Mayo GAA Discussion

TsuDhoNimh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121689080#Comment_121689080

A lot of the deflection (and don't get me wrong, McStay is more than media savvy enough to avoid the premise of a question he doesn't like or reframe it to his suiting.... which is a nice positive) was due to the wording of the question. "A lot of new guys" and then (inaccurately) name-dropping Fergie specifically as a new player.

A nice positive interview. A lot to like about it.

https://twitter.com/MayoGAA/status/1751638625501007890

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121689506#Comment_121689506

That was the one! I thought it was a point very well made.

A subtle low blow about Galway's decision to play with the wind thrown in for good measure as well perhaps.

popeye mchuge

Are they charging U16's into McHale Park Saturday night?

If so, is it a charge at the gate?

Thanks

TsuDhoNimh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121691442#Comment_121691442

Free in for juveniles/u16s and don't require a ticket according to Ticketmaster.

irishgeo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121692765#Comment_121692765

But mayogaa voted against that as there was too many issues with young people invading the pitch etc.

Westernview

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121693273#Comment_121693273

But that was then overruled by Croke Park I heard. So free in again.

The invasions will probably continue unfortunately.

km79

Kids were kicking around the pitch at HT in Salthill too.

If the solution is to price kids out of going to matches then there is something very wrong

Blackjack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121693677#Comment_121693677

I'd agree that it sets a bad tone charging kids but I think the issue that the MCB had is Kids getting in and being allowed to roam free with no parental supervision. Stewards have enough to be doing without adding parenting to their voluntary roles.

HBC08

This is what the was put out in November.

Stupid,reactionary, backwards,counter productive over the top nonsense to a minor annoyance.

https://www.mayonews.ie/news/home/1339309/anti-social-behaviour-forces-mayo-to-charge-children-for-admission.html

I'm glad Croke Park told them to cop on.

irishgeo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121694616#Comment_121694616

Until one of the darlings slips and falls on the pitch and gets injured..

HBC08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121694718#Comment_121694718

What do they do in every other ground in the country?

Salthill the last day for example?

Anyway,it doesn't matter as it was a dumb idea and they've been slapped down so common sense prevails.

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121694616#Comment_121694616

Christ above, it sounds like a war zone out there from reading some of those meeting comments. As for the Chairman's comments about how charging for championship games solves the problem... they ground is half empty at League games, that is the reason kids have that bit of freedom.

Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill. Is the same fuss made in other counties where this is also common place.

I can see why some are concerned but the thrill and joy kids get after a match from getting a signature or a selfie overrides that for me.

If the players had an issue with it, then fair enough, put a stop to it.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121695241#Comment_121695241

Is the same fuss made in other counties where this is also common place

I doubt it, Mayo County Board seem to be unique in their ability to do stupid s**t.

TsuDhoNimh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121695340#Comment_121695340

That's a little bit disrespectful.... to Cork.

They've come close to our level of stupidity on a few occasions in recent years.

Westernview

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121694781#Comment_121694781

I don't agree that it's common sense to let unaccompanied kids free into games when they can swarm the field afterwards and cause difficulty for stewards. Our fans seem to be the main culprits for doing this. There are many cases of parents dropping off kids at the venue and picking them up afterwards and there are so many reasons to try and prevent this.

1 - Pitch damage - Last year the PA announcer repeatedly requested people not to enter the pitch afterward in order to protect the surface. That fell on deaf ears. There is huge pressure on pitches as it is with so many games played at all levels.

2 - Injury - Unaccompanied kids running around the pitch can get injured leading to litigation and increased insurance premiums.

3 - Unfairness to players - After playing up to 80 minutes on a winters night I think players should be allowed to acknowledge the fans in the stands and leave the field to recover. Ive seen players still on the field togged out up to an hour after the final whistle. In any case a lot of those kids are getting the same autographs for the upteenth time. Special meet the player nights are more appropriate for all this IMO.

4 - Stolen footballs - up to 20 footballs were stolen in one game alone last year. Stewards have been instructed to ask for the footballs back but not to run after kids in case they fall and sue the county board. Thats €1000 worth of footballs taken from a cash strapped board and the same again every time it happens. Its as much a respect thing as the cost. Do we want to encourage kids to keep doing this?

I actually did think that the first 1 or 2 invasions were amusing and harmless but as the crowds got bigger and bigger I just think its not on anymore.

irishgeo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121696117#Comment_121696117

I agree with all of the above. I can see the attraction of running on to the pitch at full time to meet the players but half time is madness.

I seen grown adults on the pitch at half time in galway the last day. Cop yourself on.

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121696117#Comment_121696117

Was half expecting them to be blamed for global warming as well.

Westernview

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121696939#Comment_121696939

Sarcasm the lowest form of wit.

You've no problem for the situation to continue then?

MacDanger

We’re talking about unaccompanied youths arriving and getting in, and once they’re in the ground, going on the pitch

Surely it'd be a better solution to say that no unaccompanied U16s are allowed entry to the ground, should be easy enough to enforce?

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121696997#Comment_121696997

As mentioned earlier, the only real issue that I would have was if the players didn’t want it. And players have enough of a voice these days to stop it if they wanted to imo.

I would also be against anyone running on the pitch at half time, they should run the risk of being ejected from the ground if they do so.

On the other points.

Pitch Damage - I would be more concerned with the €300,000+ the County Board spent damaging the pitch.

Insurance - McHale Park is 75% concrete, a game wouldn't go ahead if you wanted to worry about someone falling and smashing their head on the concrete seats.

Stolen Balls - your story sounds like a tale from an overly dramatic county board official tbh. If they can't manage to retrieve the vast majority of balls from the crowd then I would worry about their ability to host a match.

Mountain out of a molehill stuff. If it's safe to let kids run onto the pitch and as long as the players don't mind, then let them off. It's has been done up and down the country for generations.

Westernview

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121697456#Comment_121697456

I think players are under a lot of pressure in terms of interacting with fans. I don't believe that many of them would prefer to stay out there rather than get off the field.

The county board clearly cannot eject a accompanied juvenile from the ground. The problem has to be addressed on terms of having adults with them preventing them going out on the field in the first place.

The same applies to them taking the balls. Stewards cannot be chasing after them.

That's a ridiculous comment about the board spending 300k to damage a pitch. They clearly developed a good surface and any issue were afterwards with from not restricting the amount of games. This has since being addressed. The board have said that post match invasions undermines their attempts to protect it. But never mind you know best.

Green&Red

Are we really giving out about kids running onto the pitch at HT and kicking a ball around?

They're about 40kg so doing **** all damage. If there wasn't a big deal made out of it by the lad on the tannoy then it wouldn't be as big an issue. For years young people ran on at HT and ran off again when the players came back out.

As for the balls going missing, that's unrelated to the kids being on the pitch

PARlance

James Fallon (Mayo Gaels) announced as the Breaffy senior manager last night.

TsuDhoNimh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121699095#Comment_121699095

Have to say I thought Konrad Coghill did an exceptional job last year. Well beyond any expectations I had for them.

Excited to see how James gets on. Some great talent coming through (Livingstone, Beirne, Tunney, Neary, Coghill and that super young O'Shea lad at the edge of the square) so if he can get them playing like he had Gaels' in '21 it could be great to watch.

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121699181#Comment_121699181

They definitely exceeded expectations in getting to the final. There's still a sense of deflation over that game itself but I don't think many would have imagined getting there to begin with.

There's a bit of talent coming through but I would worry about the overall strength of the team and squad. When compared against the best club set ups, I think there are a few weak spots in the first 15 and not much of bench versus the best.

Can't say I know much about Fallon at all, great achievement in getting Gaels to senior but did he step down or get replaced before sampling senior management? That seemed harsh if he was replaced

glack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121698693#Comment_121698693

To be fair, I think the issue isn’t as much to do with running on the pitch but more the general anti social behaviour. The pitch issue is a problem but one of many. Young people stealing footballs, damaging facilities, destroying jerseys (apparently writing on players jerseys with sharpies while the players are meeting fans) etc are all reported by stewards at the games to be regular occurrences last year. As well as other anti social behaviour in the toilets and other areas as the game is being played (drug use etc). The reality is a number of young people who have no interest in the football are heading to Machale park on match day to cause trouble. Stewards (these are volunteers doing this remember) are in a difficult situation as these are minors so the stewards are reluctant/unable to apprehend and put a stop to it. €5 entrance fee would really help as it would have turned away a nice few who were just using machale park as their venue for causing havoc. Not sure what other solutions are available.

Lots of other county grounds are far enough out of town to discourage this kind of behaviour. And Croke park charge €5 for juveniles - I know they do this as it’s designated seats but you can be sure it helps with behaviour also.

crusd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121703445#Comment_121703445

Leave it free. But no entry unless accompanied by an adult.

Westernview

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121703445#Comment_121703445

I heard about the sharpie stuff as well. Kids writing their names on players jerseys. Stewards were verbally and physically assaulted at the Galway league game last year. A lot of people on here are saying the invasions are harmless and overblown but that won't hold much water when someone gets injured.

Even just the abuse and disrespect is unacceptable. It's increasingly difficult to get stewards to come every week and they should be able to enjoy their role but these incidents will turn people off doing it. Same in the case of referees where there are inevitable shortages.

Ideally accompanied kids let in free is the best solution in theory but I wonder if that's very difficult for stewards on the gates to police. Charging may be the only way to discourage those with no interest in the game to stay away.

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121703445#Comment_121703445

Antisocial behaviour at that level is news to me. Maybe I was too flippant about it previously. I've never experienced it myself at McHale Park.

The only similar antisocial behaviour I've experienced at a match was in the Hill where there lads (not minors) absolutely coked out of their heads. They were "mayo fans" as well, but they were from another county altogether and had no interest in the game.

Have we really got a problem with u16s doing drugs in the toilets in McHale Park? I would hope that we don't. If so, it's not really a stewarding matter, it's a policing matter.

I've no real issue with young kids running on the field to get autographs but I've never seen one running on the field with a stolen size 5 up their jumper or while on drugs. The issue seems far greater and completely separate to younger kids running on to get an autograph.

U16s shouldn't be allowed in unaccompanied, I just presumed that was a rule already tbh.

km79

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121704142#Comment_121704142

Exactly !