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At last the GAA are showing financial support through Dion for Development Officers for each county here in Britain. That support is welcome as all/many people currently coaching and working within clubs and counties in Britain do so as well as holding down jobs and give up their free time to do as much as they can. It's high time the GAA saw what was going on and put money into coaching here and fair play to them.

However, I would be very interested to know how the appointments will be made. Will individual counties have an input into the selection procedure for their officer? Could a candidate who applies(unsuccessfully) for the position in London (say) be offered the same post in Scotland? Or will Provincial Council think "they know best" and appoint anyway. What about current coaches who are already paid a salary as some in London and Warwickshire - will they have to reapply for their jobs? Should be interesting to see how it all pans out, hopefully to everyone's benefit.

Just to inform you all - Danny Hynes, a 23-year-old Tulsk player who joined St. Benedicts in Leeds for the summer of 2005 and played in that year's Yorkshire Senior final, lost his life in an accident in Westmeath on Tuesday morning.
St. Benedicts send their sympathy to his family, friends and club. He will be especially remembered on Sunday at this year's Yorkshire Championship Final between oiurselves and Young Irelands.

Must say that the final should be a great game between two sets of players who dearly want to beat the other, but with little or no malice. All the players get on well together and will have a pint or four afterwards regardless of the result. Mind you, the Benedicts' lads well be hell-bent on gaining their first Yorkshire "Senior" Championship, and revenge for last year, after only five years playing open-age.
As to Bros. Pearse not taking defeat too well - all I'll say is that some of them were carrying on and complaining about the result and referee. They are a good bunch of lads when they are winning, but they are poor losers!!

Today (Sunday) saw the Yorkshire Senior Championship semi-final between Bros. Pearse (Huddersfield) against St. Benedicts Harps. After a half-time deficit of four points, St. Benedicts won by 2-5 - 0-10 after a hard fought game. Shame the County Board didn't organise nets and flags and also that the Bros. Pearse lads couldn't take their defeat.

Here we go again!! Not only are the paying public fleeced by the GAA through exorbitant entrance fees, now the clubs will have to (eventually) replace all their kits. Where do they think the money is going to come from? Many clubs are struggling financially as it is.

I've got it!! The GAA will pay for them?

I see some of the so-called experts are calling for the scrapping of the Provincial championships. Interesting? I've been suggesting that for ages. The way I see the game moving forward to everyone's benefit would be as follows:

The eight quarter-finalists to be seeded (winners 1, runners-up 2, losing semi-finalists 3 and 4 etc). These provide the first county in each of eight groups A - H). An open draw would then follow to fill each of the other three places in the groups. This will enable ALL counties to have a minimum of three Championship games and the winners of each group progress into the All-Ireland quarter-finals. The Provincial's could be played another time if the counties really wanted to keep them in place.

Never mind money (not something the GAA is likely to take on board!), games are the issue here.

St. Benedicts Harps in Leeds have had three Dinner Dances so far and a buffet-type dance where we deliberately had no speaker. At our first we had the Sam Maguire (I know he would be fairly silent) with the then Tyrone County Chairman, Liam Nelis and Cuthbert Donnelly. At the second we had John Power from Kilkenny and our latest was graced again by the Sam Maguire with Peter Canavan. All guests were excellent both in speeches and in putting themselves about. Absolutely first class.

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=guT76kAPYs0

Check this out and see if it reminds you of anyone in particular!!!

"Grass roots level to benefit
19 August 2007


At an extraordinary meeting of Central Council on Saturday, it was agreed that significant financial funding would be made available to further develop the grass roots level of the GAA.

The funding is set to come from the revenue gained from hosting soccer and rugby internationals at Croke Park over the coming years, while the figure reported to be considered is in the region of €38 million.

The funding includes €8.5 million for county boards specifically for club associated development projects. In addition and because of rapid demographic changes, special urban initiatives will be funded, as will new hurling development initiatives.

There will also be a number of training facilities around the country brought up to a standard where there will be floodlights and all-weather pitches developed over the coming years.

Mr Nickey Brennan, the President of the GAA, emphasised that this is a once off investment additional to funding made available on an annual basis from the GAA's traditional income sources."

The above from Central Council has got to be good news, however, I wonder if any of it will find its' way to Britain.

Thoughts?

Carnaross - not correct. The rule above is clear. Under the new disciplinary rules the code (hurling/football/handball/rounders) and level (inter-provincial/inter-county/club etc) are taken into account.

My reading of the situation is that the lad is free to play the football unless it was a category IV or V infraction (very serious).

Correct. A 4 week suspension allows you to play other codes, but a 12 week suspension means a ban from all things GAA.

Players sent off in Gaelic games are banned for at least one month from the date of the offence from all GAA activities.

Good luck with your draw. We at St. Benedicts Harps in Leeds know what you are up against when selling tickets. We are doing the same on August 4. On offer are a Ford Fiesta, a holiday to Portugal, a plasma TV, a laptop plus various other (smaller) prizes. Tickets are £20/30 euros each. This includes entry into the event where there will be a buffet, Irish music, band and disco. And all for £20. For tickets please email me at wfmullan@hotmail.com.

http://stbenedictsharps.intheteam.com

TIA

Result of draw held on August 4 2007 in the Leeds Irish Centre.
Car - E. Henson (Leeds). Holiday - Seamus McFadden (Leeds), Plasma TV - Mick Sayers (Leeds) and Laptop - Victoria O'Dowd (Bingley)

There's very little between Young Irelands and St. Benedicts. One team will win one day and the other will win the next day. YI's won the other day with two late points in a very good game played in a great spirit between two sets of players who get on very well together. There was no mention of St. Benedicts' so-called inability to "hack it in the big games" when I had a few drinks with the YI lads after the game last week. As I say most of the games between the two clubs are very close affairs.

I'm told Mitchel's won by three points despite Peter's being the better side. I guess it's scores that count.

IMHO I believe Mitchel's will win this one - they are a better team all round. Peter's beat us by double scores in the league but only by two points in the semi-final. Now whether that's because we have improved immensely or that they were missing players in the semi, I don't know, but that game could have gone either way. Mitchel's beat us comfortably in Liverpool, although we had five under 16's in the starting line-up (that was before the daft rule about under-age players was brought in). So, Mitchel's to win - not sure by how much tho'.