National Forum

Why do sporting bodies ban pitch incursions/flags?

(Oldest Posts First)

Tomsmith here

As a person who has a little blue flag which was handed down to me and it was supposed to have been flown in the Polo grounds away over in New York when we beat the mighty Kerry in an All Ireland in 1947, I have to say that I do be concerned about big flags flown by supporters on match day. Also pitch invasions after an All Ireland. I do know that like all fans we would like to go on the field and celebrate,but I wonder would another profession also like to see pitch invasions. I wonder what level of damage is done to the playing fields and what level of pick pocketing is done. I also wonder where the GAA stand in relation to claims etc.
These are all considerations for allowing big flags ( let the owner get Public insurance)

tomsmith (Cavan) - Posts: 3855 - 29/07/2017 08:31:01    2025230

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Replying To tomsmith:  "Tomsmith here

As a person who has a little blue flag which was handed down to me and it was supposed to have been flown in the Polo grounds away over in Newyork when we beat the mighty Kerry in an All Ireland in 1947, I have to say that I do be concerned about big flags flown by supporters on match day. Also pitch invasions after an All Ireland. I do know that like all fans we would like to go on the field and celebrate,but I wonder would another profession also like to see pitch invasions. I wonder what level of damage is done to the playing fields and what level of pickpocking is done. I also wonder where the GAA stand in relation to claims /.
These are all considerations for allowing big flags ( let the owner get Public insurance)"
Its all louths fault :) (sorry olllie , I couldn't resist)

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 29/07/2017 08:47:18    2025231

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Only banned in croke park. All other GAA stadia are free for alls

890202 (Wexford) - Posts: 1278 - 29/07/2017 09:42:01    2025246

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Replying To royaldunne:  "Its all louths fault :) (sorry olllie , I couldn't resist)"
Ah Royaldunne that's one wee blow beneath the belt haha. I was watching Scannal on TG4 on Wednesday night and it was about the Leinster final in 2010. I still can't believe what happened on that faithful day. As former Louth player Aaaron Hoey who came on as a sub day summed up his Louth career. What was in his highlight? Leinster Final 2010. What was his lowlight? Leinster Final 2010.

OLLIE (Louth) - Posts: 12224 - 29/07/2017 10:29:56    2025258

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Presentations in Croke Park are soleless crap now. The difference in the GAA compared to other sports is supposed to be its close it is to the community and in recent years the people are banned from sharing in the players success. Instead of Croke Park staff concentrating is stopping people coming on the pitch they should be trained to safely manage crowds coming on the pitch and safely leaving the pitch afterwards.

bdbuddah (Meath) - Posts: 1337 - 29/07/2017 11:34:14    2025281

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Replying To bdbuddah:  "Presentations in Croke Park are soleless crap now. The difference in the GAA compared to other sports is supposed to be its close it is to the community and in recent years the people are banned from sharing in the players success. Instead of Croke Park staff concentrating is stopping people coming on the pitch they should be trained to safely manage crowds coming on the pitch and safely leaving the pitch afterwards."
Could be a fleg protest outside HQ today if the Garvaghy Road on tour banner isn't allowed in....

sean og (Armagh) - Posts: 1053 - 29/07/2017 12:08:43    2025293

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Alan Milton Croke Park communications director,former tabloid journalist, now directing watering operations from inside the pavillion, said on TV the other day that the reason for banning pitch invasions was that people had gotten injured. That was the first that I had ever heard of that being the reason (or excuse) for the ban rather than a supposed Heatth and Safety issue.

Anyone hear or read of people being injured running on to the pitch in Croke Park?

lilywhite1 (Kildare) - Posts: 2987 - 29/07/2017 13:13:20    2025315

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it's great to see the masses of kids out hurling on the pitches at half time in thurles, tullymore etc

bulmccabe (Tyrone) - Posts: 361 - 29/07/2017 14:07:16    2025327

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People wouldn't get injured in a pitch invasion if there wasn't a load of stewards and barriers in the way.
Just open the gates and get the stewards out of the way and no one will get hurt

tirawleybaron (Mayo) - Posts: 1105 - 29/07/2017 14:26:04    2025333

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Replying To lilywhite1:  "Alan Milton Croke Park communications director,former tabloid journalist, now directing watering operations from inside the pavillion, said on TV the other day that the reason for banning pitch invasions was that people had gotten injured. That was the first that I had ever heard of that being the reason (or excuse) for the ban rather than a supposed Heatth and Safety issue.

Anyone hear or read of people being injured running on to the pitch in Croke Park?"
I heard there were legal cases taken against croke park by people who had gone onto the pitches.

In Carlow recently we had a hundred kids from carlow and Monaghan on the pitch at half time and it was great.

But once there's a legal case then all bets are off.

carlovia (None) - Posts: 1517 - 29/07/2017 14:56:38    2025348

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Replying To tirawleybaron:  "People wouldn't get injured in a pitch invasion if there wasn't a load of stewards and barriers in the way.
Just open the gates and get the stewards out of the way and no one will get hurt"
Correct tirawleybaron. Watched the documentary about the infamous 2010 Leinster final on TG4 during the week. It showed footage of Louth when the won the All-Ireland final in 1957. There were two groups of supporters sitting on the Hogan Stand roof!
Health and Safety officials would have coronories watching that. I think the whole Health and Safety issue has gone from one extreme to the other. It's a whole industry now, and a very profitable one at that.

It's unlikely that we will see any common sense like some compromise over the flags issue. The word that the English invented for petty, pass the buck bureaucracy; Jobsworths, comes to mind.

lilywhite1 (Kildare) - Posts: 2987 - 29/07/2017 16:25:48    2025380

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Replying To carlovia:  "I heard there were legal cases taken against croke park by people who had gone onto the pitches.

In Carlow recently we had a hundred kids from carlow and Monaghan on the pitch at half time and it was great.

But once there's a legal case then all bets are off."
So true Carlovia.

lilywhite1 (Kildare) - Posts: 2987 - 29/07/2017 16:26:56    2025382

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tomsmith here

we used to have anything from 200/300 people for a kick about at halftime in Breffni park. The greatest exponent of high fielding was a lad of the name big Jim Geraghty from South Cavan. indeed it was a usual sight to see slip on shoes going up in the air one after the other. But those were the days when football was played like football >a man would take a knock and give a belt and all was forgotten as you left the field

tomsmith (Cavan) - Posts: 3855 - 29/07/2017 17:51:28    2025411

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Plenty of flags in Croke park tonight

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4895 - 29/07/2017 20:09:46    2025474

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Replying To arock:  "Plenty of flags in Croke park tonight"
and players with no mouth guards

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4895 - 29/07/2017 20:15:00    2025475

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Replying To arock:  "Plenty of flags in Croke park tonight"
Plenty of firemen on duty for the hundreds of "fire hazards" on display I hope and paramedics for all the "health and safety" problems that will arise from those pesky, dangerous flags.

Dubsfan28 (Dublin) - Posts: 2509 - 29/07/2017 20:26:44    2025483

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