Antrim Football Thread

[JimStynes]

Tbh it is more in phases in the country with population. I am from a pretty small place and there have been years were we couldn't field because there just aren't the numbers. Belfast always would have the numbers so the phase thing isn't quite the same.

Demographics are changing though and with that st Brigids and st endas should come. The question is what comes out of the west. St. Paul's do seem to be competing at a better level and st galls got to u20 final so there must be a kick in them. St. John's don't appear to have as much coming through. Sarsfields you hear less of these days too. Rossa have players at an age they should be competitive in senior at both.

Rossa have the players to challenge in the football if they decided to really give the football a go for a few years.

[imtommygunn]

Yeah for me they have always focused a wee bit more on the hurling side maybe won't happen.

[Christmas Lights]

An Antrim senior team falls again at the first hurdle in Ulster.  When was the last time an Antrim senior team won a game in the Ulster club?

[country bumpkin]

Think the elephant in the room is the fact almost to a man the presently  successful' clubs in the S West they were educated in South Derry, St Pius x, St Patrick's Maghera, and St Mary's all of whom are successful on the college, football route.
PG1 are also benifitting to a degree whilst Aghagallon benefit from the input of St Ronans.

Been a while since St Malachys, St Mary's CBS or any school/college has made a mark on the college football scene...
Think the last time the Mc Crory cup visited Belfast was way back in the 60s....

[Tyrdub]

Think the elephant in the room is the fact almost to a man the presently  successful' clubs in the S West they were educated in South Derry, St Pius x, St Patrick's Maghera, and St Mary's all of whom are successful on the college, football route.
PG1 are also benifitting to a degree whilst Aghagallon benefit from the input of St Ronans.

Been a while since St Malachys, St Mary's CBS or any school/college has made a mark on the college football scene...
Think the last time the Mc Crory cup visited Belfast was way back in the 60s....

1986

[Milltown Row2]

Think the elephant in the room is the fact almost to a man the presently  successful' clubs in the S West they were educated in South Derry, St Pius x, St Patrick's Maghera, and St Mary's all of whom are successful on the college, football route.
PG1 are also benifitting to a degree whilst Aghagallon benefit from the input of St Ronans.

Been a while since St Malachys, St Mary's CBS or any school/college has made a mark on the college football scene...
Think the last time the Mc Crory cup visited Belfast was way back in the 60s....

1986, but don't let that get in the way your point... Only Belfast schools have won it also

[Caesar]

Rossa have the players to challenge in the football if they decided to really give the football a go for a few years.
[/quote]

Rossa a team full of potential and who seem to have a bit of momentum at the moment. St Enda's and St Brigids also looking strong for the future.

Excuse my ignorance but what are the main challenges facing struggling clubs like St Johns at underage?

[imtommygunn]

Think the elephant in the room is the fact almost to a man the presently  successful' clubs in the S West they were educated in South Derry, St Pius x, St Patrick's Maghera, and St Mary's all of whom are successful on the college, football route.
PG1 are also benifitting to a degree whilst Aghagallon benefit from the input of St Ronans.

Been a while since St Malachys, St Mary's CBS or any school/college has made a mark on the college football scene...
Think the last time the Mc Crory cup visited Belfast was way back in the 60s....

Yeah I think this too. A lot of our very good players get schooled in Derry and it's a massive benefit. St Galls also had the benefit of a lot of their players playing sigerson. (although the chicken egg thing there is they were obviously good enough to play sigerson so they must have been doing something right training wise too). On the flip side Belfast clubs have been providing players to universities who are good enough to compete at that level - e.g. McBride, Fitzpatrick, I think I saw McEnhill from Rossa was on a sigerson side too and then you could go back to half the st galls team too.

[bannside]

It's nothing short of an embarrassment how standards have slipped in the city. Anyone who wants to debate this is in denial. Antrim need a thriving competitive senior club football scene in Belfast. It's simply not there, and now we are talking about underage amalgamations just to field teams.

Talk about a renaissance of Irish culture and all things Gailige. There would still be GAA clubs there who would switch off TnaG to watch the soccer or the horse racing from what I am told.

The only thing will change this is a consistently successful County Team and I'm not holding out any great hope on that score either. We might end up competitive in Div 3 but that's not going to excite the masses!

This is where the director of football role really needs to kick in. There's 50 potentially elite juveniles in our midst, aged 12 to 16. Can we get 20 of them through a meaningful pipeline so that in ten years we will have a squad at senior level to be proud of???

This is entirely outside of anything related to county development squads. It's on top of that.

The structure behind that must be club led. Each club should be making sure every elite player within their jurisdiction does not slip the net!

[Spike]

Think the elephant in the room is the fact almost to a man the presently  successful' clubs in the S West they were educated in South Derry, St Pius x, St Patrick's Maghera, and St Mary's all of whom are successful on the college, football route.
PG1 are also benifitting to a degree whilst Aghagallon benefit from the input of St Ronans.

Been a while since St Malachys, St Mary's CBS or any school/college has made a mark on the college football scene...
Think the last time the Mc Crory cup visited Belfast was way back in the 60s....

Yeah I think this too. A lot of our very good players get schooled in Derry and it's a massive benefit. St Galls also had the benefit of a lot of their players playing sigerson. (although the chicken egg thing there is they were obviously good enough to play sigerson so they must have been doing something right training wise too). On the flip side Belfast clubs have been providing players to universities who are good enough to compete at that level - e.g. McBride, Fitzpatrick, I think I saw McEnhill from Rossa was on a sigerson side too and then you could go back to half the st galls team too.

The environment and culture in South Derry schools and clubs where they eat, sleep, breathe football is a large part of this, which isn't perhaps as evident in other parts of Antrim.  There are exceptions of course, but in those South Derry schools the social status within the schools plus the interest in GAA and competition within is encouraged massively by the school itself. Similar to the Rugby grammar schools ethos.   I would imagine Belfast schools have a lot of soccer competition which wouldn't be the case in South Derry.  The SW Antrim clubs are benefitting from the total South Derry GAA Hotbed Environment where likes of SW Antrim Schools wouldn't be just as ingrained.

[Milltown Row2]

I'll have to have a look back in the old board and see, but I can't remember people worried about the state of SW clubs during St Galls period of dominance, I don't know why people seemed panicked by this tbh.

No one has their had in the sand btw either. What is the make up of the leagues last year?

Gorts, St Galls, St Johns, Rossa, St Brid's, Lamhs, St Enda's (they aint SW) .. I'd be concerned if this fell away, I've ref'd enough games to see the competitive nature of the leagues.

Its ok to share

[rogercasement]

As I have previously stated, Derry schools unashamedly promote Gaa both in time and finance. They are not scared to spend big and employ names. I was reading a piece at the weekend where the Big man Lagan that died recently had got a 4g pitch for his primary school, my young fella is lucky if he has a ball between 30 in his school. All makes a difference.

[Spike]

I'll have to have a look back in the old board and see, but I can't remember people worried about the state of SW clubs during St Galls period of dominance, I don't know why people seemed panicked by this tbh.

No one has their had in the sand btw either. What is the make up of the leagues last year?

Gorts, St Galls, St Johns, Rossa, St Brid's, Lamhs, St Enda's (they aint SW) .. I'd be concerned if this fell away, I've ref'd enough games to see the competitive nature of the leagues.

Its ok to share

The point appears that it is all about the perspective that SW clubs are overperforming with limited numbers in a more conducive GAA environment, whereas Belfast clubs appear to be underperforming when relying on a large population with a less conducive environment.

It only stands to sense that if Belfast manages to change the environment then Belfast clubs will take off and SW clubs wont stand a chance

[Milltown Row2]

I'll have to have a look back in the old board and see, but I can't remember people worried about the state of SW clubs during St Galls period of dominance, I don't know why people seemed panicked by this tbh.

No one has their had in the sand btw either. What is the make up of the leagues last year?

Gorts, St Galls, St Johns, Rossa, St Brid's, Lamhs, St Enda's (they aint SW) .. I'd be concerned if this fell away, I've ref'd enough games to see the competitive nature of the leagues.

Its ok to share

The point appears that it is all about the perspective that SW clubs are overperforming with limited numbers in a more conducive GAA environment, whereas Belfast clubs appear to be underperforming when relying on a large population with a less conducive environment.

It only stands to sense that if Belfast manages to change the environment then Belfast clubs will take off and SW clubs wont stand a chance

I think its a case of Belfast clubs should have higher numbers but the promotion of other sports in Belfast is very high, we've basketballers, soccer lads and the rest within our teams, Schools that I went to never played any other sport, now they all dabble at every sport.

By the same token SW clubs wouldn't want a Dublin set up!

Under performing yes, dead, no, could do better, as my many teachers got fed up saying

[bannside]

The Dublin model might just not work as handy as people think in Belfast. First of all the Dublin clubs have very large memberships, some well into their thousands. Each member could pay at least £100 a year for the privilege. Just going by my sister who is a member of a club in Fingal. Do you know that St Sylvesters Malahide field 8 or 10 under twelve teams! And they are not the only ones catering literally for hundreds in each age group.

Each club in Dublin pays circa €20k to Dublin Co Board for the provision of a fully qualified coach to work in each club, liaising between the local club and the local school(s). Would that work in Belfast. Yes maybe in a few clubs but that kind of outlay might tip a few over the edge!

The interest in Dublin GAA has been fed by a county winning titles. Every young lad or lass wants to grow up and pull on the Dublin jersey. 

That's the chicken and egg scenario. Our youth want to see an Antrim team in Div 1. Nothing else will cut it.

Thats where the sheer importance of a highly efficient Director of Football comes in....aided by a vibrant sub committee, supported in full by all County Offices, and essentially, every club in Antrim putting in right structures at juvenile level.

Nothing else is going to get this done.