Antrim Football Thread

[Milltown Row2]

All starting to heat up from Wed onwards, no easy games and teams will be going full pelt, the squad is going to be the main thing here and the teams with the biggest squad should have the advantage over the group stages..

Managers will have to play it smart too, injuries, niggles and suspensions will play a part. Good luck to all teams

[Tyrdub]

All starting to heat up from Wed onwards, no easy games and teams will be going full pelt, the squad is going to be the main thing here and the teams with the biggest squad should have the advantage over the group stages..

Managers will have to play it smart too, injuries, niggles and suspensions will play a part. Good luck to all teams

no fixtures up yet on website?

[Dunsilly King]

https://www.irishnews.com/sport/gaafootball/2021/08/06/news/dunsilly-floodlights-expected-to-transform-antrim-gaa-hub-2409742/

Great progress with Dunsilly. Bit by bit this is turning into an excellent asset, credit due to all involved.

It is great progress, but it about fecking time, last in the Ulster counties to get lights, when I look over the lough in winter and see Ballymaguigan, Ballinderry, Ardboe and the on the other side of the Bann Bellaghy, Newbridge and Magherafelt, I wonder to myself what the feck are we doing differently.

[johnnycool]

https://www.irishnews.com/sport/gaafootball/2021/08/06/news/dunsilly-floodlights-expected-to-transform-antrim-gaa-hub-2409742/

Great progress with Dunsilly. Bit by bit this is turning into an excellent asset, credit due to all involved.

It is great progress, but it about fecking time, last in the Ulster counties to get lights, when I look over the lough in winter and see Ballymaguigan, Ballinderry, Ardboe and the on the other side of the Bann Bellaghy, Newbridge and Magherafelt, I wonder to myself what the feck are we doing differently.

Down still don't have their own facilities and are dependent on clubs, schools and private gyms for the county teams training needs so be grateful for what you have.

[asaffgael]

When you look at the training bases other counties have Dunsilly is an embarrassment. Another shambolic fiasco. Was it the same  regime as Casement originally?

[Milltown Row2]

All starting to heat up from Wed onwards, no easy games and teams will be going full pelt, the squad is going to be the main thing here and the teams with the biggest squad should have the advantage over the group stages..

Managers will have to play it smart too, injuries, niggles and suspensions will play a part. Good luck to all teams

no fixtures up yet on website?

When ya know ya know!

[Belfast GAA man]

https://www.irishnews.com/sport/gaafootball/2021/08/06/news/dunsilly-floodlights-expected-to-transform-antrim-gaa-hub-2409742/

Great progress with Dunsilly. Bit by bit this is turning into an excellent asset, credit due to all involved.

It is good news allright - who financed it?

[toby47]

All starting to heat up from Wed onwards, no easy games and teams will be going full pelt, the squad is going to be the main thing here and the teams with the biggest squad should have the advantage over the group stages..

Managers will have to play it smart too, injuries, niggles and suspensions will play a part. Good luck to all teams

no fixtures up yet on website?

When ya know ya know!

As an outsider, who watches alot of Antrim club games - What starts on Wednesday night?

[Belfast GAA man]

All starting to heat up from Wed onwards, no easy games and teams will be going full pelt, the squad is going to be the main thing here and the teams with the biggest squad should have the advantage over the group stages..

Managers will have to play it smart too, injuries, niggles and suspensions will play a part. Good luck to all teams

no fixtures up yet on website?

When ya know ya know!

As an outsider, who watches alot of Antrim club games - What starts on Wednesday night?

championship

[tiempo]

I genuinely don't understand the county centre of excellence thing so many counties have invested in

County teams need somewhere to train

County has scores of clubs with an abundance of facilities

Its not rocket science

[asaffgael]

Come on Tiempo get with the times lol

County train maybe 3 times a week, thats 2 teams at adult level.

A club has underage right the way up to senior to cater for. Seniors train 2/3 times a week. How many pitch minutes do all these add up to.

Then club may have hurling, camogie, ladies football.

So 1 base is a must!

Plus Antrim hasn't an abundance of grounds with floodlights either.

[johnnycool]

I genuinely don't understand the county centre of excellence thing so many counties have invested in

County teams need somewhere to train

County has scores of clubs with an abundance of facilities

Its not rocket science

A bit of shit weather and the county secretary would be ringing round on the morning looking for a club to lend them a pitch for that night's training and getting knocked back.. Some mess that.

Only Dublin don't need a centre of excellence 

[tiempo]

Come on Tiempo get with the times lol

County train maybe 3 times a week, thats 2 teams at adult level.

A club has underage right the way up to senior to cater for. Seniors train 2/3 times a week. How many pitch minutes do all these add up to.

Then club may have hurling, camogie, ladies football.

So 1 base is a must!

Plus Antrim hasn't an abundance of grounds with floodlights either.

Tyrone won 3 AI without a centre of excellence and 0 since it was opened

Pitch minutes is the right way of looking at it, there are pitches everywhere being underutilised

Yeno what'll happen, a centre of excellence will be built, next thing this high performance team will need a weekend retreat to Cork or Malaga for warm weather training, or some other local venue/pursuit will come into vogue like cryotheraphy chambers at a few hundred pound a pop, and the players won't be at the centre at all

Down did plenty of running up mountains to win their AI, not a county sec making phone calls in sight

Just blows my mind this insatiable need to spunk millions all over the place

Invest in coaching excellence

[toby47]

All starting to heat up from Wed onwards, no easy games and teams will be going full pelt, the squad is going to be the main thing here and the teams with the biggest squad should have the advantage over the group stages..

Managers will have to play it smart too, injuries, niggles and suspensions will play a part. Good luck to all teams

no fixtures up yet on website?

When ya know ya know!

As an outsider, who watches alot of Antrim club games - What starts on Wednesday night?

championship

When are times & dates out?

[Kickham csc]

Come on Tiempo get with the times lol

County train maybe 3 times a week, thats 2 teams at adult level.

A club has underage right the way up to senior to cater for. Seniors train 2/3 times a week. How many pitch minutes do all these add up to.

Then club may have hurling, camogie, ladies football.

So 1 base is a must!

Plus Antrim hasn't an abundance of grounds with floodlights either.

Tyrone won 3 AI without a centre of excellence and 0 since it was opened

Pitch minutes is the right way of looking at it, there are pitches everywhere being underutilised

Yeno what'll happen, a centre of excellence will be built, next thing this high performance team will need a weekend retreat to Cork or Malaga for warm weather training, or some other local venue/pursuit will come into vogue like cryotheraphy chambers at a few hundred pound a pop, and the players won't be at the centre at all

Down did plenty of running up mountains to win their AI, not a county sec making phone calls in sight

Just blows my mind this insatiable need to spunk millions all over the place

Invest in coaching excellence

Antrim were behind the other counties in regards to facilities for years.

Yes Down ran up mountains and won All Irelands, and so did Antrim at that time, but for pitch work, Antrim only had LD & Rasharkin, Derry had nearly every club with floodlights that they could avail of, the same with Down and Tryone, so we are always playing catch up

Having a center of excellence takes pressure off club pitches. Was talking to a LD club man about 15 years ago and they had brought over a head groundsman from one of the professional clubs in england to look at their pitch in regards to what maintenance was needed to improve their grass surface.

When asked how often the pitch was used, the LD man stated every night of the week between all the teams, and the grounds man was shocked, stating that their pitch is fully relayed every two years (approx 60-80 games)

So investment in physical grounds is a necessity to ensure we have the facilities to promote our games , the trick is doing this and property and efficiently and investing in coaching at the same time