What to do about Belfast

[Tony Baloney]

I think it, now, is but no interest in derailing the thread.

Carryduff numbers are through the roof. How they build on last year will be interesting but they look to be on the up. Bredagh too - they look to have done it more through boys coming through the ranks than in previous times where it was a lot of guys from outside.

I am not convinced yet on east Belfast (but hope I am wrong). I think there is a good outlet for a club there but I guess remains to be seen whether they can build from the ground up or continually rely on imports though to begin with it has to be imports but the hope would be they start to help build from underage right through. If you look at st brigids who are to a degree a success(though still could be better) they just started from underage up then when the teams got to adult age or close started to enter in lower leagues. Dunno if that is better way to do it but good to see an outlet in east Belfast.

The longevity of E. Belfast beyond being a cause celebre will rely on feeder schools. I don't know where they come from. I think it's great to see but it could easily become another Belfast Giants where everyone is going mad for it for a year or 2 and then thr novelty wears off. Anyone know the area well enough to suggest where their long-term pipeline of players come from? Especially as they have suggested that they actively want to see people from all backgrounds but the primary schools aren't going to promote Gaelic games.

[armaghniac]

I think it, now, is but no interest in derailing the thread.

Carryduff numbers are through the roof. How they build on last year will be interesting but they look to be on the up. Bredagh too - they look to have done it more through boys coming through the ranks than in previous times where it was a lot of guys from outside.

I am not convinced yet on east Belfast (but hope I am wrong). I think there is a good outlet for a club there but I guess remains to be seen whether they can build from the ground up or continually rely on imports though to begin with it has to be imports but the hope would be they start to help build from underage right through. If you look at st brigids who are to a degree a success(though still could be better) they just started from underage up then when the teams got to adult age or close started to enter in lower leagues. Dunno if that is better way to do it but good to see an outlet in east Belfast.

The longevity of E. Belfast beyond being a cause celebre will rely on feeder schools. I don't know where they come from. I think it's great to see but it could easily become another Belfast Giants where everyone is going mad for it for a year or 2 and then thr novelty wears off. Anyone know the area well enough to suggest where their long-term pipeline of players come from? Especially as they have suggested that they actively want to see people from all backgrounds but the primary schools aren't going to promote Gaelic games.

There must be some so called "integrated" schools in those parts.

[Tony Baloney]

Integrated schools that arent supplying to existing teams?

[RadioGAAGAA]

There must be some so called "integrated" schools in those parts.

I know of at least one integrated school in Belfast that plays football. Albeit, very badly, but they do try.

[armaghniac]

Integrated schools that arent supplying to existing teams?

There could be such schools where some children play, because of their parents, but where others could be enticed in.

[johnnycool]

There must be some so called "integrated" schools in those parts.

I know of at least one integrated school in Belfast that plays football. Albeit, very badly, but they do try.

Lagan College are a large integrated in the catchment area outlined. do they participate in Colleges gaelic games at all?

Bredagh are a large club in terms of catchment and in fairness to them they are a proper dual club from adult right the way down to the juvenile ranks so I'm sure there's an outlet for everyone to get game time at an appropriate level. That's a huge level of commitment from their volunteers and hurling wise you'll see the same faces along the line with more than one team.
They're a breath of fresh air in the hurling.

Carryduff dip in and out of the hurling underage wise and probably one of the main reasons they really haven't gotten going at adult hurling in a serious way, once again same faces along the lines with most teams and that's a big ask.

I don't think either are too big at all and compared to clubs in Cork and Dublin they'd be on the smaller side of members and I could see through it if they're lifting underage titles year on year across the board, but they're not. Let them keep developing the way they are.

How do Burren keep all their adult footballers happy? Same question.

East Belfast need to lay down grass roots to survive any great length of time, I'd like to see that happen but I've my doubts.

[marty34]

There must be some so called "integrated" schools in those parts.

I know of at least one integrated school in Belfast that plays football. Albeit, very badly, but they do try.

Lagan College are a large integrated in the catchment area outlined. do they participate in Colleges gaelic games at all?

Bredagh are a large club in terms of catchment and in fairness to them they are a proper dual club from adult right the way down to the juvenile ranks so I'm sure there's an outlet for everyone to get game time at an appropriate level. That's a huge level of commitment from their volunteers and hurling wise you'll see the same faces along the line with more than one team.
They're a breath of fresh air in the hurling.

Carryduff dip in and out of the hurling underage wise and probably one of the main reasons they really haven't gotten going at adult hurling in a serious way, once again same faces along the lines with most teams and that's a big ask.

I don't think either are too big at all and compared to clubs in Cork and Dublin they'd be on the smaller side of members and I could see through it if they're lifting underage titles year on year across the board, but they're not. Let them keep developing the way they are.

How do Burren keep all their adult footballers happy? Same question.

East Belfast need to lay down grass roots to survive any great length of time, I'd like to see that happen but I've my doubts.

[/b]

I suppose this all depends on the future demographics of the area and the overspill to the club from that.  New people, with gaa experience, will only be a good thing. 

I suppose keeping afloat over the next few years is important and especially the ways things are with Covid, hopefully the club won't regress after a strong 'opening' period.

[6th sam]

There must be some so called "integrated" schools in those parts.

I know of at least one integrated school in Belfast that plays football. Albeit, very badly, but they do try.

Lagan College are a large integrated in the catchment area outlined. do they participate in Colleges gaelic games at all?

Bredagh are a large club in terms of catchment and in fairness to them they are a proper dual club from adult right the way down to the juvenile ranks so I'm sure there's an outlet for everyone to get game time at an appropriate level. That's a huge level of commitment from their volunteers and hurling wise you'll see the same faces along the line with more than one team.
They're a breath of fresh air in the hurling.

Carryduff dip in and out of the hurling underage wise and probably one of the main reasons they really haven't gotten going at adult hurling in a serious way, once again same faces along the lines with most teams and that's a big ask.

I don't think either are too big at all and compared to clubs in Cork and Dublin they'd be on the smaller side of members and I could see through it if they're lifting underage titles year on year across the board, but they're not. Let them keep developing the way they are.

How do Burren keep all their adult footballers happy? Same question.

East Belfast need to lay down grass roots to survive any great length of time, I'd like to see that happen but I've my doubts.

That’s one of the problems I have with so-called

“integrated” education. First of all, there shouldn’t  be a demand for an integrated sector or indeed “Catholic” sector if the “state” sector recognised the supposed equal status of Irishness and Britishness in NI. However given the loaded funding and support for the “integrated” sector, it should be contingent on evidence of equal status for Irishness and Britishness.

[delgany]

There must be some so called "integrated" schools in those parts.

I know of at least one integrated school in Belfast that plays football. Albeit, very badly, but they do try.

Lagan College are a large integrated in the catchment area outlined. do they participate in Colleges gaelic games at all?

Bredagh are a large club in terms of catchment and in fairness to them they are a proper dual club from adult right the way down to the juvenile ranks so I'm sure there's an outlet for everyone to get game time at an appropriate level. That's a huge level of commitment from their volunteers and hurling wise you'll see the same faces along the line with more than one team.
They're a breath of fresh air in the hurling.

Carryduff dip in and out of the hurling underage wise and probably one of the main reasons they really haven't gotten going at adult hurling in a serious way, once again same faces along the lines with most teams and that's a big ask.

I don't think either are too big at all and compared to clubs in Cork and Dublin they'd be on the smaller side of members and I could see through it if they're lifting underage titles year on year across the board, but they're not. Let them keep developing the way they are.

How do Burren keep all their adult footballers happy? Same question.

East Belfast need to lay down grass roots to survive any great length of time, I'd like to see that happen but I've my doubts.

Lagan play in Ulster Colleges - lower level- won a title two years ago

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/gaelic-games/46612336

[6th sam]

There must be some so called "integrated" schools in those parts.

I know of at least one integrated school in Belfast that plays football. Albeit, very badly, but they do try.

Lagan College are a large integrated in the catchment area outlined. do they participate in Colleges gaelic games at all?

Bredagh are a large club in terms of catchment and in fairness to them they are a proper dual club from adult right the way down to the juvenile ranks so I'm sure there's an outlet for everyone to get game time at an appropriate level. That's a huge level of commitment from their volunteers and hurling wise you'll see the same faces along the line with more than one team.
They're a breath of fresh air in the hurling.

Carryduff dip in and out of the hurling underage wise and probably one of the main reasons they really haven't gotten going at adult hurling in a serious way, once again same faces along the lines with most teams and that's a big ask.

I don't think either are too big at all and compared to clubs in Cork and Dublin they'd be on the smaller side of members and I could see through it if they're lifting underage titles year on year across the board, but they're not. Let them keep developing the way they are.

How do Burren keep all their adult footballers happy? Same question.

East Belfast need to lay down grass roots to survive any great length of time, I'd like to see that happen but I've my doubts.

Lagan play in Ulster Colleges - lower level- won a title two years ago

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/gaelic-games/46612336

That’s a start, but the integrated sector don’t deserve preferential status unless they promote parity of irishness and Britishness as per GFA

[delgany]

There must be some so called "integrated" schools in those parts.

I know of at least one integrated school in Belfast that plays football. Albeit, very badly, but they do try.

Lagan College are a large integrated in the catchment area outlined. do they participate in Colleges gaelic games at all?

Bredagh are a large club in terms of catchment and in fairness to them they are a proper dual club from adult right the way down to the juvenile ranks so I'm sure there's an outlet for everyone to get game time at an appropriate level. That's a huge level of commitment from their volunteers and hurling wise you'll see the same faces along the line with more than one team.
They're a breath of fresh air in the hurling.

Carryduff dip in and out of the hurling underage wise and probably one of the main reasons they really haven't gotten going at adult hurling in a serious way, once again same faces along the lines with most teams and that's a big ask.

I don't think either are too big at all and compared to clubs in Cork and Dublin they'd be on the smaller side of members and I could see through it if they're lifting underage titles year on year across the board, but they're not. Let them keep developing the way they are.

How do Burren keep all their adult footballers happy? Same question.

East Belfast need to lay down grass roots to survive any great length of time, I'd like to see that happen but I've my doubts.

Lagan play in Ulster Colleges - lower level- won a title two years ago

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/gaelic-games/46612336

That’s a start, but the integrated sector don’t deserve preferential status unless they promote parity of irishness and Britishness as per GFA

10 integrated colleges affiliated to Ulster Colleges GAA, to what extent or degree they are involved is an interesting fact to establish