Antrim Football Thread

[Saffrongael]

It's obvious now minor gives very little prediction of future senior success, so anyone looking for predictors at U-14 is going to be disappointed.

Saw something a couple of years ago about the Tony Forristal U-14 hurling tournament in Waterford, someone charted the players progress over 30 years.

Of all participants I think about 4% played for their counties as a senior, but more starkly it was only about 10% that went on to play senior for their club.

[SaffronSports]

Wee girl can home from school there, one of her class mates was playing last night, they got beat 25-8 to 5goals. Surely that can't be correct grading of leagues?

It was an u14c match. We played u14c last year too and won 2 matches all season.

We have lost 2 matches already in the league this season as well so its not like we're too strong at the grade either.

The match itself was 14 a side with neither side having subs so I couldn't take anyone off but did move backs to forwards and forwards to backs etc.

From chatting to one of them before the game they're quite young at the age group and had a lot of girls missing.

[YoungSaff]

I dont think they play county at all until u14 so tough to tell before that.

Well able to compete at club level in the any of the juvenile competitions and blitzes that are held around the country at these younger age groups in all codes as far as I have seen.

this would be my thoughts as well.  so something changes around 14, 15 or 16?

SCHOOLS SCHOOLS SCHOOLS!!!!!!!!

Agreed completely , it is evident in Cargin , PG1 , Creggan  even a few in Moneyglass have been exposed to Ulster A colleges football and it is evident in their development

[Spike]

Some coaches would prefer to win the cup at a division below them than dig in at the correct division.  The kids and the parents both know the coaches are fooling no one.

[Spike]

I dont think they play county at all until u14 so tough to tell before that.

Well able to compete at club level in the any of the juvenile competitions and blitzes that are held around the country at these younger age groups in all codes as far as I have seen.

this would be my thoughts as well.  so something changes around 14, 15 or 16?

SCHOOLS SCHOOLS SCHOOLS!!!!!!!!

Agreed completely , it is evident in Cargin , PG1 , Creggan  even a few in Moneyglass have been exposed to Ulster A colleges football and it is evident in their development

We're not allowed to mention the schools thing on here YA. Even though its one of the more obvious issues

[Dunsilly King]

I had a grt chat with a well known manager from the south Derry area about schools and he gave me a grt example of the importance of schools, and he emphasised how it complimented work done at the club and then those selected for county development squads.
He told of his friend who had coached at U12 & u14 level when Glen started producing their underage teams that won 4 in row minors. All the Glen lads and S'neil lads, they all go to St Pats, are coached by the club, as was his clubs players. The club finished September, but the Glen lads were selected on the school squads, a few of his lads went there so they were selected as well. But and he emphasised this the vast majority went to Clady & Kilrea schools at the time and St Puis' where there was not the same emphasises/commitment from the teachers to after schools coaching etc. In the three years from 14 to 17 he calculated that the players at St Pats got 16 months more coaching than the counterparts of his club lads that didn't go to Maghera, also the players from his club that went to maghera all progressed to senior, the vast majority of the one who didn't go, all eventually fell by the way side as players by the age of 19, even tho they were getting a good standard of coaching in the club, but in truth much less of it.
In summary a player who gets more time into developing them as a player became better players, not rocket science is it?

[paddyjohn]

Wee girl can home from school there, one of her class mates was playing last night, they got beat 25-8 to 5goals. Surely that can't be correct grading of leagues?

It was an u14c match. We played u14c last year too and won 2 matches all season.

We have lost 2 matches already in the league this season as well so its not like we're too strong at the grade either.

The match itself was 14 a side with neither side having subs so I couldn't take anyone off but did move backs to forwards and forwards to backs etc.

From chatting to one of them before the game they're quite young at the age group and had a lot of girls missing.

No slight on you SS. Just was sure that she was mistaken

[SaffronSports]

Wee girl can home from school there, one of her class mates was playing last night, they got beat 25-8 to 5goals. Surely that can't be correct grading of leagues?

It was an u14c match. We played u14c last year too and won 2 matches all season.

We have lost 2 matches already in the league this season as well so its not like we're too strong at the grade either.

The match itself was 14 a side with neither side having subs so I couldn't take anyone off but did move backs to forwards and forwards to backs etc.

From chatting to one of them before the game they're quite young at the age group and had a lot of girls missing.

No slight on you SS. Just was sure that she was mistaken

Unfortunately not. Harsh night for them. As I say though, they only had 14 and the fella I was talking to said some matches they have 20+ so presumably that hurt them. He also mentioned most of them were in their first year of u14.

I had been looking at their scores prior to the match and we only had one mutual opponent who we both lost to, them by 35 and us by 17.

From our perspective, we definitely look a better team than last year but going into the season i wouldn't even have considered going up a division. We won 2 matches in div 3 last year and lost 7 girls going up to u16. We have 19 players now, 5 of whom came up from or still are u12 and then 4 brand new players who had never played gaelic before.

Personally, I was glad to win as we had lost 4 in a row (including Feile) coming into that and was starting to worry about the girls confidence but obviously that scoreline isnt any good for anyone. We took a few beatings last year and a few times I got the ref to blow up early when I felt nobody was getting anything from it.

[Saffrongael]

I see St Mary's CBGS are employing a GAA development coordinator in the school

[Upandover]

Our hurlers are saying not enough exposure to the better sides, our footballers are saying too much exposure to the better sides.

[SaffronSports]

What sort of level do the schools in Antrim play at in the football?

I'm sure St Louis would be the strongest in my locality with a decent catchment area of some of those south-west clubs. Some good footballers on the teaching staff too but what tier is that?

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

I dont think they play county at all until u14 so tough to tell before that.

Well able to compete at club level in the any of the juvenile competitions and blitzes that are held around the country at these younger age groups in all codes as far as I have seen.

this would be my thoughts as well.  so something changes around 14, 15 or 16?

Comparing club/school/county is futile.

It's long before 14.

To suggest that St Louis Ballymena would have an intake in Year 8 that would be anywhere close to the same quality as St Pats Maghera is for the birds.

[BigGreenField]

I dont think they play county at all until u14 so tough to tell before that.

Well able to compete at club level in the any of the juvenile competitions and blitzes that are held around the country at these younger age groups in all codes as far as I have seen.

this would be my thoughts as well.  so something changes around 14, 15 or 16?

Comparing club/school/county is futile.

It's long before 14.

To suggest that St Louis Ballymena would have an intake in Year 8 that would be anywhere close to the same quality as St Pats Maghera is for the birds.

No doubt, presume though the cream of the footballing crop from a chunk of Antrim are heading to Magherafelt, Maghera even Cookstown so an apples and pears argument.

To my mind the gap begins to open at 14-16, when culture (amount of individual
Practice, consistent and quality of training, quality of schools competitions, level of s and c) all kicks in.

No quick fixes but good to see St Mary's cbgs making a start with an appointment. 

Antrin schools do need to enter higher standard competitions starting in 1st year .

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

When was the last time an Antrim school won a B competition? I imagine they moved to A the year after.

Though, just to mention St Pius Magherafelt, who were called out earlier for not doing enough by Dunsilly King. They won 3 Rafferty Cups (5th year B) on the trot and didn't move up nor were they made to move up.

Entering above your level is counterproductive.

And with the greatest respect to them, I've yet to look at an Antrim team and seen a divide between those who played A colleges vs B colleges or lower.

For every Michael McCann (A) there's a Kevin Niblock (C).

I mean, it's easy to point to a (somewhat??) successful club like Cargin and suggest that the exposure to A colleges football is a significant factor. Yet, ignore that our only (actual) successful club St Galls were mainly B colleges footballers. They, along with other B footballers from Antrim (M Herron, P Cunningham) played significant roles in successful Sigerson teams too.

Should getting Antrim schools up to A standard be a target? Yes. In the same way that getting Antrim up to Division 1 should be a target. There's a mountain of work to be done across the board to get either of those done.

[Spike]

Yet again the topic is way over your head. If moneyglass could handpick the best B footballers from around the South West like St Galls did in belfast and ulster, they too could have won things.  Ridiculous comparison.

Whether by stubbornness or ignorance, the understanding of the importance of a strong schools system is wilfully disregarded but fixing the school system takes work and application, something baulked at by some clubs.

In simple terms we have the weakest schools system in ulster and are the weakest county in ulster despite having a large population.   

It's an excellent initiative by St Mary's announced there.  Hopefully we will see it bear fruit in the near future.  Fixing the school system isn't the only problem to solve but it's a good start.