Replying To TheFlaker:  "And here you go again acting as if I don't know what's going on in Mayo. Cross mini rugby started 5 or 6 years ago. Ballina was my club from 6 years old to 18. Please stop trying to tell me about subjects you know nothing about. The mini rugby in Cross is great but it's not likely to expand in time. You just threw that out there even though you have zero knowledge on it. Ballina will take the best of them and if they stick at it then great. That's it."

Replying To tirawleybaron:  "There are as many playing rugby as Hurling - thats the reality now

Its Soccer, Gaelic football & lgfa, rugby, hurling then basketball.

Hurling lads like to call it GAA so as to hide the fact its a minority sport.

In Mayo, you can play Basketball, Rugby or Athletics in winter (although kids athletics seems to be all year round)
then play Gaelic football and soccer in summer, with hurling available in a few spots.

Rugby as risen exponentially in Mayo because of summer soccer - with Rugby now the only outdoor field sport.

The soccer only lads, can play summer soccer in East Mayo and Winter soccer in Sligo.

The biggest problem with keeping kids playing multi sports is flawed coaching philosophies.

I know of U12 Gaelic Coaches who have U12 girls back training in February (without a football) for Go Games in May. With some of the girls are also playing rugby or basketball or Athletics. The coach is promising to "stream" the girls into A&B teams in March - while rugby and Athletics are still going on.
As a general rule, the multi sport girls are better and will either waltz onto the A team when they go back at the expense of girls who are out running around in the pissing rain all February. OR, if the multi sport girls panic, will over train and be injured half the season anyway.

The reason minis rugby (U12), lgfa and Gaelic football have gained so much ground on soccer is that they are supposed to be non competitive up to U12. KIds turn up and have a bit of craic , except in some clubs where you have a few psychotic coaches who want to be the winningest coach in go games.
Basketball is supposed to un competitive up to U11 (except everyone has a U12 B team made up of 10 year olds.
Soccer is the full of physco coaches who think they will get half their team to the premier league if they win all their U9 matches 14 -0.

The success of rugby is that kids who play minis always remember it as fun and the result didnt matter. They get a bit of GAA/LGFA/Soccer crazy competitive shit at U13/14 and throw their hat at it and go back to rugby- where, event though its competitive, there is still that respect for your opponent.

Basketball is the best of them at the minute as they guarantee minutes for all, and restrict coaching practices that skip the fundamentals of the game - i.e banning zone defence

The GAA has a lot to learn from Rugby (on respect and non competitive games) and from Basketball (on restrictive rules and game time restrictions). the FAI have a great set of rules on how to play 4-3-3, playing time, positional switches etc - but everyone ignore it and most coaches haven't even heard of the FAI Player Development Plan, never mind read it."

Replying To Tadhg2020:  "I dont know about as many playing Rugby as playing hurling. I dont think that's the case in munster or Leinster( even if half the province geographically dont hurl) and i dont think its the case in Galway. It probably is the case in the rest of connacht alright and probably ulster too.
I agree with you on gaa learning from rugby on respect although the 50m penalty in GF has done a lot to combat that. I dont know how it would work in hurling as a 20m free is a penalty. Id love to see it in soccer. A direct free kick from the top of the D for dissent would revolutionise the game almost as much as the back pass rule did way back in the 90s. Soccer did score an own goal in rural Ireland with summer soccer. It might work in Dublin but in rural Ireland they are losing big time to gaa."

Replying To KillingFields:  "im speaking on my own experiences,on top of experiences of family and friends whove been heavily involved in the club there. Cross is minis only and will expand over time if it develops enough.
Just like many clubs. Tramore rugby club started as minis only in Waterford. very close to Waterford city rfc. they joined with waterford city rfc for under 14s last year/this year with plans to expand on their own in time. Ballina will likely take some players but its room to grow.
Just like the an gaeltacht rugby club in carraroe. theres minis there. many then go into corinthians for youths. some strongest stay playing there but many others then return at adult level and play with an gaeltacht at adult level.."

Replying To Pope_Benedict:  "Yer man on the ad is coming out of retirement to play with 'the fourths', and the daughter looks super proud of him altogether."

Replying To Freethinker:  "That ad drives me spare. Yer man, way he winds up, you'd think he was going to announce he had won the lotto."

Replying To galwayford:  "Does Irish rugby have a problem or issue with alcohol. A lot of their competitions, Heineken cup, Guinness 6 nations seem to be associated with alcohol companies."