The Hurling Thread

[junior footballer]

Hurling has never been anything except a minority sport in the majority of this country and will never become anything more then a minority sport, essentially 8 counties at top level and the rest playing at glorified club championship level, the gaa had a chance to bring Antrim into the fold with investment but like so many other rural led organisations they focused everything on an absolute white elephant stadium.
Clubs that are in decline once they are not in geographically disadvantaged areas like south kerry, beara or Donegal need to look at their own places first and the question should be - what would keep young people here? It’s a big piece of work beyond the gaa. It’s clear the clubs in this article haven’t done this or are blind to it, housing is one thing but so is school choice, sporting activities available, road network, childminding and planning which of course has been totally curtailed by the very political parties these people will vote
For again..
Firing development officers into areas with no hurling history is pissing against the wind.

 

[finbarrog]

Hurling has never been anything except a minority sport in the majority of this country and will never become anything more then a minority sport, essentially 8 counties at top level and the rest playing at glorified club championship level, the gaa had a chance to bring Antrim into the fold with investment but like so many other rural led organisations they focused everything on an absolute white elephant stadium.
Clubs that are in decline once they are not in geographically disadvantaged areas like south kerry, beara or Donegal need to look at their own places first and the question should be - what would keep young people here? It’s a big piece of work beyond the gaa. It’s clear the clubs in this article haven’t done this or are blind to it, housing is one thing but so is school choice, sporting activities available, road network, childminding and planning which of course has been totally curtailed by the very political parties these people will vote
For again..
Firing development officers into areas with no hurling history is pissing against the wind.

Fair points JF
I would disagree with the firing GDA officials everywhere because I was not saying throw them in South Kerry or Donegal but I will take one or two even 3 or more arenas .
Laois Offaly Westmeath even Carlow and Antrim deserves more investment to progress not to be treated like secondhand furniture whilst making the bigger 8 maybe into just a 9 10 11 or more.
If you take a school like Charleville CBS with the demographics of clubs surrounding this area many are struggling with numbers underage and have to join together now for underage. Imagine that population from Milford Ballyhea Dromina Liscarrol/ Churchtown maybe Buttevant have no dedicated GDA as far as I know in the area to promote the game. It’s posters you will see from players holding camps in the area and whilst that’s great this should have been done along with the players earning a few Bob by the GDA since primary school.
Let’s take Michelstown and the surrounding clubs great clubs around there and Fermoy area but some don’t have the capacity of knowledge to train young players or the time so far me that’s where we have failed in promoting the game in so many aspects.
I was lucky to grow up loving all sports and went to college in the States and played there and I will tell you what my daughter whom spent a lot of time between both countries is going to UL and I have never seen the facilities on different campus visits to places that just left me in awe at what we have in Ireland now and we need to promote our game now more than ever because when you are correct in saying it’s maybe a top 10 teams now competitor game should we not try to improve that within and put money towards a smaller club trying to improve.
Or should we have an exhibition game on 22 November in Boston because Galway and Dublin will sell out Croke Park next July.
Demographics has a lot to do with it like you said but nonessential BS like this has no place in what was an amateur game

GPA To Charge Up To $50,000 For 'Packages' As Part Of Exclusive Boston Dinner | Balls.ie

There is set to be an exclusive GPA fundraising dinner in Boston later this year that will charge up to $50,000 for different "packages"

www.balls.ie

 

[red&blue]

f

Fair points JF
I would disagree with the firing GDA officials everywhere because I was not saying throw them in South Kerry or Donegal but I will take one or two even 3 or more arenas .
Laois Offaly Westmeath even Carlow and Antrim deserves more investment to progress not to be treated like secondhand furniture whilst making the bigger 8 maybe into just a 9 10 11 or more.
If you take a school like Charleville CBS with the demographics of clubs surrounding this area many are struggling with numbers underage and have to join together now for underage. Imagine that population from Milford Ballyhea Dromina Liscarrol/ Churchtown maybe Buttevant have no dedicated GDA as far as I know in the area to promote the game. It’s posters you will see from players holding camps in the area and whilst that’s great this should have been done along with the players earning a few Bob by the GDA since primary school.
Let’s take Michelstown and the surrounding clubs great clubs around there and Fermoy area but some don’t have the capacity of knowledge to train young players or the time so far me that’s where we have failed in promoting the game in so many aspects.
I was lucky to grow up loving all sports and went to college in the States and played there and I will tell you what my daughter whom spent a lot of time between both countries is going to UL and I have never seen the facilities on different campus visits to places that just left me in awe at what we have in Ireland now and we need to promote our game now more than ever because when you are correct in saying it’s maybe a top 10 teams now competitor game should we not try to improve that within and put money towards a smaller club trying to improve.
Or should we have an exhibition game on 22 November in Boston because Galway and Dublin will sell out Croke Park next July.
Demographics has a lot to do with it like you said but nonessential BS like this has no place in what was an amateur game

GPA To Charge Up To $50,000 For 'Packages' As Part Of Exclusive Boston Dinner | Balls.ie

There is set to be an exclusive GPA fundraising dinner in Boston later this year that will charge up to $50,000 for different "packages"

www.balls.ie

fin, you have been championing this for a long time and you are dead right.

Nationally hurling is a minority sport played at the top level by 9 counties, below them there are a group of counties (Offaly, Laois, Antrim, Westmeath, Kerry, Carlow, Down) who are crying out for proper assistance to develop the sport in their county and try and reach the elite level. What assistance are they getting? Sweet fuck all in comparison to what they need. Any of them could be a top hurling county if they got the same financial backing that went into Dublin. And there are another group of counties below them who are pissing in the wind because of lack of investment by the gaa and lack of support from their own county boards.

At club level the very same situation is playing out. You have mentioned areas in North Cork and rightfully so but eat this for your breakfast, there is one GDA appointed to cover every club in the city, one! You have dual senior clubs in the Barrs and Douglas plus Bishopstown, Nemo, Blackrock/St Michaels, Glen/Nicks, Piarsaigh all senior clubs in one code. And then you have the clubs hanging on by their fingertips, Mayfield, Dillons, Delaneys, Passage, Whirechurch, Whites Cross and to a lesser extent Vincents. 14 clubs, 1 GDA when there should be 10, one in each of the bigger clubs and 3 or 4 between the smaller clubs. This could be replicated in East Cork, Mid Cork, West Cork and North Cork, then multiply that by 32 for each of the counties.

But no, we are sending teams to the US to help the GPA raise funds for the tiny minority of elite players. There’s a dangerous balance swing over the last few decades away from what our priorities always were, the grassroots, and it’s time the GAA woke up and took back control for their members, just like they done in recent years with the fixture list

 

[junior footballer]

I’d love to know what the definition of ‘hanging on by their fingertips’ is from the garbage above?
A dangerous swing away from grassroots over the last while? Jesus Christ almighty get out of the bunker ffs, the greatest swing ever in the gaa happened last year with the split season which rightly favours clubs…….there hasn’t been a team go to America in years either and btw if the gaa needs to take control it should look at the money it is fucking into white elephant developments around the place
Carlow has 6 senior hurling clubs, no amount of money will have them competitive for all Irelands, as for Kerry competing if ‘resources’ ???have you ever met a kerry man who might tell you a bit about football down there

 

[red&blue]

Go

I’d love to know what the definition of ‘hanging on by their fingertips’ is from the garbage above?
A dangerous swing away from grassroots over the last while? Jesus Christ almighty get out of the bunker ffs, the greatest swing ever in the gaa happened last year with the split season which rightly favours clubs…….there hasn’t been a team go to America in years either and btw if the gaa needs to take control it should look at the money it is fucking into white elephant developments around the place
Carlow has 6 senior hurling clubs, no amount of money will have them competitive for all Irelands, as for Kerry competing if ‘resources’ ???have you ever met a kerry man who might tell you a bit about football down there

Go and talk to people involved in those clubs and they will tell you what hanging on by their fingertips means. I inadvertently forgot 3 clubs who perfectly fit that category, Redmonds, Lough Rovers and Ballyphehane, all hugely struggling but surviving, barely

Yes the greatest swing in the GAA happened a few years ago and I said as much in my post, it now needs to happen again as regards coaching at grassroots.

Funny how you pick out Kerry and Carlow from the counties I mentioned but forgot all about Offaly, Laois, Antrim in particular. They are the 3 counties who could within 10 years make the leap to being elite level counties if given the right resources

Maybe come out with you’re own solutions if you think mine are “garbage” ?

 

[junior footballer]

I’m from one of those clubs and they aren’t hanging on by anything, I can’t speak for others, so again what does hanging in by their fingertips actually mean? Its
Clear it means nothing at all because you are talking through your hat, if a club like most of those is competing at both codes with most of them having 2 teams in each code that’s not hanging on anywhere, of course knowing your point is wrong you throw in Lough rovers and rochestown.
Also Douglas and bishopstown for example have development officers or share them with other clubs so it’s not 1 in the entire city, but not enough and they are not a panacea either.
Antrim will never compete despite having potential because their county board and the gaa have decided they will sink millions into a white elephant.
Offaly and Laois will never again compete at the highest level imo, both are dual counties with an imbalance in that their biggest population centres portlaoise and tullamore only have one club each so potential being missed and won’t be picked up.
You need to get real and of course you ignore Dublin, literally millions has been pumped in there and they are the worst team outside the whipping boys in the all Ireland, that’s an example of a county with population and money who can only compete not come even close to win an all Ireland, it’s simply not possible to bring back up the other counties to our level and anything else is fanciful

 

[red&blue]

I’m from one of those clubs and they aren’t hanging on by anything, I can’t speak for others, so again what does hanging in by their fingertips actually mean? Its
Clear it means nothing at all because you are talking through your hat, if a club like most of those is competing at both codes with most of them having 2 teams in each code that’s not hanging on anywhere, of course knowing your point is wrong you throw in Lough rovers and rochestown.
Also Douglas and bishopstown for example have development officers or share them with other clubs so it’s not 1 in the entire city, but not enough and they are not a panacea either.
Antrim will never compete despite having potential because their county board and the gaa have decided they will sink millions into a white elephant.
Offaly and Laois will never again compete at the highest level imo, both are dual counties with an imbalance in that their biggest population centres portlaoise and tullamore only have one club each so potential being missed and won’t be picked up.
You need to get real and of course you ignore Dublin, literally millions has been pumped in there and they are the worst team outside the whipping boys in the all Ireland, that’s an example of a county with population and money who can only compete not come even close to win an all Ireland, it’s simply not possible to bring back up the other counties to our level and anything else is fanciful

What club are you from Junior and you can enlighten me if I am doing them a disservice? And I apologise if I am. A pm would do if you don’t want to divulge it here

There are a few clubs in the city hanging on by their fingertips, which to me means they are close to being gone altogether.

I never mentioned Rochestown but I believe they are in big trouble, Ballinure, another club I forgot, are practically gone, if not actually gone. Redmonds are at last chance saloon in that they were ready to disband a few years ago and I can’t see things improving for them. Ballyphehane are perpetually struggling, although to be fair they have won a junior b county this year.

The Northside is in less trouble to be fair, Rathpeacon are another club I forgot, are they still in existence underage? Delaneys were on the brink of folding a few years back but thankfully they seem to have started underage teams again, Brian Dillons are struggling with teams at underage, Mayfield are to an extent, whites cross have amalgamated with Carraig na bhFear at underage and now seem to be thriving and im not sure how whitechurch are doing.

In 10 years time some of these clubs will be gone if they don’t produce young players, that to me is hanging on by their fingertips

 

[junior footballer]

There are a clutch of teams like ballyphehame, Lough rovers, rochestown for example who struggle but field teams at their level, but they have no underage groupings, these clubs are important as they field teams at junior b/c levels and give fellas games. Mayfield and Dillon’s are rebuilding their underage, passage are flying it and continuously developing our grounds with a strong underage and importantly a growing ladies section and a big bonus of population to support growth. White church are doing ok I think and if they get to a city final have a good chance of winning. Not sure about other teams but there is massive work being done in a lot of clubs, many recovering, some growing but others in essence the same as they have been for years and years and there is little investment can be done for in those cases, what I suppose I mean is these clubs have been hanging on for years, unfortunately redmonds are gone but I don’t know if anyone else is heading that way yet

 

[red&blue]

There are a clutch of teams like ballyphehame, Lough rovers, rochestown for example who struggle but field teams at their level, but they have no underage groupings, these clubs are important as they field teams at junior b/c levels and give fellas games. Mayfield and Dillon’s are rebuilding their underage, passage are flying it and continuously developing our grounds with a strong underage and importantly a growing ladies section and a big bonus of population to support growth. White church are doing ok I think and if they get to a city final have a good chance of winning. Not sure about other teams but there is massive work being done in a lot of clubs, many recovering, some growing but others in essence the same as they have been for years and years and there is little investment can be done for in those cases, what I suppose I mean is these clubs have been hanging on for years, unfortunately redmonds are gone but I don’t know if anyone else is heading that way yet

We got there in the end but I was a little dramatic with my hanging by a thread comment ?

I’d agree broadly with what your saying here, Passage are putting in the work underage and have grown the club and secured their future. Any club that doesn’t be they Senior or Junior B will pay the price down the line

 

[North Cork Star]

In Avondhu/Duhallow, we are a massively big area with only one GDA covering that area. Remember Araglen to Knocknagree is 88kms from each other (a 90 minute drive). That is too much for one man to cover, especially considering there is 6+ towns in that area and a good few clubs struggling to survive.

I think there should be a GDA specific for Mallow Town. A population of 12,500 people with 3 secondary schools and 9 or 10 primary schools and still only able to field one team at each underage grade. Mallow has a good GAA tradition but their playing base is actually quite small. They have a fine complex so the potential is there to make them compete with the city clubs if given the help needed. This GDA can cover clubs like Clyda Rovers and Kilshannig too. In fairness both of those clubs would not need much help.

I would also assign a GDA to Fermoy and Mitchelstown. Both clubs seemed to have a relatively successful last 6 or 7 years but you'd love to tap into the potential of Mitchelstown CBS and St. Colmans as well as St. Fanahans, Loreto, Pres and Coláiste an Craomhín and have a dedicated GDA to work on those schools and clubs. And obviously you could get this GDA to cover clubs like Ballygiblin, Kilworth and Araglen too.

Charleville/Buttevant should also have a dedicated GDA with Charleville CBS, St Mary's, Coláiste Mhuire Buttevant and the primary schools. This GDA could also cover clubs like Ballyhea, Newtownshandrum, LC Gaels, Milford and Dromina.

Another GDA should cover clubs in the centre of Avondhu such as Doneraile, Shanballymore, Ballyclough, Killavullen, Castletownroche, Kildorrery and Glanworth. A lot of clubs in this part of the region would be struggling and need every help they can get.

I would then assign 2 GDAs for Duhallow, one for Duhallow East and one for Duhallow West.

In an ideal world I would have 6 full time GDAs in the Avondhu/Duhallow area.

I'm sure ye can speak for other divisions in the county.