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Counties are manufactured too - by the Normans and English.
For example Ballyfarnon has nothing in common with Ballyforan except being within the lines drawn on a map by some Norman back in the 1200s.
However they're embedded in us now and from a GAA viewpoint have been there since the beginning.
However the question arises are Counties the best option any more for administering GAA affairs or for fielding representative teams?

Anyone alive now has grown up with their county. The chances of changing away from a county set up is minimal. You'd lose the attachment you had for your county and I don't believe that would transfer across to a franchise team. MAybe I'm wrong but that would be my opinion.

Why do you think people in Ireland support Liverpool or man utd? There's no attachment of place..

Well I disagree. If the problem is the game is so hard to watch then it seems strange

1- that games have never been so high scoring.
2- defenders attack and score like never before.

Rule changes in the GAA are largely pointless and are done to keep GAA on top of news content rather than much determination to improve the game.

The good thing about gaa is play for clubs in places where they live or born unlike soccer where Liverpool is not really Liverpool  if they go franchise models you will see Tyrone players playing for some team like the cork city cheetahs or dublin player playing for the Belfast Bobcats.

The thing is watching Liverpool and the premier league is very entertaining. Watching intercounty football is no longer entertaining as it is too predictable and one-sided.


You can go on for ever about the great model of lads playing for their home county but at the end of the day the first function of elite sport is to entertain the masses.

Intercounty Gaelic football no longer achieves this baseline requirement compared to how it did 10, 20 years ago.

When does under 21, sigerson happen?

Who cares? get rid of them and the worthless competitions that we run

No chance of that, GPA won't accept sigerson being done away with. Too much of a money spinner for young college going players through scholarships

The CPA have no power and no real members who are prepared to follow a strike if one is called.

Agreed. But they can still provide some thought leadership, and help people understand that it will not destroy a club to fulfil league fixtures without county players.


There's only 52 weeks a year. If we are lucky there's at most 40 of those are suited to countrywide GAA activities. Anyone who demands county players must be available for all club games is basically demanding those elite players do it for 40 weeks in a row, while jumping chameleon like between skill levels, fitness levels and tactical approaches. Meanwhile, the 98% might as well take 40 weeks a year off. Or worse still, train for 40 weeks to play 12. It's f**king insane.

I agree, the CPA aren't even prepared to do away with club championship replays. They are not a serious organization. They never were. They were flawed for the outset.

The CPA have no power and no real members who are prepared to follow a strike if one is called.

Give each adult season (intercounty and club) 4 months with a month in between both and a 3 month winter break.

Imagine banning club playing activity for 8 months of the year. A single-code player in a dual-code county might only get playing 8 weeks of the year. Madness.

Great example, whenever this gets discussed on the radio no one seems to drill into the detail.

There are some problems without a solution...or the solution is county and club split..

When does under 21, sigerson happen?

Give each adult season (intercounty and club) 4 months with a month in between both and a 3 month winter break.  All intercounty players already play club. 
all different Youth seasons can be adjusted for their needs over a period of 8/9 months including schools.
Lets cut the costs of long disorganised seasons as soon as possible. Counties will save millions, and clubs as well.   

So a club player will never play a summer game again? Or can you be specific what months club and county play in?

The CPA want a fixed calendar for all club fixtures Nationwide. How is this possible considering Dublin/Kilkenny will always have a much longer Intercounty season than say.. Carlow?

Jarlath will only be keeping the seat warm for Dick Clerkin.

The GAA would have no interest in voting in someone as personally unpopular as Dick.

Jarlath demonizing the GPA while looking to be president of an association that pays €1.875 million to its executives and that makes all its major decisions with money the foremost consideration.

Staggering hypocrisy

https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2020/0211/1114542-gaa-announce-record-revenue-of-73-9-million-for-2019/

That's my source. Looking forward to seeing yours.

https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/galway-top-of-the-turnstiles-as-gaa-take-in-60m-in-2019-38976578.html

A figure of €36.1m, spurred by a ticket price increase, an All-Ireland football final replay and bigger average attendances at centrally organised games, was recorded at last week's presentation of the annual report to Congress.

But on top of that there was a further €13.3m gathered through the four provincial championships, bringing the turnstile value of inter-county games to €49.4m. Munster and Leinster both recorded gates in excess of €5m, benefiting off the back of the second year of the hurling championship's new round-robin format.

But Caprea, the county game doesn't generate €70m. Nothing close to it.

There were €36.1m ticket sales and this was an exceptionally good year as there was an AI final replay.

That's sales. That revenue. It's not profit.

——

For reference, over €10m was generated from concerts, from roughly 5% the number of events, as there was GAA matches.

——

What is it makes you believe that if you keep saying €70m that this will be the figure that people believe? Stop being a twit.

Must have never being TV Cameras at the matches you were at, no sponsorship either.

In addition the 36.1 million in Gate receipts is wrong. It's 49 million for championship games. I don't think that includes league receipts either so it's higher again.

[No I don't think striking players would have support in the community. It would divide opinion but ultimately they wouldn't have huge support for sure. Do I think it matters? Yes. Do I think it matters a lot? No I don't.]

So people will pay 100 euro for an all Ireland final ticket between Kerry and Dublin Junior teams?

It will be the Kerry and Dublin senior teams. With the best available talent. There's always some players who make themselves unavailable. I don't know a single person who would stop attending a game because certain players wasn't playing. If by your view all the players for all the teams decided to strike (Which would never happen), and the GAA replaced the players with the best available, the AI final between Dublin and Kerry would still sell out. I have no doubt of that. And it would still be Sam Maguire they win, and the supporters would still celebrate the win as much as any.

So fans will pay 100 euro to see Kerry and Dublin's current junior teams play for Sam maguire in a packed Croker?

I know if Tyrone were in the AI final, I would pay £100 to see them. I know most in my circles would as well. If that team was the best of what was available then absolutely. I don't believe a players strike for pay would have support in the wider GAA community. I actually think if this was to happen many within the GAA community would make a point of supporting the players who stepped up to replace them.
So my answer is yes fans would pay it.
Do you think a players strike for pay would have support in the wider community?

Ok thanks. I don't agree. We've seen what happens when teams strike and how supporter interest is affected and how striking players always won the fight and county boards had to accede to their demands.

No I don't think striking players would have support in the community. It would divide opinion but ultimately they wouldn't have huge support for sure. Do I think it matters? Yes. Do I think it matters a lot? No I don't.

The biggest problems I see with what I propose is South Dublin doesn't have a stadium, GPO's would be laid off and replaced by pro players in their off season. That will be painful and I don't have an easy answer to it.

Yeah this is the bit I can't accept. It would come down to a decision by the GAA to side with 800 odd players or side with the majority of the organisation. I think they know where their bread is buttered and I don't think it would be the 800 odd players. The reality is if they replace these 800 players, then new players will step up and shine. There'll be new elite players who will know what will happens if they decide to strike and therefore won't take that option. And the GAA will return to where it was. It's a misconception that the players have the power (In my eyes anyway).

I think you underestimate the power of elite players and the idea they can be easily replaced with inferior players and people will still pay ticket prices in anywhere the same numbers is not something I'd be onboard with.

And in my opinion you are overestimating their power. I know for a large swathe if the GAA membership it is club first. County games are grand for a few days out in the summer but if your County is beat, great let's get on with the real football.

Sure I don't follow the county game at all. Waste of time. I'm pure club. Doesn't mean the county game doesn't generate 70 million a year.

So why the obsession with IC finances and ways to break the current IC structure and its attendant loyalties.

The reason is stated in the topic title.

For now let's go on with the intercounty system but if Dublin with a little bit of Kerry dominate for the next decade then it's time to rethink the structure drastically.