Meath Forum

David Clifford/Keeping young stars

(Oldest Posts First)


Replying To Royalblufill:  "A couple of points on this - more questions really!

Do you think that Meaths proximity to Dublin is an issue? A lot of the younger lads on the Senior panel go to college with lads on the Dublin panel. They can't help but notice the difference in terms of teh gear the Dubs lads get, the facilities that they have access to etc. While Dunganny has been a big improvement it will take sometime before the benefits of it really come through.

Are the counties bordering Dublin more impacted than the likes of Kerry and Mayo by the draw of soccer in particular and rugby too. My club loses a lot of promising young lads to soccer teams all over Dublin - the dream of pro soccer! A cousin of mine in Kerry claims they never lose lads to soccer. (Is there soccer in Kerry!)

At underage level, the facility at Dunganny has been a big bonus. The lads on the development squad feel like they are part of something special. The difference at senior level is more pronounced. Let's be honest Dublin are the closest thing to a professional team that you can get! Meath are along way off that yet! I think Andy McEntee will make inroads into that - but the gulf is huge at the moment. Kerry is similar to Dublin. They have great resources and a history that seems to ensure that every child in Kerry wants to play football for the county. They have a great underage structure. Meath has a chance to bridge some of the gap - they have a good sponsor in Devenish and some good underage teams coming through. The ambition should be to instil in every young lad the passion to play for Meath and then try and keep them and work them through the system. It is going to be hard for sure!"
Can't disagree with any of that.
We are currently witnessing (and have for a number of years) the fruits of incompetence for future development in football. We arrived at the party very late, we have done everything wrong.
However in Andy mcenetee we have a visionary, who needs every bit of backing from everyone,
It'll take time but we will get there. Consistency is what is needed at senior level. That includes management

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 17035 - 22/09/2017 16:03:02    2049386

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