GPA/GAA Gaelicboots.com treason

Deco99

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/magpies-chief-ashley-partners-gaa-in-boot-venture-226232.html

In case the title doesnt give away my feeling on this, i will never purchase boots off this website.

Free market and all but this surely goes against the core of what the GAA stands for. Shame on the GPA/GAA?

Realt Dearg Sec

Deco99 wrote: »

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/magpies-chief-ashley-partners-gaa-in-boot-venture-226232.html

In case the title doesnt give away my feeling on this, i will never purchase boots off this website.

Free market and all but this surely goes against the core of what the GAA stands for. Shame on the GPA/GAA?

The "Irish made" rule is pretty farcical at the best of times. Companies who make sliotars in Pakistan, jerseys in China, hurls in Poland, but have an office in an Industrial Park make a mockery of the rule. If the point of the rule is to promote job creation in Ireland (as in, jobs in manufacturing the actual goods) then it isn't working. Either only allow companies who actually MAKE the gear here to sell to GAA affiliated clubs, or get rid of the rule. As it stands it simply allows companies who are mediocre to operate without the challenge of competing with better companies who are not technically based in Ireland, but with no noticeable benefit to Irish industry.

Treason might be overstating it, but the rule is nonsense as it currently stands.

iDave

When the GAA and GPA were at odds in the mid 2000s didnt the GAA get in some huff about the GPA promoting Club when Lucozade was the official sponsor or something along those lines. This despite Club being an Irish brand and Lucozade being foreign.

Justin10

It was pretty obvious the the GAA boot website was sports direct. Me and my mates noticed it the minute we went on to it.

Realt Dearg Sec

iDave wrote: »

When the GAA and GPA were at odds in the mid 2000s didnt the GAA get in some huff about the GPA promoting Club when Lucozade was the official sponsor or something along those lines. This despite Club being an Irish brand and Lucozade being foreign.

They did, but the GPA also got in a huff with Eoin Kelly and the Gooch for being brand ambassadors for Lucozade and thereby betraying the GPA, of which they were not members.

Meantime I remember the Club Energize ads looked awful because the players in them couldn't wear real county jerseys, and all wore things that looked like they were bought in the pound shop and said "Tyrone" and "Mayo" across the front. It was hilarious actually.

iDave

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

They did, but the GPA also got in a huff with Eoin Kelly and the Gooch for being brand ambassadors for Lucozade and thereby betraying the GPA, of which they were not members.

Meantime I remember the Club Energize ads looked awful because the players in them couldn't wear real county jerseys, and all wore things that looked like they were bought in the pound shop and said "Tyrone" and "Mayo" across the front. It was hilarious actually.

The whole situation was a tad pathetic. Again if memory serves me correctly the GAA were annoyed by Clubs guerilla marketing by handing out free bottles of mineral at a Sigerson match.

Are they the ads where the players ran on a lake and around containers in the Dublin Port? The jerseys were sh1tty alright but in fairness dont think the ads were all that bad, sexed up GAA a bit.

Deco99

While I dont think its feasible that an Irish Company could compete on a manufacturing basis on something like boots due to the strength of brands in boots, (maybe on hurls and sliotars and jerseys, i dont know btw), BUT surely the local sports shop that stocks these boots doesnt need to be cut out in favour of a company that has a few guys sitting in a depot and posting on the parcels sent on from england. The GAA have surely overstepped the mark in this latest moneygrabbing excercise.

Realt Dearg Sec

iDave wrote: »

The whole situation was a tad pathetic. Again if memory serves me correctly the GAA were annoyed by Clubs guerilla marketing by handing out free bottles of mineral at a Sigerson match.

Are they the ads where the players ran on a lake and around containers in the Dublin Port? The jerseys were sh1tty alright but in fairness dont think the ads were all that bad, sexed up GAA a bit.

That was the ad alright, a decent one as it happens yeah, a friend of mine was a camera operator on it, but the effect was ruined by the jerseys.

StupidLikeAFox

Just compared some prices for Puma King boots
Elverys: €115
Lifestyle: €110
Gaelicboots/sportsdirect: €61.99

I wonder what the GPA/GAA are getting out of it exactly, I presume its a percentage of profits

rebel girl 15

Its exactly the same look at the sportsdirect website - fairly obvious. Having looked at the sportsdirect website, the Kaiser 5's are £49.99 over here (€59), yet on the gaelicboots website they are €49.99. If its a percentage of the profits the GPA are getting off it, I reckon it is very little

duinegorm

Email sent by Ger Wyley, Wyley Sports Dungarvan, to Dessie Farrell of the GPA.

"Subject: gaelicboots

Dear Mr Farrell,

I, Gerard Wyley, of Ger Wyley Footwear and Sportswear, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, wish to put on record my concerns regarding the launch of Gaelic boots .com and its endorsement by the GPA and the GAA.
I have been in business for the last 24yrs and during this time I have had a close association with and have been a staunch supporter of, the Waterford County Board and all of the local clubs.
Only last week I paid the annual sponsorship sum of 2000 euro to Dungarvan Juvenile GAA club. I am also a member of this club and purchase weekly lotto tickets. I sponsor at least 14 other local GAA clubs through race nights, raffles, vouchers etc. I also purchase Deise draw tickets and attend local and inter county games thereby contributing locally and nationally to the GAA. To date in association with Skins we have sponsored 75,000 euro worth of Skins product for the Waterford Senior Hurling panel. With the GPA/GAA encouraging its members ( myself included ) and supporters to purchase not only boots but also runners on Gaelic Boots .com we will no longer be in a position to continue this level of sponsorship.

How can the GPA expect to get sports grants for inter county players from the Irish Goverment while at the same time asking it`s members and supporters to purchase footwear from an English registered company with the VAT going to the British goverment - VAT No GB 898439743 ?

I have two GAA players currently employed - one being an inter county player. With Gaelic Boots .com taking business from me how does your association propose to protect their jobs?

The GPA/GAA have given Sports Direct access to the Irish market without carrying any of the costs we incurr -- rates, insurance, light / heat, advertising, wages, to mention a few. We contribute greatly to the local ecomomy which in turn contributes to the GPA/GAA. If you continue to direct business abroard we will all suffer. e.g. local media depend on our advertising to survive and the GPA/GAA depend on them to publicse their games. By hitting us you are removing a link that breaks the chain.

By encouraging your members and supporters to purchase abroard you are taking money out of the local economy which in turn leaves supporters with less money to attend games. Surely this is not in the GPA/GAA`s interest ?

Why are the GPA/GAA misleading it`s own members and supporters by calling Gaelic Boots .com "your own website" when it is clearly Sportsdirect.com retail Ltd. Company No 03406347 registered in the UK.

It is unbelievable that the GAA/GPA are engouraging its members/supporters to purchase abroad to the detriment of the local economy. I was always of the belief that the GAA/GPA supported the local / grass roots sectors of society. Surely this goes against everything the GAA stands for /

Mr Farrell as a GAA member, supporter and sponsor, I would like to know the finer details of this partnership with sportsdirect.com. What "considerable" financial benefits have been offered to the Association ?
What funds have the GPA committed to "disbursing" to support the game at all levels ?
Will these "funds generated to support the game" be sufficient when revenue goes to a British owned company, businesses are closed, jobs are lost and Irish sports retailers no longer exist to support local initiatives ?
Next year should we direct our Co. Board and local clubs to the GPA,GAA Headoffice or sportsdirect.com for sponsorship ?

This partnership appears to have been hastily conceived and ill thought out. I urge you and your colleagues to consider the long term ramifications of this deal.

"The Association shall use all pratical endeavours to support Irish Industry especially in relation to the provision of trophies and playing gear and equipment."
1.4 (d)
To conclude, online shopping is a fact of life but it is a travesty of justice for a national organisation to be promoting the purchase of merchandise from a UK registered company

yours faithfully in sport

Gerard Wyley"

Some good points raised by Ger. I wonder if Dessie and the GPA will respond?

keane2097

Who wants to pay twice the price or more for boots is a question that seems to be getting lost here. The paradigm of the brick and mortar shop is dead in a lot of industries, sports gear is one of the most obvious where up to ten years ago shops started charging people to try on wetsuits.

This is just life I'm afraid. Nobody is going fork over €120 for a pair of football boots they can get online for €60 no matter what the GAA or the GPA say.

bruschi

keane2097 wrote: »

Who wants to pay twice the price or more for boots is a question that seems to be getting lost here. The paradigm of the brick and mortar shop is dead in a lot of industries, sports gear is one of the most obvious where up to ten years ago shops started charging people to try on wetsuits.

This is just life I'm afraid. Nobody is going fork over €120 for a pair of football boots they can get online for €60 no matter what the GAA or the GPA say.

whilst that is true, why would the GAA/GPA encourage people to do that when they have the product, albeit more expensive, with their own people. Obviously going online, people will find better deals than in a shop, but when your organisation actively encourages you to do so, then it creates a much bigger problem, and I think that is his main gripe with it.

your point raises a more general problem with online/retail shops problem in the general economy, whereas if the GPA/GAA actively steer people in that direction, both away from the shops and to a foreign company, then I would have to agree with the nay sayers.

keane2097

bruschi wrote: »

whilst that is true, why would the GAA/GPA encourage people to do that when they have the product, albeit more expensive, with their own people.

It's not a matter of saving a few pennies by shopping online here let's remember, you're literally talking double the price in cases.

In an era where players are that close to the breadline that swathes of them are moving abroad to find work I think it would be irresponsible for a players' welfare organisation to just say nothing and let its members pay way over the odds.

bruschi wrote: »

Obviously going online, people will find better deals than in a shop, but when your organisation actively encourages you to do so, then it creates a much bigger problem, and I think that is his main gripe with it.

Does it create a much bigger problem? How many players don't already know about Sportsdirect?

bruschi wrote: »

your point raises a more general problem with online/retail shops problem in the general economy, whereas if the GPA/GAA actively steer people in that direction, both away from the shops and to a foreign company, then I would have to agree with the nay sayers.

Again, this "active steering" probably has very little impact. All they've really done it would appear is sign an advertising deal where sportsdirect pay them to use their site over Pluto or M&M or whoever.

Sports shops have been closing down in their droves everywhere I've lived in the past ten years, I think focussing anger on this is the death throes of an industry that failed spectacularly to adjust to a changing market.

bruschi

keane2097 wrote: »

It's not a matter of saving a few pennies by shopping online here let's remember, you're literally talking double the price in cases.

In an era where players are that close to the breadline that swathes of them are moving abroad to find work I think it would be irresponsible for a players' welfare organisation to just say nothing and let its members pay way over the odds.



Does it create a much bigger problem? How many players don't already know about Sportsdirect?



Again, this "active steering" probably has very little impact. All they've really done it would appear is sign an advertising deal where sportsdirect pay them to use their site over Pluto or M&M or whoever.

Sports shops have been closing down in their droves everywhere I've lived in the past ten years, I think focussing anger on this is the death throes of an industry that failed spectacularly to adjust to a changing market.

no I agree with the general points that an online system is working better, and people will get a better deal online. I also agree that a lot of those shops havent helped themselves by reacting to the modern market and adjusting their set up to take into account the modern day shopper.

but I do think its not good for the GPA/GAA to direct shoppers, no matter how little or large in numbers they are, away from Irish retailers.

this wont be the reason shops will close, but it certainly doesnt help them.

keane2097

bruschi wrote: »

no I agree with the general points that an online system is working better, and people will get a better deal online. I also agree that a lot of those shops havent helped themselves by reacting to the modern market and adjusting their set up to take into account the modern day shopper.

but I do think its not good for the GPA/GAA to direct shoppers, no matter how little or large in numbers they are, away from Irish retailers.

this wont be the reason shops will close, but it certainly doesnt help them.

I'm pretty fatalistic about it obviously, this is something that is happening anyway and if the GPA can make some money out of it I find it hard not to shrug and say "fair play".

I can definitely see why it winds people up the wrong way in fairness though.

Connorzee

Any reason why GaelicBoots aren't selling Adidas shoes/boots anymore?? I noticed as well in the ambassador's page, where Lee Chin states his favourite boot is the Predator LZ and it links to the boot, that the link goes to the main SportsDirect page for the predator.

rebel girl 15

Looks like its gone completely! Website is down

slingerz

rebel girl 15 wrote: »

Looks like its gone completely! Website is down

Has been down for the past week at least