Player Eligibility In GAA Counties Compared To Australia's State of Origin

Abram Jones · 18-05-2017 09:34AM #1

I am new to these (Irish and Australian) systems and trying to understand them better. Is anyone here familiar enough with both systems where they can explain the key differences between the 2? I am of the understanding that eligibility to play for Irish counties has more to do with residency and eligibility for state of origin in Australia has more to do with first senior club. Certainly there are exceptions, but how accurate is this?

bruschi · 19-05-2017 10:41AM

Abram Jones wrote: »

I am new to these (Irish and Australian) systems and trying to understand them better. Is anyone here familiar enough with both systems where they can explain the key differences between the 2? I am of the understanding that eligibility to play for Irish counties has more to do with residency and eligibility for state of origin in Australia has more to do with first senior club. Certainly there are exceptions, but how accurate is this?

Is that the AFL or NRL australian version of State of Origin? I'm not a huge NRL fan, but I know they changed their eligibilty rules recently. Its a little bit open to interpretation, but you can play for the state you were born in or the state you first played senior rugby in. But you have to be a resident of Australia since a child.

The AFL one was a little bit silly too, in that you could play for a home state or your club state, so you had cases where a player could have played for 2 states in the series. It's generally given its where you played school footy for eligibility, and that would usually be the state you were born in.

For GAA, it is where you are born in usually and for the county of your club. But again, this can change. If you move county and club, you are eligible for the new location. Changing counties rarely happens during a career, it most often happens when a family moves whilst the children are young. You also play for the club where you are residing. If you move, you can always stay with the club of your old residence.

Colm R · 19-05-2017 11:04AM

I believe the rules on intercounty and club particapation are - example here would be Kerry and Cork.

1. Born in Kerry, Live in Kerry as an adult - play with Kerry Club - therefore only eligible to play for County Kerry.

2. Born in Kerry, live in Cork as an adult - continue to play with Kerry Club - therefore, still only eligible to play for County Kerry.

3. Born in Kerry, live in Cork as an adult - if you wish, you are entitled in this scenario to transfer to a club in Cork. In this scenario, you are eligible to continue to play for County Kerry, or transfer and play for County Cork.

4. This I am not entirely sure of - but if you transferred from a Kerry Club to a Cork Club and then played for Cork, and then if you wish to transfer back to play for Kerry, you must transfer first back to a Kerry Club.

I'm open to correction on all of the above.

Abram Jones · 19-05-2017 04:57PM

bruschi wrote: »

Abram Jones wrote: »

I am new to these (Irish and Australian) systems and trying to understand them better. Is anyone here familiar enough with both systems where they can explain the key differences between the 2? I am of the understanding that eligibility to play for Irish counties has more to do with residency and eligibility for state of origin in Australia has more to do with first senior club. Certainly there are exceptions, but how accurate is this?

Is that the AFL or NRL australian version of State of Origin? I'm not a huge NRL fan, but I know they changed their eligibilty rules recently. Its a little bit open to interpretation, but you can play for the state you were born in or the state you first played senior rugby in. But you have to be a resident of Australia since a child.

The AFL one was a little bit silly too, in that you could play for a home state or your club state, so you had cases where a player could have played for 2 states in the series. It's generally given its where you played school footy for eligibility, and that would usually be the state you were born in.

For GAA, it is where you are born in usually and for the county of your club. But again, this can change. If you move county and club, you are eligible for the new location. Changing counties rarely happens during a career, it most often happens when a family moves whilst the children are young. You also play for the club where you are residing. If you move, you can always stay with the club of your old residence.

I am not sure to be honest. Most of the information I got for the State of Origin was from the wiki page, so that includes Australian Rules Football, Rugby League, and Rugby Union. I'm assuming most of the information for Aussie Rules was referring to the AFL.
And I agree, that does sound ridiculous. That pretty much ruins true representation for Australia's states. GAA's system is much better (probably the best in the world outside of international governing bodies that decide eligibility for national teams). I was reading in one article, from an Australian perspective, that states were pretty well represented in the early days because people generally played for clubs in the region where they grew up in.

PARlance · 19-05-2017 06:52PM

Abram Jones wrote: »

GAA's system is much better (probably the best in the world outside of international governing bodies that decide eligibility for national teams).

I would say that the GAA is purer than an awful lot of international sports in this sense. Rugby is a bit of a joke in this regard of late, Soccer has been using granny rules for decades, Athletics lead the way too.

Abram Jones · 20-05-2017 07:59AM

PARlance wrote: »

Abram Jones wrote: »

GAA's system is much better (probably the best in the world outside of international governing bodies that decide eligibility for national teams).

I would say that the GAA is purer than an awful lot of international sports in this sense. Rugby is a bit of a joke in this regard of late, Soccer has been using granny rules for decades, Athletics lead the way too.

True it is better than some, it's hard to compare county vs country standards though. here in the states we had a particular ridiculous instance where Americans of Italian descent were allowed to represent Italy in the world baseball classic.

dastardly00 · 20-05-2017 09:54AM

PARlance wrote: »

I would say that the GAA is purer than an awful lot of international sports in this sense. Rugby is a bit of a joke in this regard of late, Soccer has been using granny rules for decades, Athletics lead the way too.

Well athletics is probably the worst as athletes can be paid to compete for another country.

blue note · 31-05-2017 04:06PM

Just checking as this is relevant to me - I am from Waterford but never joined a club down there. I joined a Dublin club at 25 and after a lot of work am now a starter for my team (Junior F).

Since I never joined a club in Waterford am I ineligible to play for the Deise? Supposedly that's why Derek hasn't picked up the phone. And Ger in Dublin would probably be worried I'd walk because the Dublin set-up wouldn't be up to my standards.

Colm R · 31-05-2017 05:00PM

blue note wrote: »

Just checking as this is relevant to me - I am from Waterford but never joined a club down there. I joined a Dublin club at 25 and after a lot of work am now a starter for my team (Junior F).

Since I never joined a club in Waterford am I ineligible to play for the Deise? Supposedly that's why Derek hasn't picked up the phone. And Ger in Dublin would probably be worried I'd walk because the Dublin set-up wouldn't be up to my standards.

I don't think you are eligible to play for Waterford. I could be wrong, but I'm almost certain its Dublin only.

The affiliation to a county is based on a club you are or were a member of. Strictly speaking, it has little to do with the county you actually live in.

However, the affiliation to a club is, for the most part, based on where you live. Most counties have a parish rule, whereby you can only be a member of a club within the parish you live in.

So ultimately, being eligible for a county has nothing to do where you live, it is indirectly because the club you play for, in most counties, does require residence to become a member.

I'm sure there are caveats to this I can't think of.

munchkin_utd · 01-06-2017 08:40AM

it is very simple as county eligibility is based on club membership and is nicely explained by Colm R above.

if anything the bind to a county is very easy to change as all you have to do is move to a club in a different county, which is automatic after a 10 day wait and the only objection can be on grounds of residency (that you actually havent moved) and then you can play for the new county.

Theres a new criteria that you have to have played a championship game in the new county, but again not a massive hurdle.

elefant · 01-06-2017 09:04AM

I've know of at least one lad who returned to join the county panel of his parents' county (perhaps where he was born?), while living and playing club football elsewhere.

I have no idea what the procedures would be, or how strict they are though. This is purely anecdotal.

Colm R · 01-06-2017 09:33AM

elefant wrote: »

I've know of at least one lad who returned to join the county panel of his parents' county (perhaps where he was born?), while living and playing club football elsewhere.

I have no idea what the procedures would be, or how strict they are though. This is purely anecdotal.

I would suspect he was a member of a club in that county in his youth, and therefore entitled to play for that county. This is provided he never played for the county where he currently lives.

KrustyUCC · 01-06-2017 12:24PM

A County may deem certain states of affairs to constitute
permanent residence for the purpose of its Bye-Law.
For the purpose of applications for Inter-County Transfers,
the foregoing definition shall prevail.

Other Relevant Connection: A member shall be
considered to have an ‘Other Relevant Connection’:
(a) With a particular County if:
(i) The member’s parents at the time of the
member’s birth were permanently resident in
that County.
74
(ii) That County is the County of the first Club of
either of his parents.
(b) With a Particular Club if:
(i) The Member’s parents were at the time of
his birth permanently resident in the present
Catchment Area of that Club.
(ii) In the case of a player whose parents were
permanently resident in Co. Dublin at the time
of this birth, that Club was the First Club of
either of his parents.
(iii) County Bye-Laws either defined generally or for
specific cases that particular factors give rise to
such a connection.

Colm R · 01-06-2017 01:49PM

This general topic however, is ultimately why the GAA is such a success and that clubs exist in almost every community (possibly all).

Transfers are not impossible, but in general, there must be good reason for such transfers, and not simply because one wants to play for a different club/county.

Its the primary reason why a small community can sustain a club, despite a large town only being a stones throw away.

I'm no legal expert, but its crossed my mind a few times - does the parish rule contravene any laws?

Also worth noting that there are a few caveats to the parish rule that I am aware of.

- Dublin has none.

- In some counties, if you move into a county as an adult without ever having a prior connection, you can join any club in that county, regardless of where you live.

- Similarly, as an adult, if you leave a club for another club in a different county, and then return to your home but to a different town, and choose to play with your new local club, you have to have an intercounty transfer from your most recent club, and a transfer from your original club.

I think the idea behind this, is that if you move home but not to your original parish, you can still play for your original parish. Where this gets nasty though, is when you have kids.

munchkin_utd · 02-06-2017 12:15PM

Colm R wrote: »

<snip>
I'm no legal expert, but its crossed my mind a few times - does the parish rule contravene any laws?<snip>.

there was a case in the courts from Kerry not that long ago where a parent wanted their kid to play in the nearest club which was in a different parish and the judge found that the GAA in Kerry was entitled to have the parish rule and make him play in the parish he lives in.

Player Eligibility In GAA Counties Compared To Australia's State of Origin

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