Why hype up a match that people will have forgotten the result of within a week? It's the league for crying out loud. Nobody cares what happens in Croke Park Saturday night except the money men. These Saturday night matches are a gimmick put on to get a few extra quid in the pocket.

Some have asked what can be done to entice teams to take the league seriously. Well, forget using the league to rank counties in the championship. Use it like they do with the FA cup and league cup in England where the winners go into the Europa league. Except in hurling and football the winners of the league go straight in to the All Ireland 1/4 final. Granted it would take a bit of logistics to work out but if the GAA are serious about the league that it a huge bonus for any team to try and number 1 get in division 1, number 2 stay in the division and number 3 actually want to win the thing.

Have the finals as a double header May bank holiday weekend. Can you imagine a Dublin v Tyrone league final and Cork v Tipp in hurling, where the winners go straight into the last 8? Now that would be worth hyping and worth going to see in Croke Park

mike03 (Limerick) - Posts: 2000 - 30/01/2014 14:36:59    1538786

The league is an important competition.Not as important as the championship but it is importanat nonetheless.The GAA should be making a better effort promoting it.Having the opening round of the league the same weekend as Irelands first 6 nation match which is fairly stupid if you ask me is an indication of the lack of interest the GAA has in its secodary comptetition.Last week would have been much better no big sport was on last weekend so it would have bee a good week to kickstart the league.

Matches in the league tend to be quite entertaining in particular division 1 matches and crowds could be improved if the GAA bothered .Dublin have average around 25000 for the league since the moved to Croke Park which is excellent and other counties could increase their crowds if they made the effort.The GAA lack of promotion of the league is fairly shameful, they ahve a responsibilty to do more but they seem to think advertising is a waste of tim.The league gets good viewership on TG4 and if it was on RTE it would get even better viewership and thus better coverage for the GAA, but the gAA seem uninterested in our games being broadcast to the widest possible amount of people.

uibhfhaili1986 (Offaly) - Posts: 1296 - 30/01/2014 14:41:51    1538790

Sorry Liam but I reckon it's a waste of time and resources to hype up games that are forgotten as soon as they're over!

realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8597 - 30/01/2014 15:09:39    1538808

29/01/2014 20:34:18
Htaem
HA publicity, the Gaa struggle to advertise big championship games much less big league games, it's a shame all the same but advertising was never their way, hard to know why but it isn't.
Anyway I suppose we can't expect top quality matches this time of year, Gaa lads are amateurs so they can't be expected to be putting in gut busting performances in early february while also flat out working. Energy needs to be preserved for the serious stuff come june and teams like Dublin and Kerry nearly always have designs on playing well into september. So the Gaa probably doesn't see the value in proper promotion of league games because they know most summer fans won't bother watching or certainly won't bother going to the games. How can players not be expected to put in gut busting performances now while "flat out working" but can be expected to while "flat out working" in summer.
They are elite athletes and the championship is 4 months away and more for some. Players shouldnt be worrying about preserving energy for the championship or you would worry for their ability to play at inter county level

29/01/2014 17:59:58
flack
It's not really their fault, as long as the actual teams and players don't take it seriously, you can't expect anyone else to. Check out the miserable heads on the winners, and they'll never miss a chance to say that's what's REALLY important is the first round of the championship in the back pitch of ballybog excellent point. Maybe League and Championship need to be integrated more and league played over entire year to give it more meaning and if knocked out of championship teams could still have league to play for while in a standardised season structure that gives club players adequate games

29/01/2014 18:43:38
doublehop
The worst thing is that managers take the league way way more seriously than they let on. But no manager wants to come out and say that they are going all out for promotion or whatever because if it all falls apart you're already feeling the pinch before the championship has even begun. Therefore they publicly dismiss it even though they're steaming if it all falls apart.
And say what you want about the media involved but it's very hard to promote a competition when the people taking part are doing the opposite. Everyone knows half the muck you see in the Rugby Pro 12 is a sideshow but at least there's a player out every week doing an interview stating on how it's important for whatever reason, not saying that losing it would be completely insignificant and that's if they acknowledge the press at all.Pro12 isnt a sideshow.
Agree with point you make though. Too often hurlers/footballers or their coaches knock the league and it is more than imbeded in minds of some fans that its totally secondary to the championship
30/01/2014 12:13:16
football first
Des Cahill's sports "news" this morning featured a spat between a rugby player and a journalist, and "the special one" whinging about refereeing decisions in a 0-0 borefest. But there was NO mention of Kerry-Dublin, or any other NFL game for that matter. Now if Cahill, who is supposed to be interested in GAA games, doesn't feature it, what chance have we with other RTE broadcasters who believe that all sport revolves around the EPL and egg-chasing?? Wow.. you really dispise rugby...
Rugby will always get the headlines this time of year with Heineken Cup just having finished group stage and the 6Nations beginning and the 6Nations is huge in terms of tv, media, irish rugby and dominates the airwaves as it should

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 30/01/2014 15:14:14    1538811

30/01/2014 13:05:50 tinrylandman
Until the Managers and Players take it seriously how the hell do you think the Media are going to take it seriously . +1
30/01/2014 14:36:59 mike03
Why hype up a match that people will have forgotten the result of within a week? It's the league for crying out loud. Nobody cares what happens in Croke Park Saturday night except the money men. These Saturday night matches are a gimmick put on to get a few extra quid in the pocket.
Some have asked what can be done to entice teams to take the league seriously. Well, forget using the league to rank counties in the championship. Use it like they do with the FA cup and league cup in England where the winners go into the Europa league. Except in hurling and football the winners of the league go straight in to the All Ireland 1/4 final. Granted it would take a bit of logistics to work out but if the GAA are serious about the league that it a huge bonus for any team to try and number 1 get in division 1, number 2 stay in the division and number 3 actually want to win the thing.
Have the finals as a double header May bank holiday weekend. Can you imagine a Dublin v Tyrone league final and Cork v Tipp in hurling, where the winners go straight into the last 8? Now that would be worth hyping and worth going to see in Croke ParkResult wont be forgotten that easy.
No leage winners shouldnt go straight into all ireland quarters. That wouldnt work. not easy

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 30/01/2014 15:18:20    1538813

They will be forgotten. Every fella here could tell you his county's championship results from last year and a good few years before that off the top of his head. I cant even remember half the matches my own played never mind the result

mike03 (Limerick) - Posts: 2000 - 30/01/2014 15:28:00    1538821

The league has a rep as a second rate competition because thats exectly what it is. There is provisional evidence that alludes to the idea that a good league is linked to a good championship but there is no incentives to counter the opinions held by the likes Jim McG last year. Managers can treat the league with the upmost contempt with no guaranteed net loss.

I don't believe the GAA wishes to tamper with its summer product as it produces a very efficient stream of revenue. They may wish to alter it and improve it, but radical changes that would require the league been incorporated into the championship will not happen in the short term in my view.

For the record, i do think the league is important but that view is not shared by all...

seany16 (Dublin) - Posts: 1658 - 30/01/2014 15:37:14    1538828

There was a very good, high scoring game with Dublin and Kerry in Croke Park under lights, think it was in 2011. Yet I've never heard it mentioned again until I did myself in this post, enough said!

realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8597 - 30/01/2014 15:41:59    1538832

@JMK
Some of us on here still are playing football ;-)
So while the intercounty players get a good night in Coppers after the match, I will be doing my strecthing exercises for my big game on Sunday!

woops (Kerry) - Posts: 2073 - 30/01/2014 16:35:14    1538871

@ woops

Woops (excuse the pun), that's fair enough!! I envy you!! Our football season only lasts 3 months in Canada!! Would love to be out running in Banna again for the early season trainings!!

JMK (Kerry) - Posts: 273 - 30/01/2014 16:56:49    1538884

Biggest rivalry going? Sure Dublin hadn't beaten Kerry in 34 years before 2011, wasn't much of a rivalry in that period. Mind you, it could swing the other way now and it might even be 34 years before Kerry beat Dublin considering that no county, Kerry included, has anywhere near the player resources, population resources, and (most importantly) FINANCIAL resources that Dublin have.

KeyserSoze (Cork) - Posts: 363 - 30/01/2014 21:28:03    1539039

who cares?...for starters they are not the two best teams in the country...dublin and mayo hold that honour at the moment...kerry are sending out a team of young lads...hardly anything to get worked up about...the real game this weekend is up in the north west...two teams in fine form, and packed with young and emerging talent...we don't need the hype in derry and tyrone...a packed celtic part under lights...thats where the real action will be...not in a stadium that can only sell out at this time of year to a failed country singer

mayotyroneman (Tyrone) - Posts: 1821 - 30/01/2014 21:34:35    1539044

KeyserSoze
County: Cork
Posts: 271

1539039 Biggest rivalry going? Sure Dublin hadn't beaten Kerry in 34 years before 2011, wasn't much of a rivalry in that period. Mind you, it could swing the other way now and it might even be 34 years before Kerry beat Dublin considering that no county, Kerry included, has anywhere near the player resources, population resources, and (most importantly) FINANCIAL resources that Dublin have.

now,now back to pretending you go to watch Cork play. At least Woops is honest.

AthCliath (Dublin) - Posts: 4347 - 30/01/2014 21:38:26    1539049

Ath Cliath, I can assure you I go to my Cork games ( in either code) than you go to Dublin games and it takes more of an effort in travel than leaving my house half an hour before throw-in that the Dubs only need do. Anyway, with all the bags of moolah that the Dublin CB have, shouldn't they, rather than the GAA itself, be the ones who should go promoting this game. And they could restrict it to Dublin papers and radio stations and the one and a half million population on their doorstep because you cant't expect people from Kerry to face into anything up to an 8 hour return journey on a winter Saturday night.

KeyserSoze (Cork) - Posts: 363 - 30/01/2014 21:47:56    1539053

the gaa / media have failed with their minimalist promotion of dublins spring series and also
in the interests of fair play the gaa / media need to promote and publicise dublin and kerry on a par with the other counties.

paolorossi (Roscommon) - Posts: 11 - 30/01/2014 22:05:44    1539064

Is this thread a joke. Sure it's the first round of the league with 2 weakened teams. It'll be a poor standard of football on show for anyone who bothers to attend

pdempsey (Mayo) - Posts: 1313 - 31/01/2014 08:18:15    1539067

Pre 2011 the culchies used to love to rub it in how we hadn't won an All-Ireland in years or hadn't beaten Kerry in x amount of years etc.

Post 2011 the culchies just have a go over population and supposed finances etc.

The post above from KeyserSoze is remarkable in that he uses both his standard pre 2011 and post 2011 lines on the Dubs. Despite the fact that the Dubs have won 2 All-Ireland's in the last 3 years Keyser is not quite ready to relinquish the old lines of attack. Charming in its own way.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13718 - 31/01/2014 10:12:06    1539106

Dublin would have knocked Lumps out of Kerry during the first half of the 90's

We just never got the chance

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20601 - 31/01/2014 10:38:53    1539117

Somewhat charming and yet utterly predictable mesamis!:)

Jackeen (Dublin) - Posts: 4097 - 31/01/2014 10:41:53    1539119

Superglue: County: Kerry: Posts: 800

1538750 Good article here about the 2013 semi

Ya just read that article.. excellent insight now in all fairness.

Horsebox77 (Kerry) - Posts: 5491 - 31/01/2014 10:48:21    1539126