2007 County football final day in Kilkenny

[cavanmaniac]

Kilkenny's thinly-veiled disdain for football is an absolute disgrace. If my own county and others like it can give hurling the respect it deserves by fielding underage sides and a senior team as well in league and championship, then I don't see why the cats can not try about 30% harder and do likewise. It'll always be football first in Cavan and hurling first in Kilkenny but it doesn't mean that the other sport has to be neglected, or as the quotes above indicate, killed off by stealth and sometimes, not even that stealthily.

[kilkennycat2004]

Kilkenny's thinly-veiled disdain for football is an absolute disgrace. If my own county and others like it can give hurling the respect it deserves by fielding underage sides and a senior team as well in league and championship,

This post is incorrect however.  The actual under age part of KK football does actually take place.

By way of example tomorrow night(Thursday) at 7pm the under-14 football squad meet again at St James Park in the city.

To cater for Southern players a bus is provided to collect Southern based players at places like Piltown - Mullinavat - Ballyhale and Thomastown.

The better players tend to be hurlers also, at least with their clubs and in hurling we always cast the net as wide as possible to make sure no one slips through.

Therefore the South & Northern hurling squads at under 14,15,16 and 17 will have a look at 50 or so players in each area. Invariably these would also have dabbled with football.

Bring under age club hurling into the equation and fellas hoping to make club minor hurling teams from 16 and under 21 and adult hurling teams from 18 tend to focus on the club and prospect of wearing an adult club & later a KK jersey in hurling. The clubs play a main part as they want to see them at training for the adult hurling team and I'm afraid I can't see this attitude changing any time soon.

Each club would have maybe one or two personal half interested in the big ball code but in the main Gaelic is looked at as part of what must be endured to prepare for the club hurling season which is massive in KK at al grades.