Anyone complaining about salaries or payments to GAA people in comparison to the grotesque amounts handed out to players and managers in the soccer scene is definitely backing a loser . At grass roots level thousands of GAA parents in particular give freely and substantially of their time in fostering development particularly at under age level .  Other sports could well take a leaf out of that book . Very few are not out of pocket due to their activity .

Suspect too that there is an element of hype to guarantee a big attendance ( not that anyone would begrudge any money raised for a worthy cause).

Kelly, I have two Sons who played Soccer to a good level, one of them got a trial with Bradford when they were in the Premiership, and I can tell you there were plenty of parents doing their bit for the clubs on match days etc. Its not only the GAA that have people to help, Thousends of Soccer players parents do it on a regular basis , its called Love for your Children...

Wonker, forget  about Liam Miller and the GAA, the big question here is who the fukk is taking home your tax ?. For the love of Jesus , if there was work in bed you’d get out of it , ya little scrounging yoke. If Liam Millers family were depending on your tax , they’d be in some state . Saying that if you gave them half the benefits your mob have gathered since you were 18, you’d be able to buy the White House for them .

Workrider, when I was growing up there were 3 GAA ( under age ) players in our district, county minors , nearest club in our own county was 15 miles away , so we had to play across city in West Belfast ( bus travel ) . No senior players at all . Hundreds plus kids in the district were playing soccer ( on municipal pitches of course , funded by the tax payer) . A primary school class mate played Division One in England( then the premier ) for years .There were attendances of 20,000 plus at Irish league matches , regularly. I attended an international match in Windsor Park with 58,000 others ( dangerous I reckoned , glad to see match finish to get out ). With that level of support etc how come the soccer clubs locally are nearly all on their knees , looking for handouts, no money spent on developing facilities , relying on the "government" ( such as it is ) . The soccer clubs own virtually no grounds , nearly every decent sized parish up here ( and down south ) has an excellent GAA pitch and comparable facilities , nearly all paid for . 

Nowadays in same district there are hundreds of kids playing GAA daily , it is now safe to walk to a GAA pitch facility here , used to be dangerous , particularly carrying a hurl . One local facility has put in 2 3g or 4g pitches ( 6-7 hundred thousand per pitch I am told ) , part funded by GAA contribution .  To my knowledge soccer is putting in nothing , rugby is contributing as well as GAA.

Soccer as I see it is completely obsessed with developing players to fuel professional clubs across the water, lots of under age players who show any sort of potential get trials , but the reality is that few make the grade and they finish up with dreams of "making it" shattered . Great for those who do make it , but they are statistically rare . Those running the soccer scene have failed to tap into the interest in their sport to generate facilities , they have been too interested in being a "blazer" and "supporting" teams ( not always at their own expense) . Up here traditionally soccer always got first cut of the council money for sport , nowadays the cake has to be more equally divided  , but it is the GAA ( and rugby to be fair to them ) who are pushing out the boat . Soccer just wants a free tow .

**** me Jimeen, I never had you down for a Dub....

I know of one fan of a LOI soccer team who brought his sons with him to go looting and pimped his daughter at a score a pop , during the games . She was on her knees more often than the players !. Some filth go to that soccer in fairness , dole cheats , scroungers, robbers , pimps, every kind of yoke really.

Most of the sports where we as a nation are on the front foot are organised nationwide .  Soccer is irrevocably split , will be until a few more events hasten sense . Soccer was doing well here up to 1948 approx , having started essentially in Belfast and district initially before spreading to south , Dublin initially .  Once Belfast Celtic quit the Irish league , soccer was on a downward spiral here , cant see it reinventing itself here , particularly given that most of soccer supporters here like flying "flegs" .

Of the sports I know about , golf, rugby , cricket , we do well on an organised national basis .  Other sports also performing well include hockey , rowing , boxing ( not sure on this one , and it does not rate highly with me as sport) and we do punch above our weight generally . Soccer performs well occasionally at national level , albeit I cant remember many home based players lining out regularly , so many of us  do not identify a lot with Man U , Liverpool , Tottenham , etc players wearing a green jersey , south or north . Especially when some of them are interviewed and we wonder where their grannies came from .

The sooner we field a 32 county team the sooner soccer south and north would be starting to get on the front foot . Derek Dougan and George Best tried to open up the debate on this , but the blazers north and south got in the way big time .

stope it lads , buggsy is starting to sound like he needs to be sectioned again.

But we let EVERYONE play at Lansdowne... unlike some.....

^ Not sure the whole motive should be about "gaining" anything tbh Pecker.

A slight negative though is(was) the pricing of the tickets( 50 euro i believe), just a bit much even if the childs price was half and someone is taking youngfellas to see the game.

What did Shane say Pecker...I missed it .

Common sense prevails and the Mafia get their comeuppance ....

Get back into johnos ya ghoul.

Decades eh Wonks? Nothing about the cause of Liam Millers family? You're response only proves you didn't give a t*ss about Millers family or any charity involved, it was only another excuse to have a go at the GAA. It only sums up what an absolute clown of yourself you've made on this forum.

Best of luck to the Miller family and connections.

I hope not to hear the usual chants.

Well said kavvie, and the poor old wonker has made a complete and utter cunnt of himself on this thread. You can see by the level of support his ridiculous nonsense got , that he is persona non grata here nowadays. Even one of his closest allies distanced himself from him this time .
As kavvie said , it’s time to move on, let this event take place , and let the LOI rabble go back to shittting in people’s gardens and pisssing through their letterboxes.

Should be told to shove it.

Well said by purpose,  The level of fitness and skill by these amateur players is extraordinary, what a wonderful game hurling is.

Throw the ball in between 2 players(not a melee)when the need arises.

Perhaps enforce the pull in that situation.

Punish the constant push in the back,also the arm over the shoulder(a totally false movement).

Do watch the steps and hand passing are legal.


What a season, what a weekend, what a game.

Fcucked up Ireland plc............

Kavvie I know you're a true Gaa man, and proud of the game, but to slate a organisation because it has little money because it PAYS its player is a little over the top to say the least. The ONLY reason the GAA are solvent is because they pay no one and that's an economical fact. I'm surprised you say this thread should be pulled , surely we fought for free speech. Rules are rules as you say, but sometimes commonsense is the saving grace.