Antrim Football Thread

[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.

[Gold]

Also re the Soccer thing....i stopped playing aged 16 to play GAA but in hindsight wish I hadn't.  Soccer players get a game every single Saturday from August to May, train twice a week and a game at the weekend

In GAA we play 1 game to about 10 or so trainings. Appreciate there's a few times where we shoehorn in 3 games in a week at Senior League but most times we're standing frowning in serious huddles on a training pitch in the rain, listening to some lad spouting shite about a drink ban for a game weeks away.

Something to look at maybe re having much more underage blitzes and games to keep kids interested.

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

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.

Dunloy or Cargin would be the 6th best team in Derry, I've no idea what would give you the idea they'd be competitive

If we concentrated on football rather than hurling we would be more competitive than that.

Its different for the likes of Sneill as the standard of Derry club hurling isnt strong outside of them. They can concentrate on hurling towards the end of the championship and still win it.

[Milltown Row2]

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.

Dunloy or Cargin would be the 6th best team in Derry, I've no idea what would give you the idea they'd be competitive

If we concentrated on football rather than hurling we would be more competitive than that.

Its different for the likes of Sneill as the standard of Derry club hurling isnt strong outside of them. They can concentrate on hurling towards the end of the championship and still win it.

The top 3 teams in Antrim were doing the same most years, no club hurling during the league for a lot of the lads in the top 3 teams.

Derry football collectively have won the most game in Ulster, the Bellaghys, Ballinderry, Loup's, Lavey's, Dungiven, S'niel and the Glen all past winners of the competition. Nevermind the runner up spots they have got too..

Good tradition there, we get generational teams but really rarely compete with the bigger stronger counties

[Hoof Hearted]

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.

Dunloy or Cargin would be the 6th best team in Derry, I've no idea what would give you the idea they'd be competitive

If we concentrated on football rather than hurling we would be more competitive than that.

Its different for the likes of Sneill as the standard of Derry club hurling isnt strong outside of them. They can concentrate on hurling towards the end of the championship and still win it.

The top 3 teams in Antrim were doing the same most years, no club hurling during the league for a lot of the lads in the top 3 teams.

Derry football collectively have won the most game in Ulster, the Bellaghys, Ballinderry, Loup's, Lavey's, Dungiven, S'niel and the Glen all past winners of the competition. Nevermind the runner up spots they have got too..

Good tradition there, we get generational teams but really rarely compete with the bigger stronger counties

dont forget Ballerin, although most people do.

[Milltown Row2]

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.

Dunloy or Cargin would be the 6th best team in Derry, I've no idea what would give you the idea they'd be competitive

If we concentrated on football rather than hurling we would be more competitive than that.

Its different for the likes of Sneill as the standard of Derry club hurling isnt strong outside of them. They can concentrate on hurling towards the end of the championship and still win it.

The top 3 teams in Antrim were doing the same most years, no club hurling during the league for a lot of the lads in the top 3 teams.

Derry football collectively have won the most game in Ulster, the Bellaghys, Ballinderry, Loup's, Lavey's, Dungiven, S'niel and the Glen all past winners of the competition. Nevermind the runner up spots they have got too..

Good tradition there, we get generational teams but really rarely compete with the bigger stronger counties

dont forget Ballerin, although most people do.

There ya go! Another .. where are they now? What division are they in

[Hoof Hearted]

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.

Dunloy or Cargin would be the 6th best team in Derry, I've no idea what would give you the idea they'd be competitive

If we concentrated on football rather than hurling we would be more competitive than that.

Its different for the likes of Sneill as the standard of Derry club hurling isnt strong outside of them. They can concentrate on hurling towards the end of the championship and still win it.

The top 3 teams in Antrim were doing the same most years, no club hurling during the league for a lot of the lads in the top 3 teams.

Derry football collectively have won the most game in Ulster, the Bellaghys, Ballinderry, Loup's, Lavey's, Dungiven, S'niel and the Glen all past winners of the competition. Nevermind the runner up spots they have got too..

Good tradition there, we get generational teams but really rarely compete with the bigger stronger counties

dont forget Ballerin, although most people do.

There ya go! Another .. where are they now? What division are they in

3 mostly, although they were up in 2 last year but went back down again.

[Saffron_sam20]

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.

This, we really don't help ourselves. We already struggle with number retention in the city without then not working a way to accommodate. Things like playing junior/ intermediate champ games on a Sunday would help. Let them play soccer on Saturday then football on the Sunday. Like there's talk of amalgamations in the city at senior level, before even getting near that conversation lets try make it easier for smaller clubs to utilise players, if that means working round soccer then so be it.