Kelly calls for International GAA federation

[Zulu]

Taken from Hoganstand

Kelly calls for International GAA federation
Former GAA President Sean Kelly
26 January 2011

Former President of the GAA, Sean Kelly MEP has called on the GAA, the Ladies Gaelic Football Association and the Camogie Association to set up an International Gaelic Games Federation.

Speaking last night at the Annual General Meeting of Belgium GAA, of which he is Honorary President, Mr Kelly stated that in order for our games to grow abroad, an international federation needs to be set up.

The AGM was held in the European Parliament, hosted by Mr Kelly.

"As it stands, our games have no international status and therefore no legal status in countries such as Belgium, France or Germany. This means in practical terms that clubs based in these countries can not apply to local authorities for free use of public sports facilities, as our games are not seen as sports per se.

"The lack of recognition is hobbling the development of our games on the ground. Our clubs in Units such as Europe have to go to great expense to hire private pitches, while other sports can access public facilities for free.

"Therefore I call on the three associations running our games to come together and found an International Federation and affiliate it to the European and International Olympic Committee, the gold standard for recognition of Sports.

"Gaelic Games can then be strongly represented in the newly developing EU Sports Forum, which may well open up funding streams for future development", he added.

"A cursory glance at some of the sports which have international federations and therefore have a strong voice on these bodies, such as the "International Bandy Federation" or the "International Casting Federation" shows that Gaelic Games, some of the greatest games on the face of the planet, should have a voice and international status in these forums," he concluded.

[BennyHarp]

This is something that should have been in place years ago!

[Zulu]

Any idea why it hasn't? I know the GAA has a lot on its plate but there seems to be a lot of things that could easily and cheaply be done to promote the games internationally yet none of them are.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

He's 100% on the money there, long past time it was established.

[Eamonnca1]

I've heard this sort of thing before but I'm not quite sure where he's coming from. There already is an international Gaelic games federation, it's called the GAA. The problem is it doesn't think of itself as a global organisation. It still refers to itself as a 'national organisation' with 'overseas units'. It still refers to entire countries and continents as 'counties' and 'provinces'. Doesn't have national boards set up in some countries. Gaelic games have been played in the USA since before there was even a GAA, and still they can't form a single national organisation to govern the games, they still have this silly partition between New York and the rest of the country.

The world structures of the GAA need a good hard looking at all right.

[andoireabu]

Great idea as GAA should be played the world over in my opinion.  If successful it would mean an improvement over time in skill levels which is a great positive.  Would this then lead to more entrants into the All-Ireland competitions, which would somehow make them less "All Ireland and more all Europe"?  Or would we have national sides who compete for an international prize?  The second idea would be great however would these tournaments then take away from the prestige of winning the Sam Maguire or Liam McCarthy cups,  which are the pinnacles of our organisation and the target every player has?  And would the core values of the association be diluted down to help the spread of the GAA.  Would the people running things in Central Europe or Asia have the same way of thinking as the people here who run our organisation, our way?

I would love to see a GAA "World cup" so to speak but part of me thinks it would take away from the two weekends in september that I look forward to all year.  Also if we have a lot more teams in it to win it, mayo might never get one!

[armaghniac]

I'm all in favour of this, if it stops the GAA giving away All-Ireland tickets to people not in Ireland.

[DUBSFORSAM1]

Great idea as GAA should be played the world over in my opinion.  If successful it would mean an improvement over time in skill levels which is a great positive.  Would this then lead to more entrants into the All-Ireland competitions, which would somehow make them less "All Ireland and more all Europe"?  Or would we have national sides who compete for an international prize?  The second idea would be great however would these tournaments then take away from the prestige of winning the Sam Maguire or Liam McCarthy cups,  which are the pinnacles of our organisation and the target every player has?  And would the core values of the association be diluted down to help the spread of the GAA.  Would the people running things in Central Europe or Asia have the same way of thinking as the people here who run our organisation, our way?

I would love to see a GAA "World cup" so to speak but part of me thinks it would take away from the two weekends in september that I look forward to all year.  Also if we have a lot more teams in it to win it, mayo might never get one!

Up to 2002 there was a GAA World Cup played in the week before the AI every 2nd year