Liam O'Neill

[AZOffaly]

Nobody except the supporters, county board and their manager

[seafoid]

Nobody except the supporters, county board and their manager

If they didn't like it would they do it?
What was it that fella who won an all Ireland said about getting  a new mickey?
Maybe that is the spur.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGuc4E666F4

[AZOffaly]

Nobody except the supporters, county board and their manager

If they didn't like it would they do it?
What was it that fella who won an all Ireland said about getting  a new mickey?
Maybe that is the spur.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGuc4E666F4

Of course they like it, and it's worth it. They wouldn't be doing it otherwise. It's a privilege to play for your county. But they are still asked to put in a lot of work, it's not like me gardening. If I don't feel like going out and weeding the flowerbed some Wednesday evening, I'm not going to be dropped

[seafoid]

Nobody except the supporters, county board and their manager

If they didn't like it would they do it?
What was it that fella who won an all Ireland said about getting  a new mickey?
Maybe that is the spur.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGuc4E666F4

Of course they like it, and it's worth it. They wouldn't be doing it otherwise. It's a privilege to play for your county. But they are still asked to put in a lot of work, it's not like me gardening. If I don't feel like going out and weeding the flowerbed some Wednesday evening, I'm not going to be dropped

But you don't get the glory doing the garden.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWtEzZlXCfI

[magpie seanie]

How does rugby support 4 professional teams? Is the international dimension (6-8 home games a year max) that much more lucrative than 3 sellout concerts and an American football match (in a larger stadium) that a minority sport can finance 4 full time professional competitive teams? Gaelic games could support 10 football teams easily. The only difficulty could be with the Ulster teams where the original GAA ethos of being community based and amateur is still strong. The general population in the rest of the country would have zero issue with players getting paid.

I would prefer if the GAA leadership would steer away from this course but they seem quite happy with the way it's going.

To say no-one in the GAA wants players to be paid is complete rubbish.

As I say I have no wish for this to happen and even less to draw out a strategy for achieving it. 20 odd years ago when the GAA allowed shirt sponsorship if Hardy and I suggested counties would be getting million euro deals in time to come you'd have locked us up too! This will happen and it will make the GAA better for the 98% of us not involved with the intercounty game.

I agree with all that, Seanie, except that it would improve the GAA for the rest of us. I contend that it would ruin it and that's based solely on the evidence of every other sport where it's happened. The elite level devours all resources. That means less money for coaching, hurleys for kids, decent facilities for clubs, etc. Look at club rugby here. Clubs are reduced to flogging their international tickets to survive.

I take your point but I'd hope that without the impediment of intercounty fixtures holding things up you'd be able to organise your season better and run things in a more attractive fashion. You could build up the community spirit that has been eroded and worn away over time by the nose wagging the dog and the outright hypocrisy that's all pervasive in the modern GAA. It could go pear shaped as you say but if a sensible approach is taken to it there's no reason why it should.

[seafoid]

The Laois under 21 thread is a great example of why the link to place makes the GAA what it is. It is not always about winning.
Turning to pro franchises would destroy the essence of the games. If the Limerick franchise went bust maybe Athlone would buy it. Look at US sport. Pure shite for the sake of money.

[AZOffaly]

The Laois under 21 thread is a great example of why the link to place makes the GAA what it is. It is not always about winning.
Turning to pro franchises would destroy the essence of the games. If the Limerick franchise went bust maybe Athlone would buy it. Look at US sport. Pure shite for the sake of money.

US Sport is brilliant!

[seafoid]

The Laois under 21 thread is a great example of why the link to place makes the GAA what it is. It is not always about winning.
Turning to pro franchises would destroy the essence of the games. If the Limerick franchise went bust maybe Athlone would buy it. Look at US sport. Pure shite for the sake of money.

US Sport is brilliant!

But franchises owe no loyalty to supporters when the business model fails.
Imagine Syf if Ros won the All Ireland. Money could not buy that.
Liverpool is different.  Not enough money.

[Rossfan]

/quote]But franchises owe no loyalty to supporters when the business model fails.
Imagine Syf if Ros won the All Ireland. Money could not buy that.
.

Don't Matter would say money has bought the last few AIs.

[AZOffaly]

The Laois under 21 thread is a great example of why the link to place makes the GAA what it is. It is not always about winning.
Turning to pro franchises would destroy the essence of the games. If the Limerick franchise went bust maybe Athlone would buy it. Look at US sport. Pure shite for the sake of money.

US Sport is brilliant!

But franchises owe no loyalty to supporters when the business model fails.
Imagine Syf if Ros won the All Ireland. Money could not buy that.
Liverpool is different.  Not enough money.

True. But that doesn't mean the sport is shite. It just means they are not tethered to their locality like the GAA is. Bit of a non-sequitor. Although College Sports are more in line with our understanding of being bound to a place and a tradition.

[Mike Sheehy]

The Laois under 21 thread is a great example of why the link to place makes the GAA what it is. It is not always about winning.
Turning to pro franchises would destroy the essence of the games. If the Limerick franchise went bust maybe Athlone would buy it. Look at US sport. Pure shite for the sake of money.

US Sport is brilliant!

But franchises owe no loyalty to supporters when the business model fails.
Imagine Syf if Ros won the All Ireland. Money could not buy that.
Liverpool is different.  Not enough money.

True. But that doesn't mean the sport is shite. It just means they are not tethered to their locality like the GAA is. Bit of a non-sequitor. Although College Sports are more in line with our understanding of being bound to a place and a tradition.

Agreed. For example we are all aware of the deep ties between Ballinasloe and Liverpool. The Americans have nothing to compare with that deep , emotional commitment to ones "local" team.

[sligoman2]

Sorry I was expecting to see something about Liam Oneill when I visited this thread.  I must be losing it......

[rrhf]

How much do you have to be paid for it to be professional? IC players are already getting paid.

are the ulster boys getting these irish govn grants.  Surely they are for 26 county  footballers only..

[seafoid]

The Laois under 21 thread is a great example of why the link to place makes the GAA what it is. It is not always about winning.
Turning to pro franchises would destroy the essence of the games. If the Limerick franchise went bust maybe Athlone would buy it. Look at US sport. Pure shite for the sake of money.

US Sport is brilliant!

But franchises owe no loyalty to supporters when the business model fails.
Imagine Syf if Ros won the All Ireland. Money could not buy that.
Liverpool is different.  Not enough money.

True. But that doesn't mean the sport is shite. It just means they are not tethered to their locality like the GAA is. Bit of a non-sequitor. Although College Sports are more in line with our understanding of being bound to a place and a tradition.

I didn't say the sport was shite. The commercial imperative breaks the link to the local place. The sport can still be wonderful but something is lost. And in the case of the GAA that would be too much to lose.

There is a different issue with sport driven by money - monopoly capitalism. Money flows to the top. So Real/Barca/Bayern/Chelsea- whatever combination will be a super match but it would be nice to see a team from Benelux or Eastern Europe making the final every 15 years or so. 

[AZOffaly]

You said "Look at US Sport. Pure Shite for the sake of money".