Antrim Football Thread

[FirstToTheBall]

We have been running the May day competition at the club for many years, p6's great competition and clubs from all over Ulster attend it as well. The standard on show is more or less the same across the clubs from various counties, Belfast and SW that attend.. Its what happens when they reach secondary school age, and particularly at the age of 14 and above that changes..

We start with the same fundamentals but lose our way after that.. bridging that gap has to be (in my view) the crux of the matter   

What would you do differently or what do you think needs to change?

Ya hear people saying about kids in belfast having too many other sports but surely thats in all towns and cities now, or how Antrim is at a disadvantage having mixed areas with the other side not partaking but so does derry, tyrone, armagh and they are all going well compared to us languishing in division 4.

[bannside]

It definitely shouldnt be as hard as we make it.

We need about 1 very class act in every year group to have a great team, and 2 additionally excellent players in each year group to make up a quality squad of 36 players aged between 20 and 32.

3 players per year across the entire county, to nurture, develop, proper S&C.

Every single club that thinks anything of itself should be setting that target for themselves!

[Round or stuffed]

can talk about structures all you want, we are 1 month from club competitions in the county starting, no fixtures, some clubs don't even know what division they are entering, same old story, and the talk is of competitive county team in 10 years. in tyrone they have nearly every league date in the calendar, and it doesn't begin for 3 months

[bannside]

Yea, but in Tyrone football is a religion. It has 28 grounds with stands, and floodlights. We have one ground with a stand (well maybe two if we want to include Rossa) and you could count floodlit grounds on one hand. Dont even think about comparing schools, its a religion there too.

HTL, there was a time I would have been first man in the door, but dont let me dim your passion. If you have the kind of calibre to make a positive contribution, as well as energy, make yourself known to someone in coiste bainiste and Im sure they will be glad to welcome someone who can get things done.

The last "movement" was Saffron Vision" and it worked well to begin with, but their vision for improving the standard of county football and hurling definitely hasnt gone to plan, not one of them can say it has!

[Round or stuffed]

you are misunderstanding me, the fixtures last year were presented in march, more or less to the letter that same as 2024, the dates of the leagues were the same, yet we couldn't get this out in good time, this to me is a major problem in Antrim is that the dysfunctional stuff is accepted as ok. 2 u21 finals played on terrible 3g pitch and this is just fine with the majority of Antrim people, wouldn't be acceptable in any serious GAA county

[NatSoSaff]

Almost 2 days out from national league home fixture v Longford, and no venue secured.

Will it be played at all or will a venue outside the county need to host it?

[belfastsaff]

talk it being on a 4G pitch - Some shambles !

[Saffsof82]

The O'Cahan cup fixtures are postponed so that would free up Portglenone and Cargin in theory

[Spike]

they are likely postponed because most pitches are waterlogged.  anyone hosting a match this weekend has to expect considerable damage to the playing surface

[Gaels1789]

No word on fixtures or leagues yet is a shambles.

[Gaels1789]

talk it being on a 4G pitch - Some shambles !


Has to be a joke surely. Pg1 probably the only pitch in Antrim playable

[bannside]

O Cahan Cup matches postponed because pitches will be messed up for weeks if the games go ahead.

PG1 pitch closed to everyone (including in house training) until further notice...I imagine a lot of clubs will be the same.

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

folks need to catch on that we have had one of the worst periods of rain and weather compared to what we usually have seen. You arent going to get any clubs dashing forward to have their field torn to shreds in the middle of Feb.

The pitches are into the necks with water and no club will want to be having their grounds ruined.

Cushendall's field was torn up for the Clare game and they absolutely don't want another game on it. Dunloy are playing a wait and see for the Carlow game and if it isn't fit for it then it wont be there. Not even the clubs own teams are allowed on the grass at the moment to train.

The county will be getting plenty of bills for grounds repairs at this rate to add to the existing ones sought after.

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

No word on fixtures or leagues yet is a shambles.

Not really as they were never out at this stage before.

The master planner is bound to be out or nearly finished at this stage to see.

I havent seen anything as yet on the league structures myself yet

[paddyjohn]

folks need to catch on that we have had one of the worst periods of rain and weather compared to what we usually have seen. You arent going to get any clubs dashing forward to have their field torn to shreds in the middle of Feb.

The pitches are into the necks with water and no club will want to be having their grounds ruined.

Cushendall's field was torn up for the Clare game and they absolutely don't want another game on it. Dunloy are playing a wait and see for the Carlow game and if it isn't fit for it then it wont be there. Not even the clubs own teams are allowed on the grass at the moment to train.

The county will be getting plenty of bills for grounds repairs at this rate to add to the existing ones sought after.

What's this? Some common sense appearing on this forum??