GAA Infastructure

Is there not a special thread for whinging about the Dubs or am I getting Boards and Hogan Stand mixed up ?

I'm not whinging at all. I'm simply pointing out a financial reality.

No way another Irish venue will get the games north or south

It's toast. In Northern Ireland you've to bring one community totally with you and not upset the other one at least. Tgats the minimum. Unionists and loyalists are upset.

The idea of a GAA stadium in Republican West Belfast is too much for Unionists to not get 'upset' . The stadium is toast as far as I can see.It might get built at some stage but it ll host no Euro games.That's almost certain now. It's a terrible pity . Iv played hurling in Casement twice.

Funny you should mention the size of seats in England, as I attended an American Football match in Twickenham a few years ago and was stunned at how tight the fit was.

I am 6'2", so while I'm big I'm no giant, but my friend is about 5'8" and both of us spent the entire match sitting sideways as we simply couldn't sit straight without our knees being strongly pressed into the seat in front. Thankfully the couple beside me spent most of the match at the bar which gave us the room to sit sideways, but it was extremely uncomfortable either way.

Bearing in mind that the current version of Twickenham is relatively newly developed I simply cannot believe they got permission to build it the way it is. I've never had the same problems in Croke Park.

There is going to be a piece on tonight's Prime Time about Casement

Dublin inner city.

Have said it on other threads, so sorry for repeating.

But it is brutal that there are no GAA playing facilities available in what is the most socially deprived area in the entire country.

(I mean a place where kids from the inner city can play Gaelic football, therefore not Croke Park).

The inner boxing clubs dont have this problem.

Ironically - the whole point is that so the usual crowd have something to do other than go out and wreck things.

I'd fairly strongly disupute that.

Two examples - was talking to a London colleague, saying I would be going coaching later that evening. He was asking me what I was on about. I explained that I was going to coach an underage team, that I'd been doing it for a number of years. That all underage teams in the club are coached by volunteer parents. That this would come to hundreds of volunteer parents coaching in our club. He said that if it was London, we would be paying a big fee. That the idea of volunteer coaches doesnt exist; all the underage coaches are paid. Thats what he told me, I cant say if its right but thats what he sees. Its certainly that way in the States, its well documented. Yes the GAA is unique, culturally.

Linked - Na Fianna at the weekend; 3000 people walk from the clubhouse to Croke Park to watch the team play in Croke Park. Communities arent built around clubs in big cities - are you kidding me? Seriously.....

To my point on the inner city - read Philly McMahons book to see what that club did for the community in Ballymun

Ok point taken but its not black and white - to say a community is built around something, thats a high bar. To say the local gaa club is hugely important to the community is still valid - in a way soccer clubs arent because they dont tend to have their own club houses and facilities. Rugby Clubs can claim also this status sometimes, but there aren't nearly as many of them. I can think of three rugby clubs in Northside Dublin - so they dont tend to be central to the community - whereas if you look at Cabra, Glasnevin, Marino, Ballymun, Raheny, Coolock, Artane all of these have their own GAA clubs that are absolutely central to the community; major focal points for young and old, men and women - probably more so than the church in any of these places for example.

The North Inner City is missing this. Thats the point I am trying to make

But if we flip to the southside and in particular the southwest of Dublin it's soccer clubs that are the focal point whether St Patricks in Inchicore or Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght at a LOI level or the likes of Bluebell United and Crumlin United at LSL level. I see what you saying and in those areas you refer to in North Dublin it makes sense but those areas mostly have a long history and tradition of GAA. Just settling up a GAA club in an area and expecting it to become a community hub will not work. Indeed in the North Inner City and Sheriff Street, Sheriff YC have provided sports for the local areas and in Phibsboro Bohemians have become much more prominent in the local area recently.

Depends how you define community really. A group of people coming together support Bohs (ugh) can also also be described as a community really. Your second point with regards to youngsters hanging around hitting a ball around is fair enough although I have noticed a recent trend in some places mostly small towns it has to be said where the club locks the ground when it's not in use. Guess they're afraid of vandalism sadly.