Kilkenny And Gaelic Football

Straight Talker

I guess it's only people who are close to the club scene in Kilkenny can answer this, but is it in anyway feasible to get a Kilkenny intercounty football team to compete in division four of the league and the Tailtean Cup? Likewise with the ladies is it realistic to hope that Kilkenny can organise a team to compete in the senior all Ireland women's football championship? Is that a realistic aspiration or is it pie in the sky sort of stuff?

There actually is a club in Kilkenny that plays just football only called Railyard. Kilkenny did win the Leinster senior football championship on three occasions in 1888 1900 and 1911. So Kilkenny have some sort of football history. They have more provincial titles in football than Waterford for example. They won the all Britain championship a few times recently, and a junior all Ireland football championship in 2022. I just think the next step now is try and get Kilkenny competing at division four/Tailtean Cup level.

Realt Dearg Sec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058319425/kilkenny-and-gaelic-football

We lost the Junior All Ireland this year so that's the level we are at for now. Nothing much to be gained from going back to getting hammerings in Division 4 again.

Btw Railyard have the most KK SFC championships, followed by Glenmore, but in the last 7 years the championship has been totally dominated by Mullinavat. But it's still a bit stunted, teams withdraw and give walkovers constantly, when that's going on at senior level, you haven't much hope of building a county team out of it. You can't force more clubs to take it more seriously.

greenspurs

I had posted this in the Camogie page re. the 2 associations messing up fixtures -

"GF is definitely a 2nd place to camogie , and maybe even third behind soccer at this stage .

theres 10 clubs (?) that play GF underage in Kilkenny, only one in the South , and Kilkenny City incorporates all the girls from the City whos clubs dont 'bother' with Gfootball.

8 clubs play minor, (using lots of U16s) and then after that theres no next step club wise -

5 clubs (2 in Muckalee!!) play Adult football ..

Theres as many 'walkovers' given as matches played.

They have underage GF teams in Leinster underage 'blitz' and these teams get routinely beaten out the gate by the likes of Kildare, Meathe , Offaly etc.

They restarted the 'senior' ladies team this year , and they also got beaten well in each game. Although they do have a Laois man in there for next season, so that might improve."

So Ladies Football deffo wont make any impact at any age level, and most likely mens wont either.

theres no appetite , or emphasis, placed on training never mind playing GF at mens junior level even.

There used to be, but not anymore.

Shur all the Cody-wannabes want the Junior B hurlers training 2-3 times a week , forget about that bogball shtuff boys !!

verizon

There is barely a ball kicked in the county after Under 15s and there are lads around the county trying their best but they need help from Leinster/GAA because the help is not there from the CB. Football is a checkbox in their eyes for whatever minimum targets they need to meet. Even hurling is suffering now with so much time wasted all year and then cramming meaningless games into a small period before championship.

In regards the current county panel, there are some very good athletic players on it, but you're not going to beat teams that are training together and hard all year. All 4 teams seem evenly matched, but Kilkenny only do about 1.5months prep for it. So I'd slightly disagree that's the standard the team should be playing at as it could definitely be better if lads fully commit to an improvement plan to at least be competitive in Div4.

Tombo2001

Because the GAA is volunteer organisation, not just 'at its heart'.....but almost in its entirety.....people in the media can talk all they want about how there should be this that and the other - we should do more to promote hurling in Ulster, we should do more to promote football in Kilkenny or Waterford or whatever....

If there isnt a load of parents coming out running matches and coaching kids from a young age on wet Saturday mornings and cold November evenings, then these things dont / wont happen. Simple as. Kilkenny is hurling and handball.

Nedflanders02

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058319425/kilkenny-and-gaelic-football

Coming from a football club in Kilkenny it is not in anyway feasible for Kilkenny to play Tailtean Cup football they would be way out of their dept and would receive some massive beatings. Football in Kilkenny in Kilkenny up to U13 is actually fairly ok the problem being after this from the ages of U15 to U20 there is basically no football for teams to play in, if they're lucky they might get 2/3 games a year if they are unlucky they might get 1! The split season has actually helped at adult level as the football is played in the first half of the year and it works fairly well with very little walkovers given and nearly all games played, I could be wrong but I think there was only 1 walkover given at adult level in the 2023 league/championships. The problem as I've said already is at underage and specifically between the ages of 14-19 where there's very few opportunities for young lads to play football. Railyard now play in the Carlow football leagues at U13, U15 and minor and I think Muckalee have also started to play at U13 and maybe U15 in Carlow. Another major obstacle to football in Kilkenny is the county board who are quite happy to put the bare minimum in to football and I'd say the potential cost of putting a team back in the league and the Tailtean cup would knock that on the head too.

1373

Never thought I'd be talking kilkenny football. As it happens, I got to play against kilkenny in senior football back in the ninetys. One of the kilkenny players that day went on to become a well known senior hurler , football obviously didn't do him any harm. When I hear people saying, what's the point or we'll only get big beatings, it has me asking why does anyone play football or hurling . I'm sure there's plenty of guys and girls who'd love to be part of a football setup, the training,the challenge, the fitness and how bloody great it is for their heads to go out playing. Is kilkenny that different to others I'm sure someone else will be able to answer

randd1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121286211#Comment_121286211

To be honest, just like hurling in half the counties, I'm not sure the appetite for football is there in Kilkenny.

You'd have thought that with the split season, small competitions would have been tried in some counties to promote the smaller code. Play them off in January/February/March.

In Kilkenny for example, even if half the clubs committed, you could have three six team divisions, top two play divisional final. Six weeks, that's it, a full round of fixtures, and lads can play the sport competitively. The county championship could then be taken from that and be straight knockout later on in the year. Same for hurling in other counties.

The split season is there, if should be used.

Realt Dearg Sec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121315449#Comment_121315449

I'm glad the comparison to football counties has been made here. I would like to see KK do better at football, but it's not a huge prioriy, for me or for people still living at home for the most part. We get a lot of grief over that fact, but when you look at the quality of hurling in some football counties (ones without a geographical area with a tradition of playing it properly), you would wonder. I've played on Junior D teams in Dublin that would beat the Cavan or Leitrim county teams, and in fact we had lads who were on those teams, and who were subs for the club team at the time. These county teams would be annihilated by some of the top club teams in the USA, let alone Ireland. But very rare to hear anyone criticize their county boards, instead it's all about how they should get funding and and equipment and professional GPOs and all this stuff to promote the game (which is fine), but when it's KK and football, it's just all evidence that we should be punished for our treatment of football. There's plenty more KK could be doing I suppose, but to me it's always been weird that people get hung up on ONE county not playing the more popular sport, but nearly nobody really giving a toss that about half the country does little more than pay lip service to the less popular one, the one that is supposed to be a protected, national treasure. Hence we have a thread about KK football, but nothing about the state of hurling in about ten counties.

Straight Talker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121316820#Comment_121316820

I still think your situation is unique, seeing that Kilkenny last competed in the senior football championship in 1982. I think if the will and the appetite was there, then Kilkenny could be competitive at division four level, but as the replies on this thread demonstrate that will or appetite just isn't there. Look at Waterford they could easily have given up on football, but they still keep the show on the road regardless. Hurling is a sport with much smaller playing numbers after all.

Galway are the only hurling county in Connacht and Antrim are the only hurling county in Ulster. It would be nice to see someone like Antrim or Laois win an all Ireland in hurling, but that still seems to be something that won't be happening anytime soon.

Deskjockey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121317950#Comment_121317950

The will or the appetite is not there. Case closed.

Nedflanders02

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121315449#Comment_121315449

The adult club side of things is working ok in Kilkenny. Last year there was 13 senior teams, 8 intermediate and 8 junior and out of all the games only one wasn't played. As you say the split season is actually helping adult club football in Kilkenny, the problem is the underage side where at U15 and U17 there are very little games played.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121316820#Comment_121316820

Every county fields a hurling team in the tiered All Ireland system and league system so no they are not the same as Kilkenny.

Kilkenny are the only non dual county in senior Irish GAA.

Straight Talker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121324619#Comment_121324619

I did point out before that even Tipperary and Kerry have won senior all Irelands in their weaker codes of gaelic football and hurling respectively.

kksaints

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121325135#Comment_121325135

Pfft, we were the first ever Leinster Football Champions and we've more Leinster Football championships than Carlow, Westmeath, Longford and of course Wicklow which for so called football counties is embarrassing. We also probably should have won a football All-Ireland in 1900 but Tipp objected after we beat them in the semifinal and we refused to replay the match. Tipp then hammered Galway in the final.

But in modern times there quite simply isn't the demand for Gaelic Football in Kilkenny, soccer imo is Kilkenny's 2nd sport with some fairly successful Junior clubs albeit miles behind hurling. In fairness the split season has actually helped Gaelic Football with the county board able to run off the championship in the Spring and early summer well before the club hurling championship starts. We've had some reasonable club results in the Leinster football championship recently also but at intercounty level the gap between us and even the weakest Taitleann Cup side is sizable so we'd be destroyed by the stronger ones. Until a third tier championship is introduced in football I can't see us entering a senior intercounty team in the senior football championships, we might enter teams in the Minor Football Championships in the next few years but that's it I'd say.

Straight Talker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121325261#Comment_121325261

Good post although Carlow, Westmeath, Longford and Wicklow still compete at league and championship level. Westmeath of course won the last Leinster football championship before the Dubs completely took over! Hopefully the GAA will introduce a tier three football championship at some stage. That's an interesting one about 1900. A fair few championships were decided like that in the very early years of the association.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121325135#Comment_121325135

Ya but that is way back. Kilkenny now and football counties now is not the same thing. Thats why we have the "Kilkenny and football" thread that you are upset about.

Tipp and Kerry are actually 2 pretty high up football and hurling counties respectively.

Straight Talker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121325935#Comment_121325935

Who said anything about being upset mate? This is the GAA part of the board and i started a GAA related topic on it. Kilkenny are the only county in Ireland to pretty much abandon a code at senior intercounty level. I just asked a question was it feasible to get them competing at division four/Tailtean Cup level in gaelic football.

I agree with you about Tipp but not so much Kerry. Kerry did withdraw from the Munster senior hurling championship a few years ago, although they do fare out much better at their weaker code in comparison to Kilkenny in football.

verizon

https://twitter.com/KilkennyCLG/status/1719326507561091337

Nothing will be fixed overnight but there are clear steps being taken now and I'd bet those lads felt great wearing their county jersey.

Soccer probably is the second sport in the county and that is a blessing for those soccer clubs because they are reaping the rewards of talented lads that are basically shunned away from GAA in their teenage years as a consequence of not promoting Football and lads not interested/good enough at Hurling. In reality, clubs are missing out subs/registrations/funding because they can't offer girls and lads a competitive season.

Whatever the reason to introduce an U15 team again, I hope it's for the right reasons and we will see next year if there is a change at club level to promote the game a bit more.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121326124#Comment_121326124

Apologies I mistook you for the poster who said in a post above the one I replied to.

"Hence we have a thread about KK football"

Who seemed to be upset about Kilkenny getting "picked on" compared to football focused counties.

Straight Talker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121326168#Comment_121326168

Oh yeah no worries that post was quite the rant alright!😁

Realt Dearg Sec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121324619#Comment_121324619

Great way to completely ignore the actual point of my post.

jimmythesulk

The way our county board treats Gaelic football is a disgrace. Box ticking exercise is all it is to get money from croke park that is then spent on other things. Look at the under 15 team they started a few weeks ago. Who starts trials in October for a county team. Will play one match to get funding.

Ceist_Beag

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121326148#Comment_121326148

Unfortunately as long as the current juvenile county board remains in place nothing will change. On the one hand there is an effort at U15 to get football going again but on the other hand some U15 footballers will only get one club game all year and some clubs are not even allowed to participate in the competition as it is an Opt In competition where club secretaries were given 4 days to respond. They simply don't care about football and do nothing, absolutely nothing to promote it.

I would love to see it change because there is very little argument but that playing football will improve young lads at hurling as well. However, until there is a change in mindset at the top then nothing will change. Two simple things would make a big difference. First one is to remove this ridiculous Opt In idea and include all teams unless they specifically ask to be excluded. The second is to play football when pitches are dry, not in February and November. They could easily set aside time during the middle of the year for this if they were serious about promoting football.

supernova5

ladies football,

Fermanagh 10-12 - Kilkenny 0-5

what the absolute f*ck

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121784587#Comment_121784587

Teams have to start somewhere. Majority of them only picked up a big ball for the first time in the last few years.

These beatings will come for 5 years until the younger girls come up.

Realt Dearg Sec

Fermanagh camogie team should have to play the kk women before anybody gets up on their high horse about that result. See how that goes for them. Then we can have a thread about hurling and camogie in fermanagh and see how much traction it gets.

greenspurs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121784587#Comment_121784587

At least they scored 5 pts...

Scored nothing against Carlow ??

greenspurs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121785428#Comment_121785428

The younger girls are also getting bet by more traditional football counties....

Kilkenny still going with the 40 players on a panel way of thinking ...

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121786809#Comment_121786809

Genuinely the only way to progress is playing as many matches as possible. Kilkenny won’t be upset at losing. They’ll gather as much data as possible over the next couple of years to see where improvements can be made.

greenspurs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121789068#Comment_121789068

Trying to keep players interested could be a problem ?

Who would like to go out and get beaten by 37 points at adult level !?!?!? ... and have to keep coming back for more of that every weekend!

A lot of them just play football until the club camogie starts ...

Straight Talker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121786739#Comment_121786739

Well Fermanagh don't have a single Ulster championship to their name in senior mens football. They're not exactly ripping it up in ladies football either.

So it's hardly a like for like scenario. If petulant histrionics is all you have to bring to the table, then perhaps you should cease yourself from posting on this thread.

Realt Dearg Sec

Petulant histrionics, would ever catch yourself on ffs. I've posted plenty in this thread but it wears on you when all you see is people having a pop at players doing their best. Could I ask you what your motivation is in posting here? Are you interested in kk football? What are your constructive solutions? And if the solution is to bitch about kk then maybe you should be asking yourself why it bothers you so much. Why is the state of kk football so much more important to you, a person not from kk, than the state of hurling in three quarters of the country?

To be, it would be great if we could get better at football, and there's more the county board could do for sure. They have made house progress lately, winning the junior all Ireland, but frankly that's our level right now. But it seems to me to be entirely an internal matter, the health of the sport isn't at stake. Hurling on the other hand is in dire straits across vast swathes of the country, and basically doesn't exist in some places. That is a much more important problem than whether football is played well enough for your standards by kk teams.

Uncle Pierre

A Wexford man here, so maybe it should be against my nature to speak up for Kilkenny in any way (!), but in fairness, there's far more football activity in Kilkenny than there is hurling activity in many other counties.

GAA annual report for 2023 shows that last year, Kilkenny (population 104,000) had 26 registered adult football teams and 70 registered underage football teams, for a total of 96.

Now compare that with the hurling figures for certain counties of greater population:

• Armagh - pop. 195,000 - 9 adult hurling teams + 48 underage, for a total of 57
• Tyrone - pop. 188,000 - 5 adult + 38 underage, for a total of 43
• Donegal - pop. 167,000 - 14 adult + 66 underage, for a total of 80
• Louth - pop. 139,000 - 4 adult + 43 underage, for a total of 47
• Mayo - pop. 137,000 - 13 adult + 61 underage, for a total of 74

And while Kilkenny may rank bottom of the list for adult football teams with their total of 26, there are no less than sixteen other counties who had fewer than 26 adult hurling teams.

I won't be so naive as to claim that Kilkenny football is played to any sort of high standard, but at least there are efforts there on a more widespread basis than there is for hurling in all those other places.

evolvingtipperary101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121798205#Comment_121798205

The problem with most of those counties is the size of them (excluding Louth) and how far away the hurling clubs are away from each other.

Kilkenny have no such problems in terms of the size of the county and neighboring counties. Also, I read in 2022 there were 45 clubs in Kilkenny and 35 of them could field an adult team - what happened? Down to 26 adult teams in one year? Hastily pasted together football teams to get funding to put into hurling... surely not... 🙄

evolvingtipperary101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121794659#Comment_121794659

His argument is basically, don't look here at us, look over there at them. They're very bold. The thread is about Kilkenny and Football. Why not set up a Fermanagh hurling thread if so interested?

For me, any county board who is using one code to sabotage funding for another code, should be heavily fined. The GAA needs to start tracing this money up because what's going on around the country is crazy. At least, Fermanagh and Cavan are investing in their hurlers for a five round championship league, even if Croker tried to get rid of the flagship teams. While KK are content to consistently demean their footballers and send them out for a weekend once a year. The junior all ireland is played off on a weekend. The semi is on a friday or a saturday and the final on a sunday. The likes of Hertfordshire and Warkwickshire take part. Kilkenny only play two games in it. Automatic qualification from Leinster because everybody else in the province wouldn't have the neck to do it. Shameful. And Kilkenny must have twice the population of Fermanagh. Look at the state of this club championship from a cash rich county board in comparison to most gaa counties (even replays included in that):

2019 Kilkenny Senior Football Championship - Wikipedia

Realt Dearg Sec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121799128#Comment_121799128

Any evidence for the last accusation there? Or just the usual?

My point about fermanagh is exactly this: why do you care so much about the kk football team? Why is it that there aren't threads accusing all those other countries of hastily putting together hurling teams to get more funding? There's a very simple explanation for the quality of football in kk and it's a lack of interest, same reason there's no hurling in fermanagh. The difference is that for some reason one county not doing football is a big problem but 15 counties not doing hurling is no problem at all.

evolvingtipperary101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121799599#Comment_121799599

Let me ring up Ned Quinn for the accounts and I'll go through it. Come on, the dogs on the street know KK use football funding for hurling. They field a team and get funds from leinster council and pull the same thing with development squads. Enter a leinster tournament, play one game and get the same thousands from leinster as other counties for doing so. A few weeks of this and that, here and there, no real effort, and no real investment in football.

There's a huge national furor in ireland over growing hurling and the state of the game and a backlash against getting rid of flagship county teams... plenty of focus and pressure on these counties. Let's not pretend there's not. There' no one picking or singling KK out here.

There's absolutely no reason why Kilkenny can't have a competitive, senior football team. It's a wealthy county board with means and structures who knows how to get things done, get players fit, and sustain a career. It's a willful decision to not have one and to go against football. Exactly like the attitude to hurling in some football only counties.

Realt Dearg Sec

It's not a wealthy county board by any means but anyway if you don't have any evidence you can just say "no", you don't have to make a big thing of what various animals know

Uncle Pierre

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121799128#Comment_121799128

"The problem is how far the hurling clubs are away from each other" - ?????

Easily solved. If more clubs made even half an effort to play hurling, then there'd be hurling teams closer together....

evolvingtipperary101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121800322#Comment_121800322

The 2nd part is correct. The first part is not. Not when counties see it as easier or financially more rewarding to cut or misuse a code.

Uncle Pierre

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121799238#Comment_121799238

If you're talking about "the state" of that senior football championship (Kilkenny 2019), have a look at this one too:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Tyrone_Senior_Football_Championship

Kilkenny 2019 had 12 teams playing a straight knockout. Tyrone 2023 (and every other year) had 16 teams playing a straight knockout. Just goes to show you can't judge a county's football standing solely on the way it runs its club championship.

And on your other point about only 26 football teams from 45 Kilkenny clubs - will use Tyrone as a counter-example again:

Tyrone GAA website shows there are 54 clubs in the county. According to the latest GAA annual report, between them they managed to field 95 adult football teams last year....but only five adult hurling teams.

Again, I'm not saying Kilkenny are doing everything right or even much right for football. But I really do wonder why they get singled out for so much criticism for their view towards football, when there's barely ever a word of criticism against the counties who do so little for hurling.

evolvingtipperary101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121800393#Comment_121800393

Your last sentence baffles me. There's been nothing but criticism of these football counties seeking to strangle hurling in the national media for a long time. It's everywhere.

The 'Managed Decline' of hurling by the GAA is a callous ambition (the42.ie)

Five counties threatened with removal from Allianz Hurling League expected to retain places (irishexaminer.com)

It's been discussed on every gaa pod.

Uncle Pierre

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121800435#Comment_121800435

I can't read that article from The 42 because of how it's behind their paywall. However, just as one swallow doesn't make a summer, one column by one columnist doesn't make a tirade of criticism of many counties for their neglect of hurling.

On the other one - by far the majority of coverage of the proposal to remove those five counties from the League was actually extremely sympathetic towards the counties themselves, despite how they've never done much to build up hurling. It was "how dare the big bad GAA come after these counties?" rather than "let's at least listen to and duly consider whatever alternate proposals are brought".

evolvingtipperary101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121800610#Comment_121800610

It’s just one article. There were dozens. I’m not doing your research for you. Segments on the Sunday game. Loads of pods discussed it.

There were countless articles and pods where hurling people from those counties outlined their struggle. Directly pointing the finger at their county boards. So I don’t understand that second paragraph at all.

Uncle Pierre

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121800638#Comment_121800638

Well then, that's a very different thing you're talking about. Hurling people within those counties directly criticising their own County Boards. Would be like Kilkenny football people speaking out publicly about lack of investment or resources in football there.

It wasn't people from other counties lining up to criticise the likes of Tyrone, Fermanagh, Leitrim, or any one of a number of other counties for their overall lack of interest and promotion of hurling, the way that people from other counties (including yourself) criticise Kilkenny for their overall attitude towards football.

And my core point still remains - using the number of registered teams as a yardstick clearly shows there's more effort made in Kilkenny to play football than there is in many other counties to play hurling.

evolvingtipperary101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121800744#Comment_121800744

This will be my final post on it.

There are clubs in Kilkenny playing two games in the championship? Yes? Or no? The county team plays twice, if they get to a final. What are you not getting? You're on a roundabout of your own making and you won't get off!

Ned Quinn came out with that spiel in 2013, oh other counties don't get abuse like we do for not playing hurling. Meanwhile they were sending out minor teams that were getting beaten by 70 or 30 points. Delegates wanted to stop fielding a team. But Ned said all we need is a team to compete. Why? A matter of pride says Ned. No, dear Ned. It's a matter of funding. They don't care what happens the players and they certainly don't help them. That's why they're down in the juniors - to keep out of the way of bad publicity. Now, back in 2013, someone supplied the football board with 67 players who were interested in playing... but when approached... no one seemed interested... wonder where they got the names from... See for yourself... (Dear Ned even makes the football issue about hurling. it's affecting our hurling image... unreal.)

THE reputation of Kilkenny is being “tarnished” by the bad publicity football is attracting, it has been claimed, writes John Knox.

And unless the county turns things around sharply, Kilkenny’s involvement or otherwise in the British junior championship this summer could turn out to be really embarrassing.

Even before the Kilkenny minor footballers were walloped by 34 points by Kildare in the Leinster championship last week, County Board officials voiced concerns about the game, the negative publicity it was drawing and the lack of commitment to it.

“It is embarrassing,” insisted County Board chairman, Ned Quinn. “I am embarrassed. Our reputation is being tarnished, especially in the face of our achievements in hurling.”

The chairman was speaking during a discussion at the monthly meeting of the County Board during which Football Board chairman, Tom ‘Cloney’ Brennan revealed that the county was in danger of not having a team for the British championship which commences in June.

Diabolical

“The response from clubs is diabolical,” Mr Brennan told the meeting after coming from a training session at which a mere six players turned up.

“We are about eight weeks away from the start of the championship, but we have no team,” he added.

Mr Brennan said that the team manager, Christy Walsh (Bennettsbridge), a former Kerry and Munster hurler and footballer, and selectors Pat Mulrooney (Clara), Malachy Hogan (Kilmoganny), Eugene Dunphy (Mooncoin) anf Frank O’Meara (Muckalee) were ready to walk away from a situation that seemed hopeless.

“What are we to do if we can’t field a team,” Mr Brennan asked. “There will be a lot of red faces if that happens.”

The Noresiders opted out of the National League this season after a series of heavy beatings during the last campagin and subsequently in the Leinster under-21 championship.

GAA President Liam O’Neill took a personal interest in Kilkenny’s plight and helped accommodate them in the less demanding British championship involving regional teams in England and Scotland so that they wouldn’t have to opt out of the game altogether at inter-county level.

However, the county is now struggling to assemble a squad after weeks of effort to encourage clubs to get players to make themselves available.

Abandon the idea

“Maybe we should abandon the whole thing,” Mr Brennan said when he challenged club delegates to make an extra effort to get players to have a change of heart. “No one wants to wear the black and amber when it comes to football, apparently.”

Mr Quinn informed the meeting that the football team management had deliberately chosen Monday as a training night so it wouldn’t interfere with club training. Still the players were not turning up.

“We have to produce the players for the panel,” he insisted.

Tom O’Reilly, secretary of the Football Board, said they received the names of 67 players at the start who, it was suggested, might be interested in joining the panel. The figures didn’t stack up when the players were approached.

“There is training going on in clubs tonight and we can’t get the players,” he said. “Everything is in place. We can’t do any more. It is up to the club now to get behind us or we will end up with egg on our face.

“Go back to your clubs and tell the players to come in to training,” he urged.

One delegate wondered what could be done if players just didn’t want to join the squad.

Tommy Bawle (Dicksboro) said that the secretaries and chairmen of the County and Football Boards might make a personal approach to 24 players to get them to form a squad.

“All we need is a team to compete,” Mr Quinn said. “We are in a serious situation.”

Former county football manager, Dick Mullins (Erin’s Own) wondered would clubs have a chance of heart later seeing that June was free of major club hurling games.

“The players can play with their clubs until May 19 and then they could help football,” he suggested in reference to a break in the local leagues while the county teams prepares for the Leinster championship.

He was told that wouldn’t work because flights and accommodate had to be booked, and there was the added complication of having passports sorted.

“It will be very, very serious if we don’t get a team,” Ned Quinn insisted. “I hate to see our name being slated because of football. Other counties don’t have hurling teams, but they don’t get walloped for that like we do over football.”

Straight Talker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121795668#Comment_121795668

Yet another petulant rant by you. I have every right as a GAA person, to ask why you treat gaelic football in your county with total and utter disdain? This is Ireland not Russia after all! At least Kerry make some sort of an effort at hurling mate.

greenspurs

Wow...

tipp person has a go at Kilkenny .....

Gaelic Football will never ever be played at a high level in Kilkenny... Never.

Isnt that ok?

And its the same - even worse- for LGFA in KK . Examples.

Theres 33 players on the U16 panel , made up of 10 clubs (out of 12 that play)

Theres 2 U14 panels- 32 on the A team from 10 clubs.

and 22 on the B team from 9 clubs....

Minor panel - 30 on the panel from 10 clubs.

These are all training since early December , ahead of the 'blitzes' in March and April. And they will all get well beaten by the more established football counties -guaranteed ..... And it happens every year.

BUT, give those girls hurleys , and they would probably beat all the other counties in camogie.

Kilkenny 'senior' Ladies Nat Lge results this year.

Leitrim 2-18 KK 0-02

Longford 4-09 KK 2-01

Limerick 1-09 KK 0-01

They are trying, and its only year 2 since their reintroduction.

They really need GF people from outside KK to come in and run these teams instead of club men that 'have the interest' - that doesnt work when playing outside your county ...

randd1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121799128#Comment_121799128

There’s 41 clubs in Kilkenny, officially. In reality there’s 39.

Railyard are a football only club.

St Martins and Muckalee are the same club, but played under differ names for hurling and football, same as Dunamaggin and Kilmoganny.

38 hurling clubs in total.

evolvingtipperary101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121801721#Comment_121801721

Fair enough. This is where I got the info from: 'Fogarty knew that he would encounter some questions based on his home county.

How could someone push two codes when Kilkenny don’t play football?

He has the answer to that. There are 44 clubs in Kilkenny and 35 field an adult football team.'

Will GAA build on Martin Fogarty’s crusade to fix hurling’s crisis? (irishexaminer.com)