27/01/2012 15:45:34
PK57
County: Louth
Posts: 909

1101402 first problem what about club teams, if a player is being paid to play for a county, then surely he will not be allowed to line out for his club. Every player would have to be given a wage relative to what he would earn over 10 years working, It is impossible to pay 30 players this much. Thirdly, as much as we might see cases of players moving to other counties, i would not want to see a Louth team that has no Louth players on it, as surely transfers would be inevitible.

People said the same about rugby when it was turning pro, but 80%-90% of munster and the other provinces squads are still made up of lads from their home provinces. If instead of 3 or 4 championship games which the average intercounty player players for his county every year was changed to 7 or 8 with changes to the league. It is possible.

GAA turning professional is possible, it would require very radical changes and i doubt it will ever happen but its possible
Many wont agree with this, and i see this as a major problem, but the top players getting paid wouldnt play every game for their club as they would be playing for their county more.

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 27/01/2012 16:42:16    1101438

kerryluck
The first time this week I can agree with a kerry man.
If the gaa went down the professional route, it would signal the
end of something great. Amateur status is the founding ideal
of the gaa, what it was built upon. There are overpaid executives
in croke park, under the table deals and clandestine manager payments,
thats bad enough! However, if players start to get paid,then its transfer
markets, sky tv (dit v louth in january will be an extravagansa!) prawn-cocktail
supporters and over-priced merchandise.
Personally, if supporters are segregated at games (worst case scenario, probably won't happen!)
my love of the gaa will be athing of the past, and I'll take up fishing.

TheGateKeeper (Tyrone) - Posts: 2843 - 27/01/2012 16:51:24    1101445

30 Players per team
7 Manager & Team
1k a week
37k a week
X2 football & Hurling
74k a week
74K x 52 WEEKS = 3.8 MILLION
X 33 Counties = 126 Million

shea (Kerry) - Posts: 409 - 27/01/2012 17:16:28    1101462

Going proffessional will not work in the GAA.

Comparisons with the rugger goys isn't accurate as they only have to have the cash for 4 teams.

We could maybe support a few teams but seeing as that would massively diminish the attraction of the competition it would be doomed to failure.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13846 - 27/01/2012 17:31:27    1101479

MesAmis
County: Dublin
Posts: 4084

Completely agree, would actually the destroy the sport, the money is just not there.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4968 - 27/01/2012 18:12:17    1101499

County boards are in debt as it is, never mind paying around 80 wages a week. It will never happen, unless of course we import some oil-rich owners from Suadi.

ahsure. (Galway) - Posts: 1779 - 27/01/2012 18:29:41    1101507

going pro would finish our games

wise_guy (Tyrone) - Posts: 1584 - 27/01/2012 19:04:20    1101524

Shea: X 33 Counties = 126 Million

Sure that's only a drop in the ocean compared to the ammount of our money that the Mayo man gave away this week to already multi millionaires and biollionaires.
The Trocaire and the Concern boys always said that we were a very generous nation. We have certainly enhanced our reputation and broke all previous records for our generousity this week.

lilywhite1 (Kildare) - Posts: 3070 - 27/01/2012 19:48:03    1101554

Going pro may or may not ruin our games I don't know for sure, but I know it would be the end of my involvement in the gaa, me and two oldest boys currently play with our respective teams, I coach an underage team, and I run my sons and some of their team mates to training sessions and matches, and this behaviour is rife amongst my own team mates within my club and it goes on I'm sure the length and breadth of the country. This is a small part of what the gaa is about, there are many others doing this and more in my club and every other club around the country. Long live the gaa, no to pay!

pig.ignorant (Derry) - Posts: 655 - 27/01/2012 19:52:47    1101555

Shea,
Whats the story with 33 counties?!

juniorbsub (Wexford) - Posts: 646 - 27/01/2012 19:53:10    1101556

junior sub, new york and london - kilkenny = 33. thats the football.

AthCliath (Dublin) - Posts: 4347 - 27/01/2012 20:41:42    1101581

Ok Athcliath,
but he has 33 for the hurling too.I mean the Leitrim and Cavan hurlers gettin a grand a week???Id migrate to Ballyjamesduff myself!

juniorbsub (Wexford) - Posts: 646 - 27/01/2012 21:06:32    1101589

Can't wait for the League & Championship to start up so we can have something to talk about instead of rehashing the same old discussions under different topic headings

I get the impression many of us are starving in here

gigoer (Wexford) - Posts: 1998 - 27/01/2012 21:38:46    1101603

Amateur sport and lets keep it that way. Turn pro. and it will be the nail in the coffin for G.A.A

DUB1 (Dublin) - Posts: 5583 - 28/01/2012 10:05:15    1101623

I dont know why but part of what makes me so proud of the GAA is that its an amateur sport. To see nearly the whole country I suppose follow 30 odd men around the country for the craic. that the players love the game so much they give up other parts of their lives to traing 4/5 times a week and go to the gym everyday. and that all that is done on top of juggling a job and famillies. I think theres something great about that compared to the soccer players who earns millions a year. God forbit our boys would turn into babies like soccer players ?!
Seriosuly though.. leave it the way it is- an amateur sport! Thats one of the greatest things about th gaa. that an amateur sport can be so sucessful and take over a country. What will going pro do anyway except put every county board in debt ?

up_donegal (Donegal) - Posts: 659 - 28/01/2012 10:56:34    1101633

Ormondbannerman, your argument on turning pro seems to revolve around comparing gaelic games to Rugby. As was mentioned earlier, Rugby is an international sport, so there is a major difference. Another difference is that the club is a major part of the GAA, it isnt in Rugby. Ive heard players who have won alot of All Irelands saying that it meant more to win a county title with their club. Players will not be told they cant line out for their club. Also, even if competition structures were changed, it would not mean that crowds would improve enough to facilitate paying players, Infact if ticket prices increased so that players could be paid, alot of people would stop attending matches, especially with how things are in the country currently.

PK57 (Louth) - Posts: 1664 - 28/01/2012 14:55:57    1101733

PK57 Im not sure I agree with you about the club thing.There are more and more transfer requests coming into the Gaa club scene all the time and it is almost becoming the norm (and many of these are within the county) and as well as this,during the summer season,the club definitely comes second to inter county activity as so many players dont line out for their clubs during this time.
Players shouldnt be paid because the Gaa cannot afford it,simple as.In the middle of a horrible recession,with so mnay county boards in serious trouble,I think its absurd that we are even having this discussion.Professional rugby/soccer teams in this country would probably kill to have players willing to play for free.We have players who are willing to play for free and were talking about changing that.Madness.

TheRoad (Galway) - Posts: 1339 - 28/01/2012 15:20:34    1101749

The road , Your right about the club thing, if county is doing well in championship players do not play for their clubs incase of injury. with the demands of inter county nowadays if a player is on the starting 15 for county he doesnt feature that much for club. Inter county and club are getting further apart anyway, because intercounty is nearly professional now in terms of commitment only thing missing is the money.

AthCliath (Dublin) - Posts: 4347 - 28/01/2012 16:35:32    1101794

28/01/2012 14:55:57
PK57
County: Louth
Posts: 911

1101733 Ormondbannerman, your argument on turning pro seems to revolve around comparing gaelic games to Rugby. As was mentioned earlier, Rugby is an international sport, so there is a major difference. Another difference is that the club is a major part of the GAA, it isnt in Rugby. Ive heard players who have won alot of All Irelands saying that it meant more to win a county title with their club. Players will not be told they cant line out for their club. Also, even if competition structures were changed, it would not mean that crowds would improve enough to facilitate paying players, Infact if ticket prices increased so that players could be paid, alot of people would stop attending matches, especially with how things are in the country currently.

Yes, rugby is played internationally but it is possible. Clubs are major elements in rugby as well, if you were in nenagh today and dispite the awful weather there was a few hundred watching nenagh play a run of the league game.
I was wrong to say that top players wont play that much with their clubs. If competition structures were changed with more meaning attendances would pick up.
At the moment ticket prices wouldnt be able to be put up, but players could still be paid.

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 28/01/2012 16:50:37    1101801

speaking as a GAA/soccer fan in England the GAA going pro would be a disaster

you have only got to look at how soccer has become all about money, the players only care about money and the top counties in gaa would completely dominate financially just like the big clubs do in soccer

the GAA is a unique and brilliant organisation that brings untold social and community benefits which would defiantly be lost in it went pro

dsg1989 (UK) - Posts: 2 - 28/01/2012 17:16:25    1101813