Antrim Football Thread

[Walter Cronc]

Trillick is right on the Fermanagh border, and much socialising / shopping happens naturally in Enniskillen. St. Micks is a bit closer, but the switch to my old school Omagh CBS happened because the pupils were following the football. In previous decades, St. Micks (Enniskillen) and Omagh CBS were closely matched in football terms; but Omagh has stolen a march in more recent years.  It's a mix of Trillick youngsters being brought up to want to win all the time, and they now perceive that there's a better chance of doing so at the CBS; that, and the fact that one of the Trillick youth coaches is on the football coaching staff at the CBS.  He's very well respected in the club, so him being a known quantity does no harm.  But it's primarily about winning.  If St. Micks was to start winning titles, the fashion could swing back to St Micks again.  But def no county board involvement, just lads of their own volition wanting to go where they'll get the best chance of winning. 

Cheers for that update. Sport does matter to kids/parents when choosing schools. It appears Aquinas and Knock are both leading the way in terms of Belfast schools - backboned by Bredagh, Carryduff and St Brigids players.

[NatSoSaff]

Clubs just aren't up to scratch. I've seen it for decades now. Good willing parents/volunteers lending a hand and keeping things going is all well and good but it's not good enough in terms of bridging the gap to other county's standards and driving things forward. Clubs need to get their long term plans in order and focus on getting the right people in the right places (including going into schools). I've seen and heard the work that rival clubs are doing over recent years (the likes of Cargin and Portglenone in particular) and it's no coincidence there are green shoots now visible. St Brigid's, to their credit are clearly doing huge work and taking advantage of the numbers of volunteers they have in a strategic and structured way. I suppose it comes down to having effective leadership and not all clubs are lucky enough to be in that position, but for me it has to be the start and ending point. Looking towards the schools as the be-all and end-all is deluded.
In all honesty I am an example of the problem, willing to make statements and criticise but not willing to get involved on the grass with the young ones in the club. That being said I feel I've served my time in that capacity. But I imagine the majority on here are not getting their hands dirty 2-3 times a week with the youth in their club or sitting on committees. Would I be right?

[johnnycool]

Trillick is right on the Fermanagh border, and much socialising / shopping happens naturally in Enniskillen. St. Micks is a bit closer, but the switch to my old school Omagh CBS happened because the pupils were following the football. In previous decades, St. Micks (Enniskillen) and Omagh CBS were closely matched in football terms; but Omagh has stolen a march in more recent years.  It's a mix of Trillick youngsters being brought up to want to win all the time, and they now perceive that there's a better chance of doing so at the CBS; that, and the fact that one of the Trillick youth coaches is on the football coaching staff at the CBS.  He's very well respected in the club, so him being a known quantity does no harm.  But it's primarily about winning.  If St. Micks was to start winning titles, the fashion could swing back to St Micks again.  But def no county board involvement, just lads of their own volition wanting to go where they'll get the best chance of winning. 

Cheers for that update. Sport does matter to kids/parents when choosing schools. It appears Aquinas and Knock are both leading the way in terms of Belfast schools - backboned by Bredagh, Carryduff and St Brigids players.

My kids go to Knock as do a lot of Ballygalget and Ballycran kids (Portaferry less so) and it's not for the camogie or hurling.

It's a bit catch 22 this schools hurling and football for me TBH, the schools ability to compete is based upon the quality of kids going to that school.

Take the Abbey for example, did the Dromintee kids decide to go to the school for the football considering they hadn't won a McCrory in decades when St Colmans had a more recent winning pedigree?

I get that the schools can be part of the development cycle but for me they aren't the be all and end all.

Is it not more down to the clubs?





There may be more to it.

[Spike]

its a bit of everything  - everything needs to be done well and done well consistently over time.  The schools arent the deciding factor but they give a polish and another few percent.

Every club is different and has their own personalities and pros and cons that affect how they can approach things.    One poster mentioned Dunloy having 63 kids in P1 and are an outstanding club model now in both codes. On the flip side I  would suggest Creggan, Cargin and Moneyglass wouldnt have 63 P1s in their parish between them yet are competing at senior level individually.

Some clubs have a good coach for a couple of years and then a vacuum afterwards.  Others get a natural bunch of outstanding talent which masks the shitshow above and below.

Consistency of good practice can only bring its rewards but it is not a quick fix. Too many kids cast adrift at 12 because they are too small and too many of our clubs are hoping for that quick fix.  i go to a lot of underage football and it is apparent which clubs put the effort in and which don't.  This may sound mad in 2026 but simple things like having a pitch ready or a set of jerseys are not givens.

Consistent good effort year after year will eventually pay off - though it takes time. It cant be intermittent.

[Deerstalker]

I know Davitts go into the primary schools and have plans to appoint a full time GAA officer in the next few months, similar to what St Brigids have.

Just on the CPC mention, when your hurling intake are from Dunloy, Loughgiel, Ballycastle & to a lesser extent the odd Cushendall one - well you are half way there.

And just to echo what a lot are saying, it's not easy - most clubs are reliant on parents taking teams. It's then up to the club to then upskill those coaches but many are happy to do it down the age groups.

Once it gets more serious as you go up the ages many aren't as interested.

[Would ye whist]

This is absolutely nail on the head here

its a bit of everything  - everything needs to be done well and done well consistently over time.  The schools arent the deciding factor but they give a polish and another few percent.

Every club is different and has their own personalities and pros and cons that affect how they can approach things.    One poster mentioned Dunloy having 63 kids in P1 and are an outstanding club model now in both codes. On the flip side I  would suggest Creggan, Cargin and Moneyglass wouldnt have 63 P1s in their parish between them yet are competing at senior level individually.

Some clubs have a good coach for a couple of years and then a vacuum afterwards.  Others get a natural bunch of outstanding talent which masks the shitshow above and below.

Consistency of good practice can only bring its rewards but it is not a quick fix. Too many kids cast adrift at 12 because they are too small and too many of our clubs are hoping for that quick fix.  i go to a lot of underage football and it is apparent which clubs put the effort in and which don't.  This may sound mad in 2026 but simple things like having a pitch ready or a set of jerseys are not givens.

Consistent good effort year after year will eventually pay off - though it takes time. It cant be intermittent.

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

its a bit of everything  - everything needs to be done well and done well consistently over time.  The schools arent the deciding factor but they give a polish and another few percent.

Every club is different and has their own personalities and pros and cons that affect how they can approach things.    One poster mentioned Dunloy having 63 kids in P1 and are an outstanding club model now in both codes. On the flip side I  would suggest Creggan, Cargin and Moneyglass wouldnt have 63 P1s in their parish between them yet are competing at senior level individually.

Some clubs have a good coach for a couple of years and then a vacuum afterwards.  Others get a natural bunch of outstanding talent which masks the shitshow above and below.

Consistency of good practice can only bring its rewards but it is not a quick fix. Too many kids cast adrift at 12 because they are too small and too many of our clubs are hoping for that quick fix.  i go to a lot of underage football and it is apparent which clubs put the effort in and which don't.  This may sound mad in 2026 but simple things like having a pitch ready or a set of jerseys are not givens.

Consistent good effort year after year will eventually pay off - though it takes time. It cant be intermittent.

Agree with you on this.

It all comes down to having good folk in place and not turning away anyone who wants to help.

I see a lot of new vols come in each year and they are at ground zero in terms of coaching and knowing what to do. If they are in with good experienced coaches they grown in confidence and knowledge and end up being an asset to the club and the kids.

We havent always had good teams. we have lean years at underage where we wont win or might struggle to compete but you still must put the same effort into the kids as if they were the number 1 team in the county. The less effort or time you put into them they will notice it.

[Swsaffs]

Just seen the div 1 league fixtures

"PREDICTIONS"

Top 4
 Creggan
Tnn
Pg1
Cargin


Bottom 4
Rossa
Sairsfields
St Paul's
St John's

League winners

Creggan

Relegated

Sairsfields

[paddyjohn]

The schools system has never been there.

Its a long time since i was at school but in my time in Ballymena we played hurling and it was seen as a waste of time to the school, or well to some of the teachers.

St Pats was full of non GAA teachers and pupils so hurling, football & esp. camogie was seen as something that was not essential to take part in. I remember you had to ask permission out from classes to play for the school and very often the teachers said no to you missing their lesson so you ended up not playing.

St Pats used to get a lot of Dunloy & Loughgiel but those numbers are dwindling down to nothing. Its mostly Ballymena, Glenravel.

It was never seen as a school that was in any way having a strong GAA culture. If anything that boat has sailed a long time ago.

St Louis has done a lot of good work themselves but are fighting a battle against Cross and Passion in terms of the draw for hurling.

CPC are very popular for kids wanting to play hurling & camogie. They take in Ballycastle, Carey, Loughgiel, Dunloy, Cloughmills, Naomh Padraig etc. so have a strong base. What they do really well is engage with the local clubs in terms of using clubs to train during the year and getting support from them on socials. 

St Killian's have again done well in terms of the hurling & camogie and draw in Glenariffe, Carnlough, Cushendall, Glenarm, Cushendun. Again they do well on their socials and get the support of the clubs as well.

I dont know what any of the Belfast schools do as i don't see any of their socials but is there any connection with the local clubs they draw from?

The truth is that Gaelfast was a complete waste of time and money, nothing was gained from it whatsoever. I hold no hope of any meaningful programme being done in terms of schools if we couldnt get it right for our clubs.

I know that our local primary school has had a long standing and very strong connection to the club. It goes hand in hand with the club and maintaining this is vital for the long term future of the club. We have 56 kids in Primary one so the numbers game is vital and getting them into the club for the future is key.

 

St Pats don't even get that many from Glenravel anymore. The nephew goes to St Killians and he says most of the Glenravel ones now go there.

[Cnoc Bán]

Just seen the div 1 league fixtures

"PREDICTIONS"

Top 4
 Creggan
Tnn
Pg1
Cargin


Bottom 4
Rossa
Sairsfields
St Paul's
St John's

League winners

Creggan

Relegated

Sairsfields

That is bound to get a few bites.....

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

The schools system has never been there.

Its a long time since i was at school but in my time in Ballymena we played hurling and it was seen as a waste of time to the school, or well to some of the teachers.

St Pats was full of non GAA teachers and pupils so hurling, football & esp. camogie was seen as something that was not essential to take part in. I remember you had to ask permission out from classes to play for the school and very often the teachers said no to you missing their lesson so you ended up not playing.

St Pats used to get a lot of Dunloy & Loughgiel but those numbers are dwindling down to nothing. Its mostly Ballymena, Glenravel.

It was never seen as a school that was in any way having a strong GAA culture. If anything that boat has sailed a long time ago.

St Louis has done a lot of good work themselves but are fighting a battle against Cross and Passion in terms of the draw for hurling.

CPC are very popular for kids wanting to play hurling & camogie. They take in Ballycastle, Carey, Loughgiel, Dunloy, Cloughmills, Naomh Padraig etc. so have a strong base. What they do really well is engage with the local clubs in terms of using clubs to train during the year and getting support from them on socials. 

St Killian's have again done well in terms of the hurling & camogie and draw in Glenariffe, Carnlough, Cushendall, Glenarm, Cushendun. Again they do well on their socials and get the support of the clubs as well.

I dont know what any of the Belfast schools do as i don't see any of their socials but is there any connection with the local clubs they draw from?

The truth is that Gaelfast was a complete waste of time and money, nothing was gained from it whatsoever. I hold no hope of any meaningful programme being done in terms of schools if we couldnt get it right for our clubs.

I know that our local primary school has had a long standing and very strong connection to the club. It goes hand in hand with the club and maintaining this is vital for the long term future of the club. We have 56 kids in Primary one so the numbers game is vital and getting them into the club for the future is key.

 

St Pats don't even get that many from Glenravel anymore. The nephew goes to St Killians and he says most of the Glenravel ones now go there.

Id say since the amalgamation of Glenariffe & Glenravel it has seen a lot more of them going there to school. The influence of coaches at the school will have helped that.

St Pats is not a school now that has any strength in the GAA now.

[Deerstalker]

Think St Pats have big immigrant/Eastern European numbers the last few years

[BigGreenField]

its a bit of everything  - everything needs to be done well and done well consistently over time.  The schools arent the deciding factor but they give a polish and another few percent.

Every club is different and has their own personalities and pros and cons that affect how they can approach things.    One poster mentioned Dunloy having 63 kids in P1 and are an outstanding club model now in both codes. On the flip side I  would suggest Creggan, Cargin and Moneyglass wouldnt have 63 P1s in their parish between them yet are competing at senior level individually.

Some clubs have a good coach for a couple of years and then a vacuum afterwards.  Others get a natural bunch of outstanding talent which masks the shitshow above and below.

Consistency of good practice can only bring its rewards but it is not a quick fix. Too many kids cast adrift at 12 because they are too small and too many of our clubs are hoping for that quick fix.  i go to a lot of underage football and it is apparent which clubs put the effort in and which don't.  This may sound mad in 2026 but simple things like having a pitch ready or a set of jerseys are not givens.

Consistent good effort year after year will eventually pay off - though it takes time. It cant be intermittent.

Quality of coaching is the no 1 priority and the foundation for everything

Better players, player retention, Broad based/no superstar development, long term skills development (and not focusing on winning juvenile trophies), cross code work - quality coaching

You want to fundraise for new facilities - people will chip in when the have a sense of progress and that's momentum.

I've said before there needs to be public scoring of clubs coaching platforms, the good the bad and the ugly, it's a 10 year fix to fix coaching culture and skills, 10 years after that for the players to begin to arrive.

[BigGreenField]

The schools system has never been there.

Its a long time since i was at school but in my time in Ballymena we played hurling and it was seen as a waste of time to the school, or well to some of the teachers.

St Pats was full of non GAA teachers and pupils so hurling, football & esp. camogie was seen as something that was not essential to take part in. I remember you had to ask permission out from classes to play for the school and very often the teachers said no to you missing their lesson so you ended up not playing.

St Pats used to get a lot of Dunloy & Loughgiel but those numbers are dwindling down to nothing. Its mostly Ballymena, Glenravel.

It was never seen as a school that was in any way having a strong GAA culture. If anything that boat has sailed a long time ago.

St Louis has done a lot of good work themselves but are fighting a battle against Cross and Passion in terms of the draw for hurling.

CPC are very popular for kids wanting to play hurling & camogie. They take in Ballycastle, Carey, Loughgiel, Dunloy, Cloughmills, Naomh Padraig etc. so have a strong base. What they do really well is engage with the local clubs in terms of using clubs to train during the year and getting support from them on socials. 

St Killian's have again done well in terms of the hurling & camogie and draw in Glenariffe, Carnlough, Cushendall, Glenarm, Cushendun. Again they do well on their socials and get the support of the clubs as well.

I dont know what any of the Belfast schools do as i don't see any of their socials but is there any connection with the local clubs they draw from?

The truth is that Gaelfast was a complete waste of time and money, nothing was gained from it whatsoever. I hold no hope of any meaningful programme being done in terms of schools if we couldnt get it right for our clubs.

I know that our local primary school has had a long standing and very strong connection to the club. It goes hand in hand with the club and maintaining this is vital for the long term future of the club. We have 56 kids in Primary one so the numbers game is vital and getting them into the club for the future is key.

 

The city isn't the country, primary schools might have kids from 5+ clubs.

Work is being done by Ld, St Paul's, Sarsfields Brigids and others sending volunteers into schools some paid some not, they are attempting to get the sole school link but very difficult. Hard yards stuff. More need to do it.

Gaelfast is a 20 year project and is only a few years in, it's tiny in resources compared to need and if it's role is to create some interest, help schools begin to build out their own skills then as a first step it has done that. The next step  is clubs having their own part or full time coaches supporting skills and Antrim supplying coaches to secondary schools - all happening in part, all very slow. The first cohort of kids impacted by Gaelfast are probably only reaching secondary level this year.

The development and retention gap opens around age 14, talented players maybe drop to soccer, S&C  gap opens and quality of coaching gap opens. Fix coaching and the rest will follow.

[marty34]

I see secondary schools mentioned a lot on here and on different gaa topics. But in reality, it is the club that is the basis of everything.

From 4 years up to 12 years - it's all about the club. These are the most important years. Then the input of second level schools can work but unless they have that culture it won't matter.

What is culture? Basically to me it's being at the club 6 days a week. Now I don't mean training but I do mean 2 or 3 times training and a match. Other times is when the older brother is playing and the wee brother goes up but instead of watching the game, he's playing in the sand that's being used to build a wall between 2 pitches. It's when the wee sister is up doing fundamentals and the wee brother is helping mammy put out the cones. It's when there's a family fun day at the club, the whole family are there and the wee brother is kicking the ball against the wall ball with his classmate. It's when the seniors are playing a league match and wee brother is rolling down the grassy bank with 5 of his classmates. That's building culture. When you have that in large numbers, I think you're in business.