What does the GAA mean to you ?

[seafoid]

I would have been aware at a certain age that there were parts of the county that we never played hurling matches but that was because it was football country. GAA often didn't get much coverage on TV in the North 40 years ago. Surely that was political .

[From the Bunker]

The GAA have always been a Political organisation from the foreign code ban to the naming of Clubs after Irish Patriots.

We have a ''Community Pitch'' as our local GAA Ground. There is no way in hell Soccer or Rugby would be allowed to be played on it. I completely understand why. It was all GAA heads who were the driving force to see it happen. They used the ''Community Pitch'' Slogan as a flag of convenience when fundraising.

[AustinPowers]

In the North the GA A plays a role in identity that wouldn't be as important in the South. One of the things I like about the organisation  is local excellence. Every county has a team or two that  knows how to win. County teams that come back after a long absence to win. Leitrim's 3 Connacht titles. Generational families like the Cooneys and the Hopper McGraths.

The south have no identity to GAA?

It's different. It's far less political. More parochial and county. Politics are very different in the 2 jurisdictions as well, obviously.

But when I got involved in GAA at primary school, I'd no idea of religion the country I lived in or the politics of the place, the sporting side and then club was just that, nothing more, it became a passion because I enjoyed it, not to make a statement..

It's never been political

Yeah that's the  same for me

I was brought  up in the country and  everybody played Gaelic  football from a young age (6 or 7) .  That was all  we knew. There were no  soccer, rugby   tennis clubs or whatever else.  We did  play  tennis on the street during Wimbledon time , and soccer at  lunchtime in school. 

As you to around 9 or 10  , you did become  aware of  the anthem flag etc , but even then the  republican names  element  I'd no idea about.  I always remember  playing  a match (around 7) against an amalgamation  side called Kevin barry's ,  and I just  thought  the man running the team  was called that

This narrative from certain unionist  element  that the GAA was the IRA at play is  absolutely mental. Most kids up until 9 or 10 have  no idea of the   political issues involved. They just play for the love of the game.  Nothing else

[seafoid]

How an organisation is perceived in a highly polarised society is usually not a function of what 10 year olds are thinking. In my experience

[trueblue1234]

The GAA have always been a Political organisation from the foreign code ban to the naming of Clubs after Irish Patriots.

We have a ''Community Pitch'' as our local GAA Ground. There is no way in hell Soccer or Rugby would be allowed to be played on it. I completely understand why. It was all GAA heads who were the driving force to see it happen. They used the ''Community Pitch'' Slogan as a flag of convenience when fundraising.

That was one of the big things in the north anyway. It was the commitment of the volunteers to pull together and look for better facilities/ pitches in the gaa. Soccer is certainly catching up now, but in Tyrone for example the grounds held by small rural clubs is a credit to the effort put in over the years. Can't speak for the south tho.

[tbrick18]

For me the GAA had meant different things to me throughout the years.
As a child and probably until I was 14/15 it was where you meet your friends to play football (I was crap at hurling so was always jealous of my friends who played it as I felt like I was missing out on the craic. I was never deadly at football either, but stuck it out as I loved it). It was about having fun at training and as matches got more competitive against other clubs I certainly became more parochial. As a young cub you felt a sense of pride about being associated with your club and county, entirely from a sporting point of view.

As I got older the political identity also became a part of my love of the GAA. That sense of Irishness. It almost felt like being involved in the GAA was like sticking two fingers up to the British. But it was never an overly political thing for me, more about a feeling of demonstrating my Irishness. I have always found the GAA to be inclusive of all denominations and races, apart from the odd wing-nut. There were certainly many times I felt persecuted as I was a member of the GAA. School bus getting stoned going through loyalist towns going to school matches, having bottles thrown at us going through Fivemiletown on the way to Clones for county games, roads being blocked by loyalists coming from from Croke Park, burning of GAA flags etc. All this ever did was increase my determination to be more public in my love of all things GAA and Irish. I don't think many, if any, in the ROI would have experienced this.

As I got older still and travelled abroad, one of the first things you'd do was find an Irish bar. Conversations inevitably come around the the GAA and you find that common bond with people you don't know who are also far from home. I watched the 2003 all-ireland final in a bar in Chicago with a bunch of strangers from Tryone and Armagh. One of the best experiences of my life. For me this is one of the most important elements. Involvement in the in the GAA now means you can travel practically anywhere in the world and have an almost ready made community there that you can get involved in with other GAA ex-pats.

Nowadays, I'm still staunchly parochial when it comes to County. Even though I live in a different county, I'm still Derry to the bone and that is just part of my identity now. My kids play in my adoptive county, most actually support Derry but they would also support the county we live in (unfortunately that is Tyrone). I coach and so my new club is become part of every day life. My kids have that connection to our new club and I do what I can to instill that sense of identity with them and its actually an amazing feeling to be involved with young kids playing who are at the start of their relationship with the GAA and just want to play games with their friends and have fun.

So I guess over the years the GAA has meant different things to me at different periods of my life.

[Milltown Row2]

I love that 'different' language we go into, not Irish lol, but GAA language, any outsider in your group is completely lost if ya talk GAA 

[seafoid]

I love the conversations you can have anywhere during the summer or asking people where they are from and making the GAA links.

[Rossfan]

Amateurism?

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/2023/09/23/has-the-gaa-finally-given-up-on-amateurism/

[naka]

Amateurism?

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/2023/09/23/has-the-gaa-finally-given-up-on-amateurism/

Was out for a run this morning with a mate from another club
They have spent 80k on managers over past 5 years and nothing in infrastructure under age etc
To win nothing
My club has spent the same on infrastructure and no paid managers
We have a new  underage field ,walkway etc
We won nothing either
The amount flowing out of clubs in search of success is bonkers

[Rossfan]

That alleged €60m per year would provide an awful lot of facilities, stadium upgrades etc etc

[Itchy]

Small intermediate club brushing with relegation

7k - s&C
10k - manager
2k- physio at matches
2k- camera man at matches
0.5k - supplements
1k - mindfulness
1k - shrinks
2k - gear for players

There's more I can't recall but that was the low down at a club meeting I was at recently. You see they've a new wave guru in place now.

Results, narrowly avoided relegation in the league. In relegation play off in championship.

But the gullible, no doubt including a lot on this forum, will think this is all very reasonable.

[Ethan Tremblay]

My own club is in a similar scenario.  Only into intermediate a few years and they have hired in an outside manager. 

This guy comes with a host of coaches, all are being paid, the team is getting buses to matches and all new gear and that.  Big money for a club that isn't coming down with it.   

The team is struggling to beat teams they really should be beating, their style of play has little to no flair and they are setup to defend 1 point leads. 

My immediate thinking when watching them all year, is that this clown is being paid to get these fellas fit to run, and not play football. 

Countless times in their last match, with 14 players behind the ball, when they were breaking out, they were getting to the 40yard line and turning back.  On one occasion our star player was 1v1 in the full forward line, the team had broke, and instead of kicking the ball in, they played it safe and turned back to maintain possession.  (I would say there was less than 20 kickpasses the entire game, I doubt the players would trust themselves to kick anymore)

The manager himself is essentially being paid £20k to make the players worse, has kept the team playing well below their level and will walk away doing short term financial damage to the club, and long term development damage to the players. 

Its a serious issue

[Itchy]

My own club is in a similar scenario.  Only into intermediate a few years and they have hired in an outside manager. 

This guy comes with a host of coaches, all are being paid, the team is getting buses to matches and all new gear and that.  Big money for a club that isn't coming down with it.   

The team is struggling to beat teams they really should be beating, their style of play has little to no flair and they are setup to defend 1 point leads. 

My immediate thinking when watching them all year, is that this clown is being paid to get these fellas fit to run, and not play football. 

Countless times in their last match, with 14 players behind the ball, when they were breaking out, they were getting to the 40yard line and turning back.  On one occasion our star player was 1v1 in the full forward line, the team had broke, and instead of kicking the ball in, they played it safe and turned back to maintain possession.  (I would say there was less than 20 kickpasses the entire game, I doubt the players would trust themselves to kick anymore)

The manager himself is essentially being paid £20k to make the players worse, has kept the team playing well below their level and will walk away doing short term financial damage to the club, and long term development damage to the players. 

Its a serious issue

Aye, what happened to going out to
win a game. Even suggesting such a thing you'd be called a dinosaur.