Please stick to the topic at hand. Anything off topic will not be posted. Thanks Admin.

Administrator (None) - Posts: 2275 - 29/08/2013 18:42:35    1471077

First of all lads its not going anywhere if it remains completely amateur and thats a certainty.Second thing of all,I personally do not have a burning desire to see our games brought to the whole world.I wouldn't mind if our games became more popular but I'm not longing for such a development world wide.There are many sports and games all over the world that are indigenous only,nothing wrong with that.If that did happen who could say control of the games would remain at home in Ireland? They would no longer be our unique games.Its interesting to note though that Ireland is competing in a european Aussie rules competition and thats because they have become a more professional outfit and thats also why we lose players to their game.Thats getting in to the whole amateur versus professional argument which I know has been done on here before but if you really want to expand the games then it is a totally pertinent point.

seanie_boy (Tyrone) - Posts: 4235 - 29/08/2013 21:36:53    1471167

Ormandbanner you are right,they watch Man Utd et al because they buy into the hype,thats my point exactly.Its not cos they love soccer.If they loved soccer for the game it is they would follow local teams.

seanie_boy (Tyrone) - Posts: 4235 - 29/08/2013 21:39:51    1471172

29/08/2013 21:39:51
seanie_boy
Ormandbanner you are right,they watch Man Utd et al because they buy into the hype,thats my point exactly.Its not cos they love soccer.If they loved soccer for the game it is they would follow local teams. They do love soccer in the main. I like everyone here has mates whove followed Chelsea, Arsenal, Leeds etc since they were 3 years old. They do love soccer and will watch games when they can, go to games etc.
They don't follow local teams as they don't want to and not because of the local teams only being junior sunday league sides. They will watch the top players because they love the game

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 29/08/2013 21:59:58    1471196

Have to say I always find it very annoying hearn Irish people speak bout thier love of English soccar teams and forkn out hundreds for a weekend in the UK to support Man U or whoever...Talk bout belittling yourself, your county, your country. Would ye ever see hoards of Britts comin over here to support a GAA team...Are you Irish or what???? Its a joke...

Mollymalone (Dublin) - Posts: 1137 - 30/08/2013 09:00:48    1471212

Embarrassing is what it is. Try to explain to a German or Frenchie how we're different to English/British & then we go & ape what they do. I wouldn't mind but their culture is in serious decline!

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 30/08/2013 13:16:29    1471396

Mancirish
County: UK
Posts: 1865

1470921 Jes keeper 7 you didn't get the lesson then did you…..

What is the thread about?

Come on you'll get it…. Can we market GAA games in Britain? Not a thread about lads running around in English football shirts and following English football teams….

The point I was trying to get Seanie to see was how good marketing can make people follow a sport. I have faith in GAA sports; I enjoy them and have put a lot of time into them. I believe given the right exposure and the right push Gaelic games could become a success in Britain.

S Goldrick has asked the question, I have asked the question, why do you think that only Irish people would follow the games that YOU love so much?

Not 1 of the negative posters to the idea of promoting the games away from Ireland has answered the question All they have done is dodged it by side tracking to attacking soccer…. Answer the question lads please?

---

Chara. For me it is not so much GAA versus EPL shirts as a positive or negative issue. You started a thread about marketing. Shirts are part VERY much part of marketing. Of course there is much more to marketing the GAA. Apparel and other merchandise are part of helping get the word out about the GAA. My little anecdote was not meant to judge those who wear a soccer shirt. I meant to point out that 19 million people travelled through Dublin Airport in 2012. (Besides being disappointed because I wanted to buy 2 GAA jerseys as gifts for my buddies.) The GAA is missing a golden opportunity to market the GAA to millions of visitors.

I think DA would be a very suitable place for GAA apparel and merchandise to market to the many British flying to and fro. There are a number of other locales in Ireland that the GAA can be marketed to visitors from Britain to Ireland (and for the many many visitors from the US too.) That was my point about marketing to Britain. Besides reaching them IN Britain, the GAA needs to improve marketing to them at home.

As for marketing IN Britain to the British; you say there are 15 million people there of Irish descent. Are all of that number going to attend-watch-purchase GAA-related tickets, apparel, etc? If not; how many? How will you reach those who are interested? What is it the GAA have to offer them? What is the value for them to spend their time and money on the sport we love so much?

It is nice to say that the GAA should be marketed better in Britain (I have been preaching the GAA gospel here in the States for ages.) IMO much more information is needed to work that out.

mikeyjoe (USA) - Posts: 415 - 30/08/2013 20:33:14    1471688

If the GAA are serious about promoting our sports in the UK they would definately need the help of Sky Sports, I'm led to believe they are seriously considering a GAA channel but this won't help grow our games in the UK it will just satisfy the demands of our existing consumers whose numbers are on a downward spiral. The UK is no longer the most popular destination for those leaving Ireland.

I was born in Manchester and have played football since the age of 6, our u10 at the time had about 30 players the majority would have been of irish descent, but unlike me the majority of those kids didn't grow up in a GAA mad house. The point I'm trying to make is that I had my GAA heroes, as the son of a Galway man Joe Cooney was as big a hero to me as Bryan Robson was, as I got older Padraic Joyce was big as inspiration to me as Roy Keane was! Those other kids didn't have any GAA stars to idolise, apart from one or two of the Mayo contingent who idolised Willie Joe! They had no access to the games on TV, very few would be brought to the Irish pubs and clubs. They wouldn't have a clue who Tompkins, Colm O'Rourke, James McCartan, Tony Keady or Tomas Mulcahy were.

All kids have their sporting hero's to look up to and without them they loose interest, its only natural. Sky Sports would give us the necessary exposure we require although a change in the current championship format is something that needs to be looked at.

TheWestIsAwake (UK) - Posts: 529 - 30/08/2013 21:40:25    1471736

30/08/2013 21:40:25
TheWestIsAwake
If the GAA are serious about promoting our sports in the UK they would definately need the help of Sky Sports, I'm led to believe they are seriously considering a GAA channel but this won't help grow our games in the UK it will just satisfy the demands of our existing consumers whose numbers are on a downward spiral. The UK is no longer the most popular destination for those leaving Ireland.
I was born in Manchester and have played football since the age of 6, our u10 at the time had about 30 players the majority would have been of irish descent, but unlike me the majority of those kids didn't grow up in a GAA mad house. The point I'm trying to make is that I had my GAA heroes, as the son of a Galway man Joe Cooney was as big a hero to me as Bryan Robson was, as I got older Padraic Joyce was big as inspiration to me as Roy Keane was! Those other kids didn't have any GAA stars to idolise, apart from one or two of the Mayo contingent who idolised Willie Joe! They had no access to the games on TV, very few would be brought to the Irish pubs and clubs. They wouldn't have a clue who Tompkins, Colm O'Rourke, James McCartan, Tony Keady or Tomas Mulcahy were.

All kids have their sporting hero's to look up to and without them they loose interest, its only natural. Sky Sports would give us the necessary exposure we require although a change in the current championship format is something that needs to be looked at.
I don't see Sky getting involved. Not enough ROI for them to make money which will be their aim.
A GAA channel on Sky would have to be PPV more than likely and would that be profitable? Doubt it

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 30/08/2013 21:51:18    1471743

I don't know about PPV but you would need to subscribe to it, long term it will do nothing to improve the popularity of the game in the UK.

TheWestIsAwake (UK) - Posts: 529 - 31/08/2013 15:56:00    1471906