GAA doing a deal with SkySports

[AZOffaly]

No. The spirit of the GAA, apparently, is to begrudge any popularity or spread  amongst people who weren't born on, or currently residing in, the island of Ireland.

[armaghniac]

Basic Aim
The Association is a National Organisation which has as its basic aim the strengthening of the National Identity in a 32 County Ireland through the preservation and
promotion of Gaelic Games and pastimes.

Note this does not increasing the cost to Irish people to provide armchair viewing in Britain.

[Rossfan]

Basic Aim
The Association is a National Organisation which has as its basic aim the strengthening of the National Identity in a 32 County Ireland through the preservation and
promotion of Gaelic Games and pastimes.

Note this does not increasing the cost to Irish people to provide armchair viewing in Britain.

It's about time it was changed to read as in bold above.

[BennyHarp]

Basic Aim
The Association is a National Organisation which has as its basic aim the strengthening of the National Identity in a 32 County Ireland through the preservation and
promotion of Gaelic Games and pastimes.

Note this does not increasing the cost to Irish people armchair viewers to provide armchair viewing in Britain.

Fixed that for you.

[Eamonnca1]

Basic Aim
The Association is a National Organisation which has as its basic aim the strengthening of the National Identity in a 32 County Ireland through the preservation and
promotion of Gaelic Games and pastimes.

Note this does not increasing the cost to Irish people to provide armchair viewing in Britain.

That's a bloody anachronism and it's time it was changed. Treats the GAA outside of Ireland like it doesn't exist.

[armaghniac]

That's a bloody anachronism and it's time it was changed. Treats the GAA outside of Ireland like it doesn't exist.

The GAA outside Ireland exists and probably doesn't do much harm, but it is irrelevant to the objectives of the GAA. But it could become a dangerous distraction from them, in the hands of people who have objectives other than those of the GAA.

[Eamonnca1]

"Dangerous distraction"?

[Rossfan]

Perhaps Armaghniac could spell out what objectives  he thinks the GAA should be promoting and how does promoting Gaelic Games conflict with such.
Are they supposed to be trying to turn us all into Irish people or what?
If so they've long since succeeded 

[Eamonnca1]

"...a fifth of GAA clubs are now outside Ireland."

Global GAA: 65 teams, 18 countries, 180 matches – welcome to Asian Gaelic Games

[Eamonnca1]

If you want to talk about the "people who have objectives other than those of the GAA," you won't find them in GAA clubs outside of Ireland. You'll find them right at home, strutting around blowing about how they're going to raise a million dollars in fundraising, concocting their own version of hurling, and doing it all under the smokescreen of "player welfare."

[theticklemister]

At the risk of saying I told you so...

2015 ... The year that the GAA conquered the British sporting public?

By Nick Bramhill, Irish Examiner

IT'S been the year the British forged a surprising love affair with GAA sports from the safe distance of their TV screens, writes Nick Bramhill

Sky Sports ventured into unchartered, and risky, waters earlier in the summer when the broadcaster started covering Ireland's indigenous sports for the first time.

But TV viewers' overwhelmingly positive, if somewhat bemused reaction, to action-packed games such as the two hurling finals between Kilkenny and Tipperary and the football showdown between Donegal and Kerry, seems to have paid off.

Now GAA clubs in Britain say they are reaping the benefits in the form of a hike in interest from people wanting to take up the sports.

Club chiefs across England have noted how the exposure to GAA sports has encouraged young English kids to start playing hurling and Gaelic football.

And following the coverage of last month's nail-biting All-Ireland hurling finals across the water, GAA representatives in Britain said they are expecting hundreds of new converts to flock to their clubs.

Sean Hopkins, chairman of Lancashire GAA County Board, said: "It's phenomenal what's happening at the moment. A few teachers in Manchester I know told me English-born kids, with no background or knowledge at all of GAA, are coming into school the whole time talking about hurling rather than the Premiership.

"There's great potential now at underage level, because youngsters have seen the game and they want to play it and that's the key to the future of the sports.

"The first of the two hurling finals was the best possible advert for the game and there's a feeling here Sky are going to bring things to another level. It's the best thing that's happened to the game in a long time."

When Sky signed a €10m three-year deal with the GAA earlier in the summer, many seasoned observers and so-called 'experts' scoffed at the prospect of gaelic games proving a hit across the water, particularly as a large period of the season clashed with the World Cup.

Initial doubts about the audience's appetite for the sports seemed to be confirmed when Sky's TV figures for several of the season's opening televised games pulled in little more than 10,000 viewers. But social media, not least an increasingly frenzied reaction on Twitter to more high-profile televised matches, raised the GAA's profile and gave a massive boost to viewership figures.

The well-documented Twitter reaction, particularly to hurling, played a key part in drawing in a hugely-impressive 427,000 viewers in Britain to the epic first final between Kilkenny and Tipperary, deemed by some experts as the best game of hurling ever played.

Now there is evidence the legion of converts are joining GAA clubs across Britain.

Chairman of London-based Sean Treacy's hurling club, Martin Carroll, said the Sky exposure will enable him to launch an underage team.

"There are English lads, who haven't played before, getting in contact. Sky has given the games a lot of exposure and it bodes well for the future," says Carroll.

Underage coach at London's St. Brendan's GAA Football Club, Paul Hughes, says "I've been coaching here for 15 years and I've never seen such interest as there's been in the past few months. We've one underage team at the moment, but we'll be able to double that number by next year because of the Sky coverage."

All-Britain competitions chairman John Gormley, added: "In the last six to seven years, we've doubled the number of underage clubs in Britain from 30 to 60 and that's happened through getting funds from the Irish government and Croke Park, and having a full-time development officer.

"But if Sky keeps covering the games, the popularity of the GAA over here will take off like never before."

Meanwhile, tourist chiefs in Ireland have predicted a further spin-off from the coverage in the form of increased visitor numbers from across the water.

Tourism Ireland spokeswoman Sinead Grace said: "The Sky deal certainly is proving positive because it's showcasing our national games in our largest overseas market - Britain.

"Hurling has been drawing a lot of interest in particular because it is such an exciting game to watch on TV.

I teach in Liverpool and had training within the primary school for about 8 weeks before the summer. I started again on Friday and I had to turn away a lot of pupils because of the safety regulations of teacher-for-student ratio. I decided to have y5 before christmas and y6 after. The reason for this huge jump is because of the GAA being on the tv.

My club has recently started an underage system in last three months. We have 20 lads/lassies from local area playing with no Irish background whatsoever. The coverage on Sky has helped us.

I know Sean Hopkins and he is 100% correct.

[theticklemister]

That's a bloody anachronism and it's time it was changed. Treats the GAA outside of Ireland like it doesn't exist.

The GAA outside Ireland exists and probably doesn't do much harm, but it is irrelevant to the objectives of the GAA. But it could become a dangerous distraction from them, in the hands of people who have objectives other than those of the GAA.

You are one right-wing, bitter oul cnut.

How is it irrelevant ya tube?

How has me , Benny, Eamonn or Zulu going to effect the objectives of the GAA. You are the GAA's equivalent.
of Ian Paisley.

Can you list your reasons why?

[armaghniac]

It is notable how some posters prefer to play the man rather than the ball.

I said that the GAA abroad could pass into the hands of those with no regard for GAA principles. I didn't say that the posters here were such people.

[Zulu]

It is notable how some posters prefer to play the man rather than the ball.

I said that the GAA abroad could pass into the hands of those with no regard for GAA principles. I didn't say that the posters here were such people.

That's because of the tone of your posts and rather bizarre points you make. Can you please elaborate on what kind of people don't have GAA principles? What aims, other than promoting the development of Gaelic games, does a GAA volunteer need to have to meet your criteria for GAA involvement?

[theticklemister]

It is notable how some posters prefer to play the man rather than the ball.

I said that the GAA abroad could pass into the hands of those with no regard for GAA principles. I didn't say that the posters here were such people.

That's because of the tone of your posts and rather bizarre points you make. Can you please elaborate on what kind of people don't have GAA principles? What aims, other than promoting the development of Gaelic games, does a GAA volunteer need to have to meet your criteria for GAA involvement?

It's in case we hand the GAA to the Oul English wans? The Oul bould English. Don't worry armaghinc , me Zulu and benny will meet in some Irish bar in the midlands of England and we will chat about who we can and can't pass the Gaa onto.