With players training and preparing like professional athletes and the game
taking on a win at all costs attitude more than ever before do people foresee
the GAA becoming proffessional in the future???Would this be a good or a
bad thing???

REDANDBLACK30 (Down) - Posts: 1619 - 10/08/2015 10:49:18    1767019

Havent you noticed... the GAA is professional.

BIG SACKS (Tyrone) - Posts: 1681 - 10/08/2015 10:58:58    1767029

In many respects its professional already, many managers are paid also a new trend is emerging where a potential manager can say ill bring this or that sponsor with me, and regardless of results might still remain as the sponsorship is so lucrative.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 10/08/2015 11:04:36    1767036

To be honest i think it would be very detrimental to the game and i think its nigh on impossible. Firstly should you have a management team plus a squad of players, classed as being professional, how will you feasibly supply them with a wage that would be of adequate support to the player/mangement and which could entice them even though they could possible earn more as non professionals as oppossed to being professionals! Secondly , how would you be able be able to sustain this wage for a minimum of 35 people? I wouldnt think that any county board could afford to shell out that much money on a weekly basis, then you would have to take into consideration , should a team be financed by someone externally , and if someone with a massive expendable income such as that could do such a thing, what happens should this person than become bankrupt or walk away , where does the money come from then? Ultimately as a result of this a team would be liquidated and start a new! Should a team become professional ,you could also see a transfer element creeping its way in, where offers of money to come and play with different teams be introduced, and in the long run you would have a Premier League Situation, with the likes of Dublin signing the better players! I have probably went too deep into this, but if you ask should the game go towards professionalism this would be my answer!

SpionKop (Galway) - Posts: 40 - 10/08/2015 11:10:57    1767042

SpionKop I agree it would be totally to the detriment of the game as well.But
with the GAA prepared to do deal with the likes of Sky for instance it makes
you wonder.It could be a slippery slope???

REDANDBLACK30 (Down) - Posts: 1619 - 10/08/2015 11:25:20    1767058

Very slippery slope red and black! As it stands I know as I've been living with a few county lads in college, they get a grant dependant on performances in championship so in a way they are getting financially rewarded for their efforts , plus look at other players , namely big AOS who's getting some serious wheels dished out to him! It's not all doom and gloom , but it's just not sustainable to be semi pro or full time in our game!

SpionKop (Galway) - Posts: 40 - 10/08/2015 12:00:07    1767110

Yeah the saving grace is Spion Kop is that there are only 4/5
counties at present who could afford to sustain a squad of 35
players as you said.

Letting Sky have coverage of the games was the GAA's biggest
ever mistake.

REDANDBLACK30 (Down) - Posts: 1619 - 10/08/2015 12:08:55    1767124

I think it should be, at county level with the format of the championship reflecting where each county is at in terms of strength in depth, sponsorship etc. This is easily done in football, just make the NHL the new championship. In hurling, just make the current NHL the championship also.

Players are trying to hold down jobs as well as commit to training. It is not viable going forward, especially for players & their wives/partners where young kids are involved.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 10/08/2015 12:14:25    1767131

If the GAA did become professional ticket prices would soar and
attendances would dwindle???Is this the logical conclusion to
professionalism for the GAA???

REDANDBLACK30 (Down) - Posts: 1619 - 10/08/2015 12:25:54    1767150

'Professional' seems to be like a dirty word amoung many Gaa supporters but I don't see it that way at all, the more time players can commit to Gaa the better I think. However apart from managers getting paid and lucrative sponsors, I can't see full time professionalism amount Gaa players, the numbers just don't stack up, you'd need to be paying them at very least 25k+ a year and probably 40k+ for some of the more experienced players, now get the calculator out, that should ease any worries you may have.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 10/08/2015 12:53:23    1767186

/08/2015 10:49:18 REDANDBLACK30
With players training and preparing like professional athletes and the game
taking on a win at all costs attitude more than ever before do people foresee
the GAA becoming proffessional in the future???Would this be a good or a
bad thing??? In many ways the players train like pros but are far from professional athletes as they've so much less recovery compared to pro athletes due to having to work. Why would turning pro change people will at all costs attitude?????
10/08/2015 10:58:58 BIG SACKS
Havent you noticed... the GAA is professional. Players aren't. coaches aren't. its far from a pro sport
10/08/2015 11:10:57 SpionKop
To be honest i think it would be very detrimental to the game and i think its nigh on impossible. Firstly should you have a management team plus a squad of players, classed as being professional, how will you feasibly supply them with a wage that would be of adequate support to the player/mangement and which could entice them even though they could possible earn more as non professionals as oppossed to being professionals! Secondly, how would you be able be able to sustain this wage for a minimum of 35 people? I wouldnt think that any county board could afford to shell out that much money on a weekly basis, then you would have to take into consideration, should a team be financed by someone externally, and if someone with a massive expendable income such as that could do such a thing, what happens should this person than become bankrupt or walk away, where does the money come from then? Ultimately as a result of this a team would be liquidated and start a new! Should a team become professional,you could also see a transfer element creeping its way in, where offers of money to come and play with different teams be introduced, and in the long run you would have a Premier League Situation, with the likes of Dublin signing the better players! I have probably went too deep into this, but if you ask should the game go towards professionalism this would be my answer! In what ways would it be detrimental to the game? Why is it nigh on impossible?
10/08/2015 12:08:55
REDANDBLACK30
Letting Sky have coverage of the games was the GAA's biggest
ever mistake. why was it?
10/08/2015 12:25:54
REDANDBLACK30
If the GAA did become professional ticket prices would soar and
attendances would dwindle???Is this the logical conclusion to
professionalism for the GAA??? wheres the evidence ticket prices would soar? Wheres the evidence attendances would dwindle?

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 10/08/2015 13:16:39    1767221

No, it is not feasible. Look at what happened to the Irish Soccer league when they tried it - the clubs nearly all went under! We are not a big enough country or organisation to justify a fully professional organisation.

The set ups and coaching as already mentioned is professional in a number of counties. Outside of bonuses, expenses etc, it is not feasible to pay 50/60 players a season week in week out.

AthCliath87 (Dublin) - Posts: 345 - 10/08/2015 13:23:30    1767227

The win at all costs attitude has meant that no one cares about the aesthetics of Gaelic
Football.This will only deepen if players are paid.Diving and cynicism rife in the game,
fair play has gone out the window.Certain teams are better at this than others and it
gives them a psychological advantage in the game.

How would counties pay for professionalism other than by raising ticket prices???If
ticket prices rise any further it will price people out of going to matches.Thus people
will vote with their feet and attendances will dwindle.

Letting Sky have coverage is a big mistake as you have seen in other sports they
monopolise coverage bit by bit.They always want to control the agenda and they
will push the GAA to be more professionalism in their outlook.GAA administrators,
their ends filled with pound signs, are vulnerable to this manipulation.

REDANDBLACK30 (Down) - Posts: 1619 - 10/08/2015 13:37:50    1767244

Their eyes.

REDANDBLACK30 (Down) - Posts: 1619 - 10/08/2015 13:38:38    1767245

Ormond, explain to me how players would be paid, as said above your looking at going professional you should be looking at paying players at least 20-25k minimum a year, who can fund that? The GAA cant , if you take for example Clare football and hurling with a weekly salary of €500 all round, your talking maybe 60 personnel at a minimum (excluding management) to be paid which is €30,000 per week, who could fund such things, the sky deal ceartainly can't find everyone , for 60 players from Clare to be paid for the year it works out at 1.56 million! And that's just claire , think of the rest of the country aswel as those who play both codes! That's why its nigh on impossible , especially seek g as the sport isn't on the same global scale as soccer , rugby etc..

SpionKop (Galway) - Posts: 40 - 10/08/2015 13:40:13    1767249

10/08/2015 13:23:30
AthCliath87
No, it is not feasible. Look at what happened to the Irish Soccer league when they tried it - the clubs nearly all went under! We are not a big enough country or organisation to justify a fully professional organisation.
The set ups and coaching as already mentioned is professional in a number of counties. Outside of bonuses, expenses etc, it is not feasible to pay 50/60 players a season week in week out. But I thought the GAA especially gaelic football was miles bigger than local soccer here.
10/08/2015 13:37:50 REDANDBLACK30
The win at all costs attitude has meant that no one cares about the aesthetics of Gaelic Football.This will only deepen if players are paid.Diving and cynicism rife in the game, fair play has gone out the window.Certain teams are better at this than others and it
gives them a psychological advantage in the game. How would counties pay for professionalism other than by raising ticket prices???If ticket prices rise any further it will price people out of going to matches.Thus people will vote with their feet and attendances will dwindle.
Letting Sky have coverage is a big mistake as you have seen in other sports they monopolise coverage bit by bit.They always want to control the agenda and they will push the GAA to be more professionalism in their outlook.GAA administrators, their ends filled with pound signs, are vulnerable to this manipulation. A bit hysterical there redandblack30.... And not relevant to the topic. Diving and cynicism has nothing to do with professionalism. Fair play hasn't gone out the window. why do you assume people will not go if ticket prices go up?
10/08/2015 13:40:13 SpionKop
Ormond, explain to me how players would be paid, as said above your looking at going professional you should be looking at paying players at least 20-25k minimum a year, who can fund that? The GAA cant, if you take for example Clare football and hurling with a weekly salary of €500 all round, your talking maybe 60 personnel at a minimum (excluding management) to be paid which is €30,000 per week, who could fund such things, the sky deal ceartainly can't find everyone, for 60 players from Clare to be paid for the year it works out at 1.56 million! And that's just claire, think of the rest of the country aswel as those who play both codes! That's why its nigh on impossible, especially seek g as the sport isn't on the same global scale as soccer, rugby etc.. A mix of local sponsors for individual players mixed with central funding from croke park mixed with government grants combined with county board funding. Many pro teams at a lower level in England use individual sponsors for each player who is then an ambassador of that company as a way to be professional. there is plenty of people who invest heavily in sport and other cultural areas who gaa could look to. it isn't nigh on impossible unless someone does a proper in depth feasibility study and comes up with proper results

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 10/08/2015 15:20:41    1767340

More people will not be able to afford to go Ormond.This is Ireland we are
talking about not England where peoples disposable incomes are higher to
enable many to pay higher ticket prices.

The GAA are in the business of maximising revenue/profits not filling stadiums
so prices would soar.

REDANDBLACK30 (Down) - Posts: 1619 - 10/08/2015 15:40:35    1767351

for 60 players from Clare to be paid for the year it works out at 1.56 million!

It wouldn't necessarily be the county board paying them. You could have professionals making money out of a lot of activity. The idea would be to allow them earn a livable wage while training as a professional. Players would be free to take up whatever work they could get outside of the game, the money received from the game would just be a platform and I imagine wouldn't be a huge difference in comparison to the 'expenses' system now.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 10/08/2015 15:48:15    1767364

10/08/2015 15:40:35
REDANDBLACK30
More people will not be able to afford to go Ormond.This is Ireland we are
talking about not England where peoples disposable incomes are higher to
enable many to pay higher ticket prices.

The GAA are in the business of maximising revenue/profits not filling stadiums
so prices would soar. What links do you have that disposable income in UK is far ahead of here? Ticket prices for pro sport in England isn't always far higher than prices for gaelic/hurling here?
You are assuming based on unknowns that ticket prices will go up dramatically
10/08/2015 15:48:15
slayer
It wouldn't necessarily be the county board paying them. You could have professionals making money out of a lot of activity. The idea would be to allow them earn a livable wage while training as a professional. Players would be free to take up whatever work they could get outside of the game, the money received from the game would just be a platform and I imagine wouldn't be a huge difference in comparison to the 'expenses' system now.Theresa lot of pro rugby teams for example who to boost income of players have local businesses sponsor players. Connacht do this quite a bit. Look at players profiles and all players sponsored or available for sponsorship. The same could easily be done in GAA. 20-25 companies in a county sponsor a player or two each as well as management team. This combined with gaa funding, tv money etc
http://www.connachtrugby.ie/#team

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 10/08/2015 15:58:19    1767378

I'd go so far as to even suggest that the GAA/GPA could look into players becoming 'self employed'. The county boards may be only in a position to offer something like, say 200 Euro a week, but if that was paid on a contract basis and the player was free to negotiate their own image rights, public speaking fees, coach in their spare time, a player could easily get to a 'livable' wage with the right management.

I know it wouldn't be for everyone so it would be something I'd like to hear other opinions on.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 10/08/2015 15:59:42    1767380