What do you value more, the success and development of your club, or do fly your county colors first and wish nothing but the coveted All Ireland titles for your county?

Im quite lucky in a sense a I drive lorry's and frequently travel between Galway and Cork passing through Tipp and Limerick, sometimes I go to Rosslare too. Over the years it has allowed me to really get to know the set ups of various counties through friends and attending club games, one staggering thing I noticed, as im sure many others have too is the increasing emphasis on county success and the power of the intercounty set ups over the club scene. What do ye think is it fair it cancel club games for "the good" of the county team or what s situation in your county?

crossfieldball (Galway) - Posts: 650 - 20/05/2013 15:55:36    1387478

Antrim are a club orientated county and always will be; we will NEVER have any success at county level they way things stand. Antrim is like the film 'The Field' where if the guy in the next street or parish strays on to your patch he is immediately your enemey and you feud with him for the rest of your life. I mean there are guys on the county panels who wouldn't even talk to each other or pass to each other. I will always be a proud county man and stopped playing club football a few years back because I had enough of the nasty, bitter, backbiting, petty, jealous nonsense that surrounds club football and hurling in Antrim.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9840 - 20/05/2013 16:08:30    1387492

County all day every single day

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13659 - 20/05/2013 16:09:15    1387495

Both very important and neither could exist without the other

And I come from a club who can boast and point to a number of current Dub players as our very own…

Very proud of that

But for me...

County is for everyone.

County brings us all together and that's a very rare occurrence in Dublin

Which makes it very important to our cultural identity…

Such things are important and the happiness of all… is more important than the happiness of the selective few

The more happy people the better in my eyes…

We had 60,000+ in town the following Monday night after the AI win in 2011

Special times

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20763 - 20/05/2013 16:11:48    1387496

Let me put it like this........Manys the senior club player in Dublin has been delighted over the years at hearing the final whistle in Croker with the Dubs having lost, so the club championship within the county can get back in gear and get the fixtures sorted out at long last!!

Dont know if other senior players in other counties have that going on at all?!

Regards,

Snufalufagus....Laochra Gael

Snufalufagus (Dublin) - Posts: 8100 - 20/05/2013 16:23:34    1387509

Unfortunately, for me club is what it's all about. And I know I'll get flak for this, but for a real GAA man, its all about the club.

icehonesty (Wexford) - Posts: 2592 - 20/05/2013 16:24:06    1387511

My club can boast AI winning stars from the Down team of the early 90's, but which has achieved little to no success and probably won't in the immediate future. I love my club, and also love my county. Proud of both my club and county!

MourneArmy (Down) - Posts: 1787 - 20/05/2013 16:26:59    1387514

Club all the way. I got a transfer at the start of the year to a new club up the country but i'll still be loyal to my old one and follow them.
Club is where it starts winning a championship at under 16 or minor with your friends is one of the best feelings in the world and a bond that you'll have with lads for life.

Jackos_Wacko (Kerry) - Posts: 417 - 20/05/2013 16:33:40    1387523

Snufalufagus - I know a few down our way who also seem to be in the same boat. The club gets forgotten over the summer and next thing you are trying to finish out club games in October/November. I suppose the county boards are in a no win - play the games between county games and a few county players get injured and the whole county is in uproar but equally - playing county finals on dark days after Halloween is also not on. Club players also give up their lives for football.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 12122 - 20/05/2013 16:41:21    1387532

Without the clubs you wouldn't have a county player .... other than going down the semi professional route then we would have the evil that is T.V. right player transfers and bungs!

fortyfive (Tyrone) - Posts: 5929 - 20/05/2013 16:45:54    1387543

Let me put it like this........Manys the senior club player in Dublin has been delighted over the years at hearing the final whistle in Croker with the Dubs having lost, so the club championship within the county can get back in gear and get the fixtures sorted out at long last!!

Dont know if other senior players in other counties have that going on at all?!

Regards,

Snufalufagus....Laochra Gael


In Galway to a certain extend yes, we all crave Liam but we have a 22 team Senior Championship, with quite a complicated format as far as formats go. The fixtures are purely at the mercy of the county set up. We have played Preliminary rounds and our groups have been formed with a all but certain possibility the games wont be played until mid July. The business end is then played off after the AL and clubs play 5-6 weeks on the trot into October. The fixtures are so variable year on year most lads are afraid to book a holiday.
Some will say

crossfieldball (Galway) - Posts: 650 - 20/05/2013 16:47:02    1387545

YT, how about the games go ahead without the county players? There would be no backlog and no injuries to county lads. Plus, the fact that all county lads are out makes it the same for most of the teams, since the clubs the county lads play for are playing each other in the league anyway. I cant for the life of me understand why this isnt done.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 20/05/2013 16:49:21    1387548

This question asked last month on Dub site , over a thousand views ,43 replies , haven't done the maths but at a guess it was 70% for county 30% for club .
However its a different % when asking people that actively engage in their club ,
Areas, of concern raised on our page
Outsiders running clubs not from county
Politics in club / committees etc

To sum up my own feelings I love the Dubs having supported / travelled did my bit since the 70s . But the buzz I get isnt confined to national league or championship , I get best of both worlds attending juvenile games , minor , junior intermediate and senior games for club , both need to co - exist .
I did tell the story of Mossy Quinn who said the best memory he has is of winning Dublin championship with Vincent's and going on to win all Ireland club title with club , The feeling of achievement with guys hed grown up with all his life was unbeatable , and him a county all Ireland winner .
Its been said by the most important people of all the players " you start with your club , you borrow the county jersey for a while , you finish with the club " ive heard that quote by players ex players hundreds of times , and its true .

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 20/05/2013 16:54:58    1387556

Club 100% for me, its playing with the lads you went primary school with, you have known since you were six, all growing up togther playing for the pride of the parish. Although been gone from the country a number of years I always have the call back home to see how the game with who played well etc. Its something thats in your blood. Moved to London a number of years ago and was lucky to fall in with a club that although not the most successful have a great club spirit and have been lucky enough to make friends from all over ireland.
Although I love going back for county games and love the buzz around the games, and one day dream of county team winning an All Ireland, I still have to put club before county. I think its a bit different in Dublin as you don't get the same parish feel as you do in a rural area down the county.

Rosineri1 (UK) - Posts: 2099 - 20/05/2013 17:07:58    1387575

Unique situation for me as I live in county that is not my native. I have fond memories of my old club in meath, but the parish politics are what ruined it in 80s, I am very involved in my county club where I live and was delighted a few friends and neighbours had a good outing yesterday, but would I trade it all to see Kevin Reilly lift sam this year?? Bet you're ass I would.
county all the way 100%
When you live away from it, it becomes more important.
Hon the royal

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 20/05/2013 17:08:37    1387577

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but could someone please describe to me how the football leagues are set up. I'm an American, been playing for a number of years here but can only passively follow the sport here so all I really know about is county football and the All-Ireland final. Does the club football get played at the national level, are there different tiers of skill, etc.

Is there any sort of resource or 'guide' that better describes how the whole GAA is set up?

Any clarification would be helpful, I've always been curious. Thanks!

enyoctap (USA) - Posts: 2 - 20/05/2013 17:09:00    1387578

yew_tree
County: Mayo
Posts: 4500

I know a few down our way who also seem to be in the same boat. The club gets forgotten over the summer and next thing you are trying to finish out club games in October/November. I suppose the county boards are in a no win - play the games between county games and a few county players get injured and the whole county is in uproar but equally - playing county finals on dark days after Halloween is also not on. Club players also give up their lives for football.

Last year (maybe the year before) Colin Fennelly was ruled out of an All-Ireland final because he was injured. He got injured playing in a club senior hurling league game the week before the final. I feel sorry for him obviously. The point here is that Brian Cody and Kilkenny allowed or encouraged the players to go and play with their clubs. In Cork, they would be wrapped in cotton wool (and this happens in other counties as well). If the county team is not playing, county boards should fix clubs games. If everybody does it nobody is at a disadvantage (in theory).

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 20/05/2013 17:09:28    1387579

if mossy quinn had of been in the dublin team in 2011 might have had a differant opinion im sure as I wouldnt be too overjoyed having played for a number of years and then the year your team wins the all ireland you dont get a look in.
i agree with you though on the problem in dublin clubs is they are run by too many outsiders who try and adopt the same policys that exist in their own countys of the usual rubbish talk of the parish this or that,thats fine when they are in their own county but in a city like dublin its a totaly differant club scene.

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 20/05/2013 17:14:11    1387585

enyoctap
County: USA
Posts: 1

county has 3 competitions a year.
first competition is a provincial pre season competition(used to generate money for injured players fund).it runs from january-february
second competition is the national league.in football its broken into four divisions and you play each team once with the bottom two teams being relegated and the top two teams being promoted.in division one you have the top four teams meet in national league semi finals and then final to decide the league winners.
third competition is the all ireland championship which starts off with provincial championships its a knockout competition with the loosers going into a qualifier series.the four winners of the provincial championships play against the four winners from the qualifiers series in the all ireland quarter finals and then winners play all ireland semi final and then all ireland final.

club championships again you have three competitions but they are run county based.
first is again a pre season tournament then you have the league in each county which runs in most countys from february to december.
third competition is called the county championship with each teams in each grade competing in a knockout competition to crown the winners in each county.
the winners then represent their county in the provincial championships(which is a knockout only competition)
then the four provincial winners meet in the all ireland semi finals and final.
hope that helps a bit haha

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 20/05/2013 17:34:14    1387608

the usual rubbish talk of the parish this or that,thats fine when they are in their own county but in a city like dublin its a totaly differant club scene.
----------------------------------------

'Big Club attitude'!......tell that to the folks of:

Garristown,
Stars of Erin,
The Wild Geese,
Man-O-War
.....and many other rural Dublin clubs besides!

Dublin is not all concrete and St. Vincent ya'know!!!!

.....Even here in Lucan where we have two parishes combined, Esker & Lucan ( St Patricks & St Marys). We have a 'Battle of the Parishes' every year in both codes between the two of them within the club!

Regards,

Snufalufagus....Laochra Gael

Snufalufagus (Dublin) - Posts: 8100 - 20/05/2013 18:08:49    1387640