Bigoted Grab All Assoociation

Have to say  read the story, Rock, and was disgusted.  Was almost gong to start a thread.

What a bigoted bunch of backward, insular b@stards.  Let the young lads get out there and play sport. Any sport.  It is supposed to be a community facilty.

Dromard wanted to have their cake and eat it. They are receiving massive grants from the GAA every year and possibly received money to build this facility but they also want to rent it out to promote rival sports which will take away youngsters from playing GAA. They can't have it both ways.

Its very sad that an amateur sporting organisation sees other sports as 'rivals'.  And wants to hinder kids participating in other sports.  It's a shameful practice and utterly indefensible.

Naturally enough, clubs will say..come on and play gaa or soccer or whatever....but when a Central Committe enshrines and institutionalises this prejudice and forcefully denies (paid) usegae of their facilities to young lads just looking to kick a ball in a rural area, deprived of alternative facilities....its a discriminatory hoisting of the drawbridge, morally wrong and detrimental to the community at large.

I enjoy both sports and have no bias towards or against either sport. Just because the FAI couldn't get their house in order over the last 30 or 40 years does not mean the GAA are obliged to provide them with facilities. Delaney is paid 400k a year plenty other officials paid big money, this would be better spent providing facilities across the country. The GAA has always been well organised and provided excellent facilites to supporters and players throughout it's history. Soccer should follow suit and not be relying on charity from other organisations.

Rocketfingers and crew, it's time to shake off the tag of the "Percecuted Minority".
Did the LOI not sign a big live pictures deal for this season, spread a little of the wealth back to the youngsters.

New Approach......It was a Jamie Carragher soccer camp.....the kids pay a fee. The club probably got a few quid for use of the facilities.

Exactly Ozymandius......mountain/molehill stuff.

The kids got their soccer camp and the fine will be paid or waived.........end of.

Maybe the FAI might get the bigger message.....I doubt it.

I doubt we will ever see the day when GAA and Rugby go cap in hand to the Soccer boys for facilities.

Thank God the bigger sports have moved on. Ozy, what happened your boys?.

I will leave it be.

You are allergic to change!  And positively dismissive of people making their own choices; whether it's about the contents of their womb, or children looking to play anther sport.

Its a defensive cirlce-the-wagons drwawbridge mentality; stick with the stats quo, retreat from Europe, return to a Theocracy, end free trade etc etc.  Just when we need to be outward facing to compete in a globalised world.

Ozy, the kids probably enjoyed the soccer camp.

I actually blame the E.U. for the mess.

Th issue I have here is that the GAA are expected to provide the facilities on which all sports are to be played.

That isn't the issue.  And you know it.

If the facilities are there, in a rural area, and not being used by the GAA at the time...why not let kids use them to play the sport of their choice.  And they are even prepared to play for the privelige!

We are a small, sparsely located, rural country with poor sporting facilities.  We need to cooperate not discriminate.

The issue here is that a central Committeee have deliberated and made a judgement that institutionalises backward insular bigotry.  They need to grow up.

The GAA have provided excellent facilities all over the country and that is why they are the most popular sports. Other sporting organisations chose to only focus on Dublin for many, many years and suffered because of that.

I don't know the geography of Longford and I doubt you do either. We don't know whether there is another soccer pitch in the area or how close the nearest one is.

I have never seen rugby, soccer or any other clubs offer their facilites to any other sports and there is no reason why the GAA should be expected to. As Freddiek points out above, the only example I can think of is Croke Park being opened up to stop Irish fans having to travel abroad to watch their national teams.

The issue pf payment is a shot term financial gain for te gaa club. They should be using their facilities to encourage children to play gaelic games rather than generating a few bob which will probably go into the senior team mangers back pocket. There are GAA clubs renting out astro turf pitches all over the country to soccer clubs to generate money and the revenue raised is being pissed away rather than using it to develop gaelic games.

Civillsed countries have municipal stadia that are shared.  A common sense approach that works and makes best use of limited resources

We are anchored in the past.  Small minded backwardness, the type of civil war thinking and divisions that define our equally pathetic political parties.

The GAA has always been defined by its insular, defensive approach to minorities and those that choose to play other sports. As an organisation it needs to recognise times have changed and it needs to grow up.