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Anti GAA Agenda

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "Hopefully without having to go into all the same old arguments again, question for UlsterRules and Magpie2 -

Which do you think is more important:
a) the players of today, who benefit from all the changes the split season has brought, and who continue to support it? Sole reason the CPA existed in the first place. GPA survey shows 89% of inter-county players support it. GPA survey also shows 92% of inter-county players favour an inter-county season of seven months or less.

or

b) the children of today, who may or may not be brought to an inter-county match in August or September, or who may or may not watch them on the telly?"
I would love to see the survey and how it was put to club and county players, Especially when traditionally 90% of all countys were knocked out of the intercounty championship by the end of July so could start the Club championship then.


For me I Would have the
National league from Jan to Mar
Championship from May to Aug (All Ireland last week of Aug)
Club League games played from May-Aug regardless of you missing an Inter Co player
Club Championship Sept to Oct
Everyone shut down for Nov

Remember as each week passes in the championship Counties are getting knocked out and the inter Co player returns to the club scene earlier.

I just don't like the condensed nature of GAA now, I beleive it will hurt the game in the long run

ulsterrules (Donegal) - Posts: 335 - 20/08/2026 14:43:16    2690632

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Replying To ulsterrules:  "Moving to other pro sports is blown up. Only AFL is a runner for GAA. Over the last 10 years on the mens side we have lost maybe 10 top players, in the womens game it is alot higher, this is mainly because the AFL started a pro league for women 10 years ago and did not have a track record of producing players to fill teams so the quick fix was to poach the Irish girls as the years pass this will slow down.

The biggest mistake the GAA have done in my opinion is giving up Aug/Sept to other sports. the next intercounty game a child will see on TV is Feb27, 6 months the kids will be watching other sports aspiring to be them and not our own GAA players"
Here's one for you too, as regards what sport that children or anyone else may watch on TV.

There were some complaints this year about how the All-Ireland Hurling Final "clashed" with the World Cup Final, despite the fact they were a few hours apart. No reason anybody couldn't watch both, even if they were at the hurling match. I was at the hurling myself and still managed to watch all the soccer live that night.

And that only comes around once every four years. But move the All-Ireland Finals back to September Sunday afternoons, and every single one of them will clash directly with "Super Sunday" on Sky Sports. The armchair viewer who could go either way could very well end up watching Liverpool v Arsenal or Man United v Chelsea instead of Limerick v Galway or Mayo v Kerry.

If you look at it that way, and if you're so concerned about wanting children to look at the All-Ireland Finals and dream, is it not better to have our Finals on at a time when there isn't something else that might tempt them away so easily?

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3900 - 20/08/2026 15:41:47    2690641

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Replying To ulsterrules:  "
Replying To Pikeman96:  "Hopefully without having to go into all the same old arguments again, question for <b>UlsterRules</b> and <b>Magpie2</b> - Which do you think is more important: a) the players of today, who benefit from all the changes the split season has brought, and who continue to support it? Sole reason the CPA existed in the first place. GPA survey shows 89% of inter-county players support it. GPA survey also shows 92% of inter-county players favour an inter-county season of seven months or less. or b) the children of today, who may or may not be brought to an inter-county match in August or September, or who may or may not watch them on the telly?"</div>I would love to see the survey and how it was put to club and county players, Especially when traditionally 90% of all countys were knocked out of the intercounty championship by the end of July so could start the Club championship then. For me I Would have the National league from Jan to Mar Championship from May to Aug (All Ireland last week of Aug) Club League games played from May-Aug regardless of you missing an Inter Co player Club Championship Sept to Oct Everyone shut down for Nov Remember as each week passes in the championship Counties are getting knocked out and the inter Co player returns to the club scene earlier. I just don't like the condensed nature of GAA now, I beleive it will hurt the game in the long run"
To be honest anyone that is out and about with players would not need to see results of a survey to know players like the new calendar. Players for example in Roscommon know their club championship is starting on the first weekend in August period. They don't want to be told it will be the first weekend in August "IF" the Rossies are out. Surely club players are entitled to this bit of certainty, in any case they have demanded it and have no inclination to go back. Ironically county boards who initially opposed the early finals have warmed to the certainty of their club seasons, especially fixtures secretaries.

sligo joe (Dublin) - Posts: 1179 - 20/08/2026 16:13:22    2690657

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Replying To ulsterrules:  "
Replying To Pikeman96:  "Hopefully without having to go into all the same old arguments again, question for <b>UlsterRules</b> and <b>Magpie2</b> - Which do you think is more important: a) the players of today, who benefit from all the changes the split season has brought, and who continue to support it? Sole reason the CPA existed in the first place. GPA survey shows 89% of inter-county players support it. GPA survey also shows 92% of inter-county players favour an inter-county season of seven months or less. or b) the children of today, who may or may not be brought to an inter-county match in August or September, or who may or may not watch them on the telly?"</div>I would love to see the survey and how it was put to club and county players, Especially when traditionally 90% of all countys were knocked out of the intercounty championship by the end of July so could start the Club championship then. For me I Would have the National league from Jan to Mar Championship from May to Aug (All Ireland last week of Aug) Club League games played from May-Aug regardless of you missing an Inter Co player Club Championship Sept to Oct Everyone shut down for Nov Remember as each week passes in the championship Counties are getting knocked out and the inter Co player returns to the club scene earlier. I just don't like the condensed nature of GAA now, I beleive it will hurt the game in the long run"
'I would love to see the survey and how it was put to club and county players, Especially when traditionally 90% of all countys were knocked out of the intercounty championship by the end of July so could start the Club championship then.'

You can't schedule club championships based on when your county might be out of the championship or schedule it with a couple of weeks notice because people make plans based on when the club championships are actually scheduled for.

A few more live games on television in August and September won't motivate many children to take up hurling or football. That's down to clubs or schools to get their parents motivated to start them going to training.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 8725 - 20/08/2026 16:14:36    2690658

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Replying To ulsterrules:  "
Replying To Pikeman96:  "Hopefully without having to go into all the same old arguments again, question for <b>UlsterRules</b> and <b>Magpie2</b> - Which do you think is more important: a) the players of today, who benefit from all the changes the split season has brought, and who continue to support it? Sole reason the CPA existed in the first place. GPA survey shows 89% of inter-county players support it. GPA survey also shows 92% of inter-county players favour an inter-county season of seven months or less. or b) the children of today, who may or may not be brought to an inter-county match in August or September, or who may or may not watch them on the telly?"</div>I would love to see the survey and how it was put to club and county players, Especially when traditionally 90% of all countys were knocked out of the intercounty championship by the end of July so could start the Club championship then. For me I Would have the National league from Jan to Mar Championship from May to Aug (All Ireland last week of Aug) Club League games played from May-Aug regardless of you missing an Inter Co player Club Championship Sept to Oct Everyone shut down for Nov Remember as each week passes in the championship Counties are getting knocked out and the inter Co player returns to the club scene earlier. I just don't like the condensed nature of GAA now, I beleive it will hurt the game in the long run"
You'd love to see the survey? It's all there in the article linked -> https://www.gaelicplayers.com/split-season-support-but-work-required-on-season-length-the-view-of-inter-county-players/

The players would definitely not agree to your plan as outlined above, the majority of inter county players only want to play for a max of 7 months, nearly a third want less than 7 months. And what about the poor club player, are they to stay hanging around until September for a championship to be played over 2 months... not even taking into account provincal / all ireland club championships. In past times, the quickest the Dublin GAA championship for example could be run off was 6 weeks... all rushed to accommodate the inter county, talk about an insult to the club player.

There's no good solutions so keep everyone happy, but the people that actually play the game are relatively happy and that's the only thing that matters.

Square_B (Leitrim) - Posts: 2342 - 20/08/2026 16:44:18    2690665

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Replying To Magpie2:  "You are 100% correct ulsterrules.
It's total madness that August and September was taken off the Gaa calender.
That leaves a huge gap between August and February. 6 months of zero activity on the intercounty scene. No sport in the world would consider having such a condensed season.
Kids and adults will inevitably turn to watching soccer or rugby or whatever and their hero's will come from those sports.
Nothing wrong with watching those games, that would be silly. Promotion of our national games is paramount. Without exposure you can't have promotion.
Yes of course we have club games and that's where it all begins. They are the grass roots of the organisation and ultimately provide intercounty players. However the intercounty is the bigger stage and by sidelining it for 6 months will weaken our footprint at a national level.
A return to all irelands in late August or even September is a must going forward."
To what extent has the new calendar lessened exposure to inter County games?

Unless attendances and viewing figures are down theres no real evidence,even anecdotal evidence,to say that moving the calendar has adversely affected exposure.

If anything i would have thought that moving the semis and finals to june and july will increase exposure as theres often very little other sport on those months.

Seniorleague (Galway) - Posts: 285 - 20/08/2026 19:19:41    2690679

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@ulsterrules - you seem to have forgotten more than once that you need to allow for hurling as well as football.

One of your posts on the previous page includes a line about the "smokescreen of club football being the reason .....". No mention or recognition of hurling there.

In your proposed calendar near the top of this page, you allow just two months (September & October) for club championships.

Do you realise that in a dual county where it takes the same or approximately the same time to run championships in both codes, that you'd be leaving with only about four weeks for each of them?

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3900 - 20/08/2026 22:12:45    2690693

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Replying To Seniorleague:  "To what extent has the new calendar lessened exposure to inter County games?

Unless attendances and viewing figures are down theres no real evidence,even anecdotal evidence,to say that moving the calendar has adversely affected exposure.

If anything i would have thought that moving the semis and finals to june and july will increase exposure as theres often very little other sport on those months."
That's much like my point above.

In July, somebody could start out with "I may as well watch the Gah because there's not much else on", and later that day, think "wow, I actually enjoyed that, I must watch more of it and maybe start going to a few games."

In September, same person: "The 'Pool are playing Arsenal on Sunday at the same time the Gah is on. I'll be watching the soccer."

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3900 - 21/08/2026 10:31:49    2690720

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "That's much like my point above.

In July, somebody could start out with "I may as well watch the Gah because there's not much else on", and later that day, think "wow, I actually enjoyed that, I must watch more of it and maybe start going to a few games."

In September, same person: "The 'Pool are playing Arsenal on Sunday at the same time the Gah is on. I'll be watching the soccer.""
Yep.
How many people played or supported gaelic games because the big matches were spread over August and September?

Seanfan (Roscommon) - Posts: 868 - 21/08/2026 11:28:14    2690743

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Replying To KillingFields:  "what revamp would you suggest for the provincial and all ireland club championships?
How do you make them more club friendly and more appealing to wider audiences?
Clubs werent getting use of their county players for whole season as between GAA itself, county boards, clubs and playes they cant find a system that allows players move between playing club and county at same time which is ridiculous in this day and age"
In order to build greater interest from audiences who aren't maybe the typical GAA diehards, I would revamp how the Provincial Club championships are packaged and advertised to the wider public, to make it easier for non-club affiliated people to buy-in to it.

Instead of just club names, always Include the County name too (e.g. Galway Champions Corefin or Corefin (Galway Champions)), and show a table with the Club draw and who beats who for Provincial championship to progress to the All Ireland Championship. Its easy for non-diehard warm weather supporters to get behind their County at Intercounty level when they are doing well, but neutrals less often turn out for clubs, as they don't fully follow the Club scene or relate Clubs at Provincial or All level as representing an entire County or Province.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1935 - 21/08/2026 14:56:41    2690774

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Replying To GreenandRed:  "GAA marketing, on a national level, does a poor job of attracting new players and supporters into clubs and watching county games. Letting existing players, supporters, club members know when games are on the telly, how to get to venues, throwin times is information, not marketing. A lot of complacency. GAA was the only show in town before the internet. The younger target market know there's club games being played by sharing vids from Tiktok and Instagram via Snapchat and Whatsapp but they need clubs to encourage them to get involved. Thankfully most clubs do and many need to do that to survive. The top brass are too out of touch and have too much money to be too bothered about the strife some clubs are in. You might even think they believe a club player is a second class citizen compared to intercounty. Here in Meath the club has club members in talking to children and parents about GAA and the club. They don't jump off the couch after watching a match and run down to the club to start training for the first time. The efforts are from the clubs, not GAA's. But the GAA should do more.

I think there's only one national podcast covering GAA club games and that's not free. Clubber is thriving from showing club games so there's surely a market there. A few club games on RTE but howabout a highlights show on some TV channel covering club hurling, camogie, football and LGFA? Top brass will go on about demographics. I think they're talking out of both sides of their mouth until they make better efforts to promote the club game outside existing GAA numbers."
Yeah I am not impressed with how the Club game is currently marketed Nationally, like the Provincial and All Ireland Club Championships if marketed properly to neutral audiences, would likely attract regular viewer numbers that would eclipse the League of Ireland entirely.

I'm not a marketing expert, the Club game needs to be marketed differently, maybe relating clubs to Counties and later relating them a representing a Province, would help non-GAA diehards to relate to these Clubs and row in behind them. And while I appreciate TG4 coverage, there is a limit to the audiences reached there, needs to be English advertisements on RTE and Virgin Media explaining where the clubs are from, competition format and provinces they represent. Help non-affiliated people become engaged and maybe give it a look.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1935 - 21/08/2026 15:08:17    2690777

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