose the grass roots activity it is hard to sustain the health of the game except at the higher levels , and you get a top down approach / mentality , instead of the other way around . The rugby people in Ireland , south and north have done a brilliant job in organising their sport , fair play to them , and we all acknowledge that I think . But I am not sure their club scene will continue to prosper like it has done for nigh on 100 years approx . The soccer people in Ireland , south and north , and especially in the north where the initial soccer flames in Ireland were lit , deserve a good kick up the backside for failing to capitalise on any income they have generated . They own nothing , all the clubs in the north spend their time looking for handouts to avoid going to the wall . Once upon a time crowds of 30,000 plus were common place , and the players were being paid £4 a week ( 1940's) only , which was barely a living wage . One friend of ours ( the first dual south / north international ) changed clubs sensationally and went to play for the "enemy " ( in supporters terms ) because the directors of his club refused him a 10 shillings a week increase to 4 pounds 10 shillings which he needed to provide a decent living for his wife and 2 small children . Small minded hopped up people the owners in those days . Other organisations / sports could take a leaf out of the GAA action plan , any money the GAA has earned has been well spent , few parishes in Ireland dont have decent pitches and social centres . And I have been to a lot of funerals ( unfortunately ) which finish up in the local GAA club post burial . Thats part of the legacy and communities involved . Over the whole island . |
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Soyouthink.......Why have most of the Rugby clubs in Dublin lost their 3rd teams. To be fair most chat about Rugby concerns Leinster, Munster or the National team.
The premiership is huge but has it's popularity put the nail in the coffin of the League of Ireland, which is in serious decline. Somee GAA clubs even rent out facilities to the 5 a side and tag rugby people. |
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^ would that not prove SYT's point, Gant?
It is true what you say, though, about rugby clubs losing their third teams and below Not sure what is behind that. In my day (a Kellyism, I apologise) most Dublin Clubs would have had 6ths, 7ths and beyond. Rugby seems to be growing in every other sense, tv viewing figures, under-age participation etc, just not adult playing numbers, too many adults are falling off. Tag rugby is a phenomenem. |
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Ozy , I grew up surrounded by rugby ethos children , spent every Saturday at Ravenhill watching a local club rugby match . Knew the dressing rooms well , we were allowed in for autographs etc . At that stage there wasn't a GAA club or pitch in Co Down within 15 miles .
Now there are 2 local GAA clubs with brilliant facilities , about 1000 members each . 2 then local rugby clubs have amalgamated , moved , both selling their prime location grounds to developers . Nearest local ground is still Ravenhill , the playing fields which I referred to in an earlier post do not have any rugby pitches , and manys a rugby international trod those pitches when I was playing GAA alongside ( uni ) . But they dont play club rugby at Ravenhill any more , and the rugby interested kids have to travel 4 miles or more to find a rugby pitch facility . Thats what we are talking about , grass roots versus premium . Ignore the grass roots and there will be fewer green shoots . Gant verifies gradual decline playing wise in Dublin , but for rugby that was largely school driven in the past . Dont know the Dublin scene these days , too much traffic for my liking . Rugby people have done a great job I repeat , but it is top down driven , and ultimately that may rebound . Only time will tell . |
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It says it all that there are only 2 GAA Belfast who have a thousand members in each, this is poor cossidering all, it speaks volumes about the decline of GAA football. I think Gant proves SYT's point though, i think if GAA was not su policially minded i.e. Can only play if you are practising mass goer and FF voter.
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Hurling showed up "the beautiful game" something rotten.The Irish match straight after the hurling final was near unwatchable.
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