Belfast GAA is dying...

[Milltown Row2]

There's a health and safety aspect to all this too so I get that they are fenced off, someone gets hurt and they sue the club!

I haven't the answers to this, other than hard work and concentrated work to generate that passion, I think Croke should be opened to clubs for big fixtures to bring the kids in for free, a lot of semifinals are not always full capacity this can sometimes drive that interests..

This is not to take away all the good work that is being done by those (usually flogged to death) coaches within clubs... I know what its like and did it for many years, I doubt now I'd have the stomach or desire to go back into that level of commitment again, as I'm not a half measured type of person, I expect that the effort I put in is given back to me from the kids involved..

Participation isn't so much a problem, I think the numbers are there, I just don't think we are using that as wisely as we could have.. We need a culture/tradition on top of the coaching being on point..   

[Tony Baloney]

There are just so many more distractions now for kids and they certainly don't get the same free rein we got as youngsters. We genuinely could have been (and were) away from morning to night and my Ma wouldn't have given it a second thought. The age old question in Belfast still remains - are there too many teams and if you had more amalgamations would/could more success spur more interest.

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

I, too, pine for the days when kids played in the street and Antrim were class.

Oh wait...

[Upandover]

There are just so many more distractions now for kids and they certainly don't get the same free rein we got as youngsters. We genuinely could have been (and were) away from morning to night and my Ma wouldn't have given it a second thought. The age old question in Belfast still remains - are there too many teams and if you had more amalgamations would/could more success spur more interest.

I do think there is too many teams, certainly in west belfast.

[Spike]

would a problem be are the clubs too bunched up in some areas?  St Pauls, Rossa, Sarsfields.  St Galls, St Johns, O'Donnells. Eire Og, St Aggies. 

Has anyone did a study of what is optimum? like in an urban environment would 10,000 people per club be the norm? appreciate it is vastly different than the country clubs where much less is expected.

Working at a high level, If Dublin has a pop of roughly 1.5m and 134 clubs that leaves it loosely at 11,000 per club.   If West Belfast has a pop of 100,000 people then 10 clubs would be the suggestion. lots of Belfast specifics to consider including spacing out the clubs.     

[NAG1]

would a problem be are the clubs too bunched up in some areas?  St Pauls, Rossa, Sarsfields.  St Galls, St Johns, O'Donnells. Eire Og, St Aggies. 

Has anyone did a study of what is optimum? like in an urban environment would 10,000 people per club be the norm? appreciate it is vastly different than the country clubs where much less is expected.

Working at a high level, If Dublin has a pop of roughly 1.5m and 134 clubs that leaves it loosely at 11,000 per club.   If West Belfast has a pop of 100,000 people then 10 clubs would be the suggestion. lots of Belfast specifics to consider including spacing out the clubs.     

Not sure the geographic location of any of the clubs comes into it, I would imagine looking at it that none of them are pulling huge numbers from their locality any way.

[general_lee]

would a problem be are the clubs too bunched up in some areas?  St Pauls, Rossa, Sarsfields.  St Galls, St Johns, O'Donnells. Eire Og, St Aggies. 

Has anyone did a study of what is optimum? like in an urban environment would 10,000 people per club be the norm? appreciate it is vastly different than the country clubs where much less is expected.

Working at a high level, If Dublin has a pop of roughly 1.5m and 134 clubs that leaves it loosely at 11,000 per club.  If West Belfast has a pop of 100,000 people then 10 clubs would be the suggestion. lots of Belfast specifics to consider including spacing out the clubs.     

Lurgan has a population of 28,634; 62.2% of whom would not be hostile to the GAA. That amounts to 17,642. That allows for 4,410 per club. There are currently 3 SFC clubs including the current county champions, 1 IFC club and then two of the SFC clubs field second teams in the IFC & JFC.

[johnnycool]

would a problem be are the clubs too bunched up in some areas?  St Pauls, Rossa, Sarsfields.  St Galls, St Johns, O'Donnells. Eire Og, St Aggies. 

Has anyone did a study of what is optimum? like in an urban environment would 10,000 people per club be the norm? appreciate it is vastly different than the country clubs where much less is expected.

Working at a high level, If Dublin has a pop of roughly 1.5m and 134 clubs that leaves it loosely at 11,000 per club.   If West Belfast has a pop of 100,000 people then 10 clubs would be the suggestion. lots of Belfast specifics to consider including spacing out the clubs.     

Not sure the geographic location of any of the clubs comes into it, I would imagine looking at it that none of them are pulling huge numbers from their locality any way.

If anyone from South Antrim/Belfast was doing the stats of the potential playing base of primary school children in those catchment area's and correlated that against the actual numbers affiliated to the clubs in that same area you'd have a better idea of the size of the problem.

Belfast clubs don't remotely compare in size to their Dublin city or indeed Cork city clubs when it comes to members, and active members at that.

[NAG1]

would a problem be are the clubs too bunched up in some areas?  St Pauls, Rossa, Sarsfields.  St Galls, St Johns, O'Donnells. Eire Og, St Aggies. 

Has anyone did a study of what is optimum? like in an urban environment would 10,000 people per club be the norm? appreciate it is vastly different than the country clubs where much less is expected.

Working at a high level, If Dublin has a pop of roughly 1.5m and 134 clubs that leaves it loosely at 11,000 per club.   If West Belfast has a pop of 100,000 people then 10 clubs would be the suggestion. lots of Belfast specifics to consider including spacing out the clubs.     

Not sure the geographic location of any of the clubs comes into it, I would imagine looking at it that none of them are pulling huge numbers from their locality any way.

If anyone from South Antrim/Belfast was doing the stats of the potential playing base of primary school children in those catchment area's and correlated that against the actual numbers affiliated to the clubs in that same area you'd have a better idea of the size of the problem.

Belfast clubs don't remotely compare in size to their Dublin city or indeed Cork city clubs when it comes to members, and active members at that.

Not to be sticking the boot in but I would have thought that's exactly what Gaelfast's role was and maybe did start out with that type of intent in PD's time.

But soon seemed to move away from that.

[Christmas Lights]

would a problem be are the clubs too bunched up in some areas?  St Pauls, Rossa, Sarsfields.  St Galls, St Johns, O'Donnells. Eire Og, St Aggies. 

Has anyone did a study of what is optimum? like in an urban environment would 10,000 people per club be the norm? appreciate it is vastly different than the country clubs where much less is expected.

Working at a high level, If Dublin has a pop of roughly 1.5m and 134 clubs that leaves it loosely at 11,000 per club.   If West Belfast has a pop of 100,000 people then 10 clubs would be the suggestion. lots of Belfast specifics to consider including spacing out the clubs.     

Not sure the geographic location of any of the clubs comes into it, I would imagine looking at it that none of them are pulling huge numbers from their locality any way.

If anyone from South Antrim/Belfast was doing the stats of the potential playing base of primary school children in those catchment area's and correlated that against the actual numbers affiliated to the clubs in that same area you'd have a better idea of the size of the problem.

Belfast clubs don't remotely compare in size to their Dublin city or indeed Cork city clubs when it comes to members, and active members at that.

Not to be sticking the boot in but I would have thought that's exactly what Gaelfast's role was and maybe did start out with that type of intent in PD's time.

But soon seemed to move away from that.

Someone explain to me what gaelfast should be doing?

[Milltown Row2]

I, too, pine for the days when kids played in the street and Antrim were class.

Oh wait...

We are no further on, I get that I actually

I, too, pine for the days when kids played in the street and Antrim were class.

Oh wait...

We are no further on in terms of how our senior teams are, we did win a under 21 title, we played regularly in division one hurling and football was crap but St Marys won a Hogan cup while I was growing up and reached a senior hurling final, eventually, systems changed now makes it impossible unless we drag ourselves up.. but I can remember Belfast teams competing late 70's through the 80's at hurling and football at senior level. My point is not about success more to do with the culture is gone the passion is gone.

It's easy to be a funny Cnut though

[NAG1]

would a problem be are the clubs too bunched up in some areas?  St Pauls, Rossa, Sarsfields.  St Galls, St Johns, O'Donnells. Eire Og, St Aggies. 

Has anyone did a study of what is optimum? like in an urban environment would 10,000 people per club be the norm? appreciate it is vastly different than the country clubs where much less is expected.

Working at a high level, If Dublin has a pop of roughly 1.5m and 134 clubs that leaves it loosely at 11,000 per club.   If West Belfast has a pop of 100,000 people then 10 clubs would be the suggestion. lots of Belfast specifics to consider including spacing out the clubs.     

Not sure the geographic location of any of the clubs comes into it, I would imagine looking at it that none of them are pulling huge numbers from their locality any way.

If anyone from South Antrim/Belfast was doing the stats of the potential playing base of primary school children in those catchment area's and correlated that against the actual numbers affiliated to the clubs in that same area you'd have a better idea of the size of the problem.

Belfast clubs don't remotely compare in size to their Dublin city or indeed Cork city clubs when it comes to members, and active members at that.

Not to be sticking the boot in but I would have thought that's exactly what Gaelfast's role was and maybe did start out with that type of intent in PD's time.

But soon seemed to move away from that.

Someone explain to me what gaelfast should be doing?

Promoting our games and growing the games to help clubs in Belfast thrive and grow and help them to become competitive.

In a nutshell.

Simple enough?

[BigGreenField]

East Belfast having to put out a statement clarifying they are only using a council facility at Cairnshill on a temporary basis.

Presume local agitators have been making noise again. City is coming down with soccer pitches, god forbid a Gaa club might wish to book some council facilities.

If the Gaa made the same demands on councils as soccer the City would need to provide another 20 Gaa pitches, at the minute any dog and his mate can start a soccer team, enter a league and expect the council to find them room.

If the soccer lads are feeling the squeeze perhaps they could stop inviting non city teams into the Belfast leagues, effectively a national league largely being run on Belfast pitches and paid for by Belfast ratepayers.

Boils my brain.

[Christmas Lights]

East Belfast having to put out a statement clarifying they are only using a council facility at Cairnshill on a temporary basis.

Presume local agitators have been making noise again. City is coming down with soccer pitches, god forbid a Gaa club might wish to book some council facilities.

If the Gaa made the same demands on councils as soccer the City would need to provide another 20 Gaa pitches, at the minute any dog and his mate can start a soccer team, enter a league and expect the council to find them room.

If the soccer lads are feeling the squeeze perhaps they could stop inviting non city teams into the Belfast leagues, effectively a national league largely being run on Belfast pitches and paid for by Belfast ratepayers.

Boils my brain.

Wasn't there a soccer club going irate in Sally Gardens, Poleglass about GAA clubs booking "their" slots? The audacity for them to book GAA games on a GAA facility.
Was all over Facebook at the time iirc.

[Truth hurts]

East Belfast having to put out a statement clarifying they are only using a council facility at Cairnshill on a temporary basis.

Presume local agitators have been making noise again. City is coming down with soccer pitches, god forbid a Gaa club might wish to book some council facilities.

If the Gaa made the same demands on councils as soccer the City would need to provide another 20 Gaa pitches, at the minute any dog and his mate can start a soccer team, enter a league and expect the council to find them room.

If the soccer lads are feeling the squeeze perhaps they could stop inviting non city teams into the Belfast leagues, effectively a national league largely being run on Belfast pitches and paid for by Belfast ratepayers.

Boils my brain.

Wasn't there a soccer club going irate in Sally Gardens, Poleglass about GAA clubs booking "their" slots? The audacity for them to book GAA games on a GAA facility.
Was all over Facebook at the time iirc.

What were they complaining about?