Paraic Duffy to Stand Down

Started by AZOffaly, October 11, 2017, 01:51:42 PM

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AZOffaly

http://gaeliclife.com/2017/10/paraic-duffy-stand-director-general/

My thoughts on Paraic is he seems to be a strong, clever man, but was too focused on the revenue generation and bottom line implications of the Business, with a capital B, of the GAA. We need the GAA ran well, to provide money to reinvest to keep the games strong all over the country. At times I felt the games were seen as a vehicle to provide more money. More money was the aim, rather than the games themselves.

Boycey

I'd be biased I suppose as I'm a club man of Paraic's but I think he's been really good in his time in the job. I'd expect this thread to soon descend into a 'fcuk him all he was interested in was the money' slagging match. I've always thought he was in a damned if he did and damned if he didn't situation with the changes that have occurred as the game hurtles towards semi professionalism.

Whatever people think about the job he did I can tell you he's a serious grassroots football man at the back of it all.

AZOffaly

It would be crazy to think the association could run smoothly WITHOUT a clever business brain behind it all. I just feel the balance was skewed towards revenue generation, without necessarily considering the competition or participation effects. When your job is to look after the business of the GAA, that's probably only natural, but I'd have hoped the other cheques and balances would have kept things tighter.

Owenmoresider

This better not be clearing the way for McKenna to take over.

magpie seanie

I completely agree with AZ. I feel his tenure greatly facilitated the drift to elitism and professionalism and ignored the needs of the grassroots. That's not something I agree with or want so I don't have good feelings about his time in that most important role.

The list of potential successors mentioned by Heffo here recently scares me. Especially now that it would seem Pat Gilroy is off the pitch. McKenna would be a disaster in my view.

Syferus

#5
I don't see many clever business moves. A child could have dreamt up the Super 8 as a way to generate a cheap boost in revenue to cover for falling attendances. It shows no imagination at all, and that has typifies his tenure, leaving the sport deep in a mire of haves and have nots that is affecting interest in it throughout the country.

History won't judge his era kindly.

Rossfan

A great man God bless him.
Sorry to see him go but the good ship GAA coped with the loss of Ó Caoimh,  Ó Síocháin and Liam Mulvihill and she'll continue to sail onwards and upwards.
Many long and happy years Paraic.
Davy's given us a dream to cling to
We're going to bring home the SAM

rosnarun

Quote from: Syferus on October 11, 2017, 03:47:34 PM
I don't see many clever business moves. A child could have dreamt up the Super 8 as a way to generate cheap boost in revenue to cover for falling attendances. It shows no imagination at all, and that has typifies his tenure.

History won't judge his era kindly.
the inevitable character assassination begins . hell be the devils spawn before some mod closes the thread
If you make yourself understood, you're always speaking well. Moliere

Rossfan

It must be great to be as knowledgeable as Syfīn and to have the talent to be always right about everything all the time.
I presume the GAA will be appointing him to replace Paraic immediately.... unless he's too busy sorting out North Korea, Catalunya, Palestine,  Syria etc etc etc
Davy's given us a dream to cling to
We're going to bring home the SAM

Syferus

Quote from: rosnarun on October 11, 2017, 04:33:10 PM
Quote from: Syferus on October 11, 2017, 03:47:34 PM
I don't see many clever business moves. A child could have dreamt up the Super 8 as a way to generate cheap boost in revenue to cover for falling attendances. It shows no imagination at all, and that has typifies his tenure.

History won't judge his era kindly.
the inevitable character assassination begins . hell be the devils spawn before some mod closes the thread

The fact you, a seeming apologist for him, knew it was inevitable he'd be strongly criticised says enough about his reign in itself.

Cunny Funt

Not before time. A legacy left behind of making the strong stronger and weak weaker. Was like a dog with a bone forever determined to get his way. Knowing the GAA HQ His replacement will likely be no better.

Orchard park

Quote from: Boycey on October 11, 2017, 02:02:34 PM
I'd be biased I suppose as I'm a club man of Paraic's but I think he's been really good in his time in the job. I'd expect this thread to soon descend into a 'fcuk him all he was interested in was the money' slagging match. I've always thought he was in a damned if he did and damned if he didn't situation with the changes that have occurred as the game hurtles towards semi professionalism.

Whatever people think about the job he did I can tell you he's a serious grassroots football man at the back of it all.

Too much of a football man from my dealings with him, was too prepared to defer to established hurling counties for small ball issues.

Look he was s classic gas blazer and delivered  what mgmt committees  wanted whatever what Joe public felt like.

Syferian  is busy tweeting his job application but Peter McKenna 'job if he wants it

Tubberman

I think it would be a disaster if McKenna got it. Not that I know much about the man, but from what I've seen he seems to be a businessman who's primary aim would be the P&L at the end of the year, and the games are an unfortunate necessity to achieving that.
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

Eamonnca1

He was a steady hand at the wheel, a good administrator, and much maligned. I don't agree that the GAA under his watch has been focused on the money; this "Grab All Association" stuff is a load of BS. The association reinvests all its surplus revenue in the grassroots. "Greed" has nothing to do with it. If it were all about the money then Croke Park would be staging  more concerts than football and you wouldn't have lower-grade competitions playing their all-Ireland finals in CP in front of mostly empty stands. The GAA does a lot of things that other sports bodies do not in the interests of supporting its grass roots.

And before anyone goes off on the usual Sky deal controversy, they tried to give the games away for free to UK-based networks but nobody would take them. Sky offered to take them and to pay for them, as well as offering slightly (but not much) more than the previous Setanta deal. The Sky deal was about increased exposure and getting the games onto more mainstream media outside of Ireland, a step that was badly needed and which the international grass roots have been crying out for for years. The Sky deal was about listening to the grass roots, not ignoring them. The backlash was about the GAA media in Ireland ignoring and dismissing the GAA grassroots outside of Ireland.

The games might be under pressure to turn professional eventually but that has more to do with market forces than anything Duffy or any of the other leadership has done. A lot of the people bent out of shape about the presence of big corporate money in the GAA are the same people who are happy to sit and bask in the opulent surroundings of Croke Park that would never have been built without big corporate money.

magpie seanie

Quote from: Rossfan on October 11, 2017, 04:23:31 PM
A great man God bless him.
Sorry to see him go but the good ship GAA coped with the loss of Ó Caoimh,  Ó Síocháin and Liam Mulvihill and she'll continue to sail onwards and upwards.
Many long and happy years Paraic.

There's a name for that kind of talk. A few in fact.