The war of the associations

Killme00

Mods: Sorry about this, i was typing this as the thread was locked.

I love the game of hurling and will never allow this bureaucratic bullchit to detract from my love of the game. I have to say though that we (the GAA) really are burning our bridges these days. The blazer wearers sit on high and pontificate about how we should do nothing to help the other sports, when in reality we share the same talent pool and the same facilities and have done for years. At a grassroots level kids will play both sports, GAA and Soccer clubs use the same facilities even the same floodlight pithces for training in some communities. The war of attrition that this is fast becoming will detract from both organisations, and those caught in the middle (the kids) will be the ones to suffer.

LeoB

Killme00 wrote: »

Mods: Sorry about this, i was typing this as the thread was locked.

I love the game of hurling and will never allow this bureaucratic bullchit to detract from my love of the game. I have to say though that we (the GAA) really are burning our bridges these days. The blazer wearers sit on high and pontificate about how we should do nothing to help the other sports, when in reality we share the same talent pool and the same facilities and have done for years. At a grassroots level kids will play both sports, GAA and Soccer clubs use the same facilities even the same floodlight pithces for training in some communities. The war of attrition that this is fast becoming will detract from both organisations, and those caught in the middle (the kids) will be the ones to suffer.

Cant quite figure out where your coming from. I dont see us burning to many bridges. No beauracrat pontificate to me and I have been on my club committee for 26 years doing various jobs.. In my opinion and my experience you must have been reading something from the 1950s.
The G.A.A like any business in this world we live in today has to fight hard for survival and are doing a good job in my opinion.
At grassroots level I know kids/teenagers who are barred from playing G.A.A by their soccer clubs.
On the facilities issue Yes clubs share facilities but they are not owned by the G.A.A. in some cases they are community owned and clubs apply for time slots. Thats how it should be in Lusk, Fingal Sports Campus. Paid for by our TAX but for the benifit of ALL the community. The G.A.A want to included in this project and rightfully so. I dont see the point in using the "kids" arguement. Thats an old one from that other forum. They need Fingal C.C. to provide this as they would not be capable of doing it themselves. BTW I support every draw my local soccer club have. But please stop this G.A.A bashing AS I SEE IT.

Killme00

LeoB wrote: »

No beauracrat pontificate to me and I have been on my club committee for 26 years doing various jobs..

Leo, fair play to you for your service but perhaps you have reached the point where you cannot see the wood for the trees.

LeoB wrote: »

In my opinion and my experience you must have been reading something from the 1950s.

No my opinion is simply that of someone who goes to clubs and intercounty games every week and has an independent thought and decision making process. Can you expand on this 1950's ideology as you see it?

LeoB wrote: »

I dont see the point in using the "kids" arguement. Thats an old one from that other forum. .

What? Doesnt the future of the game revolve around thie kids playing now and who will be playing in the next few years, do you think the future lies elsewhere? Where? Do you think alienenating rival associations will make it easier for the GAA to recruit kids?

patmac

Killme00 wrote: »

Mods: Sorry about this, i was typing this as the thread was locked.

I love the game of hurling and will never allow this bureaucratic bullchit to detract from my love of the game. I have to say though that we (the GAA) really are burning our bridges these days. The blazer wearers sit on high and pontificate about how we should do nothing to help the other sports, when in reality we share the same talent pool and the same facilities and have done for years. At a grassroots level kids will play both sports, GAA and Soccer clubs use the same facilities even the same floodlight pithces for training in some communities. The war of attrition that this is fast becoming will detract from both organisations, and those caught in the middle (the kids) will be the ones to suffer.

I live in Ballinasloe, County Roscommon we have hundreds of kids training at all under age levels, I honestly don't get where your coming from with this war of attrition stuff. We have 3 soccer clubs in the area, a rugby club and 2other GAA clubs nearby, we realised a long time ago that 'the play GAA or else' approach doesn't work. Young people will play all sports, we have excellent facilities and try and make playing GAA as much fun as possible, but in the end the player in question will make up his own mind as to what game he will play. We also know when there is a local soccer match as to avoid fixture clashes and I'm sure the soccer/rugby teams know ours as well.

As for the clash of the associations, at the risk of conflict I think that the LOI looks enviously at us. For instance nearly 15000 at the Kilkenny/Cork match last Sunday probably more than all LOI games put together, players playing with commitment and pride for feck all money compared to their LOI counterparts. The FAI having to pay us €1.5m to allow them to use our pitch for their national side. An 80,000 all seater stadium bought and paid for by it's associaton (with some government assistance), whereas Irish supporters are being asked to fork out up to €35000 to sit and watch 4 matches a year for 10 years. It's very difficult for them to compete, so when a Shamrock Rovers/Castleisland event happens they will rightly attack us, we don't need to be doing that kind of rubbish.
Our games, facilities and most of the people involved in them are our greatest assets, and stand up on their own, which is why the GAA will always be strong.

yahoo_moe

patmac wrote: »

I honestly don't get where your coming from with this war of attrition stuff.

+ 1

Sporadic, isolated incidents do not equal a concerted effort by the GAA or a 'war of attrition'. Most of the time, in most places, most people 'get along' when it comes to kids (or anyone) playing multiple sports. Not always but most of the time, which is something you seem to ignore.

phil

Your problem, ladies and gentlemen are in pockets around the country and the problem is with the communities in these areas, not the GAA in general. The GAA works on a very local level and if there are problems around the country, those problems are more than likely isolated to that locality. Don't generalise around that. Members of the GAA council don't sit around thinking of ways to destroy soccer or rugby.

The original point is pretty much nonsense, you could apply it to any part of Irish society where people come together in order to do things: Politics, Sport, Tidy towns ... whatever.

LeoB

Killme00 wrote: »

Leo, fair play to you for your service but perhaps you have reached the point where you cannot see the wood for the trees.



No my opinion is simply that of someone who goes to clubs and intercounty games every week and has an independent thought and decision making process. Can you expand on this 1950's ideology as you see it?



What? Doesnt the future of the game revolve around thie kids playing now and who will be playing in the next few years, do you think the future lies elsewhere? Where? Do you think alienenating rival associations will make it easier for the GAA to recruit kids?

I see things quite clearly. The Youth will do what they want I have never begged anyone to play for our club its not worth it. If I have a lad on my panel and he is unsure of what he wants to do I would usually say to him "sit down and think about it make up you own mind and if you decide to play soccer then the best of luck we wont fall out but you are always welcome back", some stay some go. That G.A.A or else crap is gone years but its always dragged up by people who dont know a whole lot about G.A.A Part of the problem is young lads are being begged to play and they dont want to let anyone down but they end up letting a team down when there is a clash. There is no battle. Of course the future lies with kids and most clubs if they are properly ran wont have a problem in this area as we have good structures to cater for them.

What I was saying and I may have been unclear, the blazers thing is also a thing that is long gone and in fairness to them they have left us a wonderful legacy of grounds around the country. You see blazers in Croke Park on match days but if you think they are not in touch think again.

The kids are always used as pawns but not by G.A.A. it is usually when some other organisation is looking to use our facilities and out comes the "ah its for the kids". When they should be saying despite the millions we have made we dont have any facilities. My town has an excellent soccer club who do a good job, we have top class golf and cricket clubs it just means we have to do things right to attract kids. We didnt always and I was part of that but we do now
Their is no war between any of the assocations in Ireland from what I know and we are alienating no one but what I do see is a sickening envy towards the G.A.A from other corners who could not organise a street league.

The G.A.A is stronger than it was 10 years ago and getting stronger thanks to great leadership but I will concede we do need a few lessons in P.R.

Think I will hire patmac as my P.R guru his contribution is bang on. Sorry for the rant

Orizio

LeoB wrote: »

The G.A.A is stronger than it was 10 years ago and getting stronger thanks to great leadership

What is your basis for this?

Not that I disagree, just interested.

LeoB

Orizio wrote: »

What is your basis for this?

Not that I disagree, just interested.

I look at what is happening around me and I see more kids playing, more adults playing, games better ran, better standards of refereeing, facilities getting better. From my travels around Ireland I see great stuff going on and I hear a lot of positive stuff from rural clubs. The flip side is people are a little less willing to give up their time to help poach kids and with it often falling back on the same few dedicated people it can lead to a sense of apathy and a feeling things are in a mess when actually they are not bad at all. If people would only take a minute to say well done and thanks to the mentors and committee members they might actually see what is going on and give a little hand out. But all in all I really things are a lot better. My wife does'nt I am P.R.O, am on development committee, managment committee, a team mentor and Academy coordinator. OK so its a lot for one person but I enjoy what the G.A.A does for my parish and the youth. Oh I have a job, and 2 kids and we have become foster carers.

I think one area we need to look at is P.R. on 2 fronts, 1, We do let ouselves down sometimes in the way we handle things. Look at the hassle in Cork, Galvin, managers coming and going, suspensions, appeals....... mind you a lot of that stuff is fuelled by journalists stirring up people.
2, We dont brag enough about the good stuff that goes on. The time and effort put in by very good people to give us the wonderful sport we have and the great sportsmen and women who make the G.A.A what it is.
Orizo. Make a list of all the good things the G.A.A do, itCan sometimes be hard to put down on paper but you have been around the block (forum) you know there is great stuff being done.
Then think of the consequences if we all packed up and went home. That budget would look like a garden party

popebenny16

oh this is in reference to that stuff down there about yonder community/GAA/Soccer pitch and the energetic usage of a plough?

although i heard all this stuff on joe duffy and i know it has caused ruptions here i think i can be forgiven for pointing out a few little things.

firstly, no one can doubt my commitment to the GAA. that said, i actually think there is a very localised thing going on down there. There is a world of difference between land which is vested in the GAA and owned in trust by people on behalf of the GAA and land which just happens to be vested in peole who happen to be members of the GAA. One is not the same as theother.

secondly, the whole thing in other areas like in tallaght shows that there are hard liners in our organisation who i think we could do without. to give an example, my local club allowed the local soccer club to use one of our pitches. this was fine till someone from another club raised it at mid county board level and it had to be stopped.

this means that, far from the widly percieved opinion that the GAA is still stuck in the 19th century regarding these things at a national level you will find that at local level blind eyes are turned, rules are bended and accomaodation is found.

till some old moron pokes their heads up, as we have seen recently. but all they are is some old moron, sadly they know they have the power to outdo the will of many many more others than them and they know it.

there are, of course, as many people on the soccer side who hold such views as oin the GAA. is this a clash of associations? no, it is not, juts some silly people who have their own adgendas and their own views and who cannot but resist imposing them on others.

it applies inside as well, sure ask the cork hurlers.