Good Lord - we all give out about the Championship and now we're looking for a Championship channel

I've made the decision not to dedicate any time to watching live football Championship matches till August this year and its nothing got to do with the dark place my County is at the moment. I'll still tune in for the Sunday game.
If the league was on during the next few months I think this would be a great idea - A load of competitive games every week. Exciting battles for promotion and relegation. I thought the league was great this year - I'd have plenty of that!

Ban (Westmeath) - Posts: 1415 - 05/05/2016 20:57:32    1852449

Agree with Ban. The championship in Gaelic football is pure rubbish until August. Inter county hurling is awful to watch - the most cynical foul ridden sport on the planet.

The best football competitions are over. The under 21 championship and league finals in division 2,3,4 were the best games of 2016. We can safely make that conclusion already. The All-Ireland semifinals will be exciting in August though.

If there is a GAA channel, now is when it should be shutting down and not starting.

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 05/05/2016 21:49:47    1852461

Jesus lads cop yourselves on it's championship!! Can't understand how anyone couldn't look forward to it

The pessimism aroud here would depress you at times

HandballRef (Donegal) - Posts: 520 - 06/05/2016 10:03:22    1852482

For enthusiasts like most of the people on here, a dedicated GAA channel would be great.
The problem is that our enthusiasm is not shared by most Irish people, all you have to do is look at the attendances at most games to see the truth of that, and so the question of funding this station will be huge.
The people questioning the quality of many of the games we now see is also valid. For my own part I won't be watching many live games this summer but will instead go and follow my club on summer Sundays.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 06/05/2016 10:34:55    1852493

i can say hand on heart if say Carlow were playing Sligo in a Qualifier and it was live on TV, I would watch it with just as much gusto as if it were say Down and Armagh or Cork and Kildare etc
I just LOVE live Gaelic Football in the summer
Better than any soccer/rugby game ever, EVER

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 06/05/2016 11:37:34    1852520

What about hurling Liam?Are you a fan of the small ball game?I echo your sentiments.I cannot get enough of both games.There is some misery guts out there.Benny,didn't you say a while back that you couldn't care less about Cork meeting Tipp in a few weeks?It's a sad day when a Cork man says that.I'll try get down to that game myself.If Cork v Tipp in Thurles can't stir the emotions,your better off sticking to your local club games.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 06/05/2016 11:55:42    1852526

Cue
I will watch hurling of course, but it doesnt have the same gra for me atall
Too many hurling snobs out there have soured the game for me
Dont get me wrong, a great game of hurling is a spectacle, but gimme football all day every day over it
Way prefer it

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 06/05/2016 12:05:29    1852531

Sound Liam,your only getting half the pleasure that the lovers of both codes get(:

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 06/05/2016 12:11:42    1852534

Ah ya, its not that i wont watch it Cue, it just doesnt stir the soul the way football does, ya know
Will still watch it over soccer/rugby all day

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 06/05/2016 14:01:25    1852576

Both Bennybunny and myself have expressed the opinion that this would not be a good idea based on the quality of the competition and the lack of competitive matches - Treads are created so people can express an opinion - and a good opinion is one which is backed up with reason.

Challenge the reason instead of the opinion and we will have a healthy tread of discussion.

Ban (Westmeath) - Posts: 1415 - 06/05/2016 14:07:29    1852579

Lads,i presume it would be easier and more cost effective to have a proper radio show dedicated to GAA than a tv channel.I don't think there is a need for a GAA tv station.
I listen to quite a bit of Talksport in England ; 24 hours of sport,seven days a week.Obviously they have a huge 60 million population to tap into,but if you are a football fan it is top coverage.No way we could have a 24 hour sports station over here with our 6.5 million(whole island) population.But how about a few hours on a Friday and another few on a Sunday to dissect all the weekends GAA ;intercounty,clubs,underage,ladies etc?
There is still very little GAA coverage on the radio.Off The Ball,Newstalk,give it decent coverage during the championship,but hardly cover the league at all.Maybe ten minutes on a Monday and that's about it.I think most of us enjoy the leagues on here and the forum does be alive and buzzing.Why is there no radio coverage to discuss the weekly events?To be fair to RTE radio,they do a great Sunday show for every week of the league.I rarely miss it and they cover all the leagues extensively.
Matt Cooper on Today FM has a few pundits on each Friday evening after six,for average of 10 minutes.It is pathetic coverage of our two most popular games.They are only on before they are heading off the airwaves again.Why bother Cooper?You may as well have Rugby on for the full hour because that token gesture is an insult to GAA fans.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 06/05/2016 14:44:30    1852589

I am of the same opinion as Liam here. If there was a round one qualifer game being shown live on tv and I had nothing better to be doing at that particular time, I would gladly watch it.

I would love if there was twice the amount of coverage as there currently is on tv. Am I really in the minority here?? How many GAA fans would honestly make a concious decision not watch our games for a period of months during the championship season if they have the chance? I just don't believe lack of quality or competitive games are a strong enough argument for this. But each to one's own I suppose

HandballRef (Donegal) - Posts: 520 - 06/05/2016 15:21:25    1852601

Look I know this is just a place for random ideas but why would they have a tv channel? Why not move it online? I see a lot of county boards are doing stuff through Periscope. Do any of you use it? It can be quite frustrating but also quite useful. I watched a right bit of the u21 ulster final on it. It's a bit bouncy on the mobile but i think that was due to the fact it's a fella on an iphone. The NFL are broadcasting Thursday night games on twitter, why don't the GAA look into something like this?

gotmilk (Fermanagh) - Posts: 4971 - 06/05/2016 15:49:03    1852613

HandballRef - I would still watch the night program of the Sunday Game. I've just decided that I'm not getting the return from sitting down and watching these games live. 2 hours is allot for me on a Sunday or Saturday - I have of a young family and interests of my own so giving up this time to watch a game like Carlow and Sligo in a qualifier wouldnt be a high priority.

Ban (Westmeath) - Posts: 1415 - 06/05/2016 17:00:08    1852627

Liam,
All you need is RTE2 and a good big screen in a pub to watch Kerry v Mayo on All Ireland Final day ;-)

woops (Kerry) - Posts: 2073 - 06/05/2016 17:12:20    1852628

Highlights of Roscommon v New York on TG4 now

MarkMyWords (Meath) - Posts: 498 - 06/05/2016 20:02:10    1852658

Wouldn't cost them a whole pile? Easily done? There is barely any sport on RTE now because they can't afford it. And the commentators/ pundits etc do not come cheap so not sure what your finance plan is. And while I do watch most of the games and enjoy the Saturday ones as well, the fact is the viewing figures are no good.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 7907 - 06/05/2016 21:26:29    1852670

Lads,
RTE can afford GAA, its only themselves and Sky in the mix for it and after shocking viewership figures for last few years, Sky wouldnt be breaking the bank for it in the future.
Rte have a load of channels apart from RTE 1 & 2
They have another 4 or 5 at least on the Saorview package, some are totally obscure.
Your telling me there isnt a market for a summer GAA Station...

I think there is. 100%

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 07/05/2016 11:17:26    1852701

Lads,
RTE can afford GAA, its only themselves and Sky in the mix for it and after shocking viewership figures for last few years, Sky wouldnt be breaking the bank for it in the future.
Rte have a load of channels apart from RTE 1 & 2
They have another 4 or 5 at least on the Saorview package, some are totally obscure.
Your telling me there isnt a market for a summer GAA Station...

I think there is. 100%

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts:6625 - 07/05/2016 11:17:26 1852701




You are some man Liam. Tell me how the scenario works in your head, as in the cost of running it including technical staff, commentators, pundits etc. etc. It isn't about sticking it on an obscure channel, that is not even relevant.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 7907 - 07/05/2016 11:43:59    1852706

Liam,are you talking about a 24 hour GAA TV station,seven days a week?No way there's a market for that.
We could do with a proper midweek preview show.Not the token half hour show we get on a Friday(forget the name of it).A good two hour show on a Wed/Thurs would be a step in the right direction.Give it a bit of time to really dissect all the relevant stories of the week.How difficult would that be?

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 07/05/2016 12:07:49    1852712