I'm new to this forum scenaro but I want to put a question out for discussion. I believe clubs in our county should make a stand like they have already done recently in County Tyrone (i.e.Dromore and Fintona clubs) by banning soccer players from playing gaelic sports. Why I'm putting out this for feedback is because my own senior club (St Josephs) is being promoted and I believe it would make a major difference if we could rid ourselves of the soccer influence within the club. Just look what soccer has done to our neighbours, Irvinestown and one would get their answer. I'm not an old folkie, but woould represent the current generation of young GAA footballers. Our club's future, being from a small populated community, needs total dedication of our players to the GAA game otherwise our promotion will result in a demotion come the end of the year. I would like to hear what other clubs think about the banning of soccer players suggestion?

EadarnaighGael (Fermanagh) - Posts: 28 - 07/01/2009 11:55:08    174762

disgraceful in modern ireland surely

olivers (Tyrone) - Posts: 283 - 07/01/2009 14:24:35    174962

I don't think it is fair to put a ban on playing soccer in gaa clubs. If fella's want to play soccer it is their choice but if attending soccer training/matches comes before gaa training/matches, then they should not be selected by a club manager. If clubs start imposing blanket bans on soccer I believe it will do clubs more harm than good as it does not send out a good message about our association. If they do ban soccer then where does it stop? A blanket ban on all sports?

irlande (Fermanagh) - Posts: 535 - 07/01/2009 15:13:57    175037

a non stater of an idea.

it is an amateur sport , it can be suggetsed but not enforced to a degree as of banning players. sure why not ban drinking, fast food etc if this in th case

sean (Fermanagh) - Posts: 213 - 07/01/2009 16:25:09    175116

can we ban golf too? something has to be done though.irvinstown, lisnaskea and ederney are seriously suffering from this. derrygonnelly have a few soccer lads. belcoo over the years would have won a championship if they didnt play soccer. how many st pats lads play soccer? or newtown?

retardedsham (Fermanagh) - Posts: 62 - 07/01/2009 16:53:46    175145

If soccer players are to be banned then Coa would vanish of the face of the earth.
It's not a bad idea in some cases particularly where it is crucial to have players in top form for key games such as in the championships.
Shamtown is a good example where the balance between gealic and soccer has gone against the GAA club there.
However, I can't see how any club can enforce a blanket ban on soccer when many clubs are finding it hard enough to field a reasonable team of senior footballers.

gaalltheway (Fermanagh) - Posts: 807 - 07/01/2009 20:09:23    175305

Banning players who play soccer is a backwards step in the association. In the years to come clubs will have less players to make up teams and that is a population fact. If we introduce another restriction then it will seriously damge most clubs. In the future we will be hoping to attract kids/players from other sports and religions if GAA teams are to survive, we can't have bans like this in place as this is not an attrctive option to any potential new recruit.
It is true that the clubs have been affected by lack of commitment as players play both codes, but if these players were excluded then what if any kind of senior team would be put out.
I personally play soccer and GAA but GAA always comes first both training and matches. A player with a good brain/commitment levels will know which comes first and you shouldn't ban them because of playing a bit of soccer every saturday.
Anway with the current way Senior football fixtures work in Fermanagh and other counties is it any wonder fellas look to other sports that have games most weekend in a set space of time, so that they can organise work holidays etc round that. This is an issue the GAA has to look at, because if it is not sorted we will lose players regardless.
Who can honestly say that a season consisting of a minimum 19 games 22 if you get to a Championship final that lasts 10 months if you include preseason training is a good idea??Then people wonder why fellas play soccer!!
As usual in Fermanagh there will be 4-6 in the middle of summer when no GAA Senior or Junior will take place and the soccer season will be over so there will no commitment clashes to worry about.

curlyfinger (Fermanagh) - Posts: 64 - 08/01/2009 10:53:58    175612

EadarnaighGael probably alias third decade Gussie who has a gripe with St Molaise tries to apportion blame on us for his own club's demise in favour of the soccer pitch! St Molaise has no problems whatsoever with those who play soccer and it has NOT disadvantaged our club in the way you suggested. Both gaelic and soccer seasons may overlap but our players' first loyalty is to St Molaise and will remain that way. Since you put up your message, I have been doing my own investigation and I have found some surprising info. Apparently, your club appointed the current Ederney soccer manager to manage your U21 team resulting in players ignoring the U21s and club's subsequent withdrawal from the competition. If you are to give a good example of the soccer influence you refer to, then look at Coa whose membership is made of 90% plus soccer players. In addition to that I'm reliably informed that up to 3 unregistered players were used by Coa in competition last season. Tempo mysteriously withdrew a complaint about Coa on this very issue. Looking generally at your outrageous soccer ban proposal, it would be unworkable and would cause enormous damage in GAA communities such as your own. A poor thought out idea Gussie!

lrvinestownGael (Fermanagh) - Posts: 847 - 08/01/2009 10:58:03    175616

hi irvinestowngael as smart as ye r was chattin 1 of you club mates last week...senior player an he was tellin me their is goin to b a complete ban put on irvinestown players next year who play soccer!!

123abc (Fermanagh) - Posts: 12 - 08/01/2009 11:54:49    175665

how culd any gaa club apoint someone to manage there team who also manages a soccer club at the same time? wuld thought have been a contradiction and against the ethos of any gaa club?
by the way i think its alrite to play both sports.

cillnaile. (Fermanagh) - Posts: 1007 - 08/01/2009 12:52:47    175726

123abc are you ashamed to say where you are from? I guess it's Ederney or Coa as your comment would fit that window! Your comment about a ban on soccer by St Molaise is UNTRUE! Breaking news...Further info I have now got today is more alarming. St Joes' senior manager of 6 months has left which now adds up to 3no senior managers and a fourth pending all within a year

lrvinestownGael (Fermanagh) - Posts: 847 - 08/01/2009 14:21:17    175803

No BAN exists on St Molaise players...fact!!!

lrvinestownGael (Fermanagh) - Posts: 847 - 08/01/2009 15:41:28    175832

sham lad u r back causing trouble and ur mentioned soccer numbers wif our club is wildly overestimeted. we r growing and growing and the same cannot be said of irvnstown. soccer can run alongside gealic football as shown by our own club and other. gussie of ederny is wrong to propse a ban.

Coa_gael (Fermanagh) - Posts: 1185 - 08/01/2009 21:18:41    176123

You all need to ask yourselves why this is happening. Is it really about soccer at all? Or is more to do with Club Management, Teamwork, Motivation and Leadership? This is an amateur sport and you cannot force people to do things they do not want to. You need to provide them with the motivation.

So one is not a true gael if you play soccer, is that what the Ederney gael is implying? The soccer season primarily runs during the winter and the occasions when soccer and gaelic fall on the same weekends are limited to about 6 or 7 times a year. It therefore, shouldn't make a difference to anyone whether or not you play both. Very few players would play soccer (unless Coa or Irvinestown I'm told) if their team was still involved in the championship or for promotion/relegation until those games were over and there was nothing to play for only pride! There is another fact that shouldn't be overlooked and that is playing soccer over the winter will help keep some level of fitness and sharpness in the players. However, if you are going to make players pick between soccer and gaelic, then that is putting unfair pressure on our young sports people.

Finally, to place a ban on gealic members playing soccer is illegal anyway under equality laws so the Ederney club would be in trouble with the law for pursuing suit a path.

ekn_teacher (Fermanagh) - Posts: 272 - 08/01/2009 22:11:41    176166

Coa gael tell me how many of your club members of soccer playing age don't play soccer?
I would bet that you could count them in less than 5 fingers!
I notice your aborted AGM is taking place again this Sunday and I'm wondering will you be able to form a qorum this time for the meeting?

gaalltheway (Fermanagh) - Posts: 807 - 09/01/2009 10:19:05    176383

gaalltheway I don't know how I missed this Coa calamity. What happened? Did not enough people turn up at Coa's AGM? Please update us. Thanks.

lrvinestownGael (Fermanagh) - Posts: 847 - 09/01/2009 10:48:01    176420

as i reported before on here there was a bit of the parting of the ways with some coa players after there team was booted out of the ulsters. the problem appaers to be about the use of a trillick player and another soccor player from the town who were unregistared with the club and other actually registared club players with the club were ignored and not put on in the quarter finals of the ulsters. this cause some bother in the club and might explain the agm b**ls up.

cillnaile. (Fermanagh) - Posts: 1007 - 09/01/2009 12:52:56    176550

lrvinestownGael you are a know it all.
Fact Irvinestown are currently putting a ban on players playing soccer (a club sponsor said this to me)
The ederney soccer manager is a current junior player for ederney and therefore is entitled to put his name forward to manage a team.
3 of ederneys under 21 team have moved to Australia & two are currently injured. For a small parish that is alot of players.
It is a new season, manager's change. Last years ederney manager had a health problems and wasn't even at the d2 league final.
I'm not even from ederney but your childish rants annoy me
Stop telling lies and have a debate with adults

hot_topic (Fermanagh) - Posts: 79 - 09/01/2009 15:15:08    176705

If a player is good enough to play both codes their should be no problem as long as their is no clashes in training or matches, but I can see this as a good excuse for Ederney as first division survival looks more than doubtful....

launch_it_in (Fermanagh) - Posts: 5 - 10/01/2009 01:46:20    177176

iv held my breath on this until id completed some in depth research (rang a few fellas)

speedy12 (Fermanagh) - Posts: 592 - 10/01/2009 11:23:04    177220