A lot of time and energy, has been put into development teams over the years, by the Managers , Coaches and Coaching & games ( CB) . Are the systems working and if so where is the evidence, especially with Meath Football. What have we won at national level in the last 5 years.
This years County U14'Hurlers and Footballers have blazed a bright trail on the national stage , but does that mean anything . What are your feelings about all the work that's been done . Is there been enough done or should we as a County be doing more.Or worse case scenario should we be rethinking our strategy towards Development teams.How many players in the Boylan era were part of Development teams.?

Mhi_nanOgAbu (Meath) - Posts: 4 - 11/11/2014 09:28:38    1671297

Question is,how many 14/15 year olds will keep playing the game etc..

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 11/11/2014 10:24:32    1671313

Maybe the question should be what are we doing to ensure we retain the U14/U15s that we have at this level ... How much more are we doing to retain the players,from the highs period of the 80's and 90's period when every Meath youngster wanted to be a County GAA player . Soccer , Rugby and other sports put everything into enticing the players into their sport . They are well organised , with top notch coaches in most cases. The cream of the crop of Gaelic footballers are an easy target for these outfits . But what are we doing to retain them . Rugby & Soccer workshops for talented players are the norm for this age bracket . A weekend away at a training camp is not unusual. What do Meath GAA do to persuade the elite players that GAA is the place to go . a two hour session in a local GAA pitch..... Can we do more?

Chaisleain_Abu (Meath) - Posts: 220 - 11/11/2014 12:00:44    1671359

ziggy and Chaisleain have hit the nail on the head. We have some very talented development teams coming through the ranks but unfortunately people seem to think that they'll automatically stick with football and that's that despite these players often being extremely talented at other sports.

I know of someone on one of these talented development squads and as well as being a very talented Gaelic footballer, he also plays soccer at a very high level. Along with him, there are other talented soccer players as well as exceptional athletes and rugby players. Now these lads are all in their mid teens and should be encouraged to play as many sports as they want. They all know they will have to make a choice eventually but for now they should be allowed to play what they want.

Unfortunately, the manager punishes them for missing meaningless off season training sessions to play soccer matches/attend athletics meetings etc. by leaving them out of teams. Also instead of having training sessions on set days each week so parents can plan weeks ahead (like the respective soccer training sessions are), they can be scheduled for any day of the week at short notice. They even have scheduling conflicts when it comes to their own GAA clubs. I know a Meath match for this squad was scheduled the day after the annual Meath sevens tournament this year which a lot of players played in. For all the players' efforts in the development squad last year, they weren't even given a jersey to keep at the end of the year which is usually the norm.
Conversely, when it's the off season in soccer, those clubs would usually have no problem in players missing training sessions/matches given that it would be the middle of the GAA season. Also as Chaisleain said, the perks offered to young soccer/rugby players (weekends away, trips abroad etc.) are lightyears ahead of those offered in the GAA.

Now when it comes to make a decision about which sport to stick with at a high level when they reach their late teens, I can't see many of these talented youngsters picking GAA given the way they are being treated at the moment. It is exceptionally frustrating to see what could be a top class side in the coming years being driven away by the GAA itself.

Ratoath Royal (Meath) - Posts: 1362 - 11/11/2014 14:17:08    1671425

Ratoath , I understand your sentiment about not giving the young lads a jersey . I know of another Leinster County team who give their Development players a jersey after a Leinster blitz outing . Meath Development Football teams do not give out football jerseys. Its frowned upon from the top table , I think that the Development Managers are even warned against it. For Development squads ( Only) Money is tight ,and unfortunately it looks like its the Development squads that suffer.....And thus the future of Meath Football. Maybe the top table should be held to account for the lack of resources supplied to the Development squads. After all , resources require finances , and its the top table that controls that......Maybe hiring and firing, and changing Managers, and management teams is not the issue with Meath football . Maybe the issue is that you only get out of football , what you put into it. And that's why we are behind when it comes to climbing the steps at Croke Park . Look to the youth to see the future ......You always start with the Foundations when you want to build to the sky. Meath County Board take note......Pay for it now so that you can reap the rewards later, otherwise we will always be looking on from the pitch.

Mhi_nanOgAbu (Meath) - Posts: 4 - 11/11/2014 15:33:38    1671475

One thing i was told by a work colleague, his son is 13, and excells in the sports in plays, hes courted by his local GAA, soccer and rugby, his father never played sport, but what he did say was that he was reluctant to let him play GAA, SIMPLY because of the antics he has seen on sidelines of juvenile games, the swearing, insults etc, he told me his son plays rugby and none of that happens, the discipline incredible and the referee is the boss, no questions asked!.
my point been indiscipline on GAA sidelines isnt helping parents encouraging their kids to play GAA..maybe its one little fact GAA should enforce, discipline and standards,it may help encourage and retain kids through the ranks.

sob (Meath) - Posts: 492 - 11/11/2014 16:28:44    1671498

RatoathRoyal

Yes exactly,and what the county can do to help a lot of these youngsters stick with GAA,is prob the most important thing we need to do.No matter what they do,players will choose other sports,it is just the way it is.But we are a big enough county and have a great football tradition,maybe more past players could help out at this level,have talks etc about winning All-Irelands,what it meant putting on the famous Meath jersey.Stories and tales could be enough to want a young kid want to play for Meath one day.I am not sure what the county board are doing in any regard to kids at this age,for all I know,they could be addressing this..

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 11/11/2014 17:13:25    1671520

I don't mean this in a "Leave it be, it'll sort itself out" way. But I think the risk from other sports is a bit overstated. From my experience, yes you see lads quitting/putting Gaelic games on the back burner from 14-17 and putting effort into Rugby and soccer, but its only because they're young, impressionable and reckon they can make it.

When I was that age I lost count of the number of friends heading to trials at English soccer clubs or getting on Leinster Development Squads/playing Senior cup rugby in school etc. and disregarding hurling and football. Sooner or later though 99% of them get dumped by soccer/Rugby and they really havent the heart to return to the lower levels, playing in the MDL division 3 on awful pitches throughout cold weekend mornings all winter, or with Navan 2nds/3rds in Rugby.

A few just give up entirely, but many come back to hurling and football, as the club IS effectively the top tier in the GAA. One of the reasons given for the formation of the U19 League of Ireland was the draw of Gaelic Games to promising young soccer players who get dropped by the English academies at 17/18 and dont want to go back to playing at the bottom rung of soccer.

That said, these lads still miss their prime formative years from 15-19, so every effort should still be made to keep them.

CastleBravo (Meath) - Posts: 1643 - 11/11/2014 17:19:43    1671523

Castlebravo is right about 99% of these young players getting dropped from rugby and soccer academies. The trick for GAA clubs is to keep the communication going and always be welcoming to the lad and include him in what's going on in the club . I have seen so many talented GAA players quit to try and make it at rugby and soccer but are too embarrassed or uncomfortable to come back into the club scene.

Poormouth (Meath) - Posts: 204 - 11/11/2014 17:38:17    1671529

All agreed , but are we just gathering the low lying fruit here . There are many skilful players that excel at football and other sports that move away because they are treated better in the other codes, its a simple fact. Is it not fundamentally flawed not to try to do something a bit more than we are currently doing. If you look at the Ulster model , which is probably as close to a professional set up as you will get . They organise Elite player academies from all across the province in various age brackets over a number of days /weekends. They bring in Elite inter-County and Provincial players to speak with these Elite youngsters, to encourage them that the GAA is comparable to the other sports , that there are benefits to playing this game . This isn't been done to pick up the low lying fruit . This is been done to retain the elite players during their formative years . Meath/Leinster , what do we do , ( And I don't mean the other code) ?????

Chaisleain_Abu (Meath) - Posts: 220 - 11/11/2014 17:53:24    1671535

Castlebravo

I was reading your post and then was going to post EXACTLY what said in your last line.If a young player is out of the loop for a few years between 15-19,they could lose an edge or not develop as well as they could have..

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 11/11/2014 18:11:54    1671542

Castlebravo , that's the exact problem , if they head to Soccer , Rugby , till they fail at 17/18 years of age , their development years are behind them . They do not develop the same systems for the game , and thus will generally be lost at County Level

Mhi_nanOgAbu (Meath) - Posts: 4 - 12/11/2014 15:39:59    1671773

Like it or not we are selling a product and our product (GAA) must not only be better but it must also be perceived to be better than the competition (Rugby, Soccer, Basketball) by those making the decision (players and their families).

We have an uphill battle in many respects as for 8-9mths a year (more in World cups years) Soccer is on the TV constantly, premiership, champions league, europa cup etc... etc... Add into that the success enjoyed by Rugby @ both provincial and national level over the last 10years and the increase in TV coverage there too. It's not that long ago that the 5/6 Nations was all TV covered, now we have Rabo, H Cup, Autumn internationals, 6 nations... GAA is realistically limited to 4mths TV coverage annually. I know TG4 do a great job all year round but the Senior Championship is really where its at & thats June - Sept.

The competition for players in the 14-16 age-group is massive which is why it is so important to not only have Development Squads but well supported & trained Development squads with strong competent coaches & a CB that is really interested in whats going on. This does need joined up thinking between the fixtures folks, the clubs & the CB. It does also need €. That's the reality of the world. If our product appears cheap then people will choose elsewhere and as a result the conveyor belt to the senior panel will dry up. Don't know how long we have Development squads running but Dublin have been there for years and recent history suggests they are doing something right.

MeathGAAHead (Meath) - Posts: 87 - 12/11/2014 16:28:06    1671789

one thing I have noticed over the years is the growth in numbers being part of these development squads.
is there any proof that this is paying off with the younger teams? when I was growing up there wold have usually been 30 players maximum. now it seems double that with three teams often attending blitzes. no wonder there isn't enough money for them if this the way they carry on....however if it is successful who can argue.

dubsout (Meath) - Posts: 220 - 12/11/2014 17:15:50    1671803

Suppose the plan is to improve as many players as possible with the hope being that by the time they reach minor, U21 or senior a greater number would come through and be at the required standard.

MeathGAAHead (Meath) - Posts: 87 - 13/11/2014 08:57:59    1671898

I reckon your correct with that ascertain . the dropout rate on Dev teams is quite high . As they say its the guys in the top 85 percentile that all sports want to get their hands on , its those guys that are suffering from burnout in sports because they excel in many sports, at a high level . And unfortunately the required skills/attributes are common to all the different sports , and a very good GAA player will , can excel in all .but that's with the correct development, but unfortunately the opposite is not true for individuals that that develop primarily Rugby systems.

Mhi_nanOgAbu (Meath) - Posts: 4 - 13/11/2014 10:28:24    1671917

Similar thing here in Cavan, biggest problem is some of the management teams and managers in particular doing crazy stuff and peeing both players and parents off. I believe Meath is no different Men over teams that would not be given a job in there clubs and only get the "County Job" cos no one else wants it.

I reckon there should be no County squads till U-16 waste of time and money until then. Kids lose the interest with all the travelling to coaching and training blitzes and the like with players asked to play mad number of games in a few hours. Better off if left with their clubs instead of going to an over rated squad with for the most part management teams that are sub standard

noelpconnon (Cavan) - Posts: 209 - 14/11/2014 14:45:56    1672290

Good point Noel,I agree with you,never too sure of these county blitzes at the age of 14 etc.

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 14/11/2014 15:16:05    1672302

Good Man Noel , and your idea for retention of players is to allow them to drift away between the ages of 14 & 16 to play Rugby,Soccer ,and to have no real County training done till they hit 16 , and hope that they know how to play football ,. And this is because Club football in Meath and Cavan is so good at present ( How long is it since Cavan Gaels got past the first round in Ulster). They will get the skills and development within their clubs to play at inter-county level , to compete , or even attempt to compete against the Dublin, and Tyrone's that are out there. Well done , I'd reckon in truth , you'd have your 16 year olds pushing tractor tyres up and down the drumlins of Cavan , and drinking nettle water to the sounds of Matt Leavy or Big Tom. And to turn them into better County players you use some modern technology and have them look at a VHS of the 1990 Ulster Club final match between Lavey and Kingscourt Stars ......Cabhan Abu

Chaisleain_Abu (Meath) - Posts: 220 - 14/11/2014 16:03:20    1672321

Why did Meath have 2 teams in Gerry Reilly this year? Neither team faired that well.

FoolsGold (Cavan) - Posts: 2763 - 14/11/2014 17:04:47    1672344