Latest Developments In Galway Hurling Saga Show How Bleak The Situation Is

[deiseach]

Why? There's a strong argument to be made that growing the game in Ireland would be more difficult than anywhere else in the world. Besides why do we have to pick either Ireland or the world, can we not do both?

I'd be sure interested in hearing this strong argument.

[AZOffaly]

Why? There's a strong argument to be made that growing the game in Ireland would be more difficult than anywhere else in the world. Besides why do we have to pick either Ireland or the world, can we not do both?

I'd be sure interested in hearing this strong argument.

More difficult is moot. Different difficulties might be more appropriate. In Kansas, you're not likely to meet many of the 'burn every ash plant' brigade.

To be honest though, I don't think this game is an advertisement for hurling. I think it's an advertisement for hurlers playing this new game. Sure it might make a pile of people look up hurling on the internet, but they'll barely recognise the game when they compare it to what they saw at the weekend. It would be like the NFL coming to London and playing flag football.

I do understand the constraints of playing somewhere like Fenway Park or Notre Dame, and the space dimensions, but maybe a 7 aside version of the game, with a rule that you can't score from inside your own half or something, would be more reflective of the game itself.

I don't think it does any harm, but I don't think it is an ad for hurling, and I'm sure there are hundreds of people in the US who would have been delighted to be involved in really trying to spread the game, like they are doing in Montana and other places, rather than this event going on a solo run and purporting to be the face of hurling to the people who attended.

[johnneycool]

Why? There's a strong argument to be made that growing the game in Ireland would be more difficult than anywhere else in the world. Besides why do we have to pick either Ireland or the world, can we not do both?

I'd be sure interested in hearing this strong argument.

More difficult is moot. Different difficulties might be more appropriate. In Kansas, you're not likely to meet many of the 'burn every ash plant' brigade.

To be honest though, I don't think this game is an advertisement for hurling. I think it's an advertisement for hurlers playing this new game. Sure it might make a pile of people look up hurling on the internet, but they'll barely recognise the game when they compare it to what they saw at the weekend. It would be like the NFL coming to London and playing flag football.

I do understand the constraints of playing somewhere like Fenway Park or Notre Dame, and the space dimensions, but maybe a 7 aside version of the game, with a rule that you can't score from inside your own half or something, would be more reflective of the game itself.

I don't think it does any harm, but I don't think it is an ad for hurling, and I'm sure there are hundreds of people in the US who would have been delighted to be involved in really trying to spread the game, like they are doing in Montana and other places, rather than this event going on a solo run and purporting to be the face of hurling to the people who attended.

It's a high profile, all expenses junket for the GPA to open up new revenue streams in the US, can't do that by attempting to develop hurling in Down/Armagh, Carlow or the likes.

It's all about the mullah, SFA about hurling development or the likes.

[deiseach]

More difficult is moot. Different difficulties might be more appropriate. In Kansas, you're not likely to meet many of the 'burn every ash plant' brigade.

Or Iowa.

[AZOffaly]

I await the first Louisville Slugger hurley

[seafoid]

Still waiting for the GPA accounts to be published

Evidently Cheddar ain't a big fan of this hockey/hurling hybrid!

http://www.hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=247290

Laois manager Seamus Plunkett can't see how the Fenway Classic is doing anything to promote hurling.

Dublin and Galway battled it out in Boston on Sunday in the Super 11s but Plunkett points out that money would be better invested in promoting the indigenous game at home in weaker counties:

"I probably wouldn't question the wisdom of it if the work was going on here in Ireland," he states in The Irish Daily Mirror. "It's just when there is such a lack of strategic thinking about growing the game in these counties and then you have something like that, I think then it doesn't work.

"What was the objective of it? These things don't come cheap and they send two panels to the States? This is not about the money, it's really about the thinking behind the whole project.

"It's unclear how the game in Ireland is going to grow and then there's something like this. It just doesn't sit right and certainly I think you would have a completely different way of growing the game worldwide or Stateside or whatever that objective is than simply going and having a game in Fenway Park to promote it.

"We've a limited amount of money in terms of promoting the game in Ireland and I would just think that the full focus should be on that."



Hard not to argue with that.

Why? There's a strong argument to be made that growing the game in Ireland would be more difficult than anywhere else in the world. Besides why do we have to pick either Ireland or the world, can we not do both?

To grow the game you have to start at underage and build a foundation. If we can't do that in counties on our doorstep with all the support and expertise available what hope have we outside the country?

Football is very engrained in a lot of counties so hurling starts off with a big disadvantage (not to mind the attitude of the hurling counties)
whereas abroad it's a blank slate. 

[seafoid]

Anyway does anyone think the situation in Galway is bleak ?

[Croí na hÉireann]

Still waiting for the GPA accounts to be published

Evidently Cheddar ain't a big fan of this hockey/hurling hybrid!

http://www.hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=247290

Laois manager Seamus Plunkett can't see how the Fenway Classic is doing anything to promote hurling.

Dublin and Galway battled it out in Boston on Sunday in the Super 11s but Plunkett points out that money would be better invested in promoting the indigenous game at home in weaker counties:

"I probably wouldn't question the wisdom of it if the work was going on here in Ireland," he states in The Irish Daily Mirror. "It's just when there is such a lack of strategic thinking about growing the game in these counties and then you have something like that, I think then it doesn't work.

"What was the objective of it? These things don't come cheap and they send two panels to the States? This is not about the money, it's really about the thinking behind the whole project.

"It's unclear how the game in Ireland is going to grow and then there's something like this. It just doesn't sit right and certainly I think you would have a completely different way of growing the game worldwide or Stateside or whatever that objective is than simply going and having a game in Fenway Park to promote it.

"We've a limited amount of money in terms of promoting the game in Ireland and I would just think that the full focus should be on that."



Hard not to argue with that.

Why? There's a strong argument to be made that growing the game in Ireland would be more difficult than anywhere else in the world. Besides why do we have to pick either Ireland or the world, can we not do both?

To grow the game you have to start at underage and build a foundation. If we can't do that in counties on our doorstep with all the support and expertise available what hope have we outside the country?

Football is very engrained in a lot of counties so hurling starts off with a big disadvantage (not to mind the attitude of the hurling counties)
whereas abroad it's a blank slate.

That's why it needs to be centrally driven. Take a hurling blackspot like Cavan. Divide the rural areas into groups, similar to the Kerry County Championship, East Kerry, West Kerry, etc. Use the clubs grounds in each area for training/matches etc. The big urban towns should be able to stand alone. Start young, get the kids going every Saturday morning for an hour at five years of age. Offer/pester every school going child to go every week. In twenty years time you should have a vibrant hurling scene with room for dividing each area to create more clubs.

[seafoid]

Still waiting for the GPA accounts to be published

Evidently Cheddar ain't a big fan of this hockey/hurling hybrid!

http://www.hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=247290

Laois manager Seamus Plunkett can't see how the Fenway Classic is doing anything to promote hurling.

Dublin and Galway battled it out in Boston on Sunday in the Super 11s but Plunkett points out that money would be better invested in promoting the indigenous game at home in weaker counties:

"I probably wouldn't question the wisdom of it if the work was going on here in Ireland," he states in The Irish Daily Mirror. "It's just when there is such a lack of strategic thinking about growing the game in these counties and then you have something like that, I think then it doesn't work.

"What was the objective of it? These things don't come cheap and they send two panels to the States? This is not about the money, it's really about the thinking behind the whole project.

"It's unclear how the game in Ireland is going to grow and then there's something like this. It just doesn't sit right and certainly I think you would have a completely different way of growing the game worldwide or Stateside or whatever that objective is than simply going and having a game in Fenway Park to promote it.

"We've a limited amount of money in terms of promoting the game in Ireland and I would just think that the full focus should be on that."



Hard not to argue with that.

Why? There's a strong argument to be made that growing the game in Ireland would be more difficult than anywhere else in the world. Besides why do we have to pick either Ireland or the world, can we not do both?

To grow the game you have to start at underage and build a foundation. If we can't do that in counties on our doorstep with all the support and expertise available what hope have we outside the country?

Football is very engrained in a lot of counties so hurling starts off with a big disadvantage (not to mind the attitude of the hurling counties)
whereas abroad it's a blank slate.

That's why it needs to be centrally driven. Take a hurling blackspot like Cavan. Divide the rural areas into groups, similar to the Kerry County Championship, East Kerry, West Kerry, etc. Use the clubs grounds in each area for training/matches etc. The big urban towns should be able to stand alone. Start young, get the kids going every Saturday morning for an hour at five years of age. Offer/pester every school going child to go every week. In twenty years time you should have a vibrant hurling scene with room for dividing each area to create more clubs.

How much money would you need ?

I know a bit about developing rugby. 30 years ago they started in Monivea in Easht Galway and now they have a team in the Connacht League. But you do need committed people to keep the thing going.

[Zulu]

Why? There's a strong argument to be made that growing the game in Ireland would be more difficult than anywhere else in the world. Besides why do we have to pick either Ireland or the world, can we not do both?

I'd be sure interested in hearing this strong argument.

The other lads have basically answered this already but basically there are very large portions of the sporting playing pool already likely to chose other sports. In a small pool like Ireland it's hard for any sport to expand significantly. There's also a lot of teams of a very high standard and the nature of hurling means it's hard to bridge that gap and this increases the challenge of providing enough appropriate competition to keep lads involved.

That's why it needs to be centrally driven. Take a hurling blackspot like Cavan. Divide the rural areas into groups, similar to the Kerry County Championship, East Kerry, West Kerry, etc. Use the clubs grounds in each area for training/matches etc. The big urban towns should be able to stand alone. Start young, get the kids going every Saturday morning for an hour at five years of age. Offer/pester every school going child to go every week. In twenty years time you should have a vibrant hurling scene with room for dividing each area to create more clubs.

Don't agree with this. You can support clubs or individuals who want to develop the sport but you can't, in my opinion, turn to a county that doesn't have much hurling and say we're going to change that from Croke Park. Cavan has a very vibrant club football scene as far as I know and Kilkenny has a very good hurling one, what is wrong with that?

[mouview]

Anyway does anyone think the situation in Galway is bleak ?

No. Why?
Appoint the right (a better) man and things should resume as before. Should at the very least be a dead-cat bounce that will generate a bit of momentum.

[seafoid]

Anyway does anyone think the situation in Galway is bleak ?

No. Why?
Appoint the right (a better) man and things should resume as before. Should at the very least be a dead-cat bounce that will generate a bit of momentum.

Why? the thread title. I think if we get an improvement we might be able to stand up to Kilkenny for at least 50 minutes 

[manfromdelmonte]

If they can develop new hurling clubs in Cavan, then it can be done anywhere

no disrespect to cavan

[macdanger2]

If they can develop new hurling clubs in Cavan, then it can be done anywhere

no disrespect to cavan

Surely Seanie Johnston deserves a mention here

[johnneycool]

If they can develop new hurling clubs in Cavan, then it can be done anywhere

no disrespect to cavan

Surely Seanie Johnston deserves a mention here

Sure he had to transfer to Kildare to get any club hurling