Messages

[pressure on players]

I'm talking about the latter, and also the pressure on players. The Sigerson, in my view, should be a competition played between colleges who treat it as a nice diversion from everyday student life. That's the way it used to be. However it seems now that in many cases it's basically another "county" team for lads at an age when they are being pulled from pillar to post with Senior and U21 county.

All that said, when the games are played, they are good to look at. The attendances would reinforce the point that nobody really cares outside the colleges, but as I said, if the players enjoy it and it was treated as a break from student life/county grind, then I'd be all for it.

When I played with the Poly, the pressure to win was put on the players themselves. And there was a full commitment to win. Why?? Because the chairman of the club and the committee would all be mates with the players, and together we wanted to win as this was our club, run by us.

The Sigerson was the No 1football  focus, but Sigerson, 2nds and 3rd panels all trained together. The Freshers were the only panel to not train with the Sigerson

We also ran events, socials, mystery tours, club dinners, club tours, so we had a great football and social program.

The result, friendships were formed, which are really strong 20 years later.

This wouldn't happen if it was treated as a nice diversion.

Coleraine have definitely played sigerson cup and are an older, longer established GAA club than Whiteabbey

Coleraine in '69 and UUJ '71

Both clubs had to endure a massive amount of sectarian resistance over the years and have grown from strength to strength.

[UUJ who flaunt the rules year after year though.]

Syferus I think the issue you were referring to was where IT Sligo was accused by Queen's of having an illegal player. It turned out he was illegal and the Sligo lads genuinely where not aware of it. (He was SU president) Ignorance is no excuse I know. Hardly a comparison to the antics of UUJ who flaunt the rules year after year though.

[/b]

New year same BS from ck

Please supply evidence of year on year flaunting of rules please

Evidence? MMmm ok. Is Niall Madine a full time student at UUJ? Or is he a full time student at South West College in Newry.

Evidence???  What course is he doing?  Is he doing a technical course run by the college, or is it a UUJ course being held in SWC? Has he been registered and has the registration been approved by central colleges? Any ideas other than mud.

No mud, just fact.
I'm hearing from croke park that he's one of many UUJ illegals in this years crop.

So have Croke Park blocked the registrations of these many UUJ illegals? If not, why has Croke Park allowed illegals to play for UUJ???

Is this the same Croke Park source who advised that Sligo IT didn't play an illegal player last year???

I find it strange that every year UUJ are identified as culprits for fielding illegal players, but when was the last time they were punished for playing illegals.

In the meantime, DCU Queens and Sligo IT have all been punished, but...... UUJ "flaunt the rules year after year though"

[UUJ who flaunt the rules year after year though.]

Syferus I think the issue you were referring to was where IT Sligo was accused by Queen's of having an illegal player. It turned out he was illegal and the Sligo lads genuinely where not aware of it. (He was SU president) Ignorance is no excuse I know. Hardly a comparison to the antics of UUJ who flaunt the rules year after year though.

[/b]

New year same BS from ck

Please supply evidence of year on year flaunting of rules please

Evidence? MMmm ok. Is Niall Madine a full time student at UUJ? Or is he a full time student at South West College in Newry.

What's the story with multi campus universities? UU only have one team that presumably train at Jordanstown. Coleraine, Magee and Belfast don't have a team. Are students on those campuses eligible to represent the university? Or can a university enter multiple teams (for each campus) if they've enough players on each campus?

Do Magee and Coleraine not play in lower grade University competitions. Apologies if it has been discussed before but whats the story when Jordanstown moves most of its students into Belfast? Do Jordanstown and Belfast amalgamate? Not that I'm aware of too many GAA players in the former art college.

I've no idea about Magee and Coleraine. Did they ever play Sigerson?

Nah I'd be shocked if they ever did. Both very small campuses. Trench Cup at the most I'd imagine. I dont think you'd ever have Coleraine/Magee players togging out for UUJ. Plenty of county lads have went to both and never played Sigerson.

Don't know about now, but Magee played in D3 and Coleraine in D2. Coleraine actually beat UUJ in 97 in the Sigerson QF.

[due to intense training SEVERAL times a day.]

Having been to quite a few St Pauls minor, McGirr U-16 and Creggan U-21 tournaments it's clear to see how important they are to players as well as supporters. And if the hosting clubs make money from it - well done to them too.

Don't talk to me about schools competitions. If a player wants to put school football ahead of club football then there's a problem straightaway. Around South Derry there is a litany of potentially great players whose career "peaked" at school and had nothing left after the school was finished with them. Damaged goods - bad knees, cruciate damage, etc due to intense training SEVERAL times a day.

All to feed egotistical coaches who think the sporting world revolves around them.

Yes I agree all competitions should be condensed but not just the three mentioned.

Are you sure about that, several times a day intense training? Several!!! think about it.

Played Macrory for 3 years never did two a days never mind several. Additionally, the school and the clubs worked really well regarding the St Pauls championship. The players trained Wednesday afternoon with the school (tactics / skills) and an arrangement was worked out for the rest of the week. And during that time MacRorys and St Paul's  championships were won

Last point about MacRory training. The league games were finished about mid to late November, whereby the real coaching started. We trained Tuesdays 45mins (30 min game followed by 10-15mins conditional) Wed afternoon (90 mins tactics, skills) Thursday was a repeat of Tuesday, and Saturday  was challenge games.

The whole training was very much game / skill based, with conditioning. The tactics side of thing was great because we had two months of working on different situations and how to react, with challenge games on a Saturday to work it out against opposition.

Since I left school, I have let to come across the same level of player development during a season

[When was the GPA founded?]

Qualifiers came in in 2001.
When was the GPA founded?
Are you proposing an A,B,C,D Championship?

2003 or 2004 time cause I paid my subscription to somewhere on the Drumcondra road, got a nice training top at the time..

So another urban myth bites the dust

The GPA was first formed in '99 lead by Donal O'Neill. First meeting was to start it was in 96ish, in the Welly Park. First demands talked about in 96 gear, mileage and more games. This was the start of pressure applied to GAA to improve the county players lot

[UUJ who flaunt the rules year after year though.]

Syferus I think the issue you were referring to was where IT Sligo was accused by Queen's of having an illegal player. It turned out he was illegal and the Sligo lads genuinely where not aware of it. (He was SU president) Ignorance is no excuse I know. Hardly a comparison to the antics of UUJ who flaunt the rules year after year though.

[/b]

New year same BS from ck

Please supply evidence of year on year flaunting of rules please

Evidence? MMmm ok. Is Niall Madine a full time student at UUJ? Or is he a full time student at South West College in Newry.

Evidence???  What course is he doing?  Is he doing a technical course run by the college, or is it a UUJ course being held in SWC? Has he been registered and has the registration been approved by central colleges? Any ideas other than mud.

[not players on one year add-ons like UUJ is so fond of.]

Scholarships are and continue to be a form of buying success. Mainly by DCU it has to be said.
Whilst the average GAA supporter hasn't got the first clue or even care who won Sigerson or who plays for who, the younger generation will know and they are the colleges target market, so it becomes a form of marketing.. by DCU. I used to work for an IT and I can tell you that the likes of DCU struggle for applications when compared to UCD, Trinity, UCC so this is their marketing tool. It puts them on the map, where their academic standing can't.

Sigerson is a terrific competition but its appeal and credibility is dwindling every year.

The Ulster colleges are far more agregious than DCU who generally bring in players in first year play them up through the freshers competitions and then onto Sigerson, not players on one year add-ons like UUJ is so fond of.

You mean students studying for a Masters? Heaven forbid UUJ offering quality masters program.

Such quality that All-a star calibur players are getting scholarships in another jurisdiction each year is it? People complain about DCU but for the last near half a decade they've built from the bottom up. UUJ have tried and failed to buy Sigersons.

So UUJ don't have freshers, 2nd 3rd teams anymore??? And all the scholarships that UUJ give to the hurling, camogie and ladies football team are all part of the sinister way to buy Sigersons!!!! UUJGAA community should be commended on the program they are delivering, ensure all aspects of the club are in scope.

Buying Sigersons is a urban myth.

Qualification for scholarships is based on entry requirements and a minimum sporting level (county), so they are set up to attract quality county players. Why... because UUJ sports department has set up a serious sports research program and the elite player scholarship is central to the program. (Note, the program is for all sports, not just GAA, even though the GAA club were the innovators)

"getting scholarships in another jurisdiction" you mean, for example, having a technical or scientific undergrad and getting a MBA, precisely the multi functional background these programs want. Or PGCE - teaching certs,  which is the route to qualify as a teacher, for someone who didn't attend a teaching college and had a degree in a different jurisdiction......

On the academic side, UUJGaa has no influence over who can qualify to get into a degree, they need to have the exam results / qualifications to get in (managed by UUJ office).  UUJGAA can only influence who gets the sports scholarship, once the UUJ office say they qualify.

[Are you proposing an A,B,C,D Championship?]

Qualifiers came in in 2001.
When was the GPA founded?
Are you proposing an A,B,C,D Championship?

No, instead of back door, an All Ireland Championship, but run it off in a grading system, top four seeds split into 4 groups and so on, just like the NCAA march madness tournament 

[UUJ who flaunt the rules year after year though.]

Syferus I think the issue you were referring to was where IT Sligo was accused by Queen's of having an illegal player. It turned out he was illegal and the Sligo lads genuinely where not aware of it. (He was SU president) Ignorance is no excuse I know. Hardly a comparison to the antics of UUJ who flaunt the rules year after year though.

[/b]

New year same BS from ck

Please supply evidence of year on year flaunting of rules please

[not players on one year add-ons like UUJ is so fond of.]

Scholarships are and continue to be a form of buying success. Mainly by DCU it has to be said.
Whilst the average GAA supporter hasn't got the first clue or even care who won Sigerson or who plays for who, the younger generation will know and they are the colleges target market, so it becomes a form of marketing.. by DCU. I used to work for an IT and I can tell you that the likes of DCU struggle for applications when compared to UCD, Trinity, UCC so this is their marketing tool. It puts them on the map, where their academic standing can't.

Sigerson is a terrific competition but its appeal and credibility is dwindling every year.

The Ulster colleges are far more agregious than DCU who generally bring in players in first year play them up through the freshers competitions and then onto Sigerson, not players on one year add-ons like UUJ is so fond of.

You mean students studying for a Masters? Heaven forbid UUJ offering quality masters program.

[But all of the above does not in any way blame the GPA for the current mess, I just don't like their solution which is based on Champions League and more intercounty games.]

But all of the above does not in any way blame the GPA for the current mess, I just don't like their solution which is based on Champions League and more intercounty games.

It also does not remove the need for someone (another representative body or within existing structures) to stand up for the club player in terms of some of the items I mentioned earlier.

And neither does any of the above take into account the drive towards revenue generation that I think the GAA are beholden to, and the GPA are supportive of.

The GPA do have a contribution to the current mess. At the start of the GPA, one of their major complaints was that the county player trained for 6 months for 1 championship game (never recognizing  McKenna cups etc, NFL) the solution was the back door which has created this current mess. And their current proposal is more games!!!!!!

My solution, I've stated this before, is to run the GAA like NCAA basketball.

All teams get ranked 1-33 (34 if Killkenny are in) and your league performance, provincial championship performance all contribute to final rankings after provincial championships, then split the teams into 4 groups and have a straight knockout championship with each group seeded.

Condense the season, now each team has at a min 10 serious games, and the weaker counties have a big day to look forward too.

Minor U21 to be played at the same time, maybe midweek, with no overlapping of players

This should be a no brianer

Played Sigerson, and to be honest, its a medal that I have the most regrets of not winning (2 semi finals and a finalist)

Couple of points, players don't care about the crowds, it's the honor of representing your college, with friends that over 4/5 years, you have developed really strong bonds with, housemates, classmates, etc etc. 

If we were to drop the competition because of media and attendance interest, how many competitions would survive??? The most important thing is the interest of the players, and it clearly has that.

The other factor that people don't realize, it is the real railway cup in the GAA calendar. For example, the Poly, Queens and the Ranch were mostly made up of Ulster players, with all counties covered (maybe with the exception of Cavan) and the same with the other colleges at that time. So this was my chance to rub shoulders with Down, Derry, Tryone, Armagh, Fermanagh etc , and prove that I could play with the best of them. Likewise, it was my chance to play against players from other provinces.

The whole scholarship thing... DCU brought this to a whole new level, and other colleges have responded. The big issue with these is that there should be a central group who regulates scholarships, and a centrally funded scheme for any of the smaller ITs who can't afford them.

The GPA have lost their focus.
For Example,
Internationally, they seem more interested in growing the GAA / hurling in the US, but are more interested in big grand gestures (Fenway / Notre Dame) rather than working with the grass roots who know what needs to be done (Need to get the GAA an NCAA recognized sport and get the GAA in Ireland / commercial partners to develop a sports scholarships business plan. The GAA would then take off in the US like laccross. And the really funny thing, laccross have a professional league, with an ESPN contract, so this would always have been the GPA's best route for pay.

At home, they complain about the stress of county footballers, and the level of commitment that is required, yet propose new structures that would increase the playing demands and squeeze the club game even more.

If I was in the GPA, I would start focusing on the club scene, that is where the real power lays.

If the club scene gets screwed even more, I'd expect a club Gaelic players to come into force, and if that ever happens, you'll have an association with a membership of 10's to 100's thousands, against a group of a couple hundred. Plus if a club GPA, ever got going and canvassed its members to boycott NFL games or championship games, then the current GPA influence would completely wane, because it's the punters to bring the moment into the game, not the county players.

They spend too much money on PR and flashy initiatives, and not enough on solving the real issues that are affecting the GAA

[Full Memberswho have fulfilled their Annual Subscription]

Quick question,
If you register with a club, don't play or pay membership for the club, at what point do you not become a registered player!!! Seriously lads, you could be a register player until your 80!!!

Going by the rule book there are two requirements needed to be a registered player, a) you are a fully paid up member, and that your club correctly registers you.

2.2  Registration of Members
(a) Before April 1st, a Club Registrar shall submit
annually to Central Council, by the process of
Electronic Registration, a list, in the Irish Language
(except as provided for in Rule 1.7) of Full Members
who have fulfilled their Annual Subscription
requirement in accordance with Rule 6.2 ....

6.2 Playing Membership Requirements
(a) A player must be a registered Full Member or Youth
Member of a Club and the Association.

Also, all the transfer rules in the rule book apply to being a member of a home club transferring to another club.

If you are not a member of a club, you have no club to transfer from, therefore you can register with the new club.