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Bring GAA Championship Matches Across The Water

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Replying To oak_leafer:  "Following Liverpool's announcement today, wouldn't it be a great idea to bring proper GAA Championship Matches to venues across the UK? Imagine Dublin playing Kerry in front of a full house in Wembley or Kilkenny v Limerick in an All Ireland quarter final at the London Stadium? This would do serious work for GAA in London."
Not sure how much it would do for London GAA other than it being a day out for people who already support GAA.
I lived in central London for the rugby world cup and the Tour de France visits to England and most people didnt even know they were on

Breezy (Limerick) - Posts: 1236 - 30/11/2019 14:26:25    2252248

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Replying To SaffronDon:  "The old Wembley was an iconic stadium with a much better atmosphere than the watered down modern day corporate library they came up with to replace it. A lot of new stadiums seem to be all about the design with little regard for the atmosphere that gave the original grounds their reputation. Any idea of the attendance for that match in 73?"
Games at Wembley were actually an annual thing between the 1950s and 70s -

1958 Wembley at Whit
The British GAA rent Wembley Stadium for the hosting of an exhibition of Gaelic Games. This venture was so successful that 'Wembley at Whit' became an annual date on the British GAA's calendar until 1975; in 1962 over 40,000 spectators attended the challenge game.

That's from the history section of the official GAA site - https://www.gaa.ie/the-gaa/history/1945-2015

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2842 - 02/12/2019 10:47:32    2252629

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I think only cricket grounds are big enough to fit a GAA field

DuhallowRed (Cork) - Posts: 310 - 02/12/2019 11:49:36    2252647

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Could play the Hurling at Hurlingham. Would be quite the elite crowd too which would suit the GAA with possibilities of Liz or Charlie or even wee Archie turning up to see the Irish Peasants chase each other around a field using sticks to beat each other. And no problem with your field dimensions either.

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 02/12/2019 12:10:34    2252654

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Replying To Whammo86:  "I don't like the new stadiums in the UK really.

The Emirates (blugh) it definitely the least atmospheric ground I've been to. Just completely sanitised.

I used to like grounds like White Hart Lane with a bit of character.

Unfortunately there's a lot more money in the corporate packages, hence the identikit stadiums.

While we're at it I bloody loved the only Casement Park. I was going to games when they still had the grass bank. The terrace that they had was spot on then too."
There used to be something unique about different grounds in UK but now they all look the same with maybe different coloured seats being the only noticable difference. Maybe that will change as time goes on but the atmosphere will be something that cant really be changed now.

Casement was a very good venue in it's time. I grew up going to matches there myself. The pitch had to be up there as one of the best surfaces in the country. Many players would say so. It's just depressing sitting through this waiting game over the future of the venue watching it rot away before us. Hopefully sense prevails and the voices of a few free loaders dont win over the majority and we get to see a venue fit for Ulster and beyond.

SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2558 - 02/12/2019 16:16:43    2252732

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Replying To Tarismelting22:  "Terrible idea keep our own matches in our own country. Keep our own money in our country.

Let London play away over there no need for anything else brought over"
Very small minded view from someone irish. Do you realise how many of us have had to/wanted to emigrate to live and work elsewhere to send that money home?

Every successful organisation tries to make their outreach as big as possible. Hence the NFL play in london. The NBA play in London, Paris, China, Mexico City.

You only have to look at what holding the rugby in Japan has done for the global outreach.
THINK BIG!

Miami305 (Galway) - Posts: 155 - 02/12/2019 16:49:42    2252741

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Replying To Whammo86:  "I think let's sort our own competitions out before worrying about games in the uk."
RTE stated this evening that the Fixtures Task Force is expected to release its Report on Wed. I'm sure I'll be underwhelmed again. I expect the Report to prove the CPA right - pretence of change like getting rid of the Provs but having 4 Confs of 8 instead which will be materially the same.

omahant (USA) - Posts: 3227 - 02/12/2019 22:43:46    2252828

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Replying To bennybunny:  "I would love to see club championship matches played in Ireland in the summer. I know counties prefer Wednesdays in October to play finals but if we could trial playing a game in July...it might promote the games.."
As a Corkman myself, I'd love if the club and inter-county seasons were played in parallel thru the Summer - just make a Rule that all players on the county panel are club ineligible. Then waiting for the county to exit the Championship is irrelevant.

omahant (USA) - Posts: 3227 - 02/12/2019 23:05:30    2252837

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How about the uniqueness of certain grounds - Derby's Baseball Ground - so earthy - did it have any grass at all ?

omahant (USA) - Posts: 3227 - 02/12/2019 23:18:17    2252838

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Replying To juicy:  "Seriously?

Think pitch dimensions

end of story,"
I take the point, a 65 would be taken 27m from a team's Own Goaline ! - could there be a work around, though ? - like a point cannot be scored behind a team's Own 45 (also known as midfield) ?

I'm being serious here - but am failing miserably to keep a straight face !

While I don't like the Super 11s hurling version, the 11-a-side would better suit both codes given the pitch dimensions - let's give it a try in a separate tournament - but keep our Championships at home.

omahant (USA) - Posts: 3227 - 02/12/2019 23:42:43    2252839

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Replying To oak_leafer:  "Following Liverpool's announcement today, wouldn't it be a great idea to bring proper GAA Championship Matches to venues across the UK? Imagine Dublin playing Kerry in front of a full house in Wembley or Kilkenny v Limerick in an All Ireland quarter final at the London Stadium? This would do serious work for GAA in London."
Nonsense. I'm always mystified by our constant need to be patted on the head by outsiders. It must be to do with our inferiority complex after having been subjected to British rule for so long. Oh look at us, we have the greatest amateur game in the world. Let's play some of our biggest games in other countries so that we can be told how great we are. Never mind the bread and butter folk at home who keep the whole show on the road.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9746 - 03/12/2019 10:28:12    2252881

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And those at home neither play Super 11s hurling nor Compromised Rules.

omahant (USA) - Posts: 3227 - 04/12/2019 03:05:07    2253093

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Replying To SaffronDon:  "The old Wembley was an iconic stadium with a much better atmosphere than the watered down modern day corporate library they came up with to replace it. A lot of new stadiums seem to be all about the design with little regard for the atmosphere that gave the original grounds their reputation. Any idea of the attendance for that match in 73?"
I couldn't agree more SaffronDon, growing up there were only two things that mattered for me, and they were the Galway Hurlers and Liverpool. With that grew a gra for Croke Park and the Old Wembley, as you say the old Wembley was iconic, and where Croke Park is now a world class stadium and was massively improved by change, Wembley lost its soul and character when they redeveloped it. Sometimes unfortunately change is not good.

gilly1910 (Galway) - Posts: 181 - 04/12/2019 10:19:30    2253117

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