Duffy's Rant

[dublinfella]

Dublinfella,
How do you reckon the Kerry game will go? Will you be attending the match?

I will and am not confident.

What do you think of the DG's re-opening of old wounds?

[cornafean]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2009/0325/1224243368096.html

He also told yesterday's media briefing at Croke Park the GAA would be meeting with Fingal Council next Monday to discuss the proposed stadium project there, intended to be home to League of Ireland club Sporting Fingal.

Duffy said that with local authorities showing greater interest in developing sports facilities, the trend should be towards sharing those facilities between organisations.

"We understand fully the difficult economic context in which we are operating, yet I want to emphasise again that the GAA is willing to participate in public multi-sport facilities throughout the country. The GAA will also continue to seek Government support for its own activities and investment programmes.

"However, we must address the perception among our members that we are not benefiting in an equitable manner from growing local authority investment in sport facilities. Tallaght is the most serious example of a lost opportunity to develop multi-sport participation in a publicly-funded facility.

"The implications of that decision remain a huge bone of contention within the GAA, and not just for the Thomas Davis club and the other GAA clubs in the Tallaght area. We have never received an adequate explanation as to why the wishes of the elected members of South Dublin County Council to develop a genuine multi-sport venue, specifically accommodating Gaelic games and soccer, were denied by the then Minister for Sport.

"The inescapable truth of the matter is that a stadium is effectively being developed, exclusively from exchequer funding, for a professional soccer club when a badly needed multi-sports stadium could, and should, have been provided in the area. It is a decision that simply cannot be justified."

Asked about the similar plan under consideration in the north county area, Duffy said: "We're meeting Fingal County Council next Monday and won't be making any comment until after that."

The title of this thread is very unfair to Duffy. When taken in context, his comments are logical and sensible, and not in any way a rant. He is 100% correct to do what he can to prevent a repeat of the Tallaght Arena scandal.

[dublinfella]

The title of this thread is very unfair to Duffy. When taken in context, his comments are logical and sensible, and not in any way a rant. He is 100% correct to do what he can to prevent a repeat of the Tallaght Arena scandal.

So you don't think his comments that the GAA expect to be included in municipal facilities while also getting funding for their own (Rule 42 covered) facilities is having his cake and eating it too?

The GAA cannot credibly hold rule 42 and involve itself in municipal facilities. Its totally illogical.

A delegation is meeting Fingal CC to demand access to their new soccer facilty in Lusk. The same basic question has to be raised again. If the GAA have a compelling need for a 5,000 capacity stadium in Lusk, why have they never made any move to build one? Why wait till soccer get a project going before deciding that its needed?

This aggressive tone with the Government from the higher echelons of the association is entirely counterproductive.

[cornafean]

So you don't think his comments that the GAA expect to be included in municipal facilities while also getting funding for their own (Rule 42 covered) facilities is having his cake and eating it too?

No, I don't. The existence of Rule 42 is well-known, and is surely taken into account to some extent when GAA units apply for public funding. If Rule 42 was some sort of hidden secret, I might agree with you.

The GAA cannot credibly hold rule 42 and involve itself in municipal facilities. Its totally illogical.

I disagree. All sports benefit to some extent from municipal facilities at local level. Why should the GAA be excluded from such amenities? And sometimes it works the other way - for example GAA clubs allowing county councils to rent sites free of charge for the installation of public playgrounds.

[dublinfella]

I disagree. All sports benefit to some extent from municipal facilities at local level. Why should the GAA be excluded from such amenities? And sometimes it works the other way - for example GAA clubs allowing county councils to rent sites free of charge for the installation of public playgrounds.

Because the GAA excludes other sports from their amenities. We can't cherry pick here. We either share with other sports in a partnership approach or we don't.

Why are the GAA targetting municipal facilities now? There are thousands of them all over the land and no interest was shown? Whats wrong with letting soccer get their funding and we get ours and best of luck to them?

[thebandit]

I disagree. All sports benefit to some extent from municipal facilities at local level. Why should the GAA be excluded from such amenities? And sometimes it works the other way - for example GAA clubs allowing county councils to rent sites free of charge for the installation of public playgrounds.

Because the GAA excludes other sports from their amenities. We can't cherry pick here. We either share with other sports in a partnership approach or we don't.

Why are the GAA targetting municipal facilities now? There are thousands of them all over the land and no interest was shown? Whats wrong with letting soccer get their funding and we get ours and best of luck to them?

How may GAA teams play in LOI grounds owned by the teams and not the taxpayer?

None, and they aren't seeking to. This is a Municipal facility. Go figure.

[magpie seanie]

Duffy's comments are welcome and correct. The government totally shafted the GAA by providing a fully funded stadium for the exclusive use of an entity that has failed financially on several occasions. It's done and dusted now but must not be let happen again. We have not forgotten.

As for this:

The GAA cannot credibly hold rule 42 and involve itself in municipal facilities. Its totally illogical.

What have Non-Affiliated Bodies got to do with this? Illogical indeed. 

[dublinfella]

Duffy's comments are welcome and correct. The government totally shafted the GAA by providing a fully funded stadium for the exclusive use of an entity that has failed financially on several occasions. It's done and dusted now but must not be let happen again. We have not forgotten.

It wasn't fully funded by the Government though....

Pairc Ui Caoimh is on public land. Locigally, other sports have been totally shafted by their exclusion from it?

Anyway, that debate is over and done with. Can I take it you support the GAA taking an identical campaign to the one they lost last year with another Dublin County Council? Do you mind me asking what you think that will achieve?

What have Non-Affiliated Bodies got to do with this? Illogical indeed. 

I think thats their point. What has an agreement between the FAI and local authorites got to do with the GAA?

Is there any need for a GAA facility in Lusk? If not, this is bottom feeding opportunism and if so, why has no-one in the GAA done anythign to get it up and running themselves?

[dublinfella]

How may GAA teams play in LOI grounds owned by the teams and not the taxpayer?

None, and they aren't seeking to. This is a Municipal facility. Go figure.

Since when did municipal = multi sport.

Hundreds of municipal facilities up and down the land and the GAA only objects to the two soccer ones. Go figure yourself....

[magpie seanie]

Duffy's comments are welcome and correct. The government totally shafted the GAA by providing a fully funded stadium for the exclusive use of an entity that has failed financially on several occasions. It's done and dusted now but must not be let happen again. We have not forgotten.

It wasn't fully funded by the Government though....

Pairc Ui Caoimh is on public land. Locigally, other sports have been totally shafted by their exclusion from it?

Anyway, that debate is over and done with. Can I take it you support the GAA taking an identical campaign to the one they lost last year with another Dublin County Council? Do you mind me asking what you think that will achieve?

What have Non-Affiliated Bodies got to do with this? Illogical indeed. 

I think thats their point. What has an agreement between the FAI and local authorites got to do with the GAA?

Is there any need for a GAA facility in Lusk? If not, this is bottom feeding opportunism and if so, why has no-one in the GAA done anythign to get it up and running themselves?

Was there a need for one in Tallaght? Yes but Shamrock Rovers feared it and I suppose when you've gone out of business so many times and have been homeless for about 20 thats understandable. Not right though.

To answer your question - the more GAA facilities there are in Dublin the better.

[orangeman]

How do you access the GAA Annual report ?? Can we get a copy from HQ or what ??

[dublinfella]

How do you access the GAA Annual report ?? Can we get a copy from HQ or what ??

On the GAA website

[Hound]

The Lusk proposal is in my neck of the woods. This has been on the cards for a long time and has recently been given the go ahead.

Fingal Sports Complex
- indoor full-size football pitch with seating for 400 people
- ancillary building with changing rooms, gym, lecture hall, meeting rooms, cafeteria
- 2 full-size outdoor football pitches with floodlighting, temporary stand for 560 people and permanent covered stand for 4200 people with a ground keepers store and sanitary facilities under the stand
- parking for 200 cars and 10 coaches (overflow car park for 700 cars)

The drawings I saw of the proposal had the pitches marked as soccer pitches.

I hadn't copped that it was going to be the home ground of Sporting Fingal.

The main outdoor pitch with the covered stand and floodlights is proposed to be 106m x 70m

Edit: GAA pitches need to be between 130m and 145m long and 80m to 90m wide. So I don't think you'd fit a GAA pitch in there.

[dublinfella]

Was there a need for one in Tallaght? Yes but Shamrock Rovers feared it and I suppose when you've gone out of business so many times and have been homeless for about 20 thats understandable. Not right though.

They always indicated a willingness to share, and negotiated with the DCB at one point, but they couldn't escape the laws of physics. A GAA pitch on that site would have reduced capacity to 1,500, which would have been too small for Rovers or Dublin and ensured that the SDCC never made money off the facilty.

People within the GAA are trying to paint this as an ideological snub from the same government that have granted the association over €1bn.

To answer your question - the more GAA facilities there are in Dublin the better.

100% agree. Now could the DCB get off their pampered holes and start providing them?

Waiting until soccer gets its act together and then trying to muscle in is no way to run a sport.

[magpie seanie]

Was there a need for one in Tallaght? Yes but Shamrock Rovers feared it and I suppose when you've gone out of business so many times and have been homeless for about 20 thats understandable. Not right though.

They always indicated a willingness to share, and negotiated with the DCB at one point, but they couldn't escape the laws of physics. A GAA pitch on that site would have reduced capacity to 1,500, which would have been too small for Rovers or Dublin and ensured that the SDCC never made money off the facilty.

People within the GAA are trying to paint this as an ideological snub from the same government that have granted the association over €1bn.

To answer your question - the more GAA facilities there are in Dublin the better.

100% agree. Now could the DCB get off their pampered holes and start providing them?

Waiting until soccer gets its act together and then trying to muscle in is no way to run a sport.

I knew I shouldn't get involved and when I see this kind of laughable stuff I regret ever posting on this thread.