Cork County Board – sending small clubs back to the bad old days

[red&blue]

It is...its already been happening in the City...same would happen in the county eventually.

im not saying 3-4 small clubs coming together isnt happening in the city, im saying i cant see an issue with it being implemented across the county if it helps save small clubs

 

[omar]

im not saying 3-4 small clubs coming together isnt happening in the city, im saying i cant see an issue with it being implemented across the county if it helps save small clubs

That 3 team amalgamation in the City is a once off for one particular age group where players were already established and settled in their home clubs.

There's bigger distances to cover in the county.

What will happening the county is parents will send the kid to the nearest or "bigger" club.

You have to remember that most parents haven't a clue about GAA, they might not be dyed in the wool club members of the local club and you'll always have blow ins too. These people will go where the grass in greener in terms of status and / or convenience.

Or worse case...the smaller club in the amalgamation are no longer permitted to join up with the bigger club and parents just keep sending them to the bigger club as that's where they have been going anyway with the kids.

 

[Killyoursons]

for one of the clubs yes, but if the orher club has enough numbers to go it alone it is necessary for them to do so

I disagree. If the other club goes it alone then Topper's club will be unable to field at certain age groups. Imo that outweighs having as many clubs as possible go it alone.

Im not a muthpiece for the board on this, far from it, but I get the feeling the board know some clubs should be playing independently and are not

But again, in this specific case (I'm not saying this is true of all cases) one club playing independently will effect force the other club to not play at all, at least at a number of age groups. Bottom line is I don't think we can look at whether each club can or cannot play independently without taking into account the needs of other clubs.

I dont think that really would be an issue

I think it could be, depending on which small clubs are supposed to be amalgamating. I'm not involved with a small club myself so I don't have first-hand experience, but I'd be interested in hearing what Topper and other posters working with small clubs think.

More generally, you're suggesting abandoning a set-up which, according to someone in a much better position to know, is working quite well in favour of a completely speculative new amalgamation. I think it makes much more sense to listen to what people with local knowledge are saying. If certain clubs are gaming the system (i e., amalgamating even though each could field separately), by all means crack down on that. But again a this is not one of those scenarios.

 

[red&blue]

That 3 team amalgamation in the City is a once off for one particular age group where players were already established and settled in their home clubs.

There's bigger distances to cover in the county.

What will happening the county is parents will send the kid to the nearest or "bigger" club.

You have to remember that most parents haven't a clue about GAA, they might not be dyed in the wool club members of the local club and you'll always have blow ins too. These people will go where the grass in greener in terms of status and / or convenience.

Or worse case...the smaller club in the amalgamation are no longer permitted to join up with the bigger club and parents just keep sending them to the bigger club as that's where they have been going anyway with the kids.

agreed

 

[Jon Hurling]

The club identity piece is something the CCB have focussed on and to me it’s a big lack of understanding of what a rural club is like for a community.

When a local club plays in championship and especially when in the latter stages this is when the community and schools show out in force. Every kid knows the club of their community and who they will grow up to play for.

So now going forward we will have the 8,9,10 year old playing in their club jersey at their own age in small sided blitzes and then for their amalgamated team at under 12 (with kids they will never have even met as they are in different schools). Talk about confusing for a child and messy with coaches not knowing names etc.

I understand there were instances where the system was open to being abused but sure these issues were more fixable than tearing the heart out of small clubs who already face enough challenges than worrying about having to manage their own juvenile club and then manage an amalgamation for certain ages. As I said messy but it won’t bother PH sitting in his high perce in Midleton. He will soon recognise who was good to him in the past and now won’t be.

 

[red&blue]

That 3 team amalgamation in the City is a once off for one particular age group where players were already established and settled in their home clubs.

all players are established and settled into their home clubs

There's bigger distances to cover in the county.

i know and understand that. I dont know what club the original poster is from but lets look at St Colmans as a hypothetical example

If say Cloyne have enough players to play independently then they have a duty to look after their club and their players and do that

What happens Russell Rovers then? There are other clubs in their area which may also be in a similar situation, Fr O Neills, St Itas for example

Then say Castlemartyr have enough players to play independently, Dungourney would then also be available to play with the new Imokilly west team

its not ideal, in fact its far from ideal, community is supposed to be the most important thing in the GAA, yet here we are ripping apart what is blatantly working in 95% of the amalgamations instead of fixing the 5% problem

What will happening the county is parents will send the kid to the nearest or "bigger" club.

That is the real fear

You have to remember that most parents haven't a clue about GAA, they might not be dyed in the wool club members of the local club and you'll always have blow ins too. These people will go where the grass in greener in terms of status and / or convenience.

agreed

Or worse case...the smaller club in the amalgamation are no longer permitted to join up with the bigger club and parents just keep sending them to the bigger club as that's where they have been going anyway with the kids.

This is actually what will happen

The County Board need to be very careful in what they are doing, they may have good intentions but the consequences for smaller clubs could be devestating

But as far as I am aware the Board are focusing on Go Games where they rightly want as many clubs as possible playing independently.

When that is not possible clubs must be allowed amalgamate

Maybe the best way around this is for the clubs in the same parish who are amalgamated to officially apply for a new underage club under the banner of the parent clubs and to put it in their club constitution that this is now their joint official underage club

And then if they have enough players for 2 or even 3 teams at each age so be it, the big clubs face no restrictions on how many players they have, if these amalgamations were official they wouldn’t either

Are St Colmans or Kiltha Og for example officially recognised?

 

[red&blue]

If the affected clubs wanted to be really clever about this they could also use the rule book to their advantage

The board would go bananas if the clubs done what im thinking

 

[Megelus]

Part of this is a larger issue around the movement of people. Rural areas in general are getting smaller in terms of numbers, this trickles down to the clubs and results in greater difficulty to fill numbers.

Alongside that, the choices of activities available for kids has opened up dramatically over time, not just in terms of sports but also general entertainment. Again, further pressure on the rural clubs.

Redmonds spring to mind, albeit a city club they faced a similar issue and have already fallen away.

At the end of the day the board (and the GAA in general) will need to reckon soon with the realities of attempting to run a modernised professional sport versus the attempts to pay lip service to the GAA being part of the fabric of our culture.

This move seems to be a step away from the notion that this sport is "ours" and towards the notion that it is "theirs."

 

[fruice]

Also, and I can't stress this enough, it doesn't matter if one club in the amalgamation has 20 players...if the second club has only a handful of players they need the amalgamation.

Of all the things that need work in Cork GAA, the board go after this. Idiotic is an understatement.

Fair play to the OP for a great post and I hope common sense prevails.

I’m sorry but If one club in the amalgamation as enough to go alone they should go alone.

Yes you would have sympathy for the smaller club but you must look after your own club 1st.

The smaller party needs to find another club to take them.

Yes they would be stronger joined but game time would be significantly reduced especially for the weaker players.

These teams are for players development and making your own club stronger you must be selfish.

 

[omar]

The smaller party needs to find another club to take them

Clueless. Again...you like the lads on the board have no idea of how hard it is to make an amalgamation work on a logistic and personal level. It takes time to form relationships and trust.

Thinking human beings are just commodities that can be moved and transferred here and there at the stroke of a pen. Clueless.