GAA doing a deal with SkySports

[BennyHarp]

I think the GAA should use the money from the Sky deal to pay for a Sky subscription for all elderly people in rural Ireland.

[AZOffaly]

I think the GAA should use the money from the Sky deal to pay for a Sky subscription for all elderly people in rural Ireland.

And set up a tab in all the pubs.

[orangeman]

Why should ticket prices be reduced, there are great ticket deals already? Why would you reduce affiliation fees? There isn't a large increase in revenue so why would you give that away for minimal (none really) advantage to clubs.

ok. If the GAA were to find themselves making much increased profits as a result of this great deal with SKY and as more than one president etc ( in order to appease / excuse the move) has said that the money will be ploughed back into the clubs, do you think that reducing the affiliation fees of already cash strapped clubs would be a runner / possibility / likelihood ?.

I'd doubt it and I wouldn't be in favour of doing that. If the GAA had a €1 million to give to clubs I'd sooner see 10 clubs get €100,000 to help build a 3G floodlight pitch (or something like that) than give 2,500 clubs €400 each, which while helpful really makes no odds to anyone.

I think clubs, some of whom gripe about the rising affiliation fees would greatly appreciate a reduction in their fees even if it were €400 a club. That way the GAA could rightly claim that the Sky and other deals have been good for clubs and that some of the money went directly to the clubs by way of a reduction in their annual fees.

[BennyHarp]

I think the GAA should use the money from the Sky deal to pay for a Sky subscription for all elderly people in rural Ireland.

And set up a tab in all the pubs.

And obviously pay for the taxis home as well.

[Zulu]

Why should ticket prices be reduced, there are great ticket deals already? Why would you reduce affiliation fees? There isn't a large increase in revenue so why would you give that away for minimal (none really) advantage to clubs.

ok. If the GAA were to find themselves making much increased profits as a result of this great deal with SKY and as more than one president etc ( in order to appease / excuse the move) has said that the money will be ploughed back into the clubs, do you think that reducing the affiliation fees of already cash strapped clubs would be a runner / possibility / likelihood ?.

I'd doubt it and I wouldn't be in favour of doing that. If the GAA had a €1 million to give to clubs I'd sooner see 10 clubs get €100,000 to help build a 3G floodlight pitch (or something like that) than give 2,500 clubs €400 each, which while helpful really makes no odds to anyone.

I think clubs, some of whom gripe about the rising affiliation fees would greatly appreciate a reduction in their fees even if it were €400 a club. That way the GAA could rightly claim that the Sky and other deals have been good for clubs and that some of the money went directly to the clubs by way of a reduction in their annual fees.

We'd certainly appreciate a €400 reduction in our annual outlay but if in 5 years time we wanted to develop our clubhouse, build a 3G pitch or install floodlights and when we applied for assistance from the GAA they couldn't help us because they were giving clubs like Kilmacud Crokes, St. Vincents, Nemo Rangers, Blackrock, Mount Sion, Ballinderry etc. €400 a year off affiliation fees I'd be pretty disappointed as those, and many others, would be just fine without that €400 reduction. Clubs don't come much smaller or broke than my own and €400 would make no odds to us, albeit nice to have.

[roney]

Wasnt so long ago his Club Tyrone were going around the states with their caps out looking finance.  No problem taking it of Paddy in New York who may not have it to give but a crime to take it of sky.  Does Mr Conway not think this money will be reinvested in the GAA or does he think the top brass are going to line their pockets?

Can you not see the difference between a voluntary donation to the GAA and forcing members to part with money to get past a pay wall to view their own games? The whole point of his Club Tyrone model is that it's done voluntarily and without expecting anything in return. It called the ethos of the GAA, or possibly former ethos at this stage.

[AZOffaly]

Wasnt so long ago his Club Tyrone were going around the states with their caps out looking finance.  No problem taking it of Paddy in New York who may not have it to give but a crime to take it of sky.  Does Mr Conway not think this money will be reinvested in the GAA or does he think the top brass are going to line their pockets?

Can you not see the difference between a voluntary donation to the GAA and forcing members to part with money to get past a pay wall to view their own games? The whole point of his Club Tyrone model is that it's done voluntarily and without expecting anything in return. It called the ethos of the GAA, or possibly former ethos at this stage.

Sure if you go to the games you have to pay money to get past an ACTUAL wall. Or should all GAA members have free entry to games as well? Any profits from this deal will be put back into the GAA, I'm sure of that.

[Eamonnca1]

Wasnt so long ago his Club Tyrone were going around the states with their caps out looking finance.  No problem taking it of Paddy in New York who may not have it to give but a crime to take it of sky.  Does Mr Conway not think this money will be reinvested in the GAA or does he think the top brass are going to line their pockets?

Can you not see the difference between a voluntary donation to the GAA and forcing members to part with money to get past a pay wall to view their own games? The whole point of his Club Tyrone model is that it's done voluntarily and without expecting anything in return. It called the ethos of the GAA, or possibly former ethos at this stage.

I don't know how many times I'm going to have to repeat this but GAA fans outside Ireland faced paywalls for years. Where's the righteous indignation on our behalf?

[Rossfan]

forcing members to part with money to get past a pay wall to view their own games?

1- nobody is being forced to do anything - watching a game is voluntary as is paying for Sky TV.
2- more people than members of the GAA watch Gaelic games on TV. In fact I'd say a lot of members of the GAA are probably engaged in club games/affairs and too busy to watch a tv game.
3- what about the 40 odd Championship games that NOBODY can see on TV?

[quiganmaster]

Is it 20 games of football and 20 of hurling or is it 20 combined?

[roney]

Wasnt so long ago his Club Tyrone were going around the states with their caps out looking finance.  No problem taking it of Paddy in New York who may not have it to give but a crime to take it of sky.  Does Mr Conway not think this money will be reinvested in the GAA or does he think the top brass are going to line their pockets?

Can you not see the difference between a voluntary donation to the GAA and forcing members to part with money to get past a pay wall to view their own games? The whole point of his Club Tyrone model is that it's done voluntarily and without expecting anything in return. It called the ethos of the GAA, or possibly former ethos at this stage.

Sure if you go to the games you have to pay money to get past an ACTUAL wall. Or should all GAA members have free entry to games as well? Any profits from this deal will be put back into the GAA, I'm sure of that.

Logically you are saying that because you have to pay into a game, then you have no problem with all games being pay per view. Is that your position?

[AZOffaly]

Not at all, but logically you seem to be saying that no-one who gives their time to the GAA should have to pay to view the games on telly. Does this extend to never having to pay to watch 'our games' at all? And if not, what's the difference?

[Rossfan]

Can you not see the difference between a voluntary donation to the GAA and forcing members to part with money to get past a pay wall to view their own games? The whole point of his Club Tyrone model is that it's done voluntarily and without expecting anything in return. It called the ethos of the GAA, or possibly former ethos at this stage.

you are wasting your time roney.
there is nothing wrong with making money for the gaa. but not at any price. club sponsorships are nearly always of local benefit with many sponsors either being actively involved with their club. entrance money into games is no different from paying to watch a play by a local amateur drama group, clubs and counties try to raise funds and get the best deals. but if there is more going out than coming in then you must cut your cloth as you need.
but there are principles that you, me and many others have where money does not go above everything else. as i have said i refuse to give any money to the murdoch empire. look at the front page of the irish sun today for one very small reason why.
the problem is that ireland is and has been full of gombeen men with very few morals and principles, who would sell their mothers if there was a few bob in it for them. foreigners know this when they deal with irish people and companies on how to deal with us. and the smarter gombeens also know this. the dail is full of them, getting elected by less smart gombeens who will happily sell their vote to get a personal favour over money going towards hospitals and education. got mine, f**k you.
when people with principles start to stand up and make their voice heard, it scares the gombeen, they call them backwards, stupid, anti business, against the gaa. all the shit of the day like that fianna fail threw at people who warned of a property bubble a decade ago. maybe we should commit suicide?
remember when you do a deal with sky, when they say jump you ask 'how high'?

God between us and all harm !!!

[passedit]

I'm a Gael who lives on the Island of Ireland who couldn't see any games televised by TV3. For many years the only way I could see games on RTE was on the Sky Ireland platform (acquired at additional expense), I can still only get RTE on Sky, RTE geoblocks RTE player to me even though I live on the Island of Ireland. I expect Sky to promote the games they'll cover instead of denigrating them. Hopefully this will put a rocket under RTE. Personally ICGAF if Sky got all the games.

ps I pay setanta to watch league games because I want to.  Its my choice, i don't expect to be handed everything for free.

[Black Card]

Anyone living in Ireland who wants to see a certain 9 games games (many of which didn't even exist a few years ago), don't have a subscription and are too lazy/unable to get to the actual match  - losers

You really are a most hateful and unlikable soul, what about people who lived for GAA but now in later life have mobility issues and no intention of paying 30 quid a month of their pension for the ability to watch the matches.