gaaboard.com

QuoteTyrone manager Mickey Harte has urged the GAA to abandon the International Rules series and replace it with a GAA World Series for winners of the senior, intermediate and junior All-Ireland club championships.

"We need to begin to generate an international dimension to Gaelic games," Harte said at a debate in DCU about the future of the International Rules series on Thursday night, November 16.

"Let's not forget inter-county football started with the clubs. Clubs represented their counties in the first instance. Clubs can also represent our country at junior, intermediate and senior.

"We have teams in virtually every part of the world and there are certainly teams who could meet that standard. We could begin by having a World Series at club level."

He added: "It might take time, but so what? Certainly Gaelic football is being played elsewhere."

Sourced BBCi: http://www.hoganstand.com/Tyrone/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=69213

What exactly would this accomplish?

If sucessful it would promote our games to the world in a way the IRS never could.

I'm feeling after the sham in Croker the other week MH may find he has a lot of supporters for this idea that would not have been there a few months back.

There are just two IR games but people use the fixtures argument as a stcik to beat it. What exactly would this American style "we are the world" competition do to the overcrowded schedules?

The fixture argument aside, what is wrong with our junior, intermediate and senior players playing games against teams based abroad?

 More stupid talk from 'can someone notice me' Mickey!! Go spend time with your family!!! Turning into to a real attention seeker. ::)

Quote from: The Meadow on November 17, 2006, 08:17:57 PM
More stupid talk from 'can someone notice me' Mickey!! Go spend time with your family!!! Turning into to a real attention seeker. ::)

It took you a while to catch on that Harte is an attention-seeker - the only thing a nonsensical world series would achieve is to provide the men in suits with yet more junckets all round the globe, rather than the trip down under every second year which is probably becoming less glamorous now.

Could it be that Harte says these things at Gala Events and other GAA events that he has been invited to? Then when he makes a comment about what he believes in, the media prints it? Noooo, that couldn't be it guys and gals!

Exactly, Ziggy. Perhaps it was that the others who spoke weren't interesting enough to print. Lay off Harte, he's been rarely wrong so far.

I think it stems from the dislike of sucessful managers in some corners, so no matter what he says he'll be critised for.

I like the idea of junior club players getting trips abroad for promoting the game. Take for instance the hurlers of clooney gaels in Ahoghill, probably the most difficult place in ireland to promote GAA, seriously bad for your health. Despite this they have won this years Ulster Junior Hurling Championship, beating my own club along the way. If we are going to have an international aspect to gaelic games it makes sense to promote it from the junior level, Dubai Hurlers wil never beat Ballyhale Shamrocks but the might give Clooney Gaels a good match plus it would be a huge boost/ perk for junior clubs everywhere. Well said mickey

 Attention seeker? Yep 2003 and 2005 got my attention alright!  ;)

TYP in some sort of agreement with Mickey Harte shocker!

Quote from: Fionntamhnach on November 17, 2006, 10:04:31 PM
TYP in some sort of agreement with Mickey Harte shocker!

He must be drunk.

Well there was  a Gaelic World Cup which was played in Dublin every 2nd year with mens teams from Scotland, Europe, Canada, North American Board. United Kingdom, London which finished in 2002 I think or maybe 2004.
The womens tournament still continues and also includes Australia...

At a large number of European GAA tournaments there are Irish club teams playing while on weekend trips.

The winners of this years Mens European League are taking part in the Leinster Junior Club Championship so maybe Mickey Harte should research first before commenting...

This is the only way to present our games on the international stage. Well done MH...

Micky may have a case here. It would be great to reward the club Champions at each grade by allowing them to represent Ireland in an International competition. The AI club championship at Junior, Intermediate & Senior would get an even bigger boost if a holiday was on offer to the winning team and to represent Ireland in the process. However, it would have to be graded so that no mismatches occur in the one-off Finals Match. Here's how it could be done:

Senior Football World Series (In New York)
Salthill/Knocknacarra v New York

Intermediate Football World Series (In London)
Irish Intermediate Champions (Carberry I think) v London

Junior Football World Series (In Paris)
Irish Junior Champs (Finuge) v European XV

Would these games be mismatches? Would it work?

Is this Mickey Harte's attempt at "anything but the International Rules?"

Hypothetical question.
Would an average senior Footballing/Hurling club, with no realistic chance of a senior county title, be willing to concede relegation for the chance to get a free foreign holiday as an intermediate championship winner the following year?

What about a Olympic tounament

  Announcing the Massey Ferguson Supreme Champions of the Universe?

There will be 4 Quadrant Galaxy Championships:

Kerrygold Sagittarius Dwarf Championship ( clubs from Munster and one of the Blaskets )

Stubbs Gazette Andromeda Galaxy Championship ( clubs from Connacht and Inisboffin )

Findus Black Eye Galaxy Championship ( clubs from Ulster and the Isle of Skye )

and finally

Evening Herald Helix Galaxy Championship ( clubs from Leinster and Antarctica )

A GAA spokesman said today that "Einstein's Theory of Relativity would sort out any scheduling problems ( take a bow Prof Mickey Harte ) as time would slow down for those travelling to play and watch the games".

Such an innovative idea would easily attract sponsors and we could have Marty Morrissey commanding the Sparship Centraprise Outside Broadcast Interstallar Engine ( SCOBIE ).

Fair weather supporters would be renamed Klingons and quickly dispatched to the breakaway Gaelic Planets Association. Spokesman Dessie Ferengi acknowledged his association would take all comers as his 'Rules of Acquisition' decreed.

The spokesman added "...( that ) this is really only the start of the Tyrone manager's plans. He is involved in dialogue with Oxford and MIT checking to see if we can expand the universe to provide greater coverage for Gaelic games. MIT are very keen on the idea and have even christened the project 'the all encompassing taking the Mickey Harte strategum' 





 

People are talking about Junior clubs playing abroad in a World series, great idea and all but, Who is going to pay for this? Will the players get expenses for each day they are away representing the GAA? Will they be covered for being out of pocket re wages missed, will this trip come out of their holidays or will all employers waive this for the good of the association.
Might be OK for a weekend in the States but what if a club in Australia or the Far East qualify and demand the games be played in their hemisphere?

As an amateur organisation we'll need to be a bit more realistic, too much is even being asked of club players playing at the highest level, and while i agree that is their own choice we are just going further and further down the road of professionalism by introducing this sort of thing in my view.

A complete pie in the sky idea.Stephenite is correct.Do we really expect junior clubs to be able to send their squad & mentors etc away for a 'World Series' game?
The reality of this is small clubs simply dont have the resources to do this.MH is dead against the Int Rules so he has just come up with something to get more opposition to it

I think the idea is good to help promote the games abroad.
Certainly give overseas GAA boards and clubs (and members) a bit of a lift knowing that they are not forgotten and that HQ still ratify them.
Most places have their championships
NY, North America, Aisa, Europe, Britain and australia - and these generally come over for 'world series'
maybe having these rotate to different 'host towns' each time would help promote the game and get some locals playing too

I know there is a carribean league starting up...lads who have not played in 5 years are getting ready to go training next month !

most of these boards can afford sending teams abroad once every couple of years - even once a year...it will increase interest and competition!

american football with all its money was unable to spread its reach. what make the gaa (or afl for that matter) think they can do it? the fact is gaa will only ever exist in ireland and theirs nothing wrong with that. it would be great however if the international rules could survive as it the ONLY meaningfull (ie pull a crowd over 2000) international outlet available imo...

Quoteamerican football with all its money was unable to spread its reach.

because a) it's shit to watch and b) you need to spend a small fortune in body armour and semi-pro organisation of games as its much too physical to play merely as a pastime just using a ball, unlike say basketball.    
we are talking about a nation that watched irish immigrants play rounders, copied then renamed it baseball and made it the national sport.

No flirtyflan,  I said jealousy AND rejection.   Are you telling me this doesn't exist with some (not the majority) Carmen fans?   FFS I'm even related to some I know are like that.  They can't stand Mickey Harte because a) he comes from & managed Errigal, b) he doen't select enough Carmen players and c)  (this is the best one yet, heard in Daly's bar after the 2005 AIF)  he lost us the Ulster final 05!   I mean wtf??  ???

As a seperate idea on its own I would have to agree with MH.
But I think that these sorts of ideas should not even be entertained until the club situation is sorted out. We are obssessed with rewarding winners in the GAA - the best players play for the county - the county teams get focused on more than any other unit.
The best club teams win their respective competitions and as a result should be rewarded with trips away.
We have lost track of what makes the GAA tick - the average club player  plays for 20 years and wins nothing or at the most one or two medals. This is the person shit upon byt he GAA at president.
We should cancel the International rules, put ideas like Mickeys on the back burner until the farcical club situation is sorted out.

Quote from: Over the Bar on November 21, 2006, 12:48:07 PM
No flirtyflan,  I said jealousy AND rejection.   Are you telling me this doesn't exist with some (not the majority) Carmen fans?   FFS I'm even related to some I know are like that.  They can't stand Mickey Harte because a) he comes from & managed Errigal, b) he doen't select enough Carmen players and c)  (this is the best one yet, heard in Daly's bar after the 2005 AIF)  he lost us the Ulster final 05!   I mean wtf??  ???

that made me laugh, nothing like a bit of local bitterness.  ;D

Personally I think the gaa could take alot more from other sports. Why not follow the baseball and make it a best of 3 or 5 final.

yeah - lets make it 3 out of 5 for the final - the club fixture list is not messed up enough already  ???

People are talking about who will pay for this when croke park is making more  money from non gaa based activities , Their is plenty of money . The North American County Board is able to host a national tournament every year for 1000's of kids so clearly funding could be arranged