British University GAA

[Rav67]

I see there has been a British football thread but he requested that it be about clubs and not universities.  Anybody playing football or hurling for any British student sides this year and how are your teams faring, what is the standard like and what sort of numbers have you got togging out?

[southdown]

Played for Chester last year, our team were a joke, but the 2 Liverpool sides were very good.

[inisceithleann]

Played for Chester last year, our team were a joke, but the 2 Liverpool sides were very good.

Ah now southdown, that's a bit harsh on Chester Uni.They will always struggle being so close to Liverpool, students will always go there. They could hardly field a team at times and needed The College of Law boys to help bulk up the numbers. Sure not everyone has your talent southdown 

[u bent op uw]

The fact that seperate threads are needed are a good reflection on the game in Britain. Students will always be attracted to the big urban sides, the smaller rural clubs have this issue to face all the time. During the student holidays the big town clubs get away with murder not beinbg able to field a team when it comes to travel away a few miles.

[billy the kid]

I think the GPA should be ashamed of themselves they are undermining everything the GAA stands for.  What they are asking for is Pay for |Play dressed up in fancy clothes.

They are an elitist Organisation who are only concerned with themselves and I firmly believe its a case of a few leading the many.

Don't get me wrong i totally agree with players being treated well and looked after if they get injured but they are always looking for more and more.

Currently every season inter-county players in Derry get:

2 pairs of boots
2 full kits a season,
2 full sets of training gear. (1 wet and 1 normal)
1 rain jacket
1 zip up top
1 jumper
2 polo shirts
1 tracksuit
Home training Equipment
Free access to state of the art gym

All the above are official Derry gear from O neills with emblems and crests and this is only the gear I KNOW FOR CERTAIN they get!

Also they have access to a top class physio, team doctor dietician and heart screening facilities.

they receive meals after ALL games and on the way to away games

they get fed after every training

and they also get VERY GOOD rebates on their mileage expenses.

Again these are jut the things i KNOW FOR CERTAIN!!

for each national league game they receive 4 passes each allowing friends and family to gain admission to the games for FREE and the passes can be used for both hurling and football even if only involved in one code.

They receive at least 2 and sometimes more FREE tickets for ALL championship matches they are involved in

They receive 2 good tickets for the all Ireland final in their code (hurling or football) for FREE

Before the club championship begins they receive a pass allowing them to gain FREE entry to ALL championship matches within the county in EITHER code at ANY level
 
The above list was given to me when I asked a PRESENT COUNTY PLAYER from our club about conditions at inter-county level.

I don't think anyone would begrudge them these things as the gear and medical farcicalities are a MUST and so are the mileage expenses and the meals.

The other stuff are added perks and again I would say Just right they are training very hard and giving a big commitment to Our County.

Looking at the list I would say our county players are fairly well looked after wouldn't you? And this is just the example of our county alot of other counties like Armagh and Tyrone get even more gear and perks which again is fair enough.

But to ask for money and to make out that they are so hard done by and listening to some of their leaders you'd think some were hardly fit to feed themselves and on the way to financial ruin is an absolute myth and border line lie!! Nobodies making them play!!!

What ever happened to being proud to play for your county and pride in the jersey? That used to be enough to make people play for their counties.

Has Pride and honour fallen of the radar of the GPA in their obsession with self-worth and self-gain.
If pride in the jersey and being honoured to represent your County plus the list i have supplied aren't enough to make individuals play for OUR county teams do we really want them to? The type of character who would undermine the very fabric of our great organisation to line his own pockets.   

I was also informed by the County player from my own Club that most county players don't want to strike but are being openly pressurised to do so. Is this Democracy?

Its also evident the GPA are so far removed from the grassroots GAA and the supporters that they haven't noticed that the vast majority are strongly against it, but why would they listen to us mere mortals?

Down Manager Ross Carr has the right idea:

If these prima donnas strike and refuse to play Each County should find a panel of players who will represent their counties for pride honour and the other perks i listed. There would be a stampede to trials and it would totally negate the strike and render their actions futile and meaningless.

We cannot let the elitist few hold the rest of us to ransom while they try to gain financially for doing what most TRUE Gaels consider an Honour and a privilege – PLAY FOR YOUR COUNTY  

[Rav67]

Playing a bit for Northumbria this year, we have a decent side but missing a couple of former Armagh minors and a Clare senior footballer and ended up getting beat by a combined Sunderland/Teeside team in effectively the league decider as we're the only half-decent teams in the NE league.  Just the British championships to look forward to now should be deadly craic I would imagine even if we come back empty-handed

[Rav67]

The groups have been announced for the British Championship in Birmingham 22-24th February.

Division 1 tournament:

Group A
Napier
RGU
Liverpool Hope
Play Off Winner Glasgow/ Northumbria

Group B
Aberdeen
St Mary's
Liverpool JMU
Dundee

Division 2 tournament:

Group C
Liverpool JMU B
Chester
Bangor
Glasgow Caledonian

Group D
Edinburgh
UCLAN (Preston)
TBC
Play Off Loser Glasgow/ Northumbria

Not sure of the draw for the Division 3 tournament but would expect Sunderland/Teeside to win it again, they'd be a higher tier except joint teams are only allowed in this section.

[No1]

Rav,

What are the Teessiders doing combining with the Mackems?  I take it the numbers are down drastically. 

It's a shame cos me and a few others worked hard to build up a club in the Boro (shite and all as we were). 

Wouldn't have happened in my day, we'd have sat in the Star supping pints rather than join those tossers up the road!

[screenexile]

Any word of Manchester this year are they not entering a team? We was robbed last year!!!!

[Rav67]

Screen - not sure about Manchester I haven't seen the groups for Division 3 though, which competition where you in last year and how did you get on?

No1 - I'm surprised to hear youse managed to keep a single team going in Teeside, I take it you were supplemented with a good few English-born boys like Sheffield and the pure dung teams!  Numbers in the Sunderland and Tesside colleges must be down a good bit, because a fair few of that team would be 22-25 I'd say and have already graduated and just working there.

[screenexile]

Found out from the lads that Manchester have been put into the 3rd Division this year. Probably fair enough as we lost a lot of what we had last year and a lot of the lads who are available again haven't been able to make it between one reason and another.

We were in Division 2 last year. Played really well the first day but the state of the pitch meant a lot of lads were struggling the 2nd day. We came up against a Sunderland team who had been on the good pitch both days and we were unlucky to get beaten by 2 points in the Semi Final before they walked the final. Last minute of the match the big Derry midfielder made a run from the 45 and just as he was entering the box with the trigger pulled for the bottom corner he was cynically taken out and the game was lost. Robbed I tell you we was robbed!!!!

[Estimator]

Found out from the lads that Manchester have been put into the 3rd Division this year. Probably fair enough as we lost a lot of what we had last year and a lot of the lads who are available again haven't been able to make it between one reason and another.

We were in Division 2 last year. Played really well the first day but the state of the pitch meant a lot of lads were struggling the 2nd day. We came up against a Sunderland team who had been on the good pitch both days and we were unlucky to get beaten by 2 points in the Semi Final before they walked the final. Last minute of the match the big Derry midfielder made a run from the 45 and just as he was entering the box with the trigger pulled for the bottom corner he was cynically taken out and the game was lost. Robbed I tell you we was robbed!!!!

Like that happened 

[screenexile]

God's honest truth! It still hurts to think about it

[Rav67]

I believe you screen - them Sunderland boys are cynical hoors, they bullied us out of it when we played them before Christmas.  They're not even allowed in Division 2 this year and they have basically the same team apparently as last year so they'll cruise the third tier.  We play Glasgow this Sunday to see who gets into Division 1 or 2.

[screenexile]

Sunderland were FULL of ringers last year no wonder they're all available this year. Sure their Captain Daws was driving around in a Beamer FFS! Anyway good luck to you Rav I'm sure ye'll have a good time over the weekend even if the football doesn't go according to plan.