Belfast GAA is dying...

[outinfront]

With Ardoyne gaining promotion to Div2 (all be it they will struggle) and the new facilities at the cricky there's some progress no?
I also know some young fellas who are involved in the youth coaching.
Not sure about their numbers but I would see the above as positives no?

I assume this thread is more aimed towards antrim but on our club the senior footballers are now senior championship so I would hope we can push on and get more youth through to keep us at that level.

[paddyjohn]

Was it not suggested on the football thread before Christmas that south antrim kill off all "small" clubs that don't put our team and let players move to big clubs like Rossa, St Johns & St Galls?

I know my own club suffered with teams not travelling from the city during the week for minor football so all county leagues don't work.

[Milltown Row2]

Was it not suggested on the football thread before Christmas that south antrim kill off all "small" clubs that don't put our team and let players move to big clubs like Rossa, St Johns & St Galls?

I know my own club suffered with teams not travelling from the city during the week for minor football so all county leagues don't work.

They do work, I've refereed enough games to see games being called off in both directions or teams playing with very understrength sides and getting a mauling...

There are too many clubs in Belfast, is completely different to killing off smaller clubs, but sure you go ahead and make things up

[paddyjohn]

SW have a clean sweep of football trophies for 1 year and Belfast GAA is on its knees. Some of you boys are clean mad.

My first part was sarcasm lol

[Milltown Row2]

SW have a clean sweep of football trophies for 1 year and Belfast GAA is on its knees. Some of you boys are clean mad.

My first part was sarcasm lol

You'd need to put some smiley face on end of it, that way we'd know you're not being a dick 

[paddyjohn]

SW have a clean sweep of football trophies for 1 year and Belfast GAA is on its knees. Some of you boys are clean mad.

My first part was sarcasm lol

You'd need to put some smiley face on end of it, that way we'd know you're not being a dick 

You'd need to f**k aff..

[Milltown Row2]

SW have a clean sweep of football trophies for 1 year and Belfast GAA is on its knees. Some of you boys are clean mad.

My first part was sarcasm lol

You'd need to put some smiley face on end of it, that way we'd know you're not being a dick 

You'd need to f**k aff..

Are you being sarcastic??

[Usain]

Well when we provide U16s footballers with an 8 game league - 8 games - that's just not good enough Soccer by contrast is able to provide 20 games in a row, without fail, every Saturday am.

If we can't get more than 5 teams to enter Div 1 U16 football in south Antrim, then its time to move to all county.

I think this is one of the most important points here. All underage boys/girls want is to play games. We (Antrim GAA) need to be smarter here and ensure all our children are getting as many games as a young boy/girl from a soccer/rugby background. Do whatever it takes to make this happen. There must be a simple solution to this.

[Dunloy realist]

having facilitates is great but without the youth there to take the benefit then theres  no point in having it all there.

The country clubs have the benefit of being the only main focus in an area.We have soccer etc in Dunloy but it has no sway whatsoever compared to the GAA. The pitch is the focal point of the village, much the same as all other places like Lgiel, Cargin, etc so most parents will send thier kids there. All their mates from school etc are all there so 90% of kids in each primary school class will all be there at some poiint to play all of the codes.

Its kind of unfair to compare country and city clubs in this sense for that reason as theres so much more for kids to be involved in within Belfast. we dont compete with anything else for all the kids to come along.

That being said it isn't taken for granted that they will automatically just turn up. we have a mass of vols who want to coach the kids at each level, development committees for all 3 codes set up to try and continually improve the kids and look to ways of fund raising etc. Mobilisation of vols who want to help the kids is the key. If you can get that in place each year then your on to a good start and also keeping them their each year.

[btdtgtt]

Just seeing and catching up on this.
Huge area but here goes wrapping around a few points that have been made:

1) Clubs folding
Whilst I don't take any pleasure in this, I've yet to meet anyone who doesn't agree we have too many Clubs in Belfast. Call it Darwinian, but some have got to go.

2) Hard work
The point about some clubs having worse facilities because they didn't put work in was as comical as it is insular. Not even worthy of discussion.

3) Facilities
Yes we lack behind - with land area the main reason. On the other side there's no shortage of facilities for hire, but boy do they know how to charge!

4) Community
Rural clubs are a fantastic community focus in more ways than city clubs unfortunately. But there's no point crying about it. As incredible as it sounds the ceasefire took away some emphasis for parents to throw kids into the GAA as an expression of Irishness - soccer rugby and some outlandish activities are even more of a distraction now.

5) Divisional Boards
If there's meaningful games happening at a certain level or code great, but the county must step in if this is not the case - and prioritise an all county set-up to provide this.

So what do we do about it?

Jeez lads I wish I knew!

Certainly no shortage of hard-workers across clubs.
Easy to say get into the primary schools, and that's true, but there's so much more problems to overcome there than merely GAA promotion.

I suppose the one thing we all agree on in that our youngsters need to be playing meaningful well run games week in week out. That's the building block - and it's not always happening at present.
Maybe then we can tackle the on going massive drop off from U16/minor to senior level.

Justa bit of a rant off my head from memorising some of points on the thread there!

[NAG1]

Some one correct me if I am wrong.

Did we not have a specific strategy for Belfast?
Did 'we' not employ some one to implement said strategy?

Did anything ever come of this?

[Dunloy realist]

i know from being involved in the camogie that its also really bad as well. theres not a single belfast club competes in the county minor championship and only 1 in div 1 at U16 level as well.

For some reason the girls football is doing really well in belfast so something is being done right on that end.

[City Dweller]

I wouldn't say Belfast GAA is dying at all. Yeap there are some clubs not fielding at all levels, but there are some other clubs where at underage level they are flying.. St Pauls, Sarsfields, St Brigids, Bredagh, Rossa +Davitts (Hurling), St Galls. There are more clubs hurling in the SA leagues than in recent years.

However there is a problem at the teenage years and BrendanAntrim and Usain call it correctly, the lack of games or lack meaningfully games from at U14 and U16 in SA is worrying.

8 league games for U16 Div 1  (a fair chunk of them over GCSE exams) is not going to develop senior players of the future.

At U14 all the clubs are lumped into one “grading” league, this results in a lot of one sided games, and FTFs.

Surely the County officials/and coaching need to be urgently looking at the structure at these levels? As SA clubs seem to be more concerned with U12 teams not having numbers shirts.

[btdtgtt]

i know from being involved in the camogie that its also really bad as well. theres not a single belfast club competes in the county minor championship and only 1 in div 1 at U16 level as well.

For some reason the girls football is doing really well in belfast so something is being done right on that end.

It's the girls football that's killing the camogie.
Nature of the sports is it's easier to teach and learn.

[btdtgtt]

I wouldn't say Belfast GAA is dying at all. Yeap there are some clubs not fielding at all levels, but there are some other clubs where at underage level they are flying.. St Pauls, Sarsfields, St Brigids, Bredagh, Rossa +Davitts (Hurling), St Galls. There are more clubs hurling in the SA leagues than in recent years.

However there is a problem at the teenage years and BrendanAntrim and Usain call it correctly, the lack of games or lack meaningfully games from at U14 and U16 in SA is worrying.

8 league games for U16 Div 1  (a fair chunk of them over GCSE exams) is not going to develop senior players of the future.

At U14 all the clubs are lumped into one “grading” league, this results in a lot of one sided games, and FTFs.

Surely the County officials/and coaching need to be urgently looking at the structure at these levels? As SA clubs seem to be more concerned with U12 teams not having numbers shirts.

Valid points indeed.