Think soccer wins that hands down.
So much more options for kids now too- iPads, consoles etc. Easier to sit and play indoors, talk with friends in the comfort of their own home online.
I don’t think a lot of GAA coaches and clubs take that into consideration. Certainly not half the people on this board- “here’s a youngster at my session, he should be doing s&c, individual ball work, eating right, and the more I yell at him, the more he’ll respond etc etc.”
It’s not like Loughgeil where the community idolise the senior hurlers/camogs and they strive to be at that level. For every GAA person I know, I probably know 1 other that doesnt play sport now as a young adult, live a relatively healthy lifestyle and enjoy life travelling or nights, out in the pub at the weekend. GAA players don’t get that luxury a lot of the time.
As much as we love and live for the GAA, I feel there’s a lack of understanding as to why young people are involved in it. Majority are in it due to friends and fun, but our coaches and members are interested in the wins- and how the county do- and what we need to do to get there.
Soccer leagues have 7/8 divisions - others have even more! It allows everyone to find their level and enjoy it depending on how they want to prepare for it. I know loads of fellas meet up on a Saturday, play a game of soccer and head for pints after. That’s the height of it… we call that South Antrim and there’s a fair amount of stigma attached to that. I’d love to see clubs take a more business like approach to things where sessions are catered to their audience rather than “here’s what I did when I was senior and got to a final one year,” even though they’ve not even considered one piece of coaching literature, attended a coaching course and the kids are 12! I think we could do with more of a look at some form of recreational play for teenage participation. Half pace hurling is a great example of people who just love it, regardless of performance.
Sorry for the rant lol, but to answer your question……
More visibility….. in schools, and more GAA focused leaders in schools and communities. Likes of Tyrone have club people with an influence on Board of Governors etc who get a bit of a say in the recruitment of teachers.
Unless clubs are in schools then how do we ever become visible to kids? Would love to see Gaelfast become more Dublin-like in the sense that a staff member works specifically for a club and recruits as much as possible. Really should’ve been the model suggested by SV initially anyway but hindsight is a wonderful thing.
More visibility… in general… we have Casement looking a sorry state, get that built on the road and kids can drive by in awe of its presence. In the south they have GAA adverts, billboards etc. I believe it all adds to it. Due to obvious reasons I don’t think our businesses can advertise using GAA players as much!
More visibility= more kids.
