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The Economic And Social Reseach Institute's Report

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The Report emphasies the huge committment required of an inter-county player and the impact on the player's life. Is it time the GAA had a re-think on the direction it's games are taking. At the moment the emphasis seems to be on striving to become the equivalent of professional sports often at enormous personal, family and career cost for the player and huge expense to the county board. The continued demands by managers, media pundits and supporters of amateur players cannot be to the benefit, physically or mentally, of the player. What was intended to be a hobby/pastime has now become all consuming. Should collective county training be restricted to once a week with a skills session or game at the weekend? What do posters think about the Report? neverright (Roscommon) - Posts: 1648 - 18/09/2018 15:16:04 2142503 Link
I agree with your sentiments but it's not just county teams, clubs are going down the same path. No turning back the clock however if you want to compete. lillyboy (Kildare) - Posts: 429 - 18/09/2018 22:20:05 2142596 Link
Replying To neverright: "The Report emphasies the huge committment required of an inter-county player and the impact on the player's life. Is it time the GAA had a re-think on the direction it's games are taking. At the moment the emphasis seems to be on striving to become the equivalent of professional sports often at enormous personal, family and career cost for the player and huge expense to the county board. The continued demands by managers, media pundits and supporters of amateur players cannot be to the benefit, physically or mentally, of the player. What was intended to be a hobby/pastime has now become all consuming. Should collective county training be restricted to once a week with a skills session or game at the weekend? What do posters think about the Report?" Its not sustainable, committing up to 31 hours a week to play an amateur sport. seadog54 (Meath) - Posts: 2149 - 18/09/2018 22:33:03 2142601 Link
Replying To neverright: "The Report emphasies the huge committment required of an inter-county player and the impact on the player's life. Is it time the GAA had a re-think on the direction it's games are taking. At the moment the emphasis seems to be on striving to become the equivalent of professional sports often at enormous personal, family and career cost for the player and huge expense to the county board. The continued demands by managers, media pundits and supporters of amateur players cannot be to the benefit, physically or mentally, of the player. What was intended to be a hobby/pastime has now become all consuming. Should collective county training be restricted to once a week with a skills session or game at the weekend? What do posters think about the Report?" ".....cannot be to the benefit, physically or mentally, of the player" be very careful with wording like that, you will upset the neanderthals still butchering our games. arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4897 - 18/09/2018 22:33:33 2142602 Link
The sad thing is the up to 31 hours a week stat is unsurprising. I wouldn't have been surprised if it was higher than that still. It is very demanding on a player attending college or working in one of the cities and playing inter county for a rural county. When you think that Donegal won the All-Ireland in 2012 with about 7 or 8 of their panel based in Dublin. That was an incredible achievement by that group of players. Killarney.87 (Tipperary) - Posts: 2513 - 18/09/2018 23:27:15 2142608 Link
I agree with the sentiment, but how do you enforce such a rule? The return of the Vigilance Committee? ;) This stuff doesn't just happen at senior inter-county level either, I know fellas who were commuting back from Dublin at the weekends to play junior and intermediate ball on the West coast of Ireland. GAA people often demand a lot of players for very little in return, IMO. Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 19/09/2018 09:26:57 2142627 Link
The GAA is getting dictated to by paid managers ,trainers and coaches its a mini gravy train.They would have players training every day of the week to get their payment. The amount of money it takes to keep this going a these levels is not sustainable except probably for Dublin. In addition to the finance alot of inter county footballers will be either unable or unwilling to commit to these type of schedules in the long term. Does Croke park care,I doubt it, all these training cramps in April were just let go with almost laughable excuses given to justify these collective get aways. Unfortunately the tail is wagging the dog and its not sustainable. ifindoubt (Donegal) - Posts: 133 - 19/09/2018 10:54:46 2142647 Link
The GAA is getting dictated to by paid managers ,trainers and coaches its a mini gravy train.They would have players training every day of the week to get their payment. ifindoubt (Donegal) - Posts: 79 - 19/09/2018 10:54:46 2142647 that is the key point for me too.the manager who is being paid per night,would train players every night of the week,and couldnt give a toss about the players welfare. the real charlatan is the lad who was a half-decent club player in the 90s,or maybe scraped an all ireland winning medal.he trains teams like it is the 90s,running lads around a pitch in january and getting paid for it,knowing full well they wont have a match of note until may at the earliest. the only caution i would urge,plenty of people commit 31 hours to their job,between commuting,making lunch,overtime,etc,every week too.things are not always black and white and it makes a good headline. perfect10 (Wexford) - Posts: 3929 - 19/09/2018 11:24:08 2142650 Link
Replying To arock: "".....cannot be to the benefit, physically or mentally, of the player" be very careful with wording like that, you will upset the neanderthals still butchering our games." Ya, I suppose everyone should get a medal in you're case buttercup. catch22 (USA) - Posts: 2148 - 20/09/2018 11:18:51 2142854 Link
the real charlatan is the lad who was a half-decent club player in the 90s,or maybe scraped an all ireland winning medal.he trains teams like it is the 90s,running lads around a pitch in january and getting paid for it,knowing full well they wont have a match of note until may at the earliest. perfect10 (Wexford) - Posts: 2893 - 19/09/2018 11:24:08 2142650 To me that is the crux of the problem. The game has evolved from the hit and hope merchants and laps of the pitch yet these lads still get jobs training teams, they don't care if a lad has had a heavy session with UCD or DIT or WIT or whoever the night before, even though anybody knowing anything about S&C will tell you it is wrong to do it. StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 1735 - 20/09/2018 14:16:49 2142911 Link
Replying To catch22: "Ya, I suppose everyone should get a medal in you're case buttercup." No Caveman - just consider the players first and foremost not the paid mercenaries coaching the game to ruination, But then again when talking to a caveman..... arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4897 - 20/09/2018 15:50:38 2142934 Link
ESRI report on Inter County GAA players 2018 welcomed with photo launch of ESRI officials, GPA CEO & President of the Association in Croke Park. All the concern about the lot of the Inter County player & paving the way for semi professionalism. It is in stark contrast to the way the GAA dismissed the ESRI report in 2013 that showed that the GAA had the highest drop out rate of participation at the 18+ bracket, but then that was mostly in relation to participation at club level. Not much has changed since 2013 at club level, in fact it has got worse. The current President & Central Council proposing another competition at Inter County B level & a development league for U 20 Inter County teams on top of the 8 extra games this year, again the usual empty rhetoric for clubs, thankfully lads are beginning to see sense & go to the States or keep concentrating on work or going playing something else instead of listening to platitudes. The contradiction in the way two reports one in 2013 & one in 2018 were reacted to sums up the hypocrisy in a broken Association. Uimhir.a.3. (Galway) - Posts: 409 - 21/09/2018 00:29:30 2143074 Link
I think Philly McMahon has a good suggestion here: http://hoganstand.com/Article/Index/290582 Especially for Rural players would go a long way towards helping players stay in the game without losing amateuer status of games. I think it is something worth looking at. arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4897 - 21/09/2018 20:33:39 2143205 Link
Replying To arock: "I think Philly McMahon has a good suggestion here: http://hoganstand.com/Article/Index/290582 Especially for Rural players would go a long way towards helping players stay in the game without losing amateuer status of games. I think it is something worth looking at." Don't agree with that. Playing intercounty is representative sport. It is like the international soccer team. Martin O Neil gets to meet his players for only a week at a time. Inter County management have too much power in this association. Their access to players should be severely restricted. bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 22/09/2018 08:36:29 2143222 Link
Replying To bennybunny: "Don't agree with that. Playing intercounty is representative sport. It is like the international soccer team. Martin O Neil gets to meet his players for only a week at a time. Inter County management have too much power in this association. Their access to players should be severely restricted." Well what you suggest is an alternative to the current unacceptable situation. It would be great if it was a representative sport but it is not, these guys are locked away in a bubble for months. Most commentators are warning it is not sustainable in its current form it seems to be a sport for college age groups so inter-county is getting younger and younger and ultimately it will run out of road. arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4897 - 22/09/2018 09:09:12 2143225 Link
Replying To neverright: "The Report emphasies the huge committment required of an inter-county player and the impact on the player's life. Is it time the GAA had a re-think on the direction it's games are taking. At the moment the emphasis seems to be on striving to become the equivalent of professional sports often at enormous personal, family and career cost for the player and huge expense to the county board. The continued demands by managers, media pundits and supporters of amateur players cannot be to the benefit, physically or mentally, of the player. What was intended to be a hobby/pastime has now become all consuming. Should collective county training be restricted to once a week with a skills session or game at the weekend? What do posters think about the Report?" Restricting collective training won't work. The GAA understand that the money is in the Inter-County game, that's where the big crowds regularly pay into games, its what the big sponsors pay big money to be associated with, and what other TV networks abroad want to pay to show. It's a mega cash machine, which is why the GAA will be reluctant to place restrictions on collective training sessions that help enhance the product. The Inter-County players are the entertainment that attracts all this money, and on this basis they should be entitled to a slice of the pie. Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1120 - 22/09/2018 09:44:34 2143228 Link
Was surprised it was so low to be honest. Lads put those numbers in at club level. Its inevitable the game will move to a professional model in my opinion as finance continues to grow you simply can t have professional demands and maintain ammeter status with money sloshing around. Apparently the Dublin football team were back in the gym the Thursday after the All Ireland final this year. TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4445 - 22/09/2018 11:29:30 2143238 Link
HQ is all about money. Where can I get it how much can I get. This is then dressed up in we put it all back into the game ? I am from a small club that bounces between intermediate and senior. But little or no money comes in from the county board never mind HQ. Is there anyone out there that has the experience of money coming from HQ. HQ will probably try and get 40 hrs out of these players now and charge them if they don't. ulsterrules (Donegal) - Posts: 259 - 22/09/2018 11:43:22 2143243 Link
The GAA should copy (gulp) soccer. In soccer the players play for their clubs. For an international week, the international players go and play for their countries, and then come back to their clubs. Simple. No problem. Why couldn't the GAA have a system where the players play and train for their clubs, but for the week or two before an intercounty fixture, the county players train and play for the county before returning to their clubs. Sure, county managers would be up in arms but to be blunt, feck them. Make it a rule of the Association. All counties would have to abide with it so it wouldn't benefit some counties over others, all counties would be in the same boat. Punish any county breaking the rule with anything from forfeit of home advantage, expulsion from competitions, suspension of county managers, whatever it takes to get the message through. Fines aren't worth a damn. Maybe as a compromise allow county teams train once a week (but no more than that) during the "club periods" if it makes it easier to swallow. Am I cracked? What would be so wrong with any of this? ballydalane (Kilkenny) - Posts: 1246 - 22/09/2018 11:49:12 2143244 Link
Fair play to Colm Keys for highlighting a number of issues in this report in relation to clubs & club players. As for all the tears from Inter county players & managers about the hours it takes up, crocodile tears, they all want it to go semi pro or pro as does the current leadership & outgoing leadership of the Association. What is particularly galling is the empty rhetoric that comes from the top about grassroots, most people don't believe anymore & as is stated this week, 1 in 3 are walking away. As for restrictions on County Managers & County Boards, you only have to look at how they punished them over training camps this year, all talk about losing home venues in the league & not tolerating it, what happened, nothing. They buried their head in the sand despite the open defiance of the rules by certain counties. Uimhir.a.3. (Galway) - Posts: 409 - 22/09/2018 17:47:40 2143276 Link