Most Under Pressure Clubs In Ulster

[illdecide]

I took our U15 team to a tournament in Dromintee last Sunday and Clan na Gael and Clann Eireann were the only two teams from Lurgan who could field a team( I know U15 is a bad age). Have to say it was a good feeling going back to a senior ground again.
Don't think I've been up in Cross in about 4-5 years...Always loved going up to play the Black & Amber too

[naka]

I took our U15 team to a tournament in Dromintee last Sunday and Clan na Gael and Clann Eireann were the only two teams from Lurgan who could field a team( I know U15 is a bad age). Have to say it was a good feeling going back to a senior ground again.
Don't think I've been up in Cross in about 4-5 years...Always loved going up to play the Black & Amber too

have to say clan eireann are making great strides at under age level, hope they can keep their teams together

[general_lee]

General Lee, the 17k is from the census figures. It's only a potential figure. There are approximately 2k people round Cross but not all of them is involved in the club so that's the comparison I'm using it against.

Sorry I thought 17k a bit generous but it might not be far off the mark. What's the story in other counties trying to think of urban clubs that are in and around winning their championship... Omagh, Letterkenny, Coleraine, St Gall's... There wouldn't be many more?

[Fear Bun Na Sceilpe]

General Lee, the 17k is from the census figures. It's only a potential figure. There are approximately 2k people round Cross but not all of them is involved in the club so that's the comparison I'm using it against.

Sorry I thought 17k a bit generous but it might not be far off the mark. What's the story in other counties trying to think of urban clubs that are in and around winning their championship... Omagh, Letterkenny, Coleraine, St Gall's... There wouldn't be many more?

Letterkenny are flying at underage in both football and hurling(they have 2 hurling clubs now, albeit one is much stronger than the other). I am not so sure they can be compared to towns in occupied 6. In the republic the schools are much more tuned in. I cant speak for the football in Letterkenny but certainly with the hurling a lot of their success has its foundations built on guys who have moved to letterkenny as part of their jobs from the hurling heartlands in munster etc.
10 years ago when we played them you might have had only 2-3 Donegal men, now they are all almost Donegal.

Coleraine deserve massive credit. The McGoldricks and their in-laws(Caseys/Hollys both from Derry City) form a massive part of their senior squads. I think there are 5 McGoldrick sons all now on the senior hurling and football squads plus 2 cousins.
All they need every year is 2 minors added into this, and it must be said they are particularly good at getting lads through.
Without the McGoldricks I dont think the success would have come as quick, but they will be there or there abouts as a strong club for many years to come

[Orior]

I would say the top 3 things that put clubs under pressure are:

- Soccer
- Integrated Education
- Lack of local Employment

[LurganHoop]

I think Lurgan has a Catholic population of 12000 - 13000 not including the satellite villages so sustaining the 4 town football and 1 hurling club is quite an achievement.

Although there must be two dozen soccer clubs in the town I wouldn't have thought this hampers the GAA clubs as for the vast majority of people who play both the GAA club comes first. There won't be any senior championship wins around Lurgan anytime soon, but I would be surprised if any of the clubs are in trouble financially or being able to field. Sustaining all of the clubs is a testament to the GAA tradition in Lurgan!

Could a Lurgan amalgamated team challenge Cross? Very unlikely I would think!

I am sure there are many urban clubs throughout Ulster that do very well - Omagh obviously winning senior in Tyrone last year and Dungannon winning intermediate.

[T Fearon]

lol

[Milltown Row2]

General Lee, the 17k is from the census figures. It's only a potential figure. There are approximately 2k people round Cross but not all of them is involved in the club so that's the comparison I'm using it against.

Sorry I thought 17k a bit generous but it might not be far off the mark. What's the story in other counties trying to think of urban clubs that are in and around winning their championship... Omagh, Letterkenny, Coleraine, St Gall's... There wouldn't be many more?

we've won the County Championship far too many times in the past 12/13years, fire in two All Ireland appearances and one win and with a senior hurling team too we haven't done too bad as a West Belfast club... but that a great set of players we have brought through and like all clubs it will stop, the hardest thing to do as a successful club is preparing for the next generation of players coming through.... take your eye off the ball for a second and potentially you will miss out..

In Belfast there are way too many clubs, but they all have their own identities and very very reluctant to give them up, yeah there are teams joining together at juvenile levels to accommodate but none of them will do well...

Hats off to all club members that do their bit, been there done that and its the most thankless tasks, harder for me to get back into it, my two girls aren't interested so its hard to find the enthusiasm so its no surprise that some clubs fall down

[rrhf]

Should we stick this into the Armagh thread..

[theticklemister]

Use to coach a fella at Magee from Larne. He wore shinpads to first session. Anyway they have a hurling club up there which he trains with. Must be tight up there.

[illdecide]

Should we stick this into the Armagh thread..

If you want . Lurgan was used just to show it's unique as there are not too many towns out there of that size that has as many GAA clubs (not to mention the soccer clubs). Omagh would be similar to Lurgan in size but i'd say would have a larger nationalist population yet the only club in Omagh is St Enda's but I suppose you could include Killyclougher which is on the outskirts.

[oakleafgael]

Should we stick this into the Armagh thread..

If you want . Lurgan was used just to show it's unique as there are not too many towns out there of that size that has as many GAA clubs (not to mention the soccer clubs). Omagh would be similar to Lurgan in size but i'd say would have a larger nationalist population yet the only club in Omagh is St Enda's but I suppose you could include Killyclougher which is on the outskirts.

Omagh has effectively three clubs to supply. Parish of Drumragh has St Enda's and Drumragh, although Drumragh's new pitch is well outside the town. Parish of Cappagh has Killyclogher. Is there any parish divides in Lurgan town? Still large amounts of the "nationalist population" in Omagh who would have limited interest, although would follow the county team when they are going well.

[oakleafgael]

General Lee, the 17k is from the census figures. It's only a potential figure. There are approximately 2k people round Cross but not all of them is involved in the club so that's the comparison I'm using it against.

Sorry I thought 17k a bit generous but it might not be far off the mark. What's the story in other counties trying to think of urban clubs that are in and around winning their championship... Omagh, Letterkenny, Coleraine, St Gall's... There wouldn't be many more?

Coleraine deserve massive credit. The McGoldricks and their in-laws(Caseys/Hollys both from Derry City) form a massive part of their senior squads. I think there are 5 McGoldrick sons all now on the senior hurling and football squads plus 2 cousins.
All they need every year is 2 minors added into this, and it must be said they are particularly good at getting lads through.
Without the McGoldricks I dont think the success would have come as quick, but they will be there or there abouts as a strong club for many years to come

Obviously they didn't do it all themselves but the work done by the McGoldricks in Coleraine is phenomenal. They would still be a middling junior/intermediate club without the influence from them. 20 years of work there.

[general_lee]

Should we stick this into the Armagh thread..

If you want . Lurgan was used just to show it's unique as there are not too many towns out there of that size that has as many GAA clubs (not to mention the soccer clubs). Omagh would be similar to Lurgan in size but i'd say would have a larger nationalist population yet the only club in Omagh is St Enda's but I suppose you could include Killyclougher which is on the outskirts.

Omagh has effectively three clubs to supply. Parish of Drumragh has St Enda's and Drumragh, although Drumragh's new pitch is well outside the town. Parish of Cappagh has Killyclogher. Is there any parish divides in Lurgan town? Still large amounts of the "nationalist population" in Omagh who would have limited interest, although would follow the county team when they are going well.

there are two parishes but there is no "parish rule". Two clubs in St Peter's (plus the hurling club) and two in St Paul's, but you can play for whoever you want really regardless of what part of town you are. There would be people in town that play for for Sarsfields, Aghagallon (Antrim) and Magheralin (Down). Sean Tracey's hurling club caters for pretty much all of North Armagh as Portadown's team is no longer running. So bit of a free for all, clubs still have their traditional territories but they are pretty much irrelevant as Lurgan has expanded so much in the last 20 years.

[nrico2006]

Strabane would have a very large nationalist population and yet they have only the one team, although again there would be players from Strabane at other clubs outside the town.