Will the paying of grants affect your attendance at Inter-County games

[stephenite]

I've decided not to attend any county matches for now.

As does 70%  of the population in December/January.....

Yeah, maybe I should have stated championship games. There are a few that have stated that they won't be attending for the foreseeable future, how long is that I wonder? It's easier to be principled in Feburary than it is in August and your County is making it to quarters or the semis and the whole county is above in Dublin for the weekend drinking porter and shaggin young ones from Ulster

[pintsofguinness]

Well anyone feel free to take note of me saying I won't be attending IC games and feel free to remind me about it at any time.

[RadioGAAGAA]

Tom Brewster came out in the local press a few months ago and said that he had lost a weeks wages after spending time in an ice chamber, trying to get fit. He received no financial support from the GAA. That cannot be right?

What if he were to take the week off and spend it training full time "to get fit"?

Should the GAA support him financially then?


Tom Brewster had a decision to make, no-one forced him to make the call he did.




The problem is the stupid levels of time commitment players are being asked to make. The GAA need to act to scale that back rather than give out money (which will only exacerbate the problem).



That Armagh side were one of the first to raise the bar on preparation, be it training or training 'camps' or whatever... if they were not willing to sustain that commitment, then its up to them to reduce it. McGeeney and co made the bed - now they don't want to lie on it.

[Tubberman]

Quote from: reddgnhand on December 12, 2007, 11:17:13 PM
I've decided not to attend any county matches for now. Part of the appeal to me was supporting your team knowing they were playing for the love of the jersey. Thats gone now and i am angry and sad that the GPA has brought us this. Its so devisive and all for the sake of 1500 euro.            


Absolute crap. Do you think that the likes of Benny Coulter, Darragh O`Se or Sean Cavanagh are going to be arriving at games now in Ferraris and Lamborginis ? Do you for one minute believe that any of our county players are going to change their attitude to the game because of €1500. It is a paltry amount of money, it wouldnt take you away for a decent weekend in Dublin FFS. Nothing is going to change. If we were talking about a huge sum of money I could maybe see everyones point of view, but this is a tiny amount of money, it wouldnt make up for the amount of time not spent at home with the wife/girlfriend or kids and it isnt going to make our players into professionals.
The McKenna Cup starts in a few weeks time. I could probably name most of the Down supporters that will be there. If I dont know them by name, I would know them to see. Those people, like the players are there for the love of their county and the game. Its the same in every county. Come the championship the hangers on suddenly realise that the football season has started. If you are going to stop attending games because of this I dont think you should be there in the first place. Do you really begrudge your county player, who has been training all through the winter nights while you were sitting here on your computer or watching the news, a mesely €1500 ?
This is Government money, from our taxes, from those of us who pay income tax of 40%, from VAT on everyday items, from the toll bridges, from cigarettes and alcohol. It isnt from the miserable few quid that you spend at the gate. If your county get to the All Ireland final this year, you will be the first in line for a ticket and your silly little protest will be long forgotten.
RANT OVER

BUY THIS MAN A PINT!!
The greatest bit of sense written on the board since all these threads started. I agree 100%.
Some people have been completely unable to keep things in context and have talked themselves into a doomsday scenario. I actually think people would be embarressed by what they've written on these threads if they were to look back in a few months time.

[heineken_on_tap]

Quote from: reddgnhand on December 12, 2007, 11:17:13 PM
I've decided not to attend any county matches for now. Part of the appeal to me was supporting your team knowing they were playing for the love of the jersey. Thats gone now and i am angry and sad that the GPA has brought us this. Its so devisive and all for the sake of 1500 euro.            


Absolute crap. Do you think that the likes of Benny Coulter, Darragh O`Se or Sean Cavanagh are going to be arriving at games now in Ferraris and Lamborginis ? Do you for one minute believe that any of our county players are going to change their attitude to the game because of €1500. It is a paltry amount of money, it wouldnt take you away for a decent weekend in Dublin FFS. Nothing is going to change. If we were talking about a huge sum of money I could maybe see everyones point of view, but this is a tiny amount of money, it wouldnt make up for the amount of time not spent at home with the wife/girlfriend or kids and it isnt going to make our players into professionals.
The McKenna Cup starts in a few weeks time. I could probably name most of the Down supporters that will be there. If I dont know them by name, I would know them to see. Those people, like the players are there for the love of their county and the game. Its the same in every county. Come the championship the hangers on suddenly realise that the football season has started. If you are going to stop attending games because of this I dont think you should be there in the first place. Do you really begrudge your county player, who has been training all through the winter nights while you were sitting here on your computer or watching the news, a mesely €1500 ?
This is Government money, from our taxes, from those of us who pay income tax of 40%, from VAT on everyday items, from the toll bridges, from cigarettes and alcohol. It isnt from the miserable few quid that you spend at the gate. If your county get to the All Ireland final this year, you will be the first in line for a ticket and your silly little protest will be long forgotten.
RANT OVER

BUY THIS MAN A PINT!!
The greatest bit of sense written on the board since all these threads started. I agree 100%.
Some people have been completely unable to keep things in context and have talked themselves into a doomsday scenario. I actually think people would be embarressed by what they've written on these threads if they were to look back in a few months time.

Would have to agree with all the above - attendances wont be affected at all . Once the action starts again and the gates open, i cant too many people staying away.

[BallyhaiseMan]

il be there  for the McKenna Cup games in January under lights in Breffini.

[bennydorano]

I would not be so worried about the number of people interested in inter county matches, as the number of people that don't want to cut the grass, fix the catch wire, sell the tickets, train the U-12s, join the county board etc etc.

Its all those little cogs (ok, some bigger than others) that the GAA rely on to run smoothly. If enough of those people become disenchanted with the whole thing, then there is a real problem.

The players are not the foundations of the GAA - its everyone else pitching in their time voluntarily to organise things around the players that is. I know on first glance that sounds stupid, but you look at all the amateur soccer leagues the length of the country, there isn't a shortage of players, but there is a shortage of good pitches, referees, changing rooms, organised youth structures within every parish etc etc etc.

County and Club aren't really comparable, and why would a clubman desert his club because of what's going on at county level? if the doomsday scenario, that soooo many are trying to paint, did come to pass surely people would take a bigger interest in their clubs!!

Hopefully the 30odd% that don't intend to go to county football next year will also stop polluting this board and return to the local discussion board

[zoyler]

Actually Fivetimes its not from your taxes unless your an exile in the republic.  Its from my taxes and I do object to it.  Its the thin end of the wedge and was not properly discussed at club level like the changes to rule 42 etc. The ramifications and problems it will cause are only now begining to dawn on people and if you want to see the future just look at club rugby and what has happened to it over the last ten years.

I will attend intercounty games just to hear the comments next time Benny or Steevie or Seanie or who ever makes a hames of a simple pass or point!

And don't you just love the way the President now says its all the governments fault for landing them with a mess!!  Its like cocaine - they could have said thanks but no thanks

[Tubberman]

if you want to see the future just look at club rugby and what has happened to it over the last ten years.

Can you explain how the current situation is going to impact the GAA clubs in the same way rugby has been affected?
There has been NO change made to the club or inter-county structure. The ONLY difference is the inter-county players get an annual grant of a max of €2500 (just over €200 a month).
So how is this the ruination of the club???

[heineken_on_tap]

I will attend intercounty games just to hear the comments next time Benny or Steevie or Seanie or who ever makes a hames of a simple pass or point!

Seems to me to be a bizzare reason to go to the the games Zoylar but every man to himself I suppose. Players have always got grief after making silly mistakes - grant or no grant, that wont change. I wouldnt begrudge any player a paltry sum of money such as €1500

[magpie seanie]

Hopefully the 30odd% that don't intend to go to county football next year

Where did people say that? Stop talking rubbish.

[heineken_on_tap]

Hopefully the 30odd% that don't intend to go to county football next year

Where did people say that? Stop talking rubbish.

Its from the poll above Seanie, but I dont know how 'accurate' it really is

[bennydorano]

Hopefully the 30odd% that don't intend to go to county football next year

Where did people say that? Stop talking rubbish.

Eh, the results of this poll [Edited by Mod3 - Personal Abuse]

[RadioGAAGAA]

County and Club aren't really comparable, and why would a clubman desert his club because of what's going on at county level?

Oh I dunno... I suppose it would be the blatantly obvious inference being made that he/she feels they should be getting compensation for their commitment too.

[RadioGAAGAA]

Can you explain how the current situation is going to impact the GAA clubs in the same way rugby has been affected?

There has been NO change made to the club or inter-county structure.

The ONLY difference is the inter-county players get an annual grant of a max of €2500 (just over €200 a month).
So how is this the ruination of the club???

A few questions you should ask yourself.


1. Do you actually think county board members are going to give their time as freely now that others are being recompensed and they aren't? (are you aware of the time commitments county board members have to make?)

2. Do you think the effects of (1) are not going to affect the clubs?

3. Do you actually think that the government are going to pay this money from their own coffers?
a) if yes (which will not be the case IMO)- do you think that money should be better spent on hospitals etc?
b) if no - since that money is being lifted from the grants the govt give to the GAA for infrastructure, or from the tax breaks, its money that won't be spent on coaching/stadia/pitches/offsetting insurance etc.

4. Are you so naive as to think these "grants" are going to remain at €2500 a year?

5. Do you think the top players are not going to face extra temptation to transfer to the better counties where the prospects of getting more money are better? Or conversely, a poor hurler by Kilkenny's standards could transfer to... say Down - he'll get a grant then. A better example would have been Dublin to Meath I suppose. That will affect clubs too.

6. Why should people bother raising money for things like Club Down, we've already seen one high profile resignation from Club Tyrone. As you may or may not know Club Tyrone helps with much more than just the county teams, coaching and games development and pitch improvements receive funding raised through the Club Tyrone initiative. Do you think the tarring of things like Club Tyrone with paid players really won't reduce the support for them, and by proxy reduce the support clubs receive for coaching and infrastructure?