National Forum

The Next MAJOR Change In The GAA Will Be...

(Oldest Posts First) - Go To The Latest Post


Replying To zinny:  "I am not sure there has been much of a growth in Rugby clubs, yes the game may have become a bit more popular in terms of attendance, TV and perhaps at the mini levels but actual clubs would be interesting to see. I would see the challenges faced by Rugby very similar to that of Hurling and that is the game itself does not lead to natural growth. More than ever safety in sport is important and having parents believe that they kids will be safe playing a sport is massive. My own kids play multiple sports but their mother who was not brought up with sports shivers every time she has to go and watch them play hurling or rugby. So lets face the fact that to a lot of parents hurling does not have that appeal for their kids to play. Stronger counties don't have this problem which means that they cannot see that their own attitudes to safety in the game is an issue. When you get the analysts on going on about how manly the game is you put another nail in the coffin in weaker counties. There is illegal play in football as well but you don't have a stick to hit people with in football, implement the rules that are there and stop making excuses for dangerous play - sure he didn't mean it etc. Making helmets and faceguards compulsory came way to late and it also looks as if the same is happening to the concept of eliminating dangerous play."
There really has been lot of growth in rugby clubs. Number of underage teams far higher than ever before. Parents becoming involved, members etc all good. Needs better retention into adult game and changes needed to be looked at to help that

KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 1636 - 23/05/2020 13:41:34    2279057

Link

Replying To KillingFields:  "There really has been lot of growth in rugby clubs. Number of underage teams far higher than ever before. Parents becoming involved, members etc all good. Needs better retention into adult game and changes needed to be looked at to help that"
Compared to when I was young Rugby has exploded in Ireland. Maybe not in Munster/Leinster as it was already big there but in Connacht it has grown a lot.

Trump2020 (Galway) - Posts: 1082 - 23/05/2020 17:35:29    2279075

Link

Replying To KillingFields:  "There really has been lot of growth in rugby clubs. Number of underage teams far higher than ever before. Parents becoming involved, members etc all good. Needs better retention into adult game and changes needed to be looked at to help that"
Rugby clubs or players and teams within clubs? Rugby is centered in urban areas so as these grow so will rugby numbers but has it grown beyond its heartlands?

zinny (Wexford) - Posts: 982 - 23/05/2020 18:17:24    2279078

Link

Replying To zinny:  "Rugby clubs or players and teams within clubs? Rugby is centered in urban areas so as these grow so will rugby numbers but has it grown beyond its heartlands?"
There does seem to be a lot more rugby outside of the cities nowadays but I wouldnt know enough about it to tell you if they are new clubs or old ones that are getting taken a bit more serious recently. I do know that the AIL was a big help as it has a merit based promotion system which rugby didnt have before the league

Breezy (Limerick) - Posts: 1106 - 23/05/2020 19:30:19    2279083

Link

Replying To Breezy:  "There does seem to be a lot more rugby outside of the cities nowadays but I wouldnt know enough about it to tell you if they are new clubs or old ones that are getting taken a bit more serious recently. I do know that the AIL was a big help as it has a merit based promotion system which rugby didnt have before the league"
I couldn't find anything on the growth of clubs and neither has the IRFU got anything on it so I guess its hard to say, the same way as hurling. But I guess my point was that neither sport fares that well when expanding beyond its strongholds and I believe some of that is due to the very nature of the game. The one advantage Rugby has over Hurling is that they start softly in minis but in hurling the kids go out with a stick in their hand from day 1.

zinny (Wexford) - Posts: 982 - 23/05/2020 20:45:07    2279086

Link

Replying To zinny:  "I couldn't find anything on the growth of clubs and neither has the IRFU got anything on it so I guess its hard to say, the same way as hurling. But I guess my point was that neither sport fares that well when expanding beyond its strongholds and I believe some of that is due to the very nature of the game. The one advantage Rugby has over Hurling is that they start softly in minis but in hurling the kids go out with a stick in their hand from day 1."
Your right! Statistics are in short supply. Development of new hurling clubs around Ireland in theory has a big advantage over rugby. If a club in Cavan wanted a hurling section all the facilities are in place for an instant start . It would be extremely difficult to set up a rugby club from scratch outside of a town, financial? Im unsure of how welcome a new hurling section in a football club would be. Maybe your right and hurling has not expanded because of tradition and maybe its artificially suppress by football. Hurlers from cavan ,kildare etc ,would no better than me . I

jfk21 (Dublin) - Posts: 51 - 24/05/2020 00:50:10    2279095

Link

Replying To Trump2020:  "Compared to when I was young Rugby has exploded in Ireland. Maybe not in Munster/Leinster as it was already big there but in Connacht it has grown a lot."
I'd say that's only in parts of Connacht, I'm fairly sure Sligo still have only 2 rugby clubs, Leitrim 1 and none in Roscommon. Hurling in Sligo and Leitrim seems to have got a bit stronger in recent years, the are 6 hurling clubs in Sligo alone.

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2484 - 24/05/2020 12:46:57    2279112

Link

Replying To Soma:  "I'd say that's only in parts of Connacht, I'm fairly sure Sligo still have only 2 rugby clubs, Leitrim 1 and none in Roscommon. Hurling in Sligo and Leitrim seems to have got a bit stronger in recent years, the are 6 hurling clubs in Sligo alone."
I'd love to see Hurling get stronger in Connacht besides just Galway.

Trump2020 (Galway) - Posts: 1082 - 24/05/2020 12:59:27    2279113

Link

Replying To zinny:  "Rugby clubs or players and teams within clubs? Rugby is centered in urban areas so as these grow so will rugby numbers but has it grown beyond its heartlands?"
Number of schools playing the sport is much greater. Number of clubs is higher and number of teams within clubs is greater
Very much grown beyond heartlands

KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 1636 - 24/05/2020 13:04:10    2279115

Link

Replying To Soma:  "I'd say that's only in parts of Connacht, I'm fairly sure Sligo still have only 2 rugby clubs, Leitrim 1 and none in Roscommon. Hurling in Sligo and Leitrim seems to have got a bit stronger in recent years, the are 6 hurling clubs in Sligo alone."
And creggs is the Roscommon club. They have expanded facilities from 1 pitch to 4 including a first 4g pitch in the province. They work with numerous schools including CBS roscommon who've won numerous connacht cups and are now regularly in finals.
Sligo may have few clubs but the main club fielding huge numbers at all age groups.
Couple of schools fielding multiple teams including grammar, summerhill, enniscrone

KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 1636 - 24/05/2020 13:13:39    2279118

Link

Replying To Trump2020:  "I'd love to see Hurling get stronger in Connacht besides just Galway."
Hurling is growing in Connacht, there is no question of that. Leitrim and Sligo county sides are going well, and their clubs as well. Tooreen from Mayo comprehensively beat Kinvara last year in intermediate. But it's a huge ask to get them anywhere near competitive with Galway, it would take generations and an awful lot of money. It costs €100 to put a kid on a hurling field between the helmet and hurl, it's much easier to show up with a ball for soccer, football or rugby and get started.

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2484 - 24/05/2020 13:59:00    2279123

Link

Replying To KillingFields:  "And creggs is the Roscommon club. They have expanded facilities from 1 pitch to 4 including a first 4g pitch in the province. They work with numerous schools including CBS roscommon who've won numerous connacht cups and are now regularly in finals.
Sligo may have few clubs but the main club fielding huge numbers at all age groups.
Couple of schools fielding multiple teams including grammar, summerhill, enniscrone"
How many adult mens teams do the 3 clubs in Sligo/Leitrim/Roscommon field? You can add Creggs if you like even though it's in Galway. With the number of local lads you mention who played the sport in schools would each club be fielding 3 or 4 adult men's teams at this stage?

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2484 - 24/05/2020 14:06:56    2279124

Link

Replying To KillingFields:  "Number of schools playing the sport is much greater. Number of clubs is higher and number of teams within clubs is greater
Very much grown beyond heartlands"
23% more camogie clubs that 10 years ago. Its mother who take children to train a lot of the time, Hurling will expand through today's camogie players longterm. Maybe growth is more possible that i thought. 6 Sligo clubs is very promising.

jfk21 (Dublin) - Posts: 51 - 24/05/2020 14:15:37    2279126

Link

Replying To Soma:  "How many adult mens teams do the 3 clubs in Sligo/Leitrim/Roscommon field? You can add Creggs if you like even though it's in Galway. With the number of local lads you mention who played the sport in schools would each club be fielding 3 or 4 adult men's teams at this stage?"
Creggs is on border of galway and Roscommon. Its known to most people as a Roscommon club. Its ties to schools especially CBS Roscommon reinforce that
There is 6 7 adult teams but takes considerable time to develop adult teams even with rise in underage numbers.

KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 1636 - 24/05/2020 15:49:12    2279128

Link

Replying To KillingFields:  "Creggs is on border of galway and Roscommon. Its known to most people as a Roscommon club. Its ties to schools especially CBS Roscommon reinforce that
There is 6 7 adult teams but takes considerable time to develop adult teams even with rise in underage numbers."
The village of Creggs is in Galway, and the rugby pitch is in Galway. The debate on this is like the growth of rugby itself, its based on perceptions rather than fact. If there are 25 lads in each squad that gives you about 150 adult rugby players across 3 Connacht counties. I'd say I could name 10 counties in Ireland where you would be lucky to get 25 rugby clubs in total, yet people think there has been huge growth in rugby. The fact is the number of adults playing rugby in Ireland has been dropping for years and continues to fall. The big clubs that used to field 6 or 7 adult teams now struggle to get 3 out.

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2484 - 24/05/2020 16:54:52    2279131

Link

Replying To KillingFields:  "Creggs is on border of galway and Roscommon. Its known to most people as a Roscommon club. Its ties to schools especially CBS Roscommon reinforce that
There is 6 7 adult teams but takes considerable time to develop adult teams even with rise in underage numbers."
Several Donegal clubs have put an underage system in place. Gweedore are limited to U12 but it's better than nothing. Dungloe started 10 years ago and field an U21 team now.

Hawkeye9212 (Donegal) - Posts: 266 - 24/05/2020 17:08:54    2279132

Link

Replying To Soma:  "Hurling is growing in Connacht, there is no question of that. Leitrim and Sligo county sides are going well, and their clubs as well. Tooreen from Mayo comprehensively beat Kinvara last year in intermediate. But it's a huge ask to get them anywhere near competitive with Galway, it would take generations and an awful lot of money. It costs €100 to put a kid on a hurling field between the helmet and hurl, it's much easier to show up with a ball for soccer, football or rugby and get started."
Was good to see Sligo and Leitrim do so well last year and I'm sure the success and exposure will help especially in Leitrim wouldn't have much to celebrate in any sport recently

Breezy (Limerick) - Posts: 1106 - 24/05/2020 19:19:39    2279138

Link

Replying To Soma:  "The village of Creggs is in Galway, and the rugby pitch is in Galway. The debate on this is like the growth of rugby itself, its based on perceptions rather than fact. If there are 25 lads in each squad that gives you about 150 adult rugby players across 3 Connacht counties. I'd say I could name 10 counties in Ireland where you would be lucky to get 25 rugby clubs in total, yet people think there has been huge growth in rugby. The fact is the number of adults playing rugby in Ireland has been dropping for years and continues to fall. The big clubs that used to field 6 or 7 adult teams now struggle to get 3 out."
There has been huge growth in rugby. Playing numbers at age grade. Numbers of underage club teams being fielded. Number of school teams being fielded. All significantly higher and you know this

There hasn't been the major change in adult level but that takes considerable more time to change.

Name all these big clubs that used to field 6/7 sides that now only field 3?

KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 1636 - 24/05/2020 19:27:00    2279139

Link

Next major change will be roll on roll off subs, will make for a far more tactical game. I would like to see teams reduced to 13 a side would open up the game even more.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4434 - 24/05/2020 21:40:19    2279149

Link

Replying To Soma:  "Hurling is growing in Connacht, there is no question of that. Leitrim and Sligo county sides are going well, and their clubs as well. Tooreen from Mayo comprehensively beat Kinvara last year in intermediate. But it's a huge ask to get them anywhere near competitive with Galway, it would take generations and an awful lot of money. It costs €100 to put a kid on a hurling field between the helmet and hurl, it's much easier to show up with a ball for soccer, football or rugby and get started."
It's great to know it's growing in them places. I'd love to see Sligo or Leitrim get to be as good as Antrim or Westmeath or even give Galway a decent match sometime.

Trump2020 (Galway) - Posts: 1082 - 24/05/2020 21:59:34    2279152

Link