Donegal v Dublin AISF 31st Aug 2014

[INDIANA]

From what I gather very few of the Dublin team have 9-5 jobs and I'd say it would be impossible for them to combine this with the demands of an inter county career. I'd say it's not much different though to a lot of the other top counties. Most GAA county footballers are students, teachers, sales reps or have jobs with some sort of flexi hours. I'd bet very few of them work 40 hour weeks and most of them structure their jobs around their football. The biggest difference in Dublin is that the potential for rewards are much greater. I think most of them are driving sponsored cars for a start. If the perks are being given to them, then they are perfectly entitled to avail of them.

If you think lads in Armagh and Tyrone in the 2000's drove their own cars- you must have been out of the country.

There are about 5% of inter county footballers in total with full time jobs.

Its why so many have problems when they retire with gambling and booze because we demand professional standards and then when the lights go out- they have no life outside the GAA.

[From the Bunker]

As i said it would be silly for the Dublin players to be holding down full time demanding Jobs. The world is their oyster and they are enjoying the perks of being as close to a professional athlete as an amateur can be without the financial worries of an amateur. It is a great time to be a Dublin footballer and the way things are going things can only get better.

You know then in 2012 19 members of the Donegal squad were professional athletes because they had no job.

Explain.

Yeah, I heard that. Loads of Makey up Jobs with Banks and local development schemes. But sure that's the new way. You can't begrudge them and I doubt any of them made a fortune out of it. Just enough to keep them ticking along?

[INDIANA]

As i said it would be silly for the Dublin players to be holding down full time demanding Jobs. The world is their oyster and they are enjoying the perks of being as close to a professional athlete as an amateur can be without the financial worries of an amateur. It is a great time to be a Dublin footballer and the way things are going things can only get better.

You know then in 2012 19 members of the Donegal squad were professional athletes because they had no job.

Explain.

How does not having a job make you a pro athlete, Indy? I was a pro athlete in college and I never knew it.

I know a lot about Donegal. How they train, what they do, how often they do it and have a very good idea of how much money they spend. They are a professional squad in everything but name- exactly like the other top 4 counties.

And in 2012 they were professional. I would argue even more then Dublin.

[Syferus]

As i said it would be silly for the Dublin players to be holding down full time demanding Jobs. The world is their oyster and they are enjoying the perks of being as close to a professional athlete as an amateur can be without the financial worries of an amateur. It is a great time to be a Dublin footballer and the way things are going things can only get better.

You know then in 2012 19 members of the Donegal squad were professional athletes because they had no job.

Explain.

How does not having a job make you a pro athlete, Indy? I was a pro athlete in college and I never knew it.

I know a lot about Donegal. How they train, what they do, how often they do it and have a very good idea of how much money they spend. They are a professional squad in everything but name- exactly like the other top 4 counties.

And in 2012 they were professional. I would argue even more then Dublin.

Professional is a word that gets thrown out a lot but to me it's something you either are or you aren't. Dublin isn't a pro team despite their professional approach to training and conditioning but does 'jobs for the boys' (or not) really make any county professional? I don't know.

It all sounds like the sort of loopholes that would only exists in an amateurish organisation, ironically.

[INDIANA]

As i said it would be silly for the Dublin players to be holding down full time demanding Jobs. The world is their oyster and they are enjoying the perks of being as close to a professional athlete as an amateur can be without the financial worries of an amateur. It is a great time to be a Dublin footballer and the way things are going things can only get better.

You know then in 2012 19 members of the Donegal squad were professional athletes because they had no job.

Explain.

How does not having a job make you a pro athlete, Indy? I was a pro athlete in college and I never knew it.

I know a lot about Donegal. How they train, what they do, how often they do it and have a very good idea of how much money they spend. They are a professional squad in everything but name- exactly like the other top 4 counties.

And in 2012 they were professional. I would argue even more then Dublin.

Professional is a word that gets thrown out a lot  but to me it's something you either are or you aren't. Dublin isn't a pro team despite heir professional approach to training and conditioning but does 'jobs for the boys' (or not) really make any county professional? I don't know.

It all sounds like the sort of loopholes that would only exists in an amateurish organisation, ironically.

They are professional except they don't get paid. It really is that high now. Its higher then it was 5 years ago.

Where its going to end God knows.

[Jinxy]

Sure rugby was the same in this country back in the amateur days.

[INDIANA]

Sure rugby was the same in this country back in the amateur days.

In its rocks it was. A former Irish international in the early 90's who I now work with detailed his itinery to me in an international week and it involved one serious night on the piss early in the week. He reckons GAA players now are twenty times fitter then they were.

[From the Bunker]

As i said it would be silly for the Dublin players to be holding down full time demanding Jobs. The world is their oyster and they are enjoying the perks of being as close to a professional athlete as an amateur can be without the financial worries of an amateur. It is a great time to be a Dublin footballer and the way things are going things can only get better.

You know then in 2012 19 members of the Donegal squad were professional athletes because they had no job.

Explain.

How does not having a job make you a pro athlete, Indy? I was a pro athlete in college and I never knew it.

I know a lot about Donegal. How they train, what they do, how often they do it and have a very good idea of how much money they spend. They are a professional squad in everything but name- exactly like the other top 4 counties.

And in 2012 they were professional. I would argue even more then Dublin.

Professional is a word that gets thrown out a lot  but to me it's something you either are or you aren't. Dublin isn't a pro team despite heir professional approach to training and conditioning but does 'jobs for the boys' (or not) really make any county professional? I don't know.

It all sounds like the sort of loopholes that would only exists in an amateurish organisation, ironically.

They are professional except they don't get paid. It really is that high now. Its higher then it was 5 years ago.

Where its going to end God knows.

Semi professional? It's already happening with the Dublin and to a lesser degree the other larger counties. The Minnows will get smaller? Is there a word for smaller than Minnow? Extinct?

[INDIANA]

As i said it would be silly for the Dublin players to be holding down full time demanding Jobs. The world is their oyster and they are enjoying the perks of being as close to a professional athlete as an amateur can be without the financial worries of an amateur. It is a great time to be a Dublin footballer and the way things are going things can only get better.

You know then in 2012 19 members of the Donegal squad were professional athletes because they had no job.

Explain.

How does not having a job make you a pro athlete, Indy? I was a pro athlete in college and I never knew it.

I know a lot about Donegal. How they train, what they do, how often they do it and have a very good idea of how much money they spend. They are a professional squad in everything but name- exactly like the other top 4 counties.

And in 2012 they were professional. I would argue even more then Dublin.

Professional is a word that gets thrown out a lot  but to me it's something you either are or you aren't. Dublin isn't a pro team despite heir professional approach to training and conditioning but does 'jobs for the boys' (or not) really make any county professional? I don't know.

It all sounds like the sort of loopholes that would only exists in an amateurish organisation, ironically.

They are professional except they don't get paid. It really is that high now. Its higher then it was 5 years ago.

Where its going to end God knows.

Semi professional? It's already happening with the Dublin and to a lesser degree the other larger counties. The Minnows will get smaller? Is there a word for smaller than Minnow? Extinct?

What do you mean a lesser degree with other counties.

You obviously know nothing about how Armagh and Tyrone trained in the 2000's. they started it.

[Jinxy]

Sure rugby was the same in this country back in the amateur days.

In its rocks it was. A former Irish international in the early 90's who I now work with detailed his itinery to me in an international week and it involved one serious night on the piss early in the week. He reckons GAA players now are twenty times fitter then they were.

I meant insofar as there was a 'jobs for the boys' mentality where players were looked after with cushy jobs that didn't get in the way of their rugby.

[From the Bunker]

As i said it would be silly for the Dublin players to be holding down full time demanding Jobs. The world is their oyster and they are enjoying the perks of being as close to a professional athlete as an amateur can be without the financial worries of an amateur. It is a great time to be a Dublin footballer and the way things are going things can only get better.

You know then in 2012 19 members of the Donegal squad were professional athletes because they had no job.

Explain.

How does not having a job make you a pro athlete, Indy? I was a pro athlete in college and I never knew it.

I know a lot about Donegal. How they train, what they do, how often they do it and have a very good idea of how much money they spend. They are a professional squad in everything but name- exactly like the other top 4 counties.

And in 2012 they were professional. I would argue even more then Dublin.

Professional is a word that gets thrown out a lot  but to me it's something you either are or you aren't. Dublin isn't a pro team despite heir professional approach to training and conditioning but does 'jobs for the boys' (or not) really make any county professional? I don't know.

It all sounds like the sort of loopholes that would only exists in an amateurish organisation, ironically.

They are professional except they don't get paid. It really is that high now. Its higher then it was 5 years ago.

Where its going to end God knows.

Semi professional? It's already happening with the Dublin and to a lesser degree the other larger counties. The Minnows will get smaller? Is there a word for smaller than Minnow? Extinct?

What do you mean a lesser degree with other counties.

You obviously know nothing about how Armagh and Tyrone trained in the 2000's. they started it.

I mean Dublin are the really Big fish! There will be other big fish who will survive and keep up. These counties will make a big push now and again, but financially will not be able to sustain for long periods due the financial pressure. Then there will be counties that will drift along and probably deteriorate.

It's coming.......In fact it's already here!

[under the bar]

Dublin can't be described as professional but their as close as it gets as their jobs would never be allowed to get in the way of their training regime or commitments to Dublin GAA.   Did they not all get the full month off work to prepare for the 2011 AI final? 

[Redhand Santa]

The tyrone players all had full time jobs in the 2000s. For the first 2 all Ireland's they trained together 1 night a week collectively for a large part of the year and a day at the weekend, that was stepped up to 2 nights before championship. They were expected to train most days on their own but that would be less demanding on time.

I'm sure the majority had flexible employers but they were doing full time jobs for the all  the all Ireland's. The training was a bit more intense in 08 with more collective sessions but nothing like Donegal or Dublin are doing now.

The tyrone model in 03 should be used by all counties but it's hard to stop teams trying to out do each other.

[southdown]

What type of training are Dublin/Donegal doing now, is it every day?

[drici]

The tyrone players all had full time jobs in the 2000s.

Although it was 2009 by this time.
http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/cavanagh-warns-of-strike-action-if-grants-get-the-boot-26545919.html

Tyrone star Sean Cavanagh has refused to rule out strike action should the players' grants be withdrawn

"There are maybe seven or eight guys on the Tyrone squad at the minute who have no work and are seeking employment."
"They really are on the breadline and to those sort of guys a couple of thousand euro towards the end of the year means an awful lot and maybe allows them to have a better Christmas."