Do WhatsApp groups have a negative effect on GAA teams?

Infernal Racket · 21-02-2020 10:22pm #1

I played Hurling and football for many years. Training was always on set days with matches on varying days. We found out when the matches were from fixture lists etc. If you didn't make training on a set night you had to explain yourself to the coaches and mostly got punished with enough laps to make sure that you didn't miss training the next night.

I'm now coaching teams and I have tried to have set nights for training and i inherited a WhatsApp group from the last coach. The amount of excuses that lads come up with for missing training or games is ridiculous and is having a real negative effect on the whole set up. All it takes is for one person to put up on the group that they won't be able to make training and then the avalanche begins. I told them at our last meeting that I'm getting rid of the WhatsApp group and if anyone can't make training to ring me directly with an explanation. I ask you if anyone else is encountering similiar problems and what are you all doing about it?

blackbox · 21-02-2020 10:28pm

Infernal Racket wrote: »

I played Hurling and football for many years. Training was always on set days with matches on varying days. We found out when the matches were from fixture lists etc. If you didn't make training on a set night you had to explain yourself to the coaches and mostly got punished with enough laps to make sure that you didn't miss training the next night.

I'm now coaching teams and I have tried to have set nights for training and i inherited a WhatsApp group from the last coach. The amount of excuses that lads come up with for missing training or games is ridiculous and is having a real negative effect on the whole set up. All it takes is for one person to put up on the group that they won't be able to make training and then the avalanche begins. I told them at our last meeting that I'm getting rid of the WhatsApp group and if anyone can't make training to ring me directly with an explanation. I ask you if anyone else is encountering similiar problems and what are you all doing about it?

Sure if they don't want to play isn't that fair enough. If they don't train you don't have to pick them for the team.

I'd only have an issue if they fail to turn up for a match if they said they would.

JJs Left Hand · 21-02-2020 10:28pm

Just change the settings so only you can send messages. You maintain the easy method of sending out information and your phone isn't riddled with notifications

If they're not willing to come the way the message is sent out is irrelevant.

Bonniedog · 21-02-2020 10:34pm

Whats App is a plague.

We had group when I was managing junior hurlers and I just disengaged and reverted to sending texts about training and match times. It had just become a forum for bickering and all sorts of nonsense which didn't help the team.

Have seen same in work situations so I make excuse that my phone is crap and doesn't support such things!

Best excuse for missing games was a few lads who wanted club to ask for postponement of game because they were going away for Valentines weekend :-)

Infernal Racket · 21-02-2020 10:42pm

Bonniedog wrote: »

Whats App is a plague.

We had group when I was managing junior hurlers and I just disengaged and reverted to sending texts about training and match times. It had just become a forum for bickering and all sorts of nonsense which didn't help the team.

Have seen same in work situations so I make excuse that my phone is crap and doesn't support such things!

Best excuse for missing games was a few lads who wanted club to ask for postponement of game because they were going away for Valentines weekend :-)

I've found it a plague to to be honest. Gonna give it a few weeks to see if they respond to the no texting approach and if things don't improve I'm outta there.

dobman88 · 22-02-2020 12:43am

Had a change of management on our soccer team recently. Real toxic mentality in the team mainly down to a few lads who couldnt be arsed and a manager that continued to pick lads when they weren't turning up for training.

New manager said if you dont train you dont play. And he stuck to it. All of a sudden fellas would turn up for a game and be left on the bench. Fast forward 3 months, we are now getting 25 at every training session and the lads who couldnt be arsed, left the group.

Just stop playing them if they dont train. It's simple really.

beggars_bush · 22-02-2020 12:58am

It's almost always a negative with it when anyone can post messages

thebandit2020 · 22-02-2020 1:06am

Infernal Racket wrote: »

I played Hurling and football for many years. Training was always on set days with matches on varying days. We found out when the matches were from fixture lists etc. If you didn't make training on a set night you had to explain yourself to the coaches and mostly got punished with enough laps to make sure that you didn't miss training the next night.

I'm now coaching teams and I have tried to have set nights for training and i inherited a WhatsApp group from the last coach. The amount of excuses that lads come up with for missing training or games is ridiculous and is having a real negative effect on the whole set up. All it takes is for one person to put up on the group that they won't be able to make training and then the avalanche begins. I told them at our last meeting that I'm getting rid of the WhatsApp group and if anyone can't make training to ring me directly with an explanation. I ask you if anyone else is encountering similiar problems and what are you all doing about it?

It’s a load of rubbish..... once 1 pulls out of training, 5 or 6 follow.

Send them a text, and set very straightforward parameters. You’d be amazed at the difference

Kerrydude1981 · 22-02-2020 11:23am

Infernal Racket wrote: »

I played Hurling and football for many years. Training was always on set days with matches on varying days. We found out when the matches were from fixture lists etc. If you didn't make training on a set night you had to explain yourself to the coaches and mostly got punished with enough laps to make sure that you didn't miss training the next night.

I'm now coaching teams and I have tried to have set nights for training and i inherited a WhatsApp group from the last coach. The amount of excuses that lads come up with for missing training or games is ridiculous and is having a real negative effect on the whole set up. All it takes is for one person to put up on the group that they won't be able to make training and then the avalanche begins. I told them at our last meeting that I'm getting rid of the WhatsApp group and if anyone can't make training to ring me directly with an explanation. I ask you if anyone else is encountering similiar problems and what are you all doing about it?

Change the setting on the group so only admins can post messages, we have done that this year in our club and its going fairly well so far,
If a player has to miss training then he has to contact the management

Last year between the thumbs up and whatever else the training schedule used get swamped by all of it and we used have lads asking "when's training?"

Paulzx · 22-02-2020 5:10pm

Bonniedog wrote: »

Best excuse for missing games was a few lads who wanted club to ask for postponement of game because they were going away for Valentines weekend :-)

Jesus. When i was playing you'd be massacered by the lads if you said something like that out loud:eek:

Bonniedog · 22-02-2020 5:28pm

They tried to persuade club sec that it was public holiday!

Paulzx · 22-02-2020 5:29pm

.......bleedin snowflakes:D

Do WhatsApp groups have a negative effect on GAA teams?

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