AFL given more time on International Rules

[AZOffaly]

Is there a 'marketing manager' per se in the GAA? It seems to me that even the ads for the All Ireland Championships etc are done by sponsors, or RTE, or TV3?

[magpie seanie]

If the gaa were in charge of marketing coca cola for a year it would cease to exist within 12 months.

Classic!

There has to be some way the interpros can be revamped. The potential is massive, its just developing a formula and then marketing it correctly.

[AZOffaly]

And the thing is, it's not rocket science, or it shouldn't be. Some of the ideas in the last few posts here are perfectly viable. Of course, one of the problems re availablilty of players is in regard to the club games, especially the provincial championships, and even some county finals.

Once the weekends are set aside accomodating the maximum number of players possible, preferably in the slots taken up for the IR games, then it should be straightforward to market and promote the games. When we look back at the likes of Ring, one of the first lines on their role of honour is 'Railway Cups'. That's the way it should be.

[magpie seanie]

Not rocket science but organising when (and where) the semis are played for both games is an issue as is the possibility of a province not having a team in the final or either game thus reducing the interest.

[INDIANA]

 if you can get 75,000 for  a national league game involving tyrone and dublin with largely experimental teams on a cold february saturday night you can do it for this. there was 30,000 kids at that game and that's who this should be aimed at, coming to see their favourite players playing. you can definitely do it if the country's elite players are playing. that's a major problem with the interprovinicials it has no date in the calendar and it often involves players who wouldn't be anywhere near the team if others were available. need to promote them along similar lines to the NBA allstar games in the states.
My dad said people went to the railway cup not to see their provinces playing but to see the country's finest players playing against each other, because it so rarely happens in the all-ireland series.

[magickingdom]

And the thing is, it's not rocket science, or it shouldn't be. Some of the ideas in the last few posts here are perfectly viable. Of course, one of the problems re availablilty of players is in regard to the club games, especially the provincial championships, and even some county finals.

Once the weekends are set aside accomodating the maximum number of players possible, preferably in the slots taken up for the IR games, then it should be straightforward to market and promote the games. When we look back at the likes of Ring, one of the first lines on their role of honour is 'Railway Cups'. That's the way it should be.

here we go again, why that slot az? theres 51 other weeks to do it. a w/e in december would do fine if it were tied in with the all stars.

if you can get 75,000 for  a national league game involving tyrone and dublin with largely experimental teams on a cold february saturday night you can do it for this. there was 30,000 kids at that game and that's who this should be aimed at, coming to see their favourite players playing. you can definitely do it if the country's elite players are playing. that's a major problem with the interprovinicials it has no date in the calendar and it often involves players who wouldn't be anywhere near the team if others were available. need to promote them along similar lines to the NBA allstar games in the states.
My dad said people went to the railway cup not to see their provinces playing but to see the country's finest players playing against each other, because it so rarely happens in the all-ireland series.

i take your point indiana but i think the days of huge crowds for the inter pro are gone. 10k in pp or enniskellen or tralee is the top of the tree in my book and thats with alot of work..

[Zulu]

I agree with magickingdom, I don't think any amount of marketing will get the crowds to return for the interprovincials. I went to the Tyrone/Dublin league game because it was the first game under lights and many people who never go to GAA games went with their kids. I couldn't see myself or many non-GAA folk regularily going to a gloryfied exhibition game. At least the IR games has the intrigue of our best footballers pitting themselves against the best footballers of Australia and of course everyone likes to beat the Aussies in sport so there is the possibilty of widespread interest. I'm afraid not only would I not promote the interpro's but I'd get rid of them altogether.

[INDIANA]

but what does the IR promote anymore? it's legalised wwf, boxing and a football thrown in between the punch ups to give the lads a breather. Messing about putting professionals in against amateurs particularily when the pros look upon the series as a glorified piss up in the evenings with kicking the shit out of hapless amateurs thrown in for daytime antertainment.
When dealing with Aussies you're not dealing with the sharpest tools in the box anyway, and this gives them licence to potentially injure our players. You would need a personalised health insurance policy to play in that series again before taking on those turnip heads . It's  anon runner in my view 95% of people go for the punch ups, that's the reality, and when it gets to that stage it's time to scrap it because it's just sad.

[AZOffaly]

Yeah magickingdom, I say that weekend because I'd do away with the IR. I don't like it, and I don't think it bears anything more than a passing semblance to the game the players are supposed to be representing. I know other people like it, and fair enough, but I don't.

[magpie seanie]

Zulu - I don't understand how you can call the Interprovicials "gloryfied exhibition game"(s) and then turn round and laud IR as "our best footballers pitting themselves against the best footballers of Australia". I can accept you like IR but I think the above is not a strong position to take in that argument.

I'm afraid not only would I not promote the interpro's but I'd get rid of them altogether

The players feel strongly that they should be retained and take them very seriously. You have regularly spoken up on players issues - do you not think it would be a pity if players didn't get a chance to represent their provinces?

[INDIANA]

Colm Cooper has no interest in playing International Rules following his experiences with the hybrid game three years ago.

The series, which was scrapped last year, is likely to be given the go-ahead when the AFL report back to the GAA with dates and venues for the two tests on Thursday, but the Kerry ace doesn't foresee himself being part of the Irish travelling party come October.

He said: "There's a lot of talk about whether it will or it won't go ahead.



"A lot of the players are anxious for it to go ahead, but at the moment I really am just concentrating on Kerry.

"Later in the year, I wouldn't know how I would feel about it, but it's not something that's too appetising to me. It comes at a time in the season when you're just finishing with the county and then you're playing with the club. If you add three weeks in Australia, it's very demanding."

He added: "I nearly got concussed in it before and maybe I don't have the build for it. The way it has been played over the last few years, I found it difficult to deal with the physical side of things. It doesn't appeal to me.

"These guys are professionals and training every day, we have to go to work in the morning. We don't get the opportunity after championship games of sleeping in the way they do. They live a professional lifestyle."

[laoisgaa]

Guess what's back!!

Press Release

29 May 2008

International Rules

The GAA and the AFL have confirmed that there will be a two-game International Rules Series between the countries in October of this year. The games will take place on October 24th in Perth and October 31st in Melbourne . Details of the stadiums to be used and other arrangements with regard to the Series will be confirmed at a later date.

[Jinxy]

*Groan*

[Hardy]

What's the point? If we win, what does it prove? If they win, what does it prove?

The only possible justification I can see for it, from the GAA's point of view, goes like this. The AFL must see some commercial benefit in this, otherwise they wouldn't be involved - they are a business, after all. We should therefore exploit their interest in it by extracting from them an agreement to end poaching of our best players as the price of our continued participation in it. If that achieved an end to the player drain that threatens to turn the GAA into a nursery for professional football, it may be worthwhile. But I still fear a broken neck or worse for one of our players and that would be an unacceptable price to pay.

I am stating now that the GAA is negligent in exposing our amateur players to the danger of serious injury by organising and sanctioning competition with professionals in a full contact sport and if the unthinkable ever happens I will point out that they were warned.