Wexford club Faythe Harriers are under investigation for allowing a local soccer club to train on their grounds as their own pitch was frozen. This is absolutely ridiculous. Christy Cooney says he has no choice but to investigate this but manages to turn a blind eye to the many clubs, my own included, which has a sports hall in which basketball, indoor soccer, badminton...etc etc is played

The GAA is meant to be part of the community and clubs should be allowed to act independently when making these decisions. Time to bin this silly rule.

bad.monkey (USA) - Posts: 4649 - 09/12/2010 08:36:49    829947

Surely in such cash strapped times clubs should be allowed to supplement their income from outside sources. This does seem a bit outdated now. There was that kerffufle about Nemo Rangers earlier in the year which turned into a farce.

Tongo (UK) - Posts: 1795 - 09/12/2010 12:07:05    830072

if this story is true????

then 90% og clubs will have to be investigated including my own

ochonlir (Cavan) - Posts: 4343 - 09/12/2010 12:26:56    830085

It's a bit daft alright... and you're spot on it's time to have a look at that rule

I wonder who ratted them up?

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20763 - 09/12/2010 13:12:07    830126

why should the GAA provide facilities for other clubs. The GAA is neither the government or a charity.

Tom1916 (Armagh) - Posts: 2001 - 09/12/2010 14:04:12    830168

jimbodub
County: Dublin
Posts: 7216

830126 It's a bit daft alright... and you're spot on it's time to have a look at that rule

I wonder who ratted them up?
------------------------
I reckon it was nacellbeaga, what do you think jimbo?

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 09/12/2010 14:18:27    830181

Tom, in my almost 30 years of taking part in gaa sports i have played on, and trained on, several rugby/soccer pitches, athletics tracks, indoor sports halls (which are not designed for gaelic games), so are you telling me that the gaa clubs should not let other aports be played on their premises?? A lot of clubs have made great improvements to their facilities usually with the inclusion of some sort of all weather surface. why should these not be rented out to other sports if the club in question is not using them at a particular time?? The heads of the gaa allowed @foreign sports' to be played in croke park yet they are gonna jump on clubs who are trying to make a few euro and help out others within their own cimmunity. Very hypocritical

frankbhoy77 (Antrim) - Posts: 1300 - 09/12/2010 14:25:06    830187

So apparently clubs should be allowed act independently but county boards can't? What about provincial councils? Sure why did there even have to be a debate about Croke Park then?

doublehop (Kildare) - Posts: 4172 - 09/12/2010 14:26:27    830188

just go back to the Belfast side I think it was St Bridget's Joe Brolly played for them who shared a rugby ground until they managed to secure there own ground ,if the GAA keeps investigating such activity it will only serve the Unionist's agenda that the GAA is not inclusive . Its time to move with the time and love they neighbour even if there Football,Hockey or Rugby.

fortyfive (Tyrone) - Posts: 5929 - 09/12/2010 14:27:15    830190

brendtheredhand
County: Tyrone
Posts: 2897

830181 jimbodub
County: Dublin
Posts: 7216

830126 It's a bit daft alright... and you're spot on it's time to have a look at that rule

I wonder who ratted them up?
------------------------
I reckon it was nacellbeaga, what do you think jimbo?

No, he's not that bad... and sure I dont think he'd have any interest in what a Wexford club was getting up to... sure thats hundreds of miles from his own county.

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20763 - 09/12/2010 14:42:51    830201

rugby/soccer pitches, athletics tracks, indoor sports halls (which are not designed for gaelic games)

You will find that most if not all of these facilities are provided by local government (ie) the taxpayer. The fact that they built indoor sports halls that cannot accommodate Gaelic games tells it's own story.

Tom1916 (Armagh) - Posts: 2001 - 09/12/2010 15:35:24    830239

This is the type of behviour that gives the GAA a bad name. Its absolutely stupid and goes against the wishes and views of the vast majority of GAA members. People need to get on to their club delegates about this and bring it up at county board level. From there on to the National Congress.

The GAA is a fantastic organisation but it lets itself down time and time again with comical situations such as this.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13803 - 09/12/2010 15:53:36    830271

Theses are the rules. If you don't like them put a motion through your club to change them. Most of my experience of GAA is in Glasgow where our club had a very good relationship with a rugby club who let us use their facilities for festivals and training. Ironically, given the many debates on the Irishness of the club, they only bad experience I had was losing a couple of players to Celtic Boys club who warned the parents of the kids that gaelic football was too dangerous and they had to give it up or face being released by the club. I am quite chilled about it but remember in some areas GAA is losing ground to other codes.

thistle_harps (UK) - Posts: 879 - 09/12/2010 16:01:19    830280

Tom1916
County: Armagh
Posts: 836

830239 rugby/soccer pitches, athletics tracks, indoor sports halls (which are not designed for gaelic games)

You will find that most if not all of these facilities are provided by local government (ie) the taxpayer. The fact that they built indoor sports halls that cannot accommodate Gaelic games tells it's own story.

You'd certainly need plenty of ceiling height for one of them....

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20763 - 09/12/2010 16:02:10    830281

MesAmis
County: Dublin
Posts: 2325

830271 This is the type of behviour that gives the GAA a bad name. Its absolutely stupid and goes against the wishes and views of the vast majority of GAA members. People need to get on to their club delegates about this and bring it up at county board level. From there on to the National Congress.

The GAA is a fantastic organisation but it lets itself down time and time again with comical situations such as this.
_________________________________

Spot on Man... GAA can be very frustrating at times.

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20763 - 09/12/2010 16:03:59    830282

Let the clubs rent out halls to other sports if they're not using them. Like in the current economic climate a lot of clubs are in finacial difficulty and if letting a few 5 a side soccer players into the all weather pitch brings in a few bob then why not.

Royal_Girl2k9 (Meath) - Posts: 2107 - 09/12/2010 16:19:10    830296

Its an outdated rule which is quite embarressing for the GAA in my opinion. You'd think the big brass would be addressing these sort of oldfashioned rules during their annual 'conference'. As opposed to trying to change the game with silly new playing rules every year for the sake of it.

jaffacake (Meath) - Posts: 720 - 09/12/2010 16:39:18    830317

The hypocrisy is unreal. I played at the Asian Gaelic Games in September in Hong Kong at which Christy Cooney was in attendance. He commented after the games (which my club won) that it was the best run tournament he'd been at. The games were played on multi purpose artifical pitches used for soccer, rugby and hockey!

We're playing tomorrow at the Dubai rugby 7s ground (at which a well known county team will be in attendance) and have done so for several years, the Dubai Exiles rugby club was used prior to that, without them we'd have nowhere decent to train/play. We host the Gulf Gaelic Games in March at the 7s ground and have done for th past 2 years, the Middle East games in Bahrain 2 weeks ago were held at Bahrain RFC, Qatar play at Doha RFC............I could go on but I think you get the picture

MiddleEastExile (UK) - Posts: 26 - 09/12/2010 17:19:07    830369

"If people are unhappy with the rule, the only way you can change that is to put a motion to Congress to change it - that hasn't happened. The rule is there and we have a responsibility to adhere to the rules of the Association and that's part of my and (director-general) Páraic Duffy's responsibilities."

I think that is fairly clear. All it will take is a county board to bring it to Congress. As president he is obliged to enforce the rules

Con (Louth) - Posts: 511 - 09/12/2010 18:32:44    830449

Exactly Con, I don't see why people are going on about hypocrisy, the rules are pretty clear and we are all members of the association. As per my questions above I don't see anyone volunteering an alternative rule. At what level of the GAA should members of the GAA be allowed to decide where these rules don't apply? Club s for other sports training, clubs for other sports matches, county grounds for other codes training or matches...

doublehop (Kildare) - Posts: 4172 - 09/12/2010 20:16:33    830513