GAA Demographics

[SouthOfThe Bann]

Cork has more football than hurling clubs is an interesting stat from the report

[Evil Genius]

Since the removal of the 'Brit forces" ruke has any Club in the 6 Cos refused membership to someone on religious or political grounds?

Whatever other reasons there may have been, it was hardly the ban which was preventing a long waiting list of Unionists from joining their local GAA club, was it?

Which is why the (welcome) liftimng of the ban didn't make any noticeable difference either.

[Evil Genius]

I can tell you that no one I know from a nationalist perspective supports NI. Literally no one.
I wasn't talking about the sport of soccer. I was talking about support for the national team for this wee country. They have zero support due to the unionist trappings that go along with that support. And nothing but token effort to change that. When Gaelic is played outside NI it has people from a wide range of backgrounds. Unfortunately people here tend to be a bit backwards on somethings.

As someone who has been following NI home and away for decades, I can tell you that such people definitely do exist, even if they are a small minority. Indeed, unable to attend the recent Luxembourg game at Windsor, I gave my ticket to a 40-something Catholic lassie from Belfast, a lifelong NI supporter, like her father before her.

And that is despite there being a "ready alternative" (ROI), which has been doing rather than NI of late, to support instead.

While the NT is only one aspect of the game, such that there can be no doubt that participation by Nationalists in NI soccer generally, at all levels, FAR exceeds that of Unionists in GAA.

My point being that for all your Whataboutery about soccer etc, the GAA is evidently worried by demographic trends, West to East, Rural to Urban, yet two of the most populous, urban, Eastern Counties in Ireland, also have the lowest participation levels on the entire island.

Those counties are, of course, Antrim and Down, who also have the highest proportion of Prods/Unionists on the island. Yet this clear disparity gets completely ignored in the report.

Funny that.

[Evil Genius]

Why even bother replying to that twat.

Both erudite and charming! Congratulations - it's no wonder Themmuns are falling over themselves to join the GAA. Not.

No one was ever turned away from the GAA on the basis of creed, colour or sexuality

Has it never occurred to you that no-one has ever had to be turned away, from the Unionist population at least, seeing as the organisation does little or nothing substantive to encourage interest from amongst that population in joining etc?

No? Too difficult a concept?

[Evil Genius]

Amazing how when they trampled Northern Nationalist into the ground, excluding them from basic civil liberties, unionists weren't asking for nationalist inclusion. The GAA is open to unionists many partake, many will never, the lad on here yapping, it's simple f**k him, why care what he thinks.

Quad Est Demonstratum.

(Or might that be "Prod Est Demonstratum"?  )

[Evil Genius]

Soccer is based on an sectarian entity, any of the above is mere mitigation.

The thing is, Soccer was always an all-Ireland sport, until the Partitionist 26 Counties seceded and formed their own, separatist entity.

[Evil Genius]

Evil Genius is being a tad disingenuous. Unionism has traditionally been hostile towards the GAA. Was it the boul Sammy that called us "The IRA at play?"

In the same way as Nationalism was traditionally hostile towards "Garrison games".

Was it the boul Sammy that called us "The IRA at play?"
Even renowned "moderate" Doug Beattie got his knickers in a twist a few years ago when *checks notes* St Paul's Lurgan had the audacity to put goal nets up in their club colours. Poor ol Doug thought that the local IRA training camp GAA club were trying to "mark territory". One can only imagine the privately held views if this is the nonsense an MLA is daft enough to come out with.

Only this week a gentleman from Braniel was found guilty of placing pipe bombs at the grounds used by arguably Ulster's most progressive GAA club. This is the backdrop with which GAA clubs have had to operate and continue to have to operate under.

It's all well and good criticising the GAA for not attracting enough Unionists, but it's easier said than done when you're up against such an archaic mentality.

Whatever the historical difficulties (both sides), or the gauldering of a few bucket-mouthed present-day politicians pandering to their vote etc, the fact is that nowadays Soccer on all levels receives widespread participation from the Nationalist population in all parts of NI, in direct converse to participation by Unionists in GAA, which remains at pitiful levels.

Yet the Report which is the subject of this thread completely ignores this.

[Armagh18]

Maybe because Unionists are told by their immature twats of leaders that the GAA is the IRA at play and other such ridiculous shite which they believe!

[Evil Genius]

Theres loads of clubs available to unionists. Bout the same as the amount of clubs available to people of a nationalist perspective.

Aye, but how proactive/successful are they in making that availability attractive to Unionists?

With the risk of engaging in whataboutary, I suppose the same could be said for how the NI support still only pulls from one side as well. Complete failure to properly engage with half the population of NI. A damning failure.

Soccer in NI is about a hell of a sight more than the NI national team. There are literally hundreds of clubs, at all levels, with many thousands of regular participants in all aspects of the game.
And these clubs are very representative of both main communities throughout the entirety of NI. Why only earlier today, the 5th Round draw for the Irish Cup (note the name  ) threw up eg Strabane Athletic vs Glentoran, Glenavon vs Newington, Dungannon vs Ards and Cliftonville vs Dundela.

So your "complete failure" is nonsense. 

P.S. Even when comnfined to the senior NI team, the current Manager is from a Nationalist/GAA Background, as is the Captain, as are several of the Board members, many of the staff both non-playing and playing (O'Neill's Assistant Manager is Dubliner Diarmuid O'Carroll). While the CEO is an Englishman whose family background hails from both parts of Ireland. I can confidently claim that there is no GAA equivalent, nor anything even close to it, anywhere in NI.

P.P.S. There's no "risk" about it, you are engaging in Whataboutery. Still, i suppose it's a lot easier than actually addressing the real point at issue, namely the demographic problems facing the present-day GAA. All of the problems, that is.

[Deerstalker]

I honestly couldn't give a flying f**k about Unionist outreach in the GAA

[Evil Genius]

Maybe because Unionists are told by their immature twats of leaders that the GAA is the IRA at play and other such ridiculous shite which they believe!

When it comes to matters of recreation, leisure time and sporting activities, how many people in the Nationalist community take their cue directly from what SF or SDLP politicans tell them?

I'm guessing that it's virtually none and why do I suppose that? Because it's the exactly the same for their Unionist equivalents.

But I would also guess that you (specifically) may also take your cue on such matters, and much else besides, from your own immature twats of leaders. At least if the political slant of your posting is anything to go by.

[Evil Genius]

Enniskillen Santos, total facepalm every time i seen it in print

I suspect they chose that name since the town is fast running out of alternatives, such is the turnover of clubs there. And I believe that Santos themselves no longer exist.

Anyway, Enniskillen currently has four clubs participating in the Fermanagh & Western: Ekn Town United, Ekn Rangers, Ekn Rovers and Ekn Galaxy, though in previous times they've had five, or maybe even six? 

Curiously enough for a predominantly Nationalist town (just about), it only has one GAA club and one Rugby club, despite St.Michaels and Portora schools respectively both being strong in those two codes.

[seafoid]

Soccer is based on an sectarian entity, any of the above is mere mitigation.

The thing is, Soccer was always an all-Ireland sport, until the Partitionist 26 Counties seceded and formed their own, separatist entity.

The game was based in Belfast. Bohemians and Shelbourne won the Cup. 8 out of 10 teams were from Belfast.  Soccer is partitionist. Rugby and GAA aren't. 

[Evil Genius]

Antrim poor here, even given its demographics.

Interesting one.

As it happens, it's just been announced that Oran Kearney has been appointed manager of Ballymena United FC. And while I know you cannot always go by names, it is nonetheless interesting to see some of those who make up the squad he inherits:
Declan Breen, Jack O'Reilly, Daire O'Connor, Kian Corbally, Patrick McEleney, Sean O'Neill, Donal Rocks, Stephen O'Connell, Danny Lafferty and Daithi McCallion. (This last, who has represented NI at under-age level, is the son of former Sinn Fein MP Elisha btw).
https://ballymenaunitedfc.com/the-playing-squad

Of course this should give no cause for comment - and indeed it doesn't - even in the "Buckle on Ulster's Bible Belt"!

But I list it here for the contrast it provides to eg the current Antrim Senior squad, where there isn't a Kyle or a Victor about the place:
https://antrim.gaa.ie/teams/senior-football

But heyho, so many on this Board insist that Soccer is the code with the problem of not being so inclusive as it might be, not the GAA, that it must be true. 

[Evil Genius]

Soccer is based on an sectarian entity, any of the above is mere mitigation.

The thing is, Soccer was always an all-Ireland sport, until the Partitionist 26 Counties seceded and formed their own, separatist entity.

The game was based in Belfast. Bohemians and Shelbourne won the Cup. 8 out of 10 teams were from Belfast.  Soccer is partitionist. Rugby and GAA aren't. 

Even if I took your and Armaghniac's fairly witless simplifications at face value - which I obviously don't - I still cannot see what any of it has to do with the demographic problems facing the GAA.

You know, the subject of this thread, on this GAA forum?

Unless you have nothing better by which to avoid addressing the Elephant in the Room?