Enhanced Rules

[Rossfan]

Connacht SFC up 29%
Ulster up 4%
Leinster up 45%
Munster down 3%.

Groups up 24%
Knock out stages up 26%.

21% increase overall.

Some evidence congress jumped the gun in ending that format? Group stage also had more competitive games than the last month of action.

The Provincial chiefs in Connacht,Leinster and Ulster certainly won't want to lose it's connection to the All-Ireland series with those attendance figures

HQ panicked when 11k turned up for Dublin v Ros and the new Sherriff in Town joined them and fully supported by the media they demonised the Groups.
Then like the TV chefs...here's a system we've drafted earlier....
JB wanted the new system in for 2025!

Provincial link is loosened a bit further next year.

Now if only the GAA learned Promotion and Marketing.......

[Milltown Row2]

How many went to all of the Kerry games? And them the best team with the best player?
If games keep going they went at the end of the year that's what crowds will be like. Nobody wants to watch one sided games.

This is a serious ' but what have the Romans ever done for us' moment 

[Milltown Row2]

Keep in mind that attendance was bound to be up due to the novelty factor.  The games themselves could be very chaotic, which would further increase curiosity.  I'm not making a good or bad judgement, just pointing out that increased attendance - certainly a positive - is a short term impact.

Everyone here is concerned with the long term interest in the game.  We just have different opinions on what is best.

I do have two questions for the lifetime fans:

1) I've read much about bring man to man defence back into the game.  I assume this was a feature of the game in the 20th century(before I had access to GAA).  My question is: why were scores no different from the recent era, up to 2024?  If the game was that much better 30 years ago then why wasn't there more scoring?

It does tempt one to suspect higher scores are a false god.  Then question FRC motivation because their changes consistently aim for higher scoring.

2) My understanding of the GAA, going back to the 19th century, is that it's primary goal is to give the Irish a sense of community.  Then I see how divided we've become over the massive changes we've witnessed this year.  Easy to forget we're all Gaelic football fans.  We're all on the same side!  My question is: has anything else in recent times been as divisive as what we're now experiencing?

I'm sorry to see all the negatives that have become side effects to the rule changes.  I apologize if I've contributed in an unhelpful way with any of my posts.

Archeologists works with great care.  They aim to recover the past, without destroying it.  Seems to me that the FRC could have moved with the care of an archeologist, yet chose to plow ahead like they were running a big digger.  Attempting to instantly solve the problem with one big effort.  Instant gratification for a western society that certainly knows everything about instant gratification.

Just my opinion but I fear they've done more damage than good with their approach.  Like Schliemann digging a huge trench and destroying a portion of Homer's Troy, that he was trying to rediscover.

So if the attendances are similar next year, Is that still novelty or?

[Truthsayer]

The positivity we all want is a game that we can all embrace and support.

Will always be people won't support the rules no matter what they are... default position negative

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

On both sides of this, there are people who have just picked a team early on and are sticking to it firmly. The rules aren't really important to these people.

Backing the random Premier League team they chose when they were 10, no matter the circumstances, is a value they hold dear.

[The Trap]

Truthsayer and Rossfan look at the result of this poll so far.

It's an indication that GAA people like me are concerned about the future of the game.

Most of us have agreed that some change was needed but almost everyone has agreed that all of the rules together are not the correct solution.

How is that so hard to understand? We are not resistant to change but we just feel there has been too much change at once.

[trileacman]

I've said it before but the only rule change (along with tap and go) would be to ban defensive teams from hand-passing in their own 45 or half of the pitch.

I'm trying to picture this in my head and I keep coming up with the closing scenes of Benny Hill. It would be comedy gold

Don't see how it would be. Most intercounty teams and senior club defenders are very competent in possession. They're more than capable of delivering 30-40m kick passes. Even under extreme pressure they have the option of throwing their boot through the ball and making their forwards fight for it. Yano the way football was played for nearly 80 years.

[trileacman]

Poll shows the vast majority of GAA fans on here aren't in favour of retaining all the new rules.

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

Personally, I don't want to watch a match of ball being aimlessly hoofed up the pitch. GAA Gold has shown it up for the shite it was.

[JoG2]

I've said it before but the only rule change (along with tap and go) would be to ban defensive teams from hand-passing in their own 45 or half of the pitch.

I'm trying to picture this in my head and I keep coming up with the closing scenes of Benny Hill. It would be comedy gold

Don't see how it would be. Most intercounty teams and senior club defenders are very competent in possession. They're more than capable of delivering 30-40m kick passes. Even under extreme pressure they have the option of throwing their boot through the ball and making their forwards fight for it. Yano the way football was played for nearly 80 years.

I don't disagree with defenders being able to kick pass, it's when they're be cornered or hunted down I'd have the issue with, the kick passing to team mates in tight spaces to retain possession would be comical.. Or hoof it and hope I suppose

[Truthsayer]

Personally, I don't want to watch a match of ball being aimlessly hoofed up the pitch. GAA Gold has shown it up for the shite it was.

Was of its time and was agricultural alright. Was talk that the game was evolving 2011 or so to last year... evolving into what.. chess? Was the worst era I can recall and that includes the 1970s. Was one club game, a player who plays county, doing keepsy-upsys on the half way line and no opponent near him... was probably the moment that the need for rule change was sealed.

[trileacman]

I've said it before but the only rule change (along with tap and go) would be to ban defensive teams from hand-passing in their own 45 or half of the pitch.

I'm trying to picture this in my head and I keep coming up with the closing scenes of Benny Hill. It would be comedy gold

Don't see how it would be. Most intercounty teams and senior club defenders are very competent in possession. They're more than capable of delivering 30-40m kick passes. Even under extreme pressure they have the option of throwing their boot through the ball and making their forwards fight for it. Yano the way football was played for nearly 80 years.

I don't disagree with defenders being able to kick pass, it's when they're be cornered or hunted down I'd have the issue with, the kick passing to team mates in tight spaces to retain possession would be comical.. Or hoof it and hope I suppose

Or take your man on. The slavish devotion to retaining possession is what has the game in its current state of apathy.

[trileacman]

Personally, I don't want to watch a match of ball being aimlessly hoofed up the pitch. GAA Gold has shown it up for the shite it was.

Was of its time and was agricultural alright. Was talk that the game was evolving 2011 or so to last year... evolving into what.. chess? Was the worst era I can recall and that includes the 1970s. Was one club game, a player who plays county, doing keepsy-upsys on the half way line and no opponent near him... was probably the moment that the need for rule change was sealed.

We still have that.

https://youtu.be/DrEqmQ6_OAA?feature=shared

[David McKeown]

Connacht Final 2024 19,000
Connacht Final 2025 27,000

Little misleading. Figures approximate


2024 stadium capacity 21,000
2025 stadium capacity 32,000

So the 2024 game was better attended as a percentage of capacity.

Number of factors go into the crowd size including weather, location of the match. Ease of access etc.

[Truthsayer]

Personally, I don't want to watch a match of ball being aimlessly hoofed up the pitch. GAA Gold has shown it up for the shite it was.

Was of its time and was agricultural alright. Was talk that the game was evolving 2011 or so to last year... evolving into what.. chess? Was the worst era I can recall and that includes the 1970s. Was one club game, a player who plays county, doing keepsy-upsys on the half way line and no opponent near him... was probably the moment that the need for rule change was sealed.

We still have that.

https://youtu.be/DrEqmQ6_OAA?feature=shared

80 seconds! We've come from 70 minutes of that! If teams are determined not to play not much can be done. Thankfully teams are playing now and going for it..