Antrim Hurling

[btdtgtt]

Too many hurling clubs in West Belfast? No chance, places like Armoy, Carey, Cushendun and Glenariff can sustain good hurling teams with populations of less than 1000 people. There are streets in West Belfast with more than 1000 people. The key is having strong, committed club men and coaches involved.

Oh dear. Here we go again.

[Seamroga in exile]

JJ there are 17 clubs in that area. The people from there, that post on this board, are telling you there are too many clubs. I'll take their word against yours.

[theskull1]

Differing perspectives

There are not enough kids playing our games in Belfast

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

Dunloy 3-20 ballycran 0-05 ft

[Minder]

Glenariffe 2-12 Ballygalget 0-18 FT

[jftj]

thats some score dunloy put up.are they peaking at the right time?

[Jesusjones]

The population of West Belfast is bigger now that it was twenty or thirty years ago and nobody thought there were too many clubs back then. We need to look at the promotion of hurling properly, start getting the kids back from other sports and activities. The population of West Belfast is approx 90,000 people, if hurling was being promoted properly and if ALL the clubs were putting the proper effort and resources into it you'd have no problem sustaining 17 clubs. Going on the numbers the likes of Cloughmills, Carey, Cushendun and some of the other country teams are working with West Belfast should sustain far more than just 17 clubs. If we start reducing the amount of clubs in Belfast its like giving up and admitting we aren't prepared to address the problems that exist in the city.

[Seamroga in exile]

There are a lot more distractions in the city also. Not everyone is a gaa fan.

[Jesusjones]

My point exactly SIE, not everyone is a GAA fan but from what I see when I'm at matches in Belfast we aren't doing much to change that. No marketing, no advertising and nothing to entice people to bring their children to gaelic games. We should be looking at a programme to recruit new members, not amalgamtate clubs. The population is there if we put in the work.

[johnneycool]

We have people here in Antrim being paid too!

Maybe they're just not as good they're job.
Or maybe the money isn't being spent as well.

The idea that the GAA threw a blank cheque into Dublin hurling - and it magically produced results is crazy and naive.
Our top club teams may beat their top club teams - but underneath that Dublin hurling is much stronger than ours. The schools & colleges are further evidence.
That's not just because of "investment plain and simple"

btdtgtt

Im sorry but you are missing the point here, Dublin did not put 'development officers' around the county of Dublin, they with the clubs put them into individual clubs. A full time paid person developing a specific club, writing development plans, encouraging coaches to come to the club, upskilling these coaches and anything else to help the club progress.

Our one development officer for the whole of Belfast and one for North Antrim is a drop in the ocean to this.

Dublin had a coherent and well thought out plan to try and get funding to put in place, now there was a 'get belfast to hurl' initiative a few years back whatever happened there? Nothing, diddly squat.

Dublin clubs fund 50% of their full time coaches salary, how many Belfast clubs could do the same? How many Belfast clubs have the resources of a Ballyboden, a Kilmacud Crokes, or the other many dual clubs with up to 1000 paying members?

There are very few similarities GAA wise between Dublin and Belfast, Waterford would possibly be a better bet.

Very valid point JC. Another point is that the coaches in the clubs in Dublin are GAA coaches not just hurling coaches. They have to develop both codes so that means the same amount of training sessions, there aren't just hurling only clubs in Dublin.

Funnily enough got talking to a lad who used to hurl with us years ago and now lives in Dublin. He was up visiting the parents and called in when we'd a league game vrs Dunloy, he'd a young fella roughly 8 years old and they have training sessions half hurling, half football during the week and every Saturday they'd be at a go games blitz, one week football, the next week hurling.
These youngsters are guaranteed a game every Saturday without fail for most of the summer months, would an 8 year old in Belfast, Antrim or Down have the same guarantees? I'd doubt it, although it has improved in Down since my days, but IMO its one of the reasons young lads drift off to the soccer where they will get regular games.

[Minder]

JC - Is big Magic away again ?

[johnneycool]

JC - Is big Magic away again ?

He was stateside but is back now. He can't play until the 1st of September due to those temporary summer transfers so I'd be expecting our neighbours to attempt to rearrange our fixture with them in the coming weeks/days.

Who's your last match against?

I think we've still Portaferry, Rossa and possibly the Dall all at home I believe.

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

we are more or less done for the league season now. a re arranged league game in cdall to play and i cant see it being played for some time.

we actually did well to get through all the games, 17 intotal which isnt bad going. the cdall game was cancelled due to antrim playing.

[Minder]

JC - Is big Magic away again ?

He was stateside but is back now. He can't play until the 1st of September due to those temporary summer transfers so I'd be expecting our neighbours to attempt to rearrange our fixture with them in the coming weeks/days.

Who's your last match against?

I think we've still Portaferry, Rossa and possibly the Dall all at home I believe.

Last game is against Ballycastle, happy enough to get a draw yesterday, looked like youse were getting on top in the second half and got a penalty which may have finished us off but the player opted for a point and we got a goal shortly after and it was tight the rest of the way in. Was a hard fought game.

[johnneycool]

We seem to be taking one step forward, then two steps back recently. Get a few lads back from injury and suspension and then another drops out due to injury or in-house discipline. I suppose its better to get this out of the way now as our championship isn't for another 6 weeks or so.