Heaney blasts BBCNI

[Square Ball]

There are rumours in Belfast that a number of prominent GAA going barristers & solicitors are preparing a writ to be slapped on the BBC dor 'discriminatory practices' in reporting sport. 
What happened last week can only make their task a lot easier.  If there are budgetary constraints they should be shared. 

How did they find out the scores anyway?  To they have some one listening out for them on local radio stations so they can avoid the cost of telephone calls?

Any names Zoyler, or where did this come from?

[orangeman]

Go on Mr. Brolly and friends !

[ziggysego]

Bar the radio yesterday, has BBC NI issused a statement regarding yesterday's column, plus telephone and email campaign?

[scalder]

Well 5times if you did stop paying they would have to take you to court and you could use powers of discovery to get the stats they refuse to reveal (any lawyers who can confirm?).  If Brolly and co were prepared to back someone it might be worthwhile.

[Maguire01]

I may be going against the grain here, but i don't have a major problem with the BBC here. I do have a problem withlack of coverage on the news and the tendency to highlight negative GAA stories, but not so much with the amount of coverage.

With regard to their coverage, as the BBC guy said, Radio is only one medium. The BBC Sport website is probably the best site for sports news. All through the league, championship and any other GAA competitions, results are up on BBC Sport hours before the south's national broadcaster on rte.ie and BBC NI are even further ahead of gaa.ie or hoganstand.com for results. For a lot of games they'll also have 'latest result' online, so you won't just be waiting on a final score - and i really don't care if they're listening in on other local stations to get this news, they're still the first to get the info online.

Anyway, i don't spend too much time listening to GAA (or any sport) on the radio. If i do want to listen, i can generally do so online and pick up a local station from around the country and tune into a game - e.g. northernsound.ie for games around Monaghan.

Heaney's article was a good read and he made some very valid points, but it's really not that bad in my opinion.

[Tyrone Dreamer]

The BBC's general coverage of the gaa isnt bad maguire1, its terrible. The fact that there is often up to date results on the website is the exception to this. There can be no excuse for sending a reporter and camera to every Irish league game then virtually ignoring gaelic mathces including national league games were crowds of 10,000 wouldnt be out of the ordinary. When Northern Ireland play they have build up all week and live coverage and constantly talk about the huge crowd at windsor. There can be no justification for a radio programme on a Saturday to cover matches with 80 people present and then ignore games attracting thousands on a Sunday. The tv coverage is as bad. 2-3 live games this year and less next year. When you consider that there was more live milk cup games in a week on the bbc than gaa games in a year it shows what a joke the current situation is. There was also more u19 rugby games live this year over 2 weeks than gaelic games for a year. Gaelic is also ignored Id say on over 50% of nights of sports news on newsline. I dont think your comparison with RTE is really relevant and the fact that they show 50 live games a year + highlights is in stark contrast to the bbcs coverage.

[orangeman]

You're right Dreamer - BBC coverage is crap !

[raisins]

The BBC's general coverage of the gaa isnt bad maguire1, its terrible. The fact that there is often up to date results on the website is the exception to this. There can be no excuse for sending a reporter and camera to every Irish league game then virtually ignoring gaelic mathces including national league games were crowds of 10,000 wouldnt be out of the ordinary. When Northern Ireland play they have build up all week and live coverage and constantly talk about the huge crowd at windsor. There can be no justification for a radio programme on a Saturday to cover matches with 80 people present and then ignore games attracting thousands on a Sunday. The tv coverage is as bad. 2-3 live games this year and less next year. When you consider that there was more live milk cup games in a week on the bbc than gaa games in a year it shows what a joke the current situation is. There was also more u19 rugby games live this year over 2 weeks than gaelic games for a year. Gaelic is also ignored Id say on over 50% of nights of sports news on newsline. I dont think your comparison with RTE is really relevant and the fact that they show 50 live games a year + highlights is in stark contrast to the bbcs coverage.

Perhaps they don't have the rights despite trying to bid for them? Maybe all this vitriolic stuff that's being written about BBC on this site may not be the best way to move forward? Just a thought

[bailestil]

As mentioned before by zoyler earlier in the thread. Joe brolly in today's derry journal has also mentioned that a class action suit is being prepared against the bbc. So i assume this will have to draw out the hard facts on the issue which the bbc or 'the david healy channel' as he calls it, can't ignore.

[Hardy]

"The David Healy Channel".

[zoyler]

Rights only arise withregard to TV where all they can do is bid as best they can and if the loose out to UTV or setanta so be it.  Big big sums can be involved.  This is not the case with radio where any match could be covered by a reporter for less then £100 and a commentary team would not cost much more.  In my view the costs are so little it makes the contemt shown for GAA all the bigger.

[armaghniac]

However I think the GAA should package its rights in a way that prevents BBC, UTV etc getting off the hook re coverage. In particular clips for news programmes, magazine programmes should be available to all stations, if they are willing to provide coverage. The Ulster council should make representations to Croke Pk to make sure that the NI stations can get such clips and then pressurise the stations to include them in sports reports etc. I would also package rights to advance the amount of coverage and not just take the highest bidder.

[snatter]

There's nothing to stop BBC/UTV from making joint bids with RTE/TV3/whoever for the full all-ireland rights to the football/hurling championships.

eg RTE and BBC could broadcast the same show at the same time. They've no problems doing it for Eastenders.

They could easily co-produce / co-commission a decent highlights show like breaking ball.

I'd bet my balls they never even thought about picking up the phone and discussing such a bid.
Easier to hide their heads in the newsletter sports pages and pretend there's nothing they can do.

The bbc is probably happy to give up on gaa coverage altogether, and let northerners watch rte instead. With all the gaa fans watching rte, they can then cite poor figures as an excuse.

Big problem with that is that all of us can't get rte (well without subscribing to sky).
So either the bbc gives us fair covergae, or we should all get free to air rte in the north.

[Feckitt]

Lads, you are all barking up the wrong tree.  The real people to blame are the 9 county boards and the Ulster Council.  I have never heard the GAA complain about this issue. Ever.  It won't matter if some random punter complains to some eejit in the BBC call centre.  What we need is the Ulster Council to get the finger out, and make sure that this is being dealt with.  Blaming Stephen Watson is a cop out.  If I had my own show then it would be heavy on GAA, Rugby, boxing and that's about it!!  You could guarantee that the IFA would soon have there complaints in.  The GAA Ulster Council is more negligent than the BBC.  If you don't ask then you don't get, and the GAA don't ask the BBC for enough as far as I can see

[billy the kid]

I think the GPA should be ashamed of themselves they are undermining everything the GAA stands for.  What they are asking for is Pay for |Play dressed up in fancy clothes.

They are an elitist Organisation who are only concerned with themselves and I firmly believe its a case of a few leading the many.

Don't get me wrong i totally agree with players being treated well and looked after if they get injured but they are always looking for more and more.

Currently every season inter-county players in Derry get:

2 pairs of boots
2 full kits a season,
2 full sets of training gear. (1 wet and 1 normal)
1 rain jacket
1 zip up top
1 jumper
2 polo shirts
1 tracksuit
Home training Equipment
Free access to state of the art gym

All the above are official Derry gear from O neills with emblems and crests and this is only the gear I KNOW FOR CERTAIN they get!

Also they have access to a top class physio, team doctor dietician and heart screening facilities.

they receive meals after ALL games and on the way to away games

they get fed after every training

and they also get VERY GOOD rebates on their mileage expenses.

Again these are jut the things i KNOW FOR CERTAIN!!

for each national league game they receive 4 passes each allowing friends and family to gain admission to the games for FREE and the passes can be used for both hurling and football even if only involved in one code.

They receive at least 2 and sometimes more FREE tickets for ALL championship matches they are involved in

They receive 2 good tickets for the all Ireland final in their code (hurling or football) for FREE

Before the club championship begins they receive a pass allowing them to gain FREE entry to ALL championship matches within the county in EITHER code at ANY level
 
The above list was given to me when I asked a PRESENT COUNTY PLAYER from our club about conditions at inter-county level.

I don't think anyone would begrudge them these things as the gear and medical farcicalities are a MUST and so are the mileage expenses and the meals.

The other stuff are added perks and again I would say Just right they are training very hard and giving a big commitment to Our County.

Looking at the list I would say our county players are fairly well looked after wouldn't you? And this is just the example of our county alot of other counties like Armagh and Tyrone get even more gear and perks which again is fair enough.

But to ask for money and to make out that they are so hard done by and listening to some of their leaders you'd think some were hardly fit to feed themselves and on the way to financial ruin is an absolute myth and border line lie!! Nobodies making them play!!!

What ever happened to being proud to play for your county and pride in the jersey? That used to be enough to make people play for their counties.

Has Pride and honour fallen of the radar of the GPA in their obsession with self-worth and self-gain.
If pride in the jersey and being honoured to represent your County plus the list i have supplied aren't enough to make individuals play for OUR county teams do we really want them to? The type of character who would undermine the very fabric of our great organisation to line his own pockets.   

I was also informed by the County player from my own Club that most county players don't want to strike but are being openly pressurised to do so. Is this Democracy?

Its also evident the GPA are so far removed from the grassroots GAA and the supporters that they haven't noticed that the vast majority are strongly against it, but why would they listen to us mere mortals?

Down Manager Ross Carr has the right idea:

If these prima donnas strike and refuse to play Each County should find a panel of players who will represent their counties for pride honour and the other perks i listed. There would be a stampede to trials and it would totally negate the strike and render their actions futile and meaningless.

We cannot let the elitist few hold the rest of us to ransom while they try to gain financially for doing what most TRUE Gaels consider an Honour and a privilege – PLAY FOR YOUR COUNTY