GAA funding issues verus Athletes

[Baile Brigín 2]

Jerry pissed off a few of us years ago when he gave out about 'The GAH' getting so much airplay or money or something.

Jerry was an honest broker who called it as he saw it and was an athletics man 100% to the core.

RIP

He was pissed off that the Olympics fund was raided to give intercounty players 3k each. He went into orbit when it was suggested GAA players were just as fit and trained as hard as elite track and field athletes and as such deserved it.

And he wasn't wrong.

[Baile Brigín 2]

Jerry Kiernan

Only 67. Sad news

67 is young for someone who was an olympic marathon runner. You would think they would live longer.

He had been ill since the summer

[Billys Boots]

Jerry pissed off a few of us years ago when he gave out about 'The GAH' getting so much airplay or money or something.

Jerry was an honest broker who called it as he saw it and was an athletics man 100% to the core.

RIP

He was pissed off that the Olympics fund was raided to give intercounty players 3k each. He went into orbit when it was suggested GAA players were just as fit and trained as hard as elite track and field athletes and as such deserved it.

And he wasn't wrong.

RIP Jerry, a true sportsman.  His honesty will be missed.

[imtommygunn]

The athletes he coached looked to have a genuine bond with him on a personal level too. The Cathal Dennehy (spelling) pice on him is really good. Ciara Mageean and John Travers have quite touching tributes in it.

[From the Bunker]

Jerry pissed off a few of us years ago when he gave out about 'The GAH' getting so much airplay or money or something.

Jerry was an honest broker who called it as he saw it and was an athletics man 100% to the core.

RIP

He was pissed off that the Olympics fund was raided to give intercounty players 3k each. He went into orbit when it was suggested GAA players were just as fit and trained as hard as elite track and field athletes and as such deserved it.

And he wasn't wrong.

+1

[bannside]

Dont agree at all.

Gaa brings more revenue back into the economy than athletics ever would. And even if training regimes back then were not as rigourous as todays exertions, the £3k at least went to some fund for reimbursing player expenses. Gaa players were seen by some as bogmen from the rural outreaches! It wasnt long after that the association under Peter Quinn began to assert itself as the premier sporting association on the island.

[gallsman]

Dont agree at all.

Gaa brings more revenue back into the economy than athletics ever would. And even if training regimes back then were not as rigourous as todays exertions, the £3k at least went to some fund for reimbursing player expenses. Gaa players were seen by some as bogmen from the rural outreaches! It wasnt long after that the association under Peter Quinn began to assert itself as the premier sporting association on the island.

While that all may be true, it does nothing to disprove Jerry's argument that full time, professional athletes were fitter athletes then GAA players.

[6th sam]

Dont agree at all.

Gaa brings more revenue back into the economy than athletics ever would. And even if training regimes back then were not as rigourous as todays exertions, the £3k at least went to some fund for reimbursing player expenses. Gaa players were seen by some as bogmen from the rural outreaches! It wasnt long after that the association under Peter Quinn began to assert itself as the premier sporting association on the island.

While that all may be true, it does nothing to disprove Jerry's argument that full time, professional athletes were fitter athletes then GAA players.

It didn't take Peter Quinn to make GAA the premier sport.
Intercounty Gaelic players deserve €3k which goes some way to alleviate the costs of Intercounty football , travel, gear, equipment, nutrition, lost opportunities. However there are very few GAA county players who match the training exertions snd sacrifices of Olympic standard athletes, who need to be able to be professional full time athletes to compete on the international stage.

[bannside]

Without one shadow of a doubt Peter Quinn brought the GAA much further forward as sporting organisation....to a place where it could be respectfully considered as Irelands premier sport. Up to then it had been looked down on by many as the sport of bogmen. But PQ changed that.

The GAA has done more for the country on multiple levels than a few middle or long distance runners, and Im not disrespecting the deceased views by stating that as a fact.

Im not saying dont fund elite athletes that can bring great honour and excitement to the country (Katie Walsh et al). But not at the expense of respecting the efforts of the hundreds of inter county gaa players who consistently deliver months on end of high skill and endeavour to the Irish nation year after year.

[gallsman]

Without one shadow of a doubt Peter Quinn brought the GAA much further forward as sporting organisation....to a place where it could be respectfully considered as Irelands premier sport. Up to then it had been looked down on by many as the sport of bogmen. But PQ changed that.

The GAA has done more for the country on multiple levels than a few middle or long distance runners, and Im not disrespecting the deceased views by stating that as a fact.

Im not saying dont fund elite athletes that can bring great honour and excitement to the country (Katie Walsh et al). But not at the expense of respecting the efforts of the hundreds of inter county gaa players who consistently deliver months on end of high skill and endeavour to the Irish nation year after year.

What arguement are you actually trying to make here? This isn't about the sacrifice made by intercounty athletes or how great an organisation, for all its flaws, the GAA is. Nobody's disputing any of that.

What Kiernan took exception to was the suggestion that amateur players, who have to balance work and training could ever be considered as fit or as athletic as a full time professional aspiring to get to the Olympics. Dispute that if you want, but stop banging on about the rest of it.

[Baile Brigín 2]

Dont agree at all.

Gaa brings more revenue back into the economy than athletics ever would. And even if training regimes back then were not as rigourous as todays exertions, the £3k at least went to some fund for reimbursing player expenses. Gaa players were seen by some as bogmen from the rural outreaches! It wasnt long after that the association under Peter Quinn began to assert itself as the premier sporting association on the island.

Thats an argument for professionalism or at least semi professionalism in tbe GAA. Its not an argument as to why the state are obliged to pay GAA players. And only the males.

But it still avoids his core point. You cannot credibly claim the Sligo hurlers are fitter or train better than someone aspiring to do damage at an Olympics.

[bannside]

My argument is that both are deserving of state aid support. Not one at the expense of the other.

Jerry was miffed that GAA players were rewarded. He shouldnt have been.

[restorepride]

Without one shadow of a doubt Peter Quinn brought the GAA much further forward as sporting organisation....to a place where it could be respectfully considered as Irelands premier sport. Up to then it had been looked down on by many as the sport of bogmen. But PQ changed that.

The GAA has done more for the country on multiple levels than a few middle or long distance runners, and Im not disrespecting the deceased views by stating that as a fact.

Im not saying dont fund elite athletes that can bring great honour and excitement to the country (Katie Walsh et al). But not at the expense of respecting the efforts of the hundreds of inter county gaa players who consistently deliver months on end of high skill and endeavour to the Irish nation year after year.

100% correct re PQ.  Gael agus fear uasal.

[Baile Brigín 2]

My argument is that both are deserving of state aid support. Not one at the expense of the other.

Jerry was miffed that GAA players were rewarded. He shouldnt have been.

But it was at the expense of the other... Literally. And thats why he was miffed

[Baile Brigín 2]

Without one shadow of a doubt Peter Quinn brought the GAA much further forward as sporting organisation....to a place where it could be respectfully considered as Irelands premier sport. Up to then it had been looked down on by many as the sport of bogmen. But PQ changed that.

The GAA has done more for the country on multiple levels than a few middle or long distance runners, and Im not disrespecting the deceased views by stating that as a fact.

Im not saying dont fund elite athletes that can bring great honour and excitement to the country (Katie Walsh et al). But not at the expense of respecting the efforts of the hundreds of inter county gaa players who consistently deliver months on end of high skill and endeavour to the Irish nation year after year.

Also an argument for professionalism.

Why should the taxpayer be on the hook?