AFL Invasion

[Tyrone Dreamer]

I must say I feel a sense of anger towards the aussies. They came from a similar ameteur background and must appreciate the difficulty therefore in competing with professional sports. They also built up a relationship with the gaa for over 20 years but now feel they can treat it as a "production line" to enhance their own games at the expense of the gaa, it stinks of aussie arrogance. People keep pointing to losing players to other sports but I dont see scouts from other sports attending our games up and down the country to see what players they can get. The gaa has to find away to prevent our best young players leaving our games. Idea'sa are needed and fast.

[Jinxy]

Odds on these recruiter types keep a close eye on this and other boards. We'll have to work out a system of blinks and whistles to communicate safely.

[whyarerefssobad]

the only way to keep them is pay them some people might not like it but its the only answer

[J70]

And again....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/7267576.stm

And there are still people out there that don't believe this is seriously hurting our game. 

The previous poster is right, we are fast becoming an AFL feeder league.

Let's assume for a minute (AGAIN) that you are correct - what will we or what can we do about it?

We sit here and cry about it all day, but short of placing restrictions on the freedom of young fellas to pursue their chosen careers, there is nothing we can do except wish them well. As has been said a number of times before on this thread, you can't insist on an amateur and equal basis for all levels of gaelic games on the one hand and then bitch and moan when the better players decide to try the professional path in another sport on the other.

[orangeman]

I've been making the point for a long while that clubs should be compensated if they lose a player - The Aussies now realise that this is in their interests to keep us onside.

[J70]

I've been making the point for a long while that clubs should be compensated if they lose a player - The Aussies now realise that this is in their interests to keep us onside.

As in monetary compensation? Players will then have a value measurable in euros?

[orangeman]

Or whatever - soccer clubs get compensated - why not gaelic clubs ?

[Rav67]

I've been making the point for a long while that clubs should be compensated if they lose a player - The Aussies now realise that this is in their interests to keep us onside.

As in monetary compensation? Players will then have a value measurable in euros?

If there was compensation it could be equal to the amount spent on nurturing the player from underage up, I know that would be difficult to gauge but some sort of standard figure could be decided by an arbitration committee.  

[J70]

So what about the lad who leaves to play soccer or rugby? Why single out Aussie Rules?

Many of those skills are transferable. I can think of at least two potentially excellent players Donegal lost when they joined Celtic in their late teens.

And the elite players are either the same as everyone else, or they are not. Attaching a financial value to them would seem to suggest that they are not.

[Rav67]

The point I'm making in that compensation wouldn't be given as a value on the player depending on how good they are (as in soccer) but a standard value for all.  I accept its totally unenforceable, it would have to be a goodwill gesture from the AFL or clubs concerned.

[stephenite]

The point I'm making in that compensation wouldn't be given as a value on the player depending on how good they are (as in soccer) but a standard value for all.  I accept its totally unenforceable, it would have to be a goodwill gesture from the AFL or clubs concerned.

Jesus wept - I'm blue in the face saying this. The minute one penny is given to a club in compensation for a young player any argument against paying the whole Inter County scene (including transfer fees, agents etc) is lost.

If you argue for clubs getting compensation from AFL clubs you are therefore in favour of introducing full time professionalism into the GAA wethere you realise it or not.

I can see it now, Sean O'Brien (fictional 20 year old from Donegal)

"So Sean, why have you decided on the big move to Dublin, ' well I'm a Donegal man at heart, always will be but when these opportunities come along you have to grab them with both hands, we only have a certain shelf life in this game and I really want to measure myself against the best that's out there and I can't really do that playing in Premiership 3 with my home county'




Orangeman - are you prepared to sell the GAA's soul so a handful of clubs can get a couple of thousand Euro for one player?

[Tiger Craig]

Really there is no way a compensation schme can be put in place. If a GAA player chooses not to register with hi sclub, there is no connection - he is free to do what he wants.

Tyrone Dreamer mentioned a common amateur background - that doesn't exist. Aussie Rules has been at least semi-pro for 100 years. Even players in country and suburban leagues get paid - not living wage but 10 grand or so.

The big difference in mindset seems to be around the "volunteers". You guys seem to see players from your clubs moving on as a bad thing, and a reason not to volunteer, Here it is the exact opposite - whether in Aussie rules, rugby, rugby league, soccer or cricket. Our volunteers see their role as to preparing players to move on to better and bigger things. It is a source of pride to have a player leave. Many clubs only field teams up to Under 17 level, with the expectation that players will move on.

[J70]

The point I'm making in that compensation wouldn't be given as a value on the player depending on how good they are (as in soccer) but a standard value for all.  I accept its totally unenforceable, it would have to be a goodwill gesture from the AFL or clubs concerned.

I wasn't talking about value based on ability - I was talking about the attachment of any financial value to the players (or the effort of the coaches) at all. Either the GAA is all about voluntary effort or it isn't.

And I'm sorry, but I just cannot see the logic in singling out the Aussies when no one else will be expected to compensate clubs for their efforts. The effort is the same whether the player is useless or a potential star. The end result for the GAA is the same, whether the player is lost to Aussie Rules, soccer, work, emigration or the pub.

Donegal have lost the services of Brendan Devenney for several periods because he chose to take advantage of the opportunity to earn a few euro playing soccer in the League of Ireland and the Irish League. Should Eunan's and the Donegal county board have received something for that? After all, the efforts of the coaching staffs of his club and county contributed to his development into a top class athlete.

[zoyler]

I've been away fora few days so I'm surprised that theres been no comments on the decisions by the Antrim & Down County Boards to mandate their delegates to vote againsdt renewal of rhe International Rules series.  According to the the Irish News on Wednesday there was little if any discussion of the issues involved and it appears to have been a kneejerk reaction in both counties.

While they have the democratic right to do so surely some consideration of the pros and cons was called for.  In the absense of any one can only conclude that they are happy to allow AFL clubs open season on young GAA playrers without any constraints or rules.

If there is to be any control or ground rules surrounding recruitment surely contact must be maintained with the governing body of ASussie Rules and this can opnly be done through the IR series.

[Uladh]

http://sports.setanta.com/en/Sport/News/Other-sports/2008/07/04/GAA-Ryan-approached-by-AFL-agent/