15 year old Offaly boy not allowed to hurl??

[AZOffaly]

That's why they are in the DRA. (Fogarty's other article). Sanctions were proposed on the Birr Chairman and secretary from 2012, when this lad played in an U14 game v Crinkill.

[johnneycool]

Did the mum play for Birr (Camogie)??

Would there be grounds there?

[AZOffaly]

Good question re the Mam. I think, as it happens, that she did play Camogie for Birr (from reading between the lines), but as we know the Camogie association  is a separate organisation. She might as well have played Ladies Rugby for Birr.

[johnneycool]

Good question re the Mam. I think, as it happens, that she did play Camogie for Birr (from reading between the lines), but as we know the Camogie association  is a separate organisation. She might as well have played Ladies Rugby for Birr.

Not any more as some Camogie clubs are now affiliated AFAIK.

[AZOffaly]

I don't think so. I could be wrong about that. Maybe that's part of Birr's case.

[AZOffaly]

"Smith's late grandfather is Tom Ryan, an honorary president of the Birr club, but Crinkill queried the legitimacy of him playing for Birr in an U14 game between the neighbouring sides in August 2012.

An investigation was launched by Offaly's Competitions Control Committee which, in September of that year, proposed sanctions against him and Birr's chairman and secretary."

[Zulu]

Sure CB's vary the way the apply the rules as it is. Like I said, some counties have the parish rule and others don't yet in counties where it doesn't exist I don't think there are any major issues. I haven't gone into depth on eligibility rules as we could be here all week discussing the merits of various versions but by and large I would be in favour of no eligibility rules or a parish rule with leeway for CB's to assess individual cases on their merits.

For example, what if you had a 9 year old son who was being bullied in a particular club, would you not agree that you should be able to take him out of that club and play with another one?

What if you moved to a different county for work and years later had a 9 year old son playing for the local club and you went to some of his training sessions and games and were appalled by the behaviour of coaches who were verbally abusing the kids and clearly only interested in winning. If their behaviour was turning your son off football would you not feel you should have the option of taking him to another club with a better attitude to coaching kids?

The idea that a young kid plays for his local club come hell or high water is a nonsense in my opinion. When dealing with kids we have to have some leeway to deal with exceptional cases. Of course this will lead to some abuses but I'd sooner allow the odd kid move for spurious reasons than force the majority to play for a club the don't want to or give up. It's only sport at the end of the day.

[deiseach]

Maggie Thatcher would no doubt appreciate your adherence to the rules, even in the face of all logic, - crime is crime is crime and all that.

Terrible attempt to swerve around Godwin there.

[AZOffaly]

It is a tricky one, and I do think there has to be some sort of 'guideline' with regards to what clubs you are eligible for. Given that the GAA is hugely based around the local community then it does make sense that one of the main planks would have to be a geographic or community connection with the club. We have to help small clubs to maintain their playing base where possible.

That said, I agree that in 'exceptional cases' as you have said, there should be a way whereby a child can play with a club, especially if he or she has a non-geographic connection with the club, but a real connection nonetheless. Certainly if it is a case of playing with friends he has always played with, then it should at least be considered sympathetically.

The small club thing is an issue though, and particularly where those small clubs are within striking distance of a bigger town type club that may have better facilities or whatever. I don't think people should be able to choose a club based on how successful it is, or likely to be, or how much money it has, or whether it has a bigger hurling wall than the local club, or whatever. Nothing good can come from that.

[Zulu]

I agree AZ and I know that a parent could claim bullying as a reason to leave when none exists but to allow CB's tie their hands in respect to kids sport is totally wrong IMO. As I said, in my own experience kids rarely leave clubs to join better/bigger clubs, they want to play with friends in the main.

[AZOffaly]

Zulu. In my experience the kids are NEVER the problem. At worst the child just wants to play with his friends, and that is perfectly understandable, and I think the GAA should have some flexibility there. 99% of the time, the friends will be in the local club anyway. With regard to the other issues, it's Mammy and Daddy that are the problem. Especially when Daddy used to play with X, and wants his child to play with X , even though they live in Y. (A lot of times in this case the child doesn't really want to move. We had that situation here this very year.)

Or the town field is handier because mammy does the messages in there on a Saturday morning, and it's better to use town GAA's "babysitting" facilities rather than have to actually go to the local rural pitch.

I have to say that in all my GAA life, my club in Offaly and my club here in Tipp would be the biggest of the local clubs. (Say the clubs within the school's catchment area). But I wouldn't like to see people coming to our club, and hurting smaller satellite clubs, on the basis that we have a hurling wall or are a handy option for a Saturday morning.

[Tony Baloney]

There are grammar schools in the north that put a ban (don't know how it would be enforced!) on players in the First XV rugby teams from playing for their clubs. Is this child protection / anti-burnout or more selfishly, protecting their assets?

[AZOffaly]

That's not new. Sure that goes on in the GAA as well. Not sure what point you are making there Tony, to be honest.

[blanketattack]

The boy could play with any soccer club he wants to, he could play with any rugby club he wants to, join any running club, etc. but by God if he tries to play hurling with one club slightly further away than another, you have people writing letters of objection and preferring for the boy to never play hurling again than to play with the other club.
The same thing happened in Kerry where there was even the ridiculous situation where the pitch of the club a boy wanted to play with was 5 times closer to the pitch of the club the Kerry CB wanted him to play with.

[Tony Baloney]

That's not new. Sure that goes on in the GAA as well. Not sure what point you are making there Tony, to be honest.

Jeez sorry AZ for asking a genuine question (not a statement!) that I was curious about that didn't have any "point" to it! Look up "question" in the dictionary.