Time to Split Dublin

[INDIANA]

Indiana, what would be the average playing pool at u-14 level be like in the top 5 or 6 clubs in Dublin?
I mean the likes of Crokes, Na Fianna, Ballyboden, Brigids, Vincents.
Would they all field two football teams at that grade?

Vincent's it's barely two. One and a half more like

The others at least two and three in some cases.

For example crokes on occasion can field a 21 c football team when we'd struggle to field one.

That's why I laugh when Vincent's is mentioned as a big Dublin club !

[Jinxy]

I thought you'd be upset if I left Vincents out.   
Anyway, I suppose what I am getting at is that the more young lads you have involved in an age grade with their club, the greater the likelihood you will get a couple of outstanding players out of that group.
A country team that has a playing pool of 20-25 may get the same, but the odds are in favour of the team with a playing pool of 40-50.

[Zulu]

That's true but it can also be harder to keep large numbers involved and develop them to the best of their abilities. You also have more competition from other sports in major cities and this can result in greater drop out and/or less application at football.

I don't think there is any doubt Dublin have more going for them but other counties, especially the likes of Meath and Kildare who have a decent population need to maximise their potential better. Longford and Roscommon are doing far better than Meath, in particular, at underage recently and if I were a Meath man I would be questioning why we aren't doing better rather than focusing on why we aren't at Dublin's level.

[johnneycool]

Indiana, what would be the average playing pool at u-14 level be like in the top 5 or 6 clubs in Dublin?
I mean the likes of Crokes, Na Fianna, Ballyboden, Brigids, Vincents.
Would they all field two football teams at that grade?

not really a fair question- a lot of these clubs huge large numbers of their players when they reach secondary to the big rugby schools. In affect the top six clubs are often used as a babysitting service!

Was talking to a well known GAA coach once and he told me Ballyboden had three minor hurling teams, all 18 years of age, that was a few years ago..

[Jinxy]

That's true but it can also be harder to keep large numbers involved and develop them to the best of their abilities. You also have more competition from other sports in major cities and this can result in greater drop out and/or less application at football.

I don't think there is any doubt Dublin have more going for them but other counties, especially the likes of Meath and Kildare who have a decent population need to maximise their potential better. Longford and Roscommon are doing far better than Meath, in particular, at underage recently and if I were a Meath man I would be questioning why we aren't doing better rather than focusing on why we aren't at Dublin's level.

Would the relative drop-out rate be any worse than anywhere else in the country though?
Most young lads in Dublin clubs will go on to 3rd level education in Dublin.
Don't have to travel back mid-week for training.
I'd be surprised if the retention rate wasn't higher than average to be honest.

[easytiger95]

Back when I was playing with Brigids we had between two and three teams lining out at those grades - but when we got to minor they were only fielding one team - load of us surplus to requirements. This was late 80s early 90s. Peregrines and Castleknock have made big inroads since then, I'm not sure how many juvenile teams Brigids are lining out now.

I think Castleknock will be the next club to step up to "super" club status. They've got some nice facilities out at Somerton and there are literally hundreds of kids out every weekend in Carpenterstown.

[Jinxy]

Does anyone know where I could find a list of the division 1 national Féile winners since the competition started?
I know Dublin clubs have done very well in recent years I just want to see what the geographical spread of winners is like in general.

[Hound]

What you and every Dublin supporter refuse to accept is that somehow Dublin's success is anyway related to these investments, that Dublin suddenly have produced a golden generation from thin air. Dublin are the best conditioned team in Ireland, is that a fluke or is an investment in Fergal Connolly bearing fruit and an investment in the nutrional requirements of Dublin's players? Dublin's performance levels are excellent but is that a fluke or a direct result in performance and statistical analysis? Dublin have invested in skills coaches, lifestyle coaches, media management, operation managers and that is just the senior squad.

Enjoy your success but people are naive if they think that Dublin's success is just down to having the best players and a once in a lifetime generation.

I think its naive to suggest Dublin have a conveyor belt of talent coming through and that is anything like the fantastic talent in the current team.

We'll almost always be a top 4 or top 6 team, that's been the case, with some rare exceptions, for the last 40 years.

We've got the best keeper who's every pulled on a GAA jersey. A playmaker playing in goals. When he goes, we'll have a good lad to take over, but he won't be near Clucko's class, because nobody is, so he'll be a massive loss.

The other most important player we have, because of lack of replacements - and absolutely nothing coming through in his position from underage, is Michael Darragh Macauley. Completely unorthodox, cannot kick a ball properly and is very awkward on solo runs, yet from pure passion, energy, workrate, excellent football brain and amazing hands (from basketball coaching rather than GAA ironically) he's turned himself into footballer of the year.

We lose either of those and we'd be drifting quickly back into the pack.

We've always had, and no reason to think we won't always have, a raft of good half backs coming though and we've some potentially top quality corner forwards / full forwards. But I haven't seen anything in the mould of Flynn or Connolly coming through.

This team should have a good maybe 3 years in them yet. But to think this is how its going to be forever is just ridiculous. 

[orangeman]

Dublin are loaded with money.

Here's the proof, courtesy of the Indo. The rest of us can't compete with this. 


http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/one-in-40-people-living-in-dublin-is-a-millionaire-rich-report-finds-30455703.html

[INDIANA]

That's true but it can also be harder to keep large numbers involved and develop them to the best of their abilities. You also have more competition from other sports in major cities and this can result in greater drop out and/or less application at football.

I don't think there is any doubt Dublin have more going for them but other counties, especially the likes of Meath and Kildare who have a decent population need to maximise their potential better. Longford and Roscommon are doing far better than Meath, in particular, at underage recently and if I were a Meath man I would be questioning why we aren't doing better rather than focusing on why we aren't at Dublin's level.

Would the relative drop-out rate be any worse than anywhere else in the country though?
Most young lads in Dublin clubs will go on to 3rd level education in Dublin.
Don't have to travel back mid-week for training.
I'd be surprised if the retention rate wasn't higher than average to be honest.

Fall out rate is above 50 percent. Far more distractions in Dublin too let's not forget. We lose 50 percent of our minors to various things.

[agorm]

Hound,
Just because Dublin are not automatically going to be at the top forever does not mean that a split shouldnt be considered.

Dublin's structures have improved massively in recent years and fair play to them. Those structures allied to the population indicates that Dublin will dominate well ino the future. The result in the minor final on Sunday was equally comprehensive.

I am not sure exactly about the number of full time coaches in Dublin but it is at least 10 times the level in other counties in Leinster.

It is a massive decision for the GAA to split Dublin but something needs to be done as we could well have another 5 years of Dublin winning Leinster.

[agorm]

There are significant concern in Meath at the moment regarding player attrition between under 10 and under 16. There is an approximate 70% fall off of players with several teams unable to field at under 16 level.

[Johnnybegood]

There are significant concern in Meath at the moment regarding player attrition between under 10 and under 16. There is an approximate 70% fall off of players with several teams unable to field at under 16 level.

this is where the GAA and various county boards need to step up with camps and juvenile involvement. Put the plans together and get as many kids playing the game.

[Jinxy]

There are significant concern in Meath at the moment regarding player attrition between under 10 and under 16. There is an approximate 70% fall off of players with several teams unable to field at under 16 level.

Amalgamations as well at underage.

[johnneycool]

That's true but it can also be harder to keep large numbers involved and develop them to the best of their abilities. You also have more competition from other sports in major cities and this can result in greater drop out and/or less application at football.

I don't think there is any doubt Dublin have more going for them but other counties, especially the likes of Meath and Kildare who have a decent population need to maximise their potential better. Longford and Roscommon are doing far better than Meath, in particular, at underage recently and if I were a Meath man I would be questioning why we aren't doing better rather than focusing on why we aren't at Dublin's level.

Would the relative drop-out rate be any worse than anywhere else in the country though?
Most young lads in Dublin clubs will go on to 3rd level education in Dublin.
Don't have to travel back mid-week for training.
I'd be surprised if the retention rate wasn't higher than average to be honest.

Fall out rate is above 50 percent. Far more distractions in Dublin too let's not forget. We lose 50 percent of our minors to various things.

Aye young lads milking cows and drawing in silage at the height of summer must be an awful problem in Dublin..