Antrim Football Thread

[HTownlad]

100% HTL, St Brigids themselves formed basically due to class. No need for them whatsoever. No need for Laochra Loch Lao either imho.

Jesus there's been some sh*t talked on here over the years, but I think that statement is close to taking the biscuit completely.

Explain why?

A previous chairman (and the GAA HQ) said it was an issue and it was a real hinder to Belfasts own Development. It would be something that Belfast would have to consider.

That was when Money from Gaelfast was secured. So although your entitled to your opinion, facts matter and the numbers of playing underage games GAA in Belfast per club continue to be smaller than Country clubs who are thriving (in numbers)

Hurling championship when 2002?

One football Championship in the last 10 years and of that only 3 out of the 10 finals have had a Belfast club......

I'm talking about west Belfast. South Belfast with StBs is fine they have a good community growing.

[imtommygunn]

St brigids are a club that were badly needed in that area... you have clubs every drop of a hat in west Belfast and you had one south Belfast club.

[HTownlad]

Why not- rather than talk about teams under age coming together to field and play- address the real issue?

West Belfast has far too many GAA clubs?

Remove at at least 6 clubs need combined and reduced to 3

I don't think there is, if anything there is not enough and in particular a chronic shortage of facilities putting a cap on playing numbers. Lot of house building going on and guts of 20,000 kids under age of 16.

West of Sarsfields  I think it's an underserved playing population where soccer is currently dominant. Colin Gaels are doing some good work but haven't made the leap to a senior team.

Different if you are talking about players competing at highest level and for that the Kerry divisional model beckons.

Paddies have done well to rebuild over the past 8-10 years underage and their neighbours Rossa have struggled for a time

St John's and St Galls both know what it's like to have "nothing coming in behind" and I don't mean talent mean numbers (ie St John's failed to play minor for x years) but both have got back on track.

It's right facilities are an issue but that's not because of bigger numbers underage than say the 90s or 2000s it's because of the growing population playing girls football within clubs which means more teams rather than more bodies

If you consider the numbers of registered players playing male football and hurling at under age against the same of 20 years ago you'll see there's been no massive growth

In fact it wasn't uncommon for many clubs to have an A and B team in the same age category when games where still 15 aside, particularly in football.
We hadn't seen that for many years and rather seen an increase in amalgamated teams in order to field or transfers to enable a child to play a game that their own club couldn't field in due to numbers

[Milltown Row2]

In fairness only one club (in the SW) has dominated the senior football championship.

I believe the hurling can be better, but goes back to what I've suggested as in having hurling only clubs, possibly 3 or 4 ..

Rossa and St John's can be competitive at times but having a hurling only club would allow for years of single code training and prep for creating better competition..

It's about who's willing to bend! A simple solution would be for clubs to still have their juvenile set ups but come senior it's about committing to the hurling club..

I've absolutely no way of knowing how that will pan out, but if we keep doing the same things we'll keep getting the same results

The football will turn, it always does, always cycles

[HTownlad]

St brigids are a club that were badly needed in that area... you have clubs every drop of a hat in west Belfast and you had one south Belfast club.

Hopefully that was clear from my original post. StB have a great sense of community within their club (albeit many on here don't like that) but they have better roots in their community within "local kids" playing than some of the more traditional clubs like St John's, St Galls, Rossa who all tend to have players with generational connections rather than community connections.

Most players who play for these clubs couldn't walk to them. Thats simply how the shift has come over the past 40 years or longer and it's not a dig at those named clubs. They are for reference only.

We are lucky that our numbers have been fantastic underage due to recent housing developments over the last 20 years but we are facing an issue, similar to Carryduff, whereby a lot of our young lads have decided to go to uni elsewhere or travel abroad.

Dublin City has 27 GAA clubs and the cities population is almost 600k.
West Belfast alone has roughly 12 or 13 teams and the population of the area is just over 100k

If we take our own bias and club attachment away then any right thinking person would see west Belfast has too many clubs
If we where more aligned to Dublin (not that I am saying we should be) but West Belfast would have 5 GAA clubs

It's a non runner of course despite it making a lot of sense. If the goal of the South Antrim board or Belfast Gaels was to drive engagement and increase participation under age  achieve high performance at senior - which is the Antrim plan- then they'd start these conversations

[HTownlad]

In fairness only one club (in the SW) has dominated the senior football championship.
I believe the hurling can be better, but goes back to what I've suggested as in having hurling only clubs, possibly 3 or 4 ..
Rossa and St John's can be competitive at times but having a hurling only club would allow for years of single code training and prep for creating better competition..

It's about who's willing to bend! A simple solution would be for clubs to still have their juvenile set ups but come senior it's about committing to the hurling club..

I've absolutely no way of knowing how that will pan out, but if we keep doing the same things we'll keep getting the same results

The football will turn, it always does, always cycles

That doesn't bring success, we see it with many examples of dual clubs being successful
The actual solution, if that is the issue, might be to reward dual clubs and promote dual codes be that adjust in championship dates/formats etc. It's an issue in clubs ofcourse but rarely have the county to my knowledge step up and said, we want to reward clubs for playing both codes and here's what we will do!
The solution to "hurlings" issue on the island has shifted from a "punish football only clubs" concept which Terry spoke of when he said they'd consider everything even reducing funding for football only to a new model of "let's encourage football teams to play hurling too"

If like Ronan Sheehan has spoke off for many years, hurling needs its own window then Antrim/Down might want to follow Derrys model and bring championship forward. That would allow a significant breathing space for hurling and would encourage dual players to pick up both

You are right, 1 SW club dominating, which is why I included the ref to only 3 teams from Belfast playing in the final over the least 10 years

If you take out the LD winning year, it would only be one Belfast team
From 18  finalists.