Violence in Adult Club Football

[Jinxy]

Just trying to get a sense of the general landscape here.
In Meath, for my money violence has significantly decreased.
Then again the worst rows I ever saw were at underage level, not adult football.

[Dinny Breen]

Definitely a lot less not just GAA, but rugby and soccer as well.

Governing bodies cracking down but videos and social media have played their part.

Except Tyrone, should build a wall around that county.

I will be honest I love a good schmozle (sp), melee, handbags etc. It's the isolated cowardly acts of violence/cheap shots I have no time for.

[iorras]

At adult yes, at underage/juvenile the level of agro from the sideline is increasing. There appears to be a lot more angry parents/mentors out there. Not sure if its more or less violent than previously, usually things don't turn that way but some still do

[Dire Ear]

It's a mirror image of life itself maybe;  people are under more pressure, always rushing generally higher stress levels?

[blewuporstuffed]

Definitely a lot less not just GAA, but rugby and soccer as well.

Governing bodies cracking down but videos and social media have played their part.

Except Tyrone, should build a wall around that county.

I will be honest I love a good schmozle (sp), melee, handbags etc. It's the isolated cowardly acts of violence/cheap shots I have no time for.

Tyrone is probably no different to what it has always been like, the senior championship is when clubs go war, it always has been.
We get some fantastic exciting games due to this, but it inevitably spills over from time to time.
A full on brawl like we seen with stewartstown and strabane is relatively rare in the championship, its the type of thing that is more likely to happen in a league game.
For me the big issue is when mentor/subs/spectators get involved. That's usually when a row crosses over from a few digs thrown into something uncontrollable and dangerous and this is the area that needs to really be clamped down on.
Huge bans and fines need handed out to any club or player that has non- players that become involved in a row.
In club football, far too many people are allowed on the sideline and the mangers etc are allowed on the pitch far too much. If this was tightened up alot of the nastier stuff could be avoided.

[Tony Baloney]

Definitely a lot less not just GAA, but rugby and soccer as well.

Governing bodies cracking down but videos and social media have played their part.

Except Tyrone, should build a wall around that county.

I will be honest I love a good schmozle (sp), melee, handbags etc. It's the isolated cowardly acts of violence/cheap shots I have no time for.

Yes to shemozzles but a categoric no to cowardly digs and imo if a team empties their bench then they should be lashed out of the championship. There are generally 30 lads out there capable of sorting out their own issues so the "have a go heroes" from the bench and even outside the wire should just stay where they are.

[Itchy]

A lot less both where I am from and where I live.

[Jinxy]

With smartphones, social media etc. hopefully the message will get through to lads that big brother is watching.
I'm all for naming and shaming in this context.
If you're a primary school teacher and you get your kicks out of trying to hurt people on the field, I want your principal & the parents of the kids you teach to know all about it.
That's what will ultimately put a stop to this.
I'm not talking about the standard shemozzle, where it's more 'houl me back and let me at him' than any real violent intent.
I'm talking about the really vicious dirt, both physical & mental in nature.

[Jeepers Creepers]

Starting to get my young fella interested in football/hurling and the thought of bringing him to watch a game that this happened would put him off for life.

[Rudi]

It's a mirror image of life itself maybe;  people are under more pressure, always rushing generally higher stress levels?

Agreed, see women with young kids when out shopping. Bate ya with their handbags if you get in their way.

[Cunny Funt]

About the same and if you didn't take the heavy hits on the chin and get involved yourself you were called soft or a coward. What has changed now is spectators are recording it with their smartphones and uploading it to social media.

[trileacman]

A lot of you lads want to have your cake and eat it too. Ye can’t advocate schmoozles, melee etc but not want anyone to get hurt. Woolly did a podcast lately where pillar, mugsy and Barry Cahill sat around with a crowd gleefully recalling the battle of Omagh. The videos of Paudi o Se, 12 apostles, mickey Ned and Mick Lyons throwing punches are repeated here almost monthly with a sort of misty eyed romanticism of the days when football was “manly”.

You’re  basically all for rows and boys throwing punches into space but dead against it as soon as someone gets hurt. That’s like being in favour of drink driving as long as nobody dies or relaxing building codes so long as no building collapses.

Schemozzles- the GAA version of a victimless crime.

There’s a problem with violence in the GAA because there’s a romanticism about the “manly” days of GAA when refs existed solely to keep note of the score. You’ve to tackle this attitude at the source and that means less reverence of the old team “enforcer” or whole team brawls. I fully expect a week long supply of articles from the Brolly, Spillane l, o rourke brigade about how this didn’t happen in their day and within a fortnight they’ll be on the circuit regalling crowds with the story of mickey Ned raising the Sam Maguire from his hospital bed.

[thewobbler]

I’m not sure if there are more brawls, or even if there is a more sinister air to the average brawl these days.

But a few things to bear in mind.

Men are generally a lot tighter these days. Not to say that men of farming stock couldn’t make mincemeat of a man’s jaw 30 years ago. But there’s more men capable of it, and fitness levels mean more capable of prolonging a beating.

Perhaps more importantly, once upon a time, it was relatively easy to wash a brawl off. You’d hear about rows in other matches, but Chinese whispers were just as common as rows. There was never much in the way of proof.

Modern communications means these things don’t lie down as quickly. Indeed a row can fester for weeks. Video technology means most of them are recorded in some shape or form. So wiping them from the record isn’t an option.


There has to be an onus on the GAA to end this culture. The excuses of the past can no longer be used.

[Christmas Lights]

A lot of you lads want to have your cake and eat it too. Ye can’t advocate schmoozles, melee etc but not want anyone to get hurt. Woolly did a podcast lately where pillar, mugsy and Barry Cahill sat around with a crowd gleefully recalling the battle of Omagh. The videos of Paudi o Se, 12 apostles, mickey Ned and Mick Lyons throwing punches are repeated here almost monthly with a sort of misty eyed romanticism of the days when football was “manly”.

You’re  basically all for rows and boys throwing punches into space but dead against it as soon as someone gets hurt. That’s like being in favour of drink driving as long as nobody dies or relaxing building codes so long as no building collapses.

Schemozzles- the GAA version of a victimless crime.

There’s a problem with violence in the GAA because there’s a romanticism about the “manly” days of GAA when refs existed solely to keep note of the score. You’ve to tackle this attitude at the source and that means less reverence of the old team “enforcer” or whole team brawls. I fully expect a week long supply of articles from the Brolly, Spillane l, o rourke brigade about how this didn’t happen in their day and within a fortnight they’ll be on the circuit regalling crowds with the story of mickey Ned raising the Sam Maguire from his hospital bed.

Good post.

[Frank_The_Tank]

A lot of you lads want to have your cake and eat it too. Ye can’t advocate schmoozles, melee etc but not want anyone to get hurt. Woolly did a podcast lately where pillar, mugsy and Barry Cahill sat around with a crowd gleefully recalling the battle of Omagh. The videos of Paudi o Se, 12 apostles, mickey Ned and Mick Lyons throwing punches are repeated here almost monthly with a sort of misty eyed romanticism of the days when football was “manly”.

You’re  basically all for rows and boys throwing punches into space but dead against it as soon as someone gets hurt. That’s like being in favour of drink driving as long as nobody dies or relaxing building codes so long as no building collapses.

Schemozzles- the GAA version of a victimless crime.

There’s a problem with violence in the GAA because there’s a romanticism about the “manly” days of GAA when refs existed solely to keep note of the score. You’ve to tackle this attitude at the source and that means less reverence of the old team “enforcer” or whole team brawls. I fully expect a week long supply of articles from the Brolly, Spillane l, o rourke brigade about how this didn’t happen in their day and within a fortnight they’ll be on the circuit regalling crowds with the story of mickey Ned raising the Sam Maguire from his hospital bed.

+1