GAA Football questions

GaryGee

G'day all from Aus
Been hearing/reading a bit about the AFL recruiting from the GAA football clubs etc. I've got a few questions that I hope someone would be kind enough to answer. I've watched a few GAA Football videos and the occasional Intl rules match in the past and it looks to me like there are a lot of similarities in the skills required of both games.
How many GAA football teams are there?
Is tackling/bumping (hip and shoulder) a major feature of GAA football?
From the info I could gather average crowd figures would be about 10k, would that be correct?
Am I correct that the players don't get paid for their contributions.
Is there much corporate sponsorship of the teams and/or players?
Are all the matches broadcast on TV (FTA or pay)?
Am I correct that tickets to the game sell for about 25 euros?
Looking forward to the responses
Thanks in advance.

hunter164

There are 34 teams in the Championship including London and New York.
The shoulder and hip are used a fair amount.
On the attendance it depends on the counties.Dublin usuasly have upwards of 70k at their matches.
All players are amateur.
There is some sponsorship but nothing near that of say the Premiership.
Rte,Tv3 and Tg4 usually show the games.

lorweld

GaryGee wrote: »

How many GAA football teams are there?

There are thousands of football teams in Ireland. Each parish, town village in Ireland would have a club team which is over 2500. In the championship most counties have a senior team who play for the much wanted Sam Maguire cup.

Is tackling/bumping (hip and shoulder) a major feature of GAA football?

Yeah it would be within reason. There wouldn't be as much physical contact allowed in gaa football that is allowed in the afl

From the info I could gather average crowd figures would be about 10k, would that be correct?

This depends on the game and which teams are playing. for example this Sunday Dublin will play Wexford in Croke park in the Leinster final. The crowd expected for that would be in the region of 70000 to 80000.

Am I correct that the players don't get paid for their contributions.

Yes you are right. The players are classed as amatuers, don't get paid and have full time jobs

Is there much corporate sponsorship of the teams and/or players?

Yes there would be corporate sponsorship of teams but not of players

Are all the matches broadcast on TV (FTA or pay)?

The bigger matches are shown on tv are fta

Am I correct that tickets to the game sell for about 25 euros?

Yes in and around that figure however as the championship progresses, the price of tickets increase too

Hope this helps and is accurate hopefully other posters can rectify or add to what I've posted. The website for the GAA might give you more info www.gaa.ie Also while you're here you might like to check out our own Afl forum http://boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1029.

GaryGee

Hey thanks for that info. I did a bit a bit more reading since I posted.
70-80k is a pretty big crowd by anyones standards.
Is the amatuer status of the players a traditional thing?
I would imagine there would be a fair amount of revenue generated by food/drink sales at the Stadium.
Same goes for the club merchandise sold at the Stadium and through the shops during the year.
Who benefits from all the money generated?

Bluetonic

hunter164 wrote: »

On the attendance it depends on the counties.Dublin usually have upwards of 70k at their matches.

Only from the Leinster Final onward. Both match played in the championship this year have been below 70k, and it's the same for previous years.

Mushy

GaryGee wrote: »

Hey thanks for that info. I did a bit a bit more reading since I posted.
70-80k is a pretty big crowd by anyones standards.
Is the amatuer status of the players a traditional thing?
I would imagine there would be a fair amount of revenue generated by food/drink sales at the Stadium.
Same goes for the club merchandise sold at the Stadium and through the shops during the year.
Who benefits from all the money generated?

Yeah, the amateur status is a traditional thing, its always been like that. ALthough there is a scheme in place that can give the players grants, its new. Its due to the fact that players miss work days for matches and that, so like decent compensation.

The GAA as an organisation benefit from the generated money. But say for jerseys, kit manufacturers also get a share of it. The GAA use the money fortadium facilities and new schemes that will hopefully benefit the game as a whole in the country.

Flukey

GaryGee wrote: »

How many GAA football teams are there?

As stated there are thousands. Gaelic football is one of our two national sports, the other being hurling. As a result there are thousands of clubs, some specialising in one or other of the games, but many fielding teams in both. Categories of teams range from children through to adults. The best players in the clubs can be chosen to play for their county, again across various age ranges. Rivals across clubs can be team mates for their county. The most important teams are the senior football teams and senior hurling teams.

Is tackling/bumping (hip and shoulder) a major feature of GAA football?

It is a physical game, though there is no defined tackle. The shoulder to shoulder is one of the most common forms of tackle.

From the info I could gather average crowd figures would be about 10k, would that be correct?

Given that there are so many teams and matches, even at the higher levels, it is hard to put a definite figure on this. Then you have the particular competitions too, which will attract different sizes of crowds, which grow larger as the competitions progress.

The two All-Ireland senior championships are the biggest and most prestigious competitions, but again there are loads of other grades of All-Ireland championships. The championships are really hotting up now. Dublin has the biggest population of any county, so when they play a championship game, there is always a huge crowd. Croke Park, one of the largest stadiums in Europe, holds 83,500 people and it will be within a few thousand of capacity today when they play Wexford, a game I am going to. The All-Ireland Finals in September will both be sell-outs.

Am I correct that the players don't get paid for their contributions.

Yes you are correct and it is one of the great things about the game. The players are playing for their team, their county, their friends, their family, their community, the passion and love of the game - and all these we often refer to as the shirt. These things are far greater motivations than any wage could ever be. Almost every single player playing for a particular county is a native of that county not someone that has been bought in and has no connection with that county. Having that connection gives something special to their play.

Is there much corporate sponsorship of the teams and/or players?

There is some, but only what is necessary to support teams needs.

Are all the matches broadcast on TV (FTA or pay)?

Matches are free to air, as they are part of the culture of the country and so ring-fenced from pay per view TV. All sports should be that way.

Am I correct that tickets to the game sell for about 25 euros?

Again that depends on the matches in question. For a big day there are always at least 2 games, sometimes 3. Today there will be two games in Croke Park, a minor game (under 18s) and a senior match. My ticket cost €35. Earlier tickets were cheaper and as the championship progresses prices will increase. An All-Ireland final ticket will be about €70.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some matches to go to.