Foot.ie

[realredhandfan]

There is a huge diffrence in what constitutes a soccor club and a GAA club, In some peoples  Humble Opinion what can be called a soccor club is a gatherup with no insurance, which gets free beer from the local pub to wear their jerseys and plays the beautiful game on a ratespayer bought and maintained pitch, shared between themselves and a few local dog walkers.  The GAA club challenges everyone n their community to contribute not just those playing a game.  They own and service their ground. It also subscibes to nationalistic ideals which is importanat in this day and age of rampant Southern wannabee loyalist / Europains.   I believe that the underlying guilt complex of many who never contributed diddly squat to anything but themselves is one of the reason why they criticise the GAA so highly.  They unfortunately often become nothing but a statistic who will live and die in a community that dosent love them/ maybe unfortunately dosent know them, except for their house, its the life of a kind of car criminal without the car crime.  To compare the grass roots of the GAA and the Grass roots of the association football is as wrong an action as Tess Daly and Vernon Kay ie on so many different levels.     

[thewobbler]

There's nothing like a thread such as this to show how insecure so many Gaels are about their sports.

I couldn't give a damn if soccer is the highest participatory sport in Ireland, nor could I give a damn if there are more soccer clubs than GAA. I prefer Gaelic football, pure and simple, and that's where I'm going to spend my time.

[realredhandfan]

I agree wobbler and thats your right, but again you are comparing 2 games at your level.  I subscribe to more of the deal, ie the nationalist outlook, the community building etc.  but hell at the end of the day I also think the games are the best in the world, its not paranoia its about counteracting the false perceptions.

[dubnut]

"but a lot of very resonable soccer guys are taking about boycotting soccer in CP over it"

Bull shite !!!
They are already making excuses for not filling Croke Park as the team are shite at the mo, thats all.

[haze]

at work 2 years ago, the day after the Leinster final between Laois and Dublin, i asked the lads i was having lunch with whether they were at the game... It was a simple enough question, since i thought 75% of Laois people had emigrated up to Dublin for the day. The response i got shows the while some GAA followers do have a serious dislike for soccer, it is nothing compared to that of many an Irish soccer follower.

They simply laughed at the prospect of watching "30 amateur footballers run aroung a field without an ounce of skill" and one of them said if they wanted to see real sport profesionals they would go to Old Trafford.. maybe i was sheltered in secondary school but i'd never heard anyone propose something so off the wall and farcical before. After attempting to defend the game i soon realised it was a lost cause. The four of them just had such an unadultrated hatred for everything the GAA stood.

What summed it up was when they described my attitude as being typical of the great majority of gaa supporters, "goes to mass every Sunday, votes Fianna Fai and will end up building a house beside the parents because of some sad loyalty to the local club"

What i think is that a certain % of soccer followers much more than hating the game of football, just hate what it stands for or more importantly what they think it stands for...

[Star Spangler]

Interesting site.  It still surprises me to see how some soccer supporters feel so inferior to the GAA.  "The lady doth protest too much..."

[Bogball XV]

is it? the FAI give the GAA money, the GAA give money to TD who use it to stop the FAI getting money. I have heard worse reasons for boycotts.

Do the gaa give money to TD?  Maybe that's how it works in Dublin, but afaik virtually every other club in the country is self funded, okay, they may get capital grants infrequently from the gaa, but if they were involved in legal action they would be funding that themselves - does your club get direct financial assistance Dublinfella?

I dont think anyone doubted any of that. We are talking about participation, not comparing the GAA to other amatuer sports, whatever other ones there are.

Is every sport not amateur in this country, I know when I play soccer (whilst, yeah I could have went pro, but it would have contradicted my amateur ethos), I do so at an amateur level, as i suspect do the majority of soccer participants in the country.

[Loughers]

What happens if, during one of the soccer matches at Croke park, there's anti-GAA chants from some of the crowd?  I think it's a distinct possibility.  Should the offenders be f*cked out?

[dublinfella]

There is a huge diffrence in what constitutes a soccor club and a GAA club, In some peoples  Humble Opinion what can be called a soccor club is a gatherup with no insurance, which gets free beer from the local pub to wear their jerseys and plays the beautiful game on a ratespayer bought and maintained pitch, shared between themselves and a few local dog walkers.  The GAA club challenges everyone n their community to contribute not just those playing a game.  They own and service their ground. It also subscibes to nationalistic ideals which is importanat in this day and age of rampant Southern wannabee loyalist / Europains.   I believe that the underlying guilt complex of many who never contributed diddly squat to anything but themselves is one of the reason why they criticise the GAA so highly.  They unfortunately often become nothing but a statistic who will live and die in a community that dosent love them/ maybe unfortunately dosent know them, except for their house, its the life of a kind of car criminal without the car crime.  To compare the grass roots of the GAA and the Grass roots of the association football is as wrong an action as Tess Daly and Vernon Kay ie on so many different levels.     

Its that kind of jingoistc nonsense that the foot.ie brigade are referring to. If you follow other sports you are less Irish?

[dublinfella]

is it? the FAI give the GAA money, the GAA give money to TD who use it to stop the FAI getting money. I have heard worse reasons for boycotts.

Do the gaa give money to TD?  Maybe that's how it works in Dublin, but afaik virtually every other club in the country is self funded, okay, they may get capital grants infrequently from the gaa, but if they were involved in legal action they would be funding that themselves - does your club get direct financial assistance Dublinfella?

I dont think anyone doubted any of that. We are talking about participation, not comparing the GAA to other amatuer sports, whatever other ones there are.

Is every sport not amateur in this country, I know when I play soccer (whilst, yeah I could have went pro, but it would have contradicted my amateur ethos), I do so at an amateur level, as i suspect do the majority of soccer participants in the country.

I was referring to the legal challenge which is already into the 6 figures. TD are getting CP financial help here.

You know exactly what I mean re amateurism. The GAA is the only sport that in theory no-one gets paid. Players and participants in soccer, Rugby, horses, athletics, golf etc can earn a crust playing their game.

[Bogball XV]

I was referring to the legal challenge which is already into the 6 figures. TD are getting CP financial help here.

Any back up to that?  I knew that's what you were referring to, but I still cannot see CP giving any money to a club for a legal challenge

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

Funny enough I've taken to looking at foot.ie at lot at me lunchtimes (Gaaboard is blocked off at work). Its a decent site and the lads are very passionate about their sport. I've a lot of time for the Eircom League, went to a few Derry games this season and had a great time so will probably become a more regular activity. But the only thing that really gets to me about that site is the constant hatred directed to GAA. Utterly small minds for many of them.