Social GAA

[AZOffaly]

Lads, I was just wondering, is there such a thing as social GAA, and I don't mean Junior B. We all probably have kicked a ball around with pals on a 5 a side soccer pitch. Is there anyone doing something similar for Gaelic Football or hurling? I'm thinking of trying to get a group going at over 35s/40s but I am wondering if there are any rules adaptations (sorry wobbler!!!) that people are using that makes it work, or are people basically using 7 a side rules. Or is nobody actually doing this at all?

I'd love to get a street league type thing going in the club.

[haranguerer]

I'll not be much help, given i know little about it, but there definitely is something. I've heard of lads playing it round home - I'll try to find out more. There were specific rules (re the no of plays etc).

[Stall the Bailer]

Recreational GAA they call it.

https://www.gaa.ie/coaching-and-games-development/recreational-football-and-hurling/

I know some clubs in Tyrone tired it. Not sure if it is still going.

I don't know much about it tbh.

[mackers]

Diarmaid Marsden run a Recreational league in Armagh a couple of years ago.  It was good craic.
We played another few "friendlies" after that also.  No need to change the rules or anything.

[AZOffaly]

How did ye play mackers? i wouldn't be a big fan of the 'tags' like tag rugby. So much of our game is on the ball, that I think ripping tags is very artificial.

did ye make it 7 a side, or was it 15? Did ye play 15 minutes a side or what? Did girls play?

[mackers]

We played 15 a side. There were no tags but it was non contact.  Diarmaid made it clear that the Player Injury scheme did not apply and a few clubs weren't keen on it due to this.  I didn't see a problem with it myself as most of us would play 5 a side soccer and think nothing of insurance when we're playing that.  We played 20 minutes a half.  There were referees allocated to each game, Paudie Hughes (an inter county ref) refereed one of our games and seemed to enjoy it more than we did!  One of the wags watching from the sideline said it was like watching an entire game in slow motion.

[AZOffaly]

OK. I think I'd struggle to get 15 a side. It's more something I'm thinking of doing to get the auld lads in the club playing in our club, as well as playing soccer. I'm thinking a 7 a side street league type thing, with normal rules, 15 minutes a side, on a smaller pitch.

[brokencrossbar1]

OK. I think I'd struggle to get 15 a side. It's more something I'm thinking of doing to get the auld lads in the club playing in our club, as well as playing soccer. I'm thinking a 7 a side street league type thing, with normal rules, 15 minutes a side, on a smaller pitch.

That would be a great idea.  We played in a over 35s 7s tournie a few weeks back there as a fundraiser and it was great craic.  There were teams from south Down and south Armagh and a few came down from Derry.  An idea seems to be building for running a half dozen of these types of competitions over the season and run each one for a chosen charity.  There was over £13000 raised for Marie Curie but 5 Sams or Wobbler could confirm as their club ran it.  A lot of high profile ex country men played, Mickey Linden, Stevie McDonnell, Paul McFlynn, Johnny McBride, Ronan Rocks, to name only a few. 

[Jinxy]

7-a-side on half a pitch would be the way to go alright.

[illdecide]

Sounds like good craic BC...wouldn't mind playing in something like that (if I could ever find the time). I played them recreational GAA games too and It was great craic, as Mackers said there is no contact allowed but it's still wild craic. We played 15 a side but def would be great too on say 7 a side with the shorter pitch. The only problem I found was one game v Ballyhegan ( and a few Portadown men thrown in too) the first time I got the ball from the throw in I was nailed from a tackle which I wasn't expecting. After that it ended up physical like an ordinary club game (that was a one off though)

[Croí na hÉireann]

OK. I think I'd struggle to get 15 a side. It's more something I'm thinking of doing to get the auld lads in the club playing in our club, as well as playing soccer. I'm thinking a 7 a side street league type thing, with normal rules, 15 minutes a side, on a smaller pitch.

The pitch would want to be fairly small. The 7's competitions are built for lads with legs, not those of us with the reflexes of a tortoise.

BTW, could have done with this discussion when I was weighing up giving Junior football one more year 5 months ago.

[magpie seanie]

The lazy young bucks in my club mean they canned our junior league team this season and to compound matters, they've us entered in the Junior A championship which we will not be near good enough for. With the running I'm fitter than I've been for years. Frustrating!