Is there a total disconnect between GAA Officialdom and the grass roots?

[Tubberman]

As evidenced by the controversial Sky TV deal,

The disconnect is not between the management and grassroots. The disconnect is between the grassroots in Ireland and the grassroots outside of Ireland. Yiz can't get it into your heads that GAA clubs, volunteers and communities exist beyond Ireland's shores.

It's not for the grassroots in Ireland to worry about the 'grassroots' abroad, although I don't think they can really be considered grassroots to be honest. The GAA would survive without the clubs abroad (although it would definitely be a lesser association for it), but it most certainly would not survive with the clubs at home - that's what makes them the grassroots.
It is up to the organisation leadership to formulate a more structured and focussed policy on how to manage the clubs abroad, you can't expect the common supporter or club secretary to worry about that.

[rosnarun]

The inial Point flawed anyway
Lots of Grass roots members are in Favour of the Sky deal esp as it stands now.
As for Casement park i know little about it but from the 1 million pages of discussion on it here it looks like the Grassroots are well Split there too

[INDIANA]

The inial Point flawed anyway
Lots of Grass roots members are in Favour of the Sky deal esp as it stands now.
As for Casement park i know little about it but from the 1 million pages of discussion on it here it looks like the Grassroots are well Split there too

A lot of members haven't even looked at the deal and don't understand it. So I wouldn't be making assumptions.

[Plastic Paddy]

Benny, he is not so out of kilter with a lot of the counties we have played. Some of the abuse dished out off the sideline is a disgrace. One county in particular are vile.

[seafoid]

Grassroots is a loaded term. Grassroots Late Late watchers are unhappy that the Wolfe Tones aren't on every week. Grassroots are always moaning about something and are related to Urban NIMBY people by a shared sense of feigned outrage. They are fearlessly traditional other than when attractive aspects of modernity are preferable.

[johnneycool]

Grassroots is a loaded term. Grassroots Late Late watchers are unhappy that the Wolfe Tones aren't on every week. Grassroots are always moaning about something and are related to Urban NIMBY people by a shared sense of feigned outrage. They are fearlessly traditional other than when attractive aspects of modernity are preferable.

Grassroots is a very vague term and no one has a right to speak for the grassroots as no one has actually asked for some sort of club/county consensus on this like there was for more contentious issues.

For myself, I had a ropey enough coverage of TV3, so not a big loss to me in terms of what I could and could not see, ditto with TG4, can be good some days, not others. I don't have sky and won't be running out to get it just because a few peripheral games are being shown.
I'm sure there are a lot of 'grassroots' out there who already have sky and are happy enough with the deal.

[BarryBreensBandage]

I heard a ridiculous notion that due to the One Direction and Garth Brooks concerts, the GAA want to 'give back to the GAA community and rescind the €2 registration fee for all members'. What is the point in that? How many could be arsed taking €2 off their club? I would waste a fiver driving to the place to collect it!
The ways I see disconnect is this non assistance to clubs financially. Look at the physio bills, fitness programme bills, that clubs have to incur now. Upgrades to grounds to make them playable, downturn in value of land, overheads, the list is endless.
If they really want to help, throw 150,000 to Down County Board to allow them to waive the registration fee they place on every club every year. Or even better, cover all clubs insurance for one year.
Or, survey each county and award grants to the clubs that need it most. Lottery and government grants are not enough in this day and age.
Now that Croker is paid off, the money needs to start to trickle down.

[Redhand Santa]

I'm pretty sure the 2 euro goes to the clubs. It's a small gesture but every little helps and there a lot of clubs up and down the county. There's no doubt extra money earned will filter it's way to club and counties you just have to look at the accounts to see this.

[BarryBreensBandage]

I'm pretty sure the 2 euro goes to the clubs. It's a small gesture but every little helps and there a lot of clubs up and down the county. There's no doubt extra money earned will filter it's way to club and counties you just have to look at the accounts to see this.

50 clubs in Down - average of 130 members for example - 6,500 members in Down - €13,000 for Down
x 32 counties: €416,000

Don't know if this is entirely accurate, just an estimation - but adds up to f**k all.

How much is the GAA making (net profit) from summer concerts alone? €5m

Tell me, what is going to keep the GAA alive? - my opinion is the support of the clubs that continue to serve the local community, where today and tomorrow's stars are.

The GAA has a real chance of further embedding itself into local psyche and to make the sport the first choice of all people in the 32 counties. There are too many clubs suffering, too many clubs hanging on by a shoestring and just about coping.
Also, what is going to make a child want to play Gaelic?

We will always have our Gaelic families that will keep supporting the organisation with volunteers and players, but what about the youngsters who could be persuaded either way to play GAA? Would a functioning club with first class facilities not be the answer?
The GAA are one of the few profitable organisations in the country and should look to invest to continue to grow.

If this money is being used to good effect, well publicise it and show us where it is going.

[INDIANA]

I'm pretty sure the 2 euro goes to the clubs. It's a small gesture but every little helps and there a lot of clubs up and down the county. There's no doubt extra money earned will filter it's way to club and counties you just have to look at the accounts to see this.

50 clubs in Down - average of 130 members for example - 6,500 members in Down - €13,000 for Down
x 32 counties: €416,000

Don't know if this is entirely accurate, just an estimation - but adds up to f**k all.

How much is the GAA making (net profit) from summer concerts alone? €5m

Tell me, what is going to keep the GAA alive? - my opinion is the support of the clubs that continue to serve the local community, where today and tomorrow's stars are.

The GAA has a real chance of further embedding itself into local psyche and to make the sport the first choice of all people in the 32 counties. There are too many clubs suffering, too many clubs hanging on by a shoestring and just about coping.
Also, what is going to make a child want to play Gaelic?

We will always have our Gaelic families that will keep supporting the organisation with volunteers and players, but what about the youngsters who could be persuaded either way to play GAA? Would a functioning club with first class facilities not be the answer?
The GAA are one of the few profitable organisations in the country and should look to invest to continue to grow.

If this money is being used to good effect, well publicise it and show us where it is going.

And thats it in a nutshell for me.

A lot of the county players don't realise that the popularity of the games is also built on the fact that GAA clubs have top class facilities compared to other sports. Once that goes its good night.

But we'll have a great 5/6 franchises so as we've seen this week that'll suit some players down to the ground.

[Eamonnca1]

The biggest disconnect in the GAA, and the one that poses the bigger threat, is between the club game and the county game. If county managers have become so powerful that they can lobby a county board to put an entire club championship on hold, that's going to undermine the pipeline that produces future inter-county players. The GPA has an opportunity to step in here and start working for the benefit of club players, but as long as they focus exclusively on the county players I'll remain suspicious about their true motives.

[Eamonnca1]

If this money is being used to good effect, well publicise it and show us where it is going.

Here you go.

Not the easiest document to find, I'll give you that.  I agree that they could do a better job of making people aware of where the money goes.  Every development and improvement project should have a big sign outside it saying "Funded by GAA," same as how all those shiny new motorways and railway improvement projects had signs on them saying that the money came from EU structural funds. Without pointing to specific projects and showcasing how they were funded, people are always going to take those developments for granted while complaining that they don't know where the money goes.

[muppet]

I'm pretty sure the 2 euro goes to the clubs. It's a small gesture but every little helps and there a lot of clubs up and down the county. There's no doubt extra money earned will filter it's way to club and counties you just have to look at the accounts to see this.

50 clubs in Down - average of 130 members for example - 6,500 members in Down - €13,000 for Down
x 32 counties: €416,000

Don't know if this is entirely accurate, just an estimation - but adds up to f**k all.

How much is the GAA making (net profit) from summer concerts alone? €5m

Tell me, what is going to keep the GAA alive? - my opinion is the support of the clubs that continue to serve the local community, where today and tomorrow's stars are.

The GAA has a real chance of further embedding itself into local psyche and to make the sport the first choice of all people in the 32 counties. There are too many clubs suffering, too many clubs hanging on by a shoestring and just about coping.
Also, what is going to make a child want to play Gaelic?

We will always have our Gaelic families that will keep supporting the organisation with volunteers and players, but what about the youngsters who could be persuaded either way to play GAA? Would a functioning club with first class facilities not be the answer?
The GAA are one of the few profitable organisations in the country and should look to invest to continue to grow.

If this money is being used to good effect, well publicise it and show us where it is going.

And thats it in a nutshell for me.

A lot of the county players don't realise that the popularity of the games is also built on the fact that GAA clubs have top class facilities compared to other sports. Once that goes its good night.

But we'll have a great 5/6 franchises so as we've seen this week that'll suit some players down to the ground.

What has your misunderstanding of a couple of quotes from an article got to do with BBBs point about clubs?

[BarryBreensBandage]

If this money is being used to good effect, well publicise it and show us where it is going.

Here you go.

Not the easiest document to find, I'll give you that.  I agree that they could do a better job of making people aware of where the money goes.  Every development and improvement project should have a big sign outside it saying "Funded by GAA," same as how all those shiny new motorways and railway improvement projects had signs on them saying that the money came from EU structural funds. Without pointing to specific projects and showcasing how they were funded, people are always going to take those developments for granted while complaining that they don't know where the money goes.

I appreciate the post Eamonn, and have looked through the marketing brochure you have posted, but look behind that. The clubs are in need of some assistance, be it financial, structural or just even an acknowledgement of what they are doing is appreciated. 
I have sat at too many meetings with county board representatives, council members, MLAs, saying the same thing - there's no money, get in line, you'll be lucky to get anything because of the recession.
And what I fear is the same few that every club has, ie, the ones that give a f**k about the whole thing, just say, what is the point, because, for me, it is a labour of love being involved with any GAA club at present.
From my experience, the county board I am under has held out its hand continuously and expects us to keep giving. FFS even the Cul Camp money goes straight back into GAA coffers!
The GAA has the power to build communities right now. The church has failed us, the local government has failed us. There is one body that can reach out to the hearts and minds of local people and fill that void left. The GAA.
My worry from dealing with persons in authority is that they are in it for the wage/kudos, and not really the betterment of the association.
And now Eamonn, to really piss you off!:
Peter Ch.5 Vs 2: "Just as shepherds watch over their sheep, you must watch over everyone God has placed in your care. Do it willingly in order to please God, and not simply because you think you must. Let it be something you want to do, instead of something you do merely to make money".
Amen.

[Eamonnca1]

The thing about the GAA is that it has limited resources and has to divide them out as best it can. If you spread it out to every club then it'd be spread so thin that there's nothing left by the time it reaches the bottom, so you have to draw the line somewhere and try to invest amounts that'll do some good. As a result, some people are going to see the money and others aren't.  The money is being invested if you know where to look.

I reject the idea that people are in it for the salary. Croke Park only has a very small paid staff.  Management Committee and Central Council are largely made up of volunteers, even the President is a volunteer position.

Eamonn 2:18 "The Lord is not my shepherd, for I am not a sheep."

Amen.