Antrim Football Thread

[NatSoSaff]

There are some complete slabbers on here. Those who seem to thrive on only highlighting the clear and obvious negatives that the dogs on the street could tell you about.

The reality is that the top end of Antrim club football is as strong as it has been in an age, not the other way around. Dunloy, Cargin, Creggan, St. Brigids, Portglenone and Aghagallon if they got their act together would be more than competitive in Derry or Tyrone. You dont know football if you argue otherwise.

I am also optimistic on the County front for next season. The more I hear the more I like, and on the face of things the re introduction of mckenna cup football for the new management team and a division 4 & tailtean cup campaign lays out a season, to my mind, where we can really compete on all fronts and begin to make strides again.

I've been critical on these things in the past myself, but I don't get the agenda of some people.

I know you believe this and that's the insane bit.
There are intermediate teams in Tyrone who would beat some of the clubs you've listed. "More than competitive" Christ above.

Jesus, point proven. Back to the bar stools lads.

[Milltown Row2]

There are tournaments for club football in Antrim to measure itself against other counties, Ulster club champions play at under16 minor under21 and senior, that's your yardstick to let ya know how good you are..

Think some play in the Ulster league, though not sure how competitive it is

I'm not sure since the these tournaments started how we have faired, but certainly a good indicator.

Challenge games are not a good measure

[Belfast GAA man]

Boost belfast by concentrating on north belfast not west belfast as Gaelfast did Hic
Buy woodlands and turn it into Belfast s dumsilly Hic
Taht how you improve belfast

[quit yo jibbajabba]

There are some complete slabbers on here. Those who seem to thrive on only highlighting the clear and obvious negatives that the dogs on the street could tell you about.

The reality is that the top end of Antrim club football is as strong as it has been in an age, not the other way around. Dunloy, Cargin, Creggan, St. Brigids, Portglenone and Aghagallon if they got their act together would be more than competitive in Derry or Tyrone. You dont know football if you argue otherwise.

I am also optimistic on the County front for next season. The more I hear the more I like, and on the face of things the re introduction of mckenna cup football for the new management team and a division 4 & tailtean cup campaign lays out a season, to my mind, where we can really compete on all fronts and begin to make strides again.

I've been critical on these things in the past myself, but I don't get the agenda of some people.

I know you believe this and that's the insane bit.
There are intermediate teams in Tyrone who would beat some of the clubs you've listed. "More than competitive" Christ above.

Jesus, point proven. Back to the bar stools lads.

In fairness you didn't offer much proof yourself for your bold statement

[Northbelfastgael]

Boost belfast by concentrating on north belfast not west belfast as Gaelfast did Hic
Buy woodlands and turn it into Belfast s dumsilly Hic
Taht how you improve belfast

You'll need to change the culture in North Belfast. There was a club Representative from North Belfast asked Antrim GAA could they not rearranged fixtures so they didn't impact on Soccer Matches in recent years.

Ardoyne could have played senior for years if they never lost the star boys to preseason around champo. Running joke in North Belfast that Division 3 in Antrim was the only place Beann Madigan would ever get a game against the Star.

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

Boost belfast by concentrating on north belfast not west belfast as Gaelfast did Hic
Buy woodlands and turn it into Belfast s dumsilly Hic
Taht how you improve belfast

You'll need to change the culture in North Belfast. There was a club Representative from North Belfast asked Antrim GAA could they not rearranged fixtures so they didn't impact on Soccer Matches in recent years.

Ardoyne could have played senior for years if they never lost the star boys to preseason around champo. Running joke in North Belfast that Division 3 in Antrim was the only place Beann Madigan would ever get a game against the Star.

A fair question?

[Northbelfastgael]

Boost belfast by concentrating on north belfast not west belfast as Gaelfast did Hic
Buy woodlands and turn it into Belfast s dumsilly Hic
Taht how you improve belfast

Would it be a far question to ask the IFA?

It's an absurdity.
You'll need to change the culture in North Belfast. There was a club Representative from North Belfast asked Antrim GAA could they not rearranged fixtures so they didn't impact on Soccer Matches in recent years.

Ardoyne could have played senior for years if they never lost the star boys to preseason around champo. Running joke in North Belfast that Division 3 in Antrim was the only place Beann Madigan would ever get a game against the Star.

A fair question?

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

I get we are a proud association but in a city where soccer has won the war and is beating the shit out of GAA, a small bit of pragmatism wouldn't go amiss.
The alternative is that the lads all go and play the soccer matches and the GAA club loses out. Can't see how that does any good.

[Northbelfastgael]

I get we are a proud association but in a city where soccer has won the war and is beating the shit out of GAA, a small bit of pragmatism wouldn't go amiss.
The alternative is that the lads all go and play the soccer matches and the GAA club loses out. Can't see how that does any good.

Aye, pragmatism is what, realistically, has left Lower North Belfast in the peril it is in. Asking the local association to move it's own championship to accommodate the preseason of another sport? I think that's a bit far, especially when other parts of the city don't find the same struggles. The Culture won't change if the mindset is that the GAA is the weaker of the two institutions.

Point in case on this, when Ardoyne had the young lad from Toome in a few years back, he demanded preference for championship. Star's Captain gave him such, missing a preseason friendly, and was promptly dropped by his soccer club, and stripped of captaincy.

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

But we are getting beaten 10 nil by soccer in Belfast. Even in west Belfast. We need to be realistic about that. We are really struggling to compete with soccer. North Belfast GAA has never competed with it.
Can we make small changes to let people play both sports and give our games a bit of scope to grow in the area? Or is it more important to allow our pride to be a stumbling block?

[Northbelfastgael]

But we are getting beaten 10 nil by soccer in Belfast. Even in west Belfast. We need to be realistic about that. We are really struggling to compete with soccer. North Belfast GAA has never competed with it.
Can we make small changes to let people play both sports and give our games a bit of scope to grow in the area? Or is it more important to allow our pride to be a stumbling block?

Well, we're already conceding too much ground, especially when the one GAA pitch (Shared by the two clubs) is being used for soccer regularly. There are a multitude of avenues to explore, I would think exploring these avenues first would be more pragmatic.

Calling it pride is foolhardy, almost insulting really. That reads more like pessimism than pragmatism in honesty.

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

You are conflating two things wrongly there. The pitch is a totally different issue. Don't let it cloud other things.
Look, we need to find a way to get more people playing GAA sports in Belfast. If working around soccer fixtures is a way to do that then it shouldn't be scoffed at. It's not going to change by itself.

[Northbelfastgael]

You are conflating two things wrongly there. The pitch is a totally different issue. Don't let it cloud other things.
Look, we need to find a way to get more people playing GAA sports in Belfast. If working around soccer fixtures is a way to do that then it shouldn't be scoffed at. It's not going to change by itself.

Im going to disagree with the point about the pitch, as it is probably the most important point in all of this chat. All the GAA codes are represented on that pitch, from two clubs. Essentially six teams at senior, before the myriad of under age. It wouldn't be just as simple as changing to suit Soccer boys.

Anecdotally, there is the case of the u12 Ardoyne team, who train Sundays, meaning half their team cant play as they are at soccer. If they changed to the Saturday, they would lose the other half to a difference team.

The reality is that pragmatism will only get you so far. Whatever doesn't bend will break, for sure, but if you bend too far, then you are already broken.

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

We are already broken. And it's getting worse.
You are seeing it as "conceding" to soccer. You can't concede something you've already lost. There needs to be practical strategies to get the best out of it for us. Will working around soccer definitely do that? Who knows but it's certainly a conversation worth having.

[Northbelfastgael]

We are already broken. And it's getting worse.
You are seeing it as "conceding" to soccer. You can't concede something you've already lost. There needs to be practical strategies to get the best out of it for us. Will working around soccer definitely do that? Who knows but it's certainly a conversation worth having.

It hasn't worked yet.