Why waste talented kids on sports that offer nothing and are irrelevent abroad and deny them the opportunity to showcase their skills on the world stage. As for gaa being the best sport for all kids, thats a personal choice to you yes but for me not a chance.
Can’t say I agree with that.
I personally chose soccer as a kid.
The one criticism I would have had at the time with the GAA is that there was almost a ban on playing soccer too, if you were in a GAA club. As for trying to play soccer in a Christian Brother School. Forget it.
But I think you’re missing the point of any sport. It’s not only about the elite. It’s about getting all kids active no matter what their ability.
In fairness to soccer at grassroots level it did take all comers. It certainly did in my day anyway.
There could be three or four different teams at any age group in a league suiting their ability.
When my young lad started at underage the facilities were better than our day. At least they had a dressing room and clubhouse.
But the numbers seemed way down. Maybe that has as much to do with the maturing of an area.
I really do hope to see a structure and organisation in place that offers a pathway for the elite and ultimately improves the standard all the way up into the league of ireland.
But I do see the benefit of the GAA holding onto amateur status.
It gives a uniqueness to the sport. It keeps it grounded in the locality and playing for the love of it.
I think it gets the support it does because of the respect it garners throughout the country.
The FAI could have built on the goodwill of Italia 90.
Delaney promised a lot but turned out to be worse than the rest.
