The untapped global potential of Gaelic games

Started by Eamonnca1, February 27, 2014, 06:49:40 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Eamonnca1

Great stuff. Sounds just like what we've been hearing out here for years when we introduce the game to newcomers, or the comments I've been known to get on my YouTube channel. Speaking of which, here's my take on last weekend's North American finals in Chicago. Enjoy...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbTzxC2DXp8

deiseach

One thing that has always stayed with me in this type of conversation - so much so that I'm sure I've mentioned it on here before but the danger of being a bore has never stopped me being a bore - was my cousin's tale of the time he brought a few Americans to a Leinster semi-final double header. It was the football they found more interesting, not the hurling. They got football quickly, and loved the unrelenting non-stop nature of the game. Hurling, on the other hand, completely baffled them. Online expressions of disbelief at what goes on in a good hurling match do not indicate a yearning to play the game, or even to watch it regularly.

Zulu

You're right Deiseach. I'm abroad for a few years now and while the non-Irish usually are impressed by the sports getting them to engage with the games more regularly is a bit more difficult. There are plenty of success stories but they are largely isolated and it's hard to see how we can link up teams etc. it a wider more sustainable structures. I love helping young non-Irish players playing the game and there is potential for growth but we aren't actually set up to develop the game in any meaningful way.

AZOffaly

What would you change?  Getting into the schools etc? France seems to be a good model based on the posts here by our French video blogger etc.

I think deiseach's point is that while hurling is aesthetically amazing for people who are not familiar with it, it's actually not a game a lot of them would take up. Football however, probably due to similarities with soccer and rugby and aussie rules, *is* a game that lends itself to wider adoption. I suppose, Zulu, your work in Scotland would back up that impression.

Eamonnca1

Quote from: deiseach on September 14, 2015, 12:44:43 PM
One thing that has always stayed with me in this type of conversation - so much so that I'm sure I've mentioned it on here before but the danger of being a bore has never stopped me being a bore - was my cousin's tale of the time he brought a few Americans to a Leinster semi-final double header. It was the football they found more interesting, not the hurling. They got football quickly, and loved the unrelenting non-stop nature of the game. Hurling, on the other hand, completely baffled them. Online expressions of disbelief at what goes on in a good hurling match do not indicate a yearning to play the game, or even to watch it regularly.

That's the opposite of my experience, Deiseach. I don't doubt what your cousin found when he once introduced someone to the games, but my own experience is over 15 years of showing the games to first-time viewers. I find a few people that get into the football, but at least 90% prefer hurling which I find a lot easier to promote. It takes a bit longer to learn to play than football, but not that much longer. I think football is too similar to other existing sports, whereas hurling is unique enough that it inspires people who aren't even seasoned sports fans.

twohands!!!

Was talking to some relatives involved in the GAA in New Zealand and there it was fairly easy to get the natives involved in the football (once it didn't clash with anything rugby related) I remember them saying that they got a huge response in terms of ladies football when it was scheduled in the off-season for the ladies rugby. There was very little interest in taking part in any hurling though.

AZOffaly

Quote from: Eamonnca1 on September 15, 2015, 07:18:49 AM
Quote from: deiseach on September 14, 2015, 12:44:43 PM
One thing that has always stayed with me in this type of conversation - so much so that I'm sure I've mentioned it on here before but the danger of being a bore has never stopped me being a bore - was my cousin's tale of the time he brought a few Americans to a Leinster semi-final double header. It was the football they found more interesting, not the hurling. They got football quickly, and loved the unrelenting non-stop nature of the game. Hurling, on the other hand, completely baffled them. Online expressions of disbelief at what goes on in a good hurling match do not indicate a yearning to play the game, or even to watch it regularly.

That's the opposite of my experience, Deiseach. I don't doubt what your cousin found when he once introduced someone to the games, but my own experience is over 15 years of showing the games to first-time viewers. I find a few people that get into the football, but at least 90% prefer hurling which I find a lot easier to promote. It takes a bit longer to learn to play than football, but not that much longer. I think football is too similar to other existing sports, whereas hurling is unique enough that it inspires people who aren't even seasoned sports fans.

But Eamonn, in terms of takeup rates, rather than just curiousity comments, what are the percentages like. I know the effort ye put into the college games, but ye still have relatively few teams playing. Is there anybody else doing similar work with football? Based on my time over there, it is far easier to get Yanks to play football than hurling.

Hurling is a 'gee wow' sport, whereas football seems to be an 'I can play that' sport.

didlyi

Football is easier to play is what your saying

deiseach


AZOffaly

Quote from: deiseach on September 15, 2015, 10:40:35 AM
Quote from: didlyi on September 15, 2015, 10:29:28 AM
Football is easier to play is what your saying

It's easier to learn how to play.


At the top level, football is just as hard to play as hurling, but I maintain it's easier to be a bad footballer, than a bad hurler.

Most people have some experience with catching a ball, kicking it etc. So you could 'fill a jersey' in Junior C and be a bad player.

However, the newness of lifting, striking, catching in hurling would make it very hard to pick a lad off the street to play, so he wouldn't even get the chance to be bad :)


Zulu

Quote from: AZOffaly on September 15, 2015, 05:24:27 AM
What would you change?  Getting into the schools etc? France seems to be a good model based on the posts here by our French video blogger etc.

I think deiseach's point is that while hurling is aesthetically amazing for people who are not familiar with it, it's actually not a game a lot of them would take up. Football however, probably due to similarities with soccer and rugby and aussie rules, *is* a game that lends itself to wider adoption. I suppose, Zulu, your work in Scotland would back up that impression.

Hard to say really we've few proper GAA pitches outside of Ireland and little chance of changing that to any great degree, by and large clubs are too far apart so it's expensive and time consuming to play games and many clubs are dependent on a handful of passionate people who may not be around a few years later. I think you would need to look at developing the games in cities rather than countries but then clubs tend to pop up where there are people interested so getting a lot of clubs up and running in a single city would be difficult.

The fact that kids abroad have no GAA heroes is also an issue as many really enjoy the game (football) but they often drop GAA in favour of other sports even when they are better at GAA and it's a game that suits them. But the other sports have visible heroes, games close to where they live, decent facilities and a social standing within the community - the GAA lacks all these in most cases abroad.

Still great satisfaction being involved in a GAA underage team made up of non-irish  :D

Eamonnca1

Internal pub leagues are the way to go. The most successful clubs (in terms of growth) in the USA all run internal leagues and the American players flock to it since they can play weekly competitive games at their own level and in their own city. The top players from across the pub league then get selected for the traveling team that goes out of town for higher level games like at invitational tournaments and the playoffs. In fact the number of tournaments going on across America has exploded in the last few years. Clubs have been very good at self-organizing the games they need.

Any craic

Video: UCD's non-Irish Ladies Gaelic football team is going to Shanghai.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xctnPN9RYuM