just wondering have the GAA put inplace any type of masterplan for these counties to promote better football coaching and helping them develop the very best facilites to stop their slide into becoming a so called weaker county. will take away some of the money directed to Dublin in the last 10 years and put it into these counties..? surely dublin is in a good enough state now and GAA is thriving there , time to move onto some where more needing funding for football. these three counties have 21 senior all irelands between them and a massive amount of provincial success with down not winning ulster since 1994 they are a t most risk . i think its hugely important to help these three great aristocrats of football back to the top table where they can aim at all irelands again.

they all have very little underage success in the last 10 years. what can the GAA do to get them moving again, is it a matter of purely throwing money at them. they all have good sized populations, and big towns so its probarbly more realsitic than giving money to lietrim, longford etc. plus there football mad counties compared to tipp, wexford, clare etc

dickie10 (UK) - Posts: 696 - 01/07/2015 17:22:22    1746133

Galway have had a bit of underage success to be fair..

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 01/07/2015 17:38:32    1746141

Short answer is no and it's because we're not Dublin.

Give us and many other similar counties equal funding to dublin and we'd improve no end. Sadly we're not the darling of the gaa. Money talks.

Jack_Goff (Meath) - Posts: 2920 - 01/07/2015 17:40:04    1746143

Galway have had some underage success and the have the reigning All Ireland Club champions and impressive champions at that in Corofin.

Barnowl94 (Galway) - Posts: 3150 - 01/07/2015 20:31:43    1746234

I can only speak for Down football, but our major problem is certainly our underage structures. We have a failing stagnant county board which lacks leadership and direction. Danny Hughes highlighted this issue in his column in today's Irish News. He stated in particular how "an under-funding of development squads, absence of former Down players in strategy and development coaching, have resulted in Down football sinking to its lowest ebb". While I do agree with this, it must also be remembered that Down are a Division One side, and one can only imagine with the right leadership and ambition what our county could achieve! Food for thought indeed.

MourneArmy (Down) - Posts: 1787 - 01/07/2015 21:10:22    1746250

Short answer is no and it's because we're not Dublin.

Give us and many other similar counties equal funding to dublin and we'd improve no end. Sadly we're not the darling of the gaa. Money talks

what a load of rubbish,how do you explain Donegal and mayo who can compete and indeed have beaten Dublin?simple answer is they got there houses in order.

superbluedub (Dublin) - Posts: 2837 - 01/07/2015 21:12:46    1746251

I don't think it is all about money a lough it helps big time
Just thinking about the recent Armagh /Donegal game and I think around at least nine Donegal players play in Crossmaglen in 2010
Donegal were a complete shambles that day but look how things have changed and we won the All Ireland with as many as maybe 12 players from that Crossmaglen game
By now I'd have thought most counties have proper facilities plus they have coaches, fitness people , looking after players diets etc.
is there something else not right in some counties?? What about county boards, remember Jim when we won Ulster in 2011 ( after 19 Loooooong years) and he had to get a certain Donegal contractor in London to cover the cost of overnight stay in the Slieve Russel for the team etc. as he said times management and the county board did not see eye to eye Thankfully it worked for us
Have certain players on county panels committed to the cause
Is diclipine good
To get to the top is hard when you are starting again at the bottom ( at present Meath/ Down and even Galway are well down the pecking order) and you probably want a host of good young players coming together at the same time ( think Galway around 1998) you also want right good coaches/ manager. Then you have to have luck , avoid loosing good players to injuries ( think Cork in 2011 ) But I myself think it's up to the counties themselves to set things in motion , draw up a plan and try aim for success over the next few years.
I also think when JmcG first met the Donegal players, they were ranked around no 19. JmcG asked them ::: why are we ranked no19 , and he asked them to think it over why they were where they were Stop complaining about Dublin and set the ball rolling in your own counties.

SamOnErrigal (Donegal) - Posts: 1427 - 01/07/2015 21:21:23    1746255

Mournearmy

That is interesting,because you might as well be talking about Meath there,its the EXACT same thing...

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 01/07/2015 21:47:48    1746267

There is an amazing amount of talent in Galway. But the Board structures & organisation is shocking. Firstly the club games issue is serious, its ok at young underage groups but from minor upwards its shocking, not enough games & not kept to schedule. Also in the biggest urban area in the West of Ireland gaelic games is well behind other sports & young people turn to the more organised sports where they have a greater amount of games. Some serious GAA talent is playing other sports.Due to the poor structures not only are they hemoraging players but their parents, volunteers, administrators coaches & potential sponsorship. Secondly there are too many guys & coaches only interested in making a name for themselves to get on the management gravy train, not interested in the bigger picture at all. It is also dominated by politics in Galway as to getting management of a team or any other aspects. Thirdly there is no set structure or plan in place despite what is said. There is a tendency to ape the defensive model & I have seen lots of very skilled footballers discarded or not making panels for guys who are like front row props or who can run up & down the field all day but can't shoot or pass. Fitness & stamina doesn't kick the ball over the bar or pick out the killer pass for a goal. The reasons there are exceptions to the rule is you get a good management team like the U21's did who can overcome a lot of the obstacles. If the politics stays in Galway football it will never change.

Uimhir.a.3. (Galway) - Posts: 409 - 01/07/2015 21:57:10    1746273

Why not Cavan over Down, an Ulster county with a greater footballing pedigree than the so-called 'aristocrats'?

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 02/07/2015 08:10:55    1746277

Why should meath get the same funding as dublin? You're always banging on about population so obviously the more people in a county the more funding. Simples! If only that would solve all your problems though Jack Goff. It wont.

Jackeen (Dublin) - Posts: 4097 - 02/07/2015 08:31:32    1746282

Down like the rest of Ulster has a team of coaches that go to every school that will take them to promote and coach the games. Not sure about the other provinces

DoireCityFC (Derry) - Posts: 1580 - 02/07/2015 08:31:41    1746283

Galway footballers are not that far away from being back at the top table. They have had some underage success in recent years and Corofin are current All-Ireland Club Champions. Kevin Walsh is a good manager and will develop them in the next couple of years. What they lack is a killer forward like Padraig Joyce or Meehan, but Shane Walsh has the potential to become even better and step into the large shoes left behind by these two men. Mayo may be ahead of Galway in the pecking order right now, but it wouldn't surprise me if Galway won an All-Ireland before them.

CyberDave (Galway) - Posts: 45 - 02/07/2015 08:43:11    1746287

Uimhir and Superbluedub one thing that is overlooked in Galway is that the old hurling board made a terrible decision to buy land for a hurling centre of excellence costing huge money. A sod will never be turned on this land and now since the old hurling and football boards were amalgamated the county centre of excellence is the original football centre outside Claregalway. With the debt on the hurling acquisition there won't be money for coaching for a long time. Also Super the GAA nationally have invested in Dublin like never before so the organization has become one of haves and have nots. It is very easy to say a county should get its house in order from the outside when one might not be aware of some internal decisions. Also I maintain that Galkway is unique in that GAA is pretty split between the two codes whereas it is easier to implement scheduling coaching strategies for those counties who are largely one coded. Uimhir you do make some valid points but ultimately what really is hemorrhaging GAA in Galway is this huge debt created by some of our hurling brethren. For the record I support both codes and would rather see them work better together.

kiloughter (Galway) - Posts: 1949 - 02/07/2015 08:54:11    1746290

maybe counties like Galway would be better served if they have a system like in Kerry. They have a combination of club sides and amalgamations/ divisional sides. Gives players more games. Greater recognition for players from intermediate and junior clubs. There are 72 clubs in Kerry. I'm not sure how many clubs in Galway.

crikey (Australia) - Posts: 355 - 02/07/2015 09:12:33    1746297

Seems all counties have a common problem here..

POOR COACHING STRUCTURES NOT ENOUGH QUALITY OF COACHES.

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 02/07/2015 09:13:43    1746298

Incidentally, are these three counties a protected species within the GAA that they require or somehow deserve a hand up above all other counties currently struggling?

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 02/07/2015 09:45:23    1746303

May i ask one question? What if Meath beat Tyrone, will we replace Meath with Tyrone in this thread.
The gaa folk are gas , it was not dubs funding that installed mod as manager it was a selected Meath committee and every club backed it, this despite the fact that even the most avid Meath fans on this site (myself included) hadn't a clue who he was, outside skyrne very few did, he won it over gg and John Evans and other more experienced and known managers, he promptly got rid of the wards sherridans Farrell's etc of the team, and when say last Sunday a cian ward or Joe sherridan been sprung from the bench would have given the team and indeed fans a huge lift when we were a point up instead he put on a 18yo boy who's confidence is shattered.
So please tell me how dubs funding is responsible for that? Ive said it before and ill say it again Meath have a fine group of players and i believe that not only will they win Leinster but also compete for Sam, but they need the right man in charge, a man with passion and a man who is tactically astute.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 02/07/2015 09:53:29    1746307

ziggy32001 coaching in Ulster is great and spread equally. No problems up here

DoireCityFC (Derry) - Posts: 1580 - 02/07/2015 10:04:19    1746315

Crikey I think on last count there are 43 football clubs and 37 hurling clubs in Galway with very few dual in the dual sense. Brend who is looking for a handout? Mayo and Kildare I understand negotiated particular arrangements with the GAA for their mounting debts while we were told to run and jump. The GAA invested heavily in urban Dublin (hurling in particular) but have done nothing about the much smaller 'urban' Galway which basically means the city is a GAA wasteland. Fairness and consistency is not much to ask for pro rata and all that. Sure they won't even give us a home championship match in hurling and the Connacht Council led by a Mayo guy developed a provincial centre of excellence in the middle of nowhere. Would have been far better giving the 5 Connacht counties a ball of cash to develop themselves.

kiloughter (Galway) - Posts: 1949 - 02/07/2015 10:08:35    1746321