What to do about Belfast

[RadioGAAGAA]

I do not have any data to back it up but would hazard a guess that there would be 3/4 times the amount of unaffiliated players living in south Belfast as opposed to east Belfast. To answer one of the other posts, it wouldn’t be muscling in on Bredagh and Carryduff. It would in fact be helping to share the burden of providing the outlet to participate in Gaelic games in the area.

The west Belfast argument set out above is irrelevant. In fact it’s the opposite to the issue here. The playing population is falling in the west of the city simply because the west of the city is spreading outwards towards Lisburn and up the mountain. South Belfast has the opposite problem. It has a massively expanding Gaelic population with limited outlets for the provision of games.

So, for these other clubs, the obvious question would be... where?

Hydebank? Suitable for a club set up somewhere between Bredagh and Carryduff? But they will always be council pitches and the club will never be able to develop its own facilities.

The four winds? Could potentially buy land on the east of the Ballymaconaghy Road.

As you head north on the Knock dual carriageway, there isn't much. Hire ground off Campbell College? CIYMS?

You could fit a pitch on the old Sirocco works beside the Short Strand - but the cost of the land would be hideously expensive.



Probably the only one I see as having any potential for viability (at least in the next 20 years) would be at the Four Winds.

[6th sam]

The question is, does anyone have any idea about how to go about starting to fix it.

One possible approach would be for the Belfast clubs (and Carryduff) would to have a sub-board for themselves - giving us (i) north Down, (ii) east Down and (iii) south Down.

Currently 4 clubs:
Bredagh
Carryduff
East Belfast
St Pauls

At U-15 and below, the four could hold blitzes every weekend - giving kids regular consistent gametime without having to travel up to an hour and a half down the road. Which places a massive burden on volunteer time, club finances or both.

Get player numbers up, player quality up and down the line, it may be that more clubs could be formed depending on catchments. That'd be something included in the north Down board's ongoing mission statement.

With respect, if anyone is put off by having to travel from belfast to Kilclief for a well run East Down blitz in Kilclief on the shores of Strangford lough on a sunny Saturday, then they’re never going to stick it. GAA entails travel. There is no indication that Bredagh carryduff and St. Paul’s have any issue with the East Down board , so why add another layer of admin.

[RadioGAAGAA]

With respect, if anyone is put off by having to travel from belfast to Kilclief for a well run East Down blitz in Kilclief on the shores of Strangford lough on a sunny Saturday, then they’re never going to stick it.

With respect, if parents are having to juggle commitments of several young children, the past-time that eats the most time is most likely to get sacrificed.

Its not the commitment of the player that is the issue at that age - its the player's parents.

GAA entails travel.

It does - but it doesn't have to at very young age groups.

Clubs cannot afford to run buses for frequent blitzes, too expensive. But they could run a bus for a minor team in an all-county league.
 

There is no indication that Bredagh carryduff and St. Paul’s have any issue with the East Down board , so why add another layer of admin.

I never indicated they do. Its a means of further localising fixtures at the younger age groups.

[DuffGael]

A few points,  Carryduff and Bredagh know exactly the population in their area and are currently the 2 biggest GAA clubs, membership wise,  in the North.  Both are and St Paul's are involved in Gaelfast and I assume E Belfast  will become involved as they introduce juvenile teams.  Down have for years ignored us but the growing population is brilliant for us and the county. Both St.  Paul's and E.  Belfast have the potential to be were Carryduff and Bredagh are now in 20 years.  The potential for more clubs up here is strong too but they will come out of need not just be invented, it will be a long time before one is set up between Carryduff and and Bredagh for instance. 
There are still parents who bring their kids to play in Antrim even though they live in Down and that isn't going to change, same as kids live and play in different counties in and around Newry. 

[Mourne Rover]

It is reasonable to have a discussion about expanding the GAA to the south and east of Belfast but some of the suggestions on this thread make little sense. The Four Winds area, which is not exactly a GAA heartland, has always been divided between Bredagh and Carryduff, with both benefitting from the arrangement through a nominal border along Newton Park. Attempting to introduce a third club there is not viable at any level, with the proposal that it could be based on Ballymaconaghy Road, which is little more than a couple of fields away from Carryduff's rapidly expanding complex, illustrating the point. Playing Gaelic games at the Hydebank pitches, beside Belvoir estate, is another non-starter, with previous attempts ending badly.  The logical way forward is encouraging the existing growth of Bredagh, Carryduff and St Paul's, with the new East Belfast club filling the gap between them. If East Belfast can find a permanent home, which is not going to be easy, there will be a decent platform for the development of the GAA at the northern end of our county.

[6th sam]

It is reasonable to have a discussion about expanding the GAA to the south and east of Belfast but some of the suggestions on this thread make little sense. The Four Winds area, which is not exactly a GAA heartland, has always been divided between Bredagh and Carryduff, with both benefitting from the arrangement through a nominal border along Newton Park. Attempting to introduce a third club there is not viable at any level, with the proposal that it could be based on Ballymaconaghy Road, which is little more than a couple of fields away from Carryduff's rapidly expanding complex, illustrating the point. Playing Gaelic games at the Hydebank pitches, beside Belvoir estate, is another non-starter, with previous attempts ending badly.  The logical way forward is encouraging the existing growth of Bredagh, Carryduff and St Paul's, with the new East Belfast club filling the gap between them. If East Belfast can find a permanent home, which is not going to be easy, there will be a decent platform for the development of the GAA at the northern end of our county.

Agree totally

[delgany]

Carryduff expanding their facilities - £200 000 from Community Landfill tax funds from Eastwood recycling @ Irish News

[RadioGAAGAA]

It is reasonable to have a discussion about expanding the GAA to the south and east of Belfast but some of the suggestions on this thread make little sense. The Four Winds area, which is not exactly a GAA heartland, has always been divided between Bredagh and Carryduff, with both benefitting from the arrangement through a nominal border along Newton Park. Attempting to introduce a third club there is not viable at any level, with the proposal that it could be based on Ballymaconaghy Road, which is little more than a couple of fields away from Carryduff's rapidly expanding complex, illustrating the point. Playing Gaelic games at the Hydebank pitches, beside Belvoir estate, is another non-starter, with previous attempts ending badly.  The logical way forward is encouraging the existing growth of Bredagh, Carryduff and St Paul's, with the new East Belfast club filling the gap between them. If East Belfast can find a permanent home, which is not going to be easy, there will be a decent platform for the development of the GAA at the northern end of our county.

Agree totally

Please note that the post you are talking about was in response to a post supporting the idea of additional clubs and itself was sceptical of the idea - noting that only one possible area of even potential viability existed!

It even led with the question:

So, for these other clubs, the obvious question would be... where?

There are no straightforward answers to expansion of number of clubs in Belfast.

[Betsy Gray]

It is reasonable to have a discussion about expanding the GAA to the south and east of Belfast but some of the suggestions on this thread make little sense. The Four Winds area, which is not exactly a GAA heartland, has always been divided between Bredagh and Carryduff, with both benefitting from the arrangement through a nominal border along Newton Park. Attempting to introduce a third club there is not viable at any level, with the proposal that it could be based on Ballymaconaghy Road, which is little more than a couple of fields away from Carryduff's rapidly expanding complex, illustrating the point. Playing Gaelic games at the Hydebank pitches, beside Belvoir estate, is another non-starter, with previous attempts ending badly.  The logical way forward is encouraging the existing growth of Bredagh, Carryduff and St Paul's, with the new East Belfast club filling the gap between them. If East Belfast can find a permanent home, which is not going to be easy, there will be a decent platform for the development of the GAA at the northern end of our county.

The points in relation to facilities, or to put it more accurately the lack of potential facilities, is definitely the greatest obstacle for potential new clubs.

What I do not agree with is the focus on geographical area. Urban areas, particularly cities, do not subscribe to the geographical rules which govern membership of rural clubs. The reason for starting the thread was not regarding additional clubs in a geographical sense it. The issue at hand is the number of players within the exiting catchment areas and whether additional clubs are needed within those areas to satisfy the demand for players seeking to play adult football.

In west Belfast it is common to have clubs basically on top of each other. In the case of St Paul’s, Rossa and Sarsfields their pitches sit side by side.

The GAA population in South Belfast is now huge. The population could easily sustain 5 clubs playing adult football on a Friday/Saturday night as opposed to the existing 3 clubs.

The lack of opportunity to play senior football is a problem that is seriously underestimated by the wider GAA membership in County Down.

[east down gael]

The geographical rules that govern membership in Bredagh or carryduff are the exact same as the rules which apply to Annaclone or warrenpoint. And rightly so. Unlike the Antrim side of Belfast, there is a set catchment area for the down clubs.

[imtommygunn]

Are you sure? Round where I live has bredagh and carryduff players. (St brigids too)

[east down gael]

Not sure where you live, but if you grow up on the ormeau road you’d play for Bredagh, and similarly if you grow up in carryduff you’d play for carryduff. If you have moved to the area from the country you could play for any of those teams I would have thought. But you could say the same for if you moved to newry.

[imtommygunn]

South Belfast over towards shaws bridge. I don’t think these people are “blow ins”. One house, the carryduff one,  has been here for double figures of years. I know this as I know the da. The other house I don’t know the people but I do think they have been here a good long while. (I don’t know the st brigids people but there are kids with their jersies).

[east down gael]

You’re probably right at the border between the two clubs and maybe even saint brigids aswell. I’d say there would be plenty of streets in the four winds be the same,kids from the same street playing for different clubs. That’s to be expected with the two clubs existing side by side and more or less joined by new estates now.

[imtommygunn]

I would say nearly equi distant from those three clubs.