Sean Og wants pay for play

[BallyhaiseMan]

No surprise this one. At least he is honest about his agenda

Honest if not realistic...

it would never work - one question if the GAA ever went pay for play, how the grass roots volunteers, which run the GAA from the bottom up, continue?

As we know, this is all at least for the near future fantasty,but
If GAA went pay for play,You would be looking at an AFL type structure for the IC teams,whereby
the professional GAA would be seperate organisation,with a ruling body,
Whereas the club game would be like a feeder league(the best players would get drafted/bought??? by the professional teams and would then cease to play with their club.
The club game would probably be ruled over by a seperate elected body,although the GAA central council itself i suppose could oversee the running of the entire code,i suppose.

[Zulu]

I think there would be some clear advantages to going professional, especially for the club game but, as most have poited out, we can't afford it and there the story starts and ends. Sean Og is entitled to his opinion and entitled to express it, however, the reality of a professional GAA would falter on the small print. I believe that we must look after our players as best we can and should invest in them in terms of education and career development etc. and I welcome Sean Og's honesty and the opportunity that it affords us all to debate and rationalize the merits or otherwise of various courses of action. It is a good thing to have this out in the open and Sean Og and anyone who supports his view should be challenged to offer detailed plans on how we could afford it. If they can show us that we can afford it and that it would benefit the GAA as a whole then I would have no problem supporting it. I think none of us should be pro- or anti-professionalism and instead, we should evalute this and other issues on what is actually beneficial for the GAA going forward.

Could I challenge you to outline what these clear advantages are Zulu when balanced against the negative outcomes? This notion that clubs up and down the land will be happy developing talented players and then kissing them goodbye before enjoying the game being played by those not quite good enough to get paid is cloud cuckoo stuff from my perspective. It's pride in the parish or nothing as far as I'm concerned. Personally I'm not involved in the GAA to get players to the point where they can get paid.

Every sport in the world is run on the basis that many volunteers put hours of unpaid work and the best of those players eventually go off and play for teams that can offer a better standard. It isn't even uncommon for that to happen in the GAA as it is. Anyway many clubs don't see their IC men from one end of the year to the other bar championship games so I don't think people would walk away from the GAA if IC players only played IC. I'm sure many clubs could do with a cash windfall from an IC team 'signing up' their best player and with all the best players playing IC the playing field would still be even enough. I can only speak for myself but I'm not involved to produce players for either my club or county, I get involved because I want to be part of the games as a coach or player and in time administrator.

As for the advantages to the clubs? Well the biggest and most obvious is that we could organise club competitions  and run them in an orderly fashion. A club scene where club games aren't played for most of the summer isn't a club scene at all. I don't equate being a club GAA man with wanting your IC players playing club as well as IC, I equate it with wanting whats best for the club players and there is a strong argument that having a level for the very best and a level for the rest is no bad thing.

I can only talk from my own experiences but I've coached a number of teams in Ireland and I'm currently coaching a team in Britian. Although many of the same problems exist, in many ways, it is far more enjoyable coaching a team in Britian than it is in Ireland. And this is because I don't have to worry that my 6 or 7 best players are hardly ever at training because they are with one county team or another or that we don't know when we are playing because it will depend on how all the county teams get on in the early rounds. Over here I, and my players, know when we are playing for the next 3 months at home I didn't when our first game was let alone anything after that.

Like everything there are pros and cons but we shouldn't simply look at the negatives of everything when there are also major advantages.

[Hardy]

Zulu - where do you think the clubs would get their funds to survive in the professional age? Hint - look at Irish club rugby post professionalism. Are you sure that massive falls in attendances and income is a "clear advantage" of professionalism?

[Zulu]

Hardy, I don't know what it is like in Meath but I generally played my club football and hurling infront of less than 200 - 400 people, and it was often far less than that. I don't for a moment think that a professional GAA is likely in the next 100 years but if it did occur and counties had to compensate clubs for their players I'd imagine €100K for 2 or 3 players would be far more than clubs would get through their county championships over a 3 or 4 year period.

[Frank Casey]

Professionalism would do to the GAA wht its done to rugby. Twould be one way to get the inter pro's going again as I doubt we would be able to sustain squads of 24-30 for any more than 4-5 pro teams in the country. The All Ireland Rugby league was massive in Ireland before the pro set up - where is it now?

[Zulu]

The AIL was never massive in Ireland and unlike rugby we are asking players to play both IC and club on a regular basis, therefore club players are sitting around waiting for players who already have a packed season to come back and play with them. Professionalism isn't going to happen but we should be thinking a bit more throughly about the IC v club situation as the club season is a complete joke in many counties.

[longrunsthefox]

Sean Og probably declared this too soon for the hierarchy in the GPA but give it time and more and more will declare their their real intentions for intercounty players. so be it... I think it is inevitable too but thankfully have seen many many years when this wasn't an issue for players... ie: pay for play     

[Rossfan]

Nothing like a good oul conspiracy theory fox 
I read of an interview with Mick O'Connell ( pre 2002 player from Kerry) where the interviewer asked him( expecting a resounding NOOOO)  would he have liked if the GAA was professional to which he replied "of course I would. Standards  would have risen as players could devote all their time to the game "
Like Seán óg I would like to get paid for doing something I happen to like doing.
Professionalism would be totally unsustainable for a one country sport especially with a target population of around 4 million.
The most that will happen will be "match day expenses" for I.C players in the bigger Championship games with the sponsors picking up the tab.

[Tatler Jack]

I read of an interview with Mick O'Connell ( pre 2002 player from Kerry) where the interviewer asked him( expecting a resounding NOOOO)  would he have liked if the GAA was professional to which he replied "of course I would. Standards  would have risen as players could devote all their time to the game "

Would be interested to read that interview Rosfan - where did you read it. Sounds at odds with anything I ever heard Mick O'Connell say on the subject. Are you sure you are not mixing him up with the other Kerry Micko who would probably look for back pay if professionalsim ever came in!!!

[INDIANA]

The AIL was never massive in Ireland and unlike rugby we are asking players to play both IC and club on a regular basis, therefore club players are sitting around waiting for players who already have a packed season to come back and play with them. Professionalism isn't going to happen but we should be thinking a bit more throughly about the IC v club situation as the club season is a complete joke in many counties.

People lose all interest in watching club games with no county players so you get a respective drop in income come championship time. The chariman of one of the richest rugby clubs in the country is a neighbour of mine. And they are now financially broke. You are incorrect on the AIL. I went to AIL games at this club- often 8-9000 there. Its now a wasteground. More people go to watch our lowest grade junior football team playing championship then attend AIL games with this team now. 200 is the average attendence at an AIL Div 1 game now.

[thejuice]

There's references to the hurling matches played in 1759 for 100 guineas, this is not a new thing at all.

[Logan]

I'm surprised at Sean Og coming out saying that in one way ... he is getting plenty of 'travel expenses' I'm sure for his many media appearances, Lynx ads, adidas and the like.

Not that I don't think fair play to the fella, but I'm sure some players are looking at him thinking - you're looking for professionalism? aren't you doing well enough at the minute?

[Milltown Row2]

i must be owed a fortune!!! playing 30 years and a manging also. think i'll have enough to retire soon

[Zulu]

The AIL was never massive in Ireland and unlike rugby we are asking players to play both IC and club on a regular basis, therefore club players are sitting around waiting for players who already have a packed season to come back and play with them. Professionalism isn't going to happen but we should be thinking a bit more throughly about the IC v club situation as the club season is a complete joke in many counties.

People lose all interest in watching club games with no county players so you get a respective drop in income come championship time. The chariman of one of the richest rugby clubs in the country is a neighbour of mine. And they are now financially broke. You are incorrect on the AIL. I went to AIL games at this club- often 8-9000 there. Its now a wasteground. More people go to watch our lowest grade junior football team playing championship then attend AIL games with this team now. 200 is the average attendence at an AIL Div 1 game now.

With respect Indiana, 8-9K attending some games didn't make it massive, you could have driven around a lot of Ireland without coming across a rugby supporter, let alone pitch 15 years ago. The pitch situation may not have improved much but the fan base has. Some AIL games had reasonable gates but the vast majority of the country barely new it was on, that isn't a massive sporting league.

As I pointed out already, there aren't good crowds going to club games as it is and even in Dublin which has 2 recent AI club champions don't get great crowds going so I don't think the club games provide a serious source of revenue to clubs and it is one which we could replace quite easily I would imagine.

The club scene isn't a money generator and it shouldn't be viewed as such, I'm sure there are many intermediate and senior club players who would prefer to play regular games in a well structured season, even if the crowds are smaller than what they have to put up with a present.

[longrunsthefox]

Nothing like a good oul conspiracy theory fox 
I read of an interview with Mick O'Connell ( pre 2002 player from Kerry) where the interviewer asked him( expecting a resounding NOOOO)  would he have liked if the GAA was professional to which he replied "of course I would. Standards  would have risen as players could devote all their time to the game "
Like Seán óg I would like to get paid for doing something I happen to like doing.
Professionalism would be totally unsustainable for a one country sport especially with a target population of around 4 million.
The most that will happen will be "match day expenses" for I.C players in the bigger Championship games with the sponsors picking up the tab.

Why would you like to be paid for a past-time? Is money everything these days? maybe it is...