Antrim Football Thread

[Spike]

Interesting to see how they get on with that myself.

I'm not sure of the numbers they have for any underage structures in the area but i hope its a success for them. I applaud their ambition at the club to make it work and build a future as well.

I wish other clubs would show that same ambition and look at hurling/football/camogie/ladies football in their clubs where its not present. Stick your traditions in the bin and see a bigger future for your club.

The old 'oh we dont play football here' stinks of fear and change.

I do appreciate where some structures at underage might be struggling you cant just introduce another code which could kill one completely off but it can be planned for - starting at fundamentals etc and working its way. You might just find that more people would bring their children along with more options.

Are the majority of clubs across the county not providing all 4 codes now?

Id definitely not say the majority. City clubs are quite good for it tbf. North Antrim only Glenravel/Ballymena/Naomh Eanna.

How do you get clubs playing hurling / clubs playing football in areas that have little to no interest in it?

I'm sure parents would send Little Sean down to whatever the underage sport is at their club but cant see them coaching it. 

Football struggles in the Glens and Hurling struggles in the SW. 

Outside development officers taking teams in these areas?

[Round or stuffed]

is that not exactly what 'development' officers are here for, to develop Gaelic games, Antrim played a huge own goal with how the gaelfast project was handled, instead of being strategic and looking at where the opportunities to grow Gaelic games were, it turned into schools coaching for everyone. paid staff taking 'development squads' which are really talent academies, in which the only thing being developed is the egos of parents who send their children to them. Antrim by my count has 46 clubs, a really healthy number compared to alot of places, the largest population of any county in ulster, and you can point to parts of the city that Have no interest in Gaelic games, west Belfast has a population of 100,000. it is currently being served by 11 clubs, a club per 9000 people. Tyrone have 54 clubs, a population of 188,000 and the same problem with sections of the community not interested, where there is a will there is a way

[SaffronSports]

Interesting to see how they get on with that myself.

I'm not sure of the numbers they have for any underage structures in the area but i hope its a success for them. I applaud their ambition at the club to make it work and build a future as well.

I wish other clubs would show that same ambition and look at hurling/football/camogie/ladies football in their clubs where its not present. Stick your traditions in the bin and see a bigger future for your club.

The old 'oh we dont play football here' stinks of fear and change.

I do appreciate where some structures at underage might be struggling you cant just introduce another code which could kill one completely off but it can be planned for - starting at fundamentals etc and working its way. You might just find that more people would bring their children along with more options.

Are the majority of clubs across the county not providing all 4 codes now?

Id definitely not say the majority. City clubs are quite good for it tbf. North Antrim only Glenravel/Ballymena/Naomh Eanna.

How do you get clubs playing hurling / clubs playing football in areas that have little to no interest in it?

I'm sure parents would send Little Sean down to whatever the underage sport is at their club but cant see them coaching it. 

Football struggles in the Glens and Hurling struggles in the SW. 

Outside development officers taking teams in these areas?

I don't have the answer tbh. I coach girls football in an area dominated by the wee ball and most of our girls are dual. Tbf the camogie coach of the club most of our girls play for has been great and communicated with me if there's ever been something changed from their usual training schedule. It would obviously be easier if that was all in house and just one club organising trainings etc but just isn't the case up our way.

I genuinely believe that the two codes help each other and many would agree with me but there is also an attitude at times that if little Seana is wasting her time with the big ball, it's taking away from her camogie. Personally, I think football helps with players movement as you can't just send a ball 60 yards down the park and I know when I've had a girl come to me who has played camogie, they pick up the football very well. 

Outside development officers would be one idea but who pays for that? If you went to Cushendall and said right you have to pay for this football coach to come in or to Cargin and said you've to pay for a hurling coach, you'll not get a favourable response.

[NorthAntrimSaff]

we dont, the girls all play for Cloughmills now. Prior to that some played for Glenravel but it wasnt very many.

It was spoken about a number of years ago but the camogie wasnt as strong back then as it is now. It was feared that it could of further weakened the numbers and structures had it been introduced.

Potentially now it could be introduced as the camogie is much better now in terms of numbers but it would have an effect on Cloughmills numbers - which you wouldnt want to see.

If it ment Dunloy having four codes i wouldn't be too worried about Cloughmills. As for the mens football team I cant see it taking off at all. Think the ladies pull heavily from Dunloy/ Loughgiel/ Rasharkin.

[Cnoc Bán]

This is maybe a stupid questions but it is a genuine one, why don't the following clubs enter the all county league in football

Colin Gaels - do they have any boys teams at all now?
Ballycastle - did they used to enter a team?
Mitchells???
Naomh ulcan?
Latharna Óg

and then the following is it simply hurling is priority

Armoy
glenariffe
cushendun
cushendal
lougheil
carey
Cloughmills

as some of those clubs have ladies football and/or compete in regional leagues, is it not strange there isn't a push to get men's football going seriously. I don't know if you have a situation in other counties where the likes of Mitchells compete at south Antrim and nowhere else. there are essentially 12 clubs who do not compete in football in Antrim and while I get in the north of the county hurling is the sport, but in the city numbers shouldn't really be an excuse

If I am getting the Naomh Ulcan reference correct, that is just a temporary amalgamation of Tír na nÓg and creggan at u14/u16 hurling as they needed to join together for numbers at those age groups.

Not the same shortage of numbers for football, so there will never be a Naomh Ulcan football equivalent.

[imtommygunn]

Some clubs are fighting to just exist. Mitchells had years of getting hockeyed in football league and now just do south antrim league which tbh is fair enough. Larne would struggle for numbers so two adult sports a stretch. I'd say Carey, Cloughmills and Armoy the same. A lot of ones in the Glens have zero interest in football either and I do mean zero.

Ballycastle despite a lot of effort have struggled to keep the football going.

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

Interesting to see how they get on with that myself.

I'm not sure of the numbers they have for any underage structures in the area but i hope its a success for them. I applaud their ambition at the club to make it work and build a future as well.

I wish other clubs would show that same ambition and look at hurling/football/camogie/ladies football in their clubs where its not present. Stick your traditions in the bin and see a bigger future for your club.

The old 'oh we dont play football here' stinks of fear and change.

I do appreciate where some structures at underage might be struggling you cant just introduce another code which could kill one completely off but it can be planned for - starting at fundamentals etc and working its way. You might just find that more people would bring their children along with more options.

Are the majority of clubs across the county not providing all 4 codes now?

Id definitely not say the majority. City clubs are quite good for it tbf. North Antrim only Glenravel/Ballymena/Naomh Eanna.

How do you get clubs playing hurling / clubs playing football in areas that have little to no interest in it?

In the same way that Cargin have introduced Camogie & Handball in recent years.
You make a start. Perhaps a small one to begin with and see where it goes.

[Cnoc Bán]

Interesting to see how they get on with that myself.

I'm not sure of the numbers they have for any underage structures in the area but i hope its a success for them. I applaud their ambition at the club to make it work and build a future as well.

I wish other clubs would show that same ambition and look at hurling/football/camogie/ladies football in their clubs where its not present. Stick your traditions in the bin and see a bigger future for your club.

The old 'oh we dont play football here' stinks of fear and change.

I do appreciate where some structures at underage might be struggling you cant just introduce another code which could kill one completely off but it can be planned for - starting at fundamentals etc and working its way. You might just find that more people would bring their children along with more options.

Are the majority of clubs across the county not providing all 4 codes now?

Id definitely not say the majority. City clubs are quite good for it tbf. North Antrim only Glenravel/Ballymena/Naomh Eanna.

How do you get clubs playing hurling / clubs playing football in areas that have little to no interest in it?

In the same way that Cargin have introduced Camogie & Handball in recent years.
You make a start. Perhaps a small one to begin with and see where it goes.

I think Cargin starting camogie will have/has a negative impact on Ahoghill camogie.

There would have been a crossover between the two with Ahoghill not playing lgfa so I would think in the enxt few years we will see a detriment to Ahoghill as a result.


In the same way Portglenone starting lgfa might have an impact further down the line on Moneyglass and Cargin.

It would definitely impact Cargin's underage lgfa teams if the PG1 girls decided to go back to their parent club.

[Spike]

That sounds more like hope than realism.  They all have good numbers at underage from the under 8s upwards.   

Ahoghill and Moneyglass are slowly merging into the one club with a mixture of footballers, hurlers, camogie players and lgfa players now all interwoven so cant see the camogie or lgfa numbers affected. Ahoghill dont have youth boy football teams so their numbers boost moneyglass.  Its the new Sean Stinsons model which will keep ahoghill senior football existing but at underage they'll be known as moneyglass.


 

[Saffron71]

Some clubs are fighting to just exist. Mitchells had years of getting hockeyed in football league and now just do south antrim league which tbh is fair enough. Larne would struggle for numbers so two adult sports a stretch. I'd say Carey, Cloughmills and Armoy the same. A lot of ones in the Glens have zero interest in football either and I do mean zero.

Ballycastle despite a lot of effort have struggled to keep the football going.

Fair play to Cloughmills for trying to branch out.  It seems to be working for them in the lfga.  However, I wouldn't be so sure about men's Gaelic Football given the amount of clubs surrounding them like Dunloy, Ballymena, Glenravel and Rasharkin who all field in Football.  They would most likely be dependent on their own senior hurlers, Loughgeil ones and others from Armoy, Ballycastle or Carey.  Although despite Dunloy winning the senior championship on Sunday past, they don't currently field a reserve team expect in the reserve shield (3/4 matches at most).  So you might find a few Dunloy ones who played underage Football wanting to play senior football so you never know.  I suppose all they can do is put it out there and hope for the best.