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The Future Of Inter-County Football

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This is my first post. Ive been reading these forums for a long time and it seems to be one of the only ways of airing concerns that can be seen all over the island and beyond. Im a Meath fan, a big one, and attend most if not all the matches that I can. Im no expert on the game and wouldnt pretend to be but the result yesterday vs. Longford was shocking as was the result of Kildare/Carlow. Im not at all begrudging Longford, they deserved it. They were better overall and deserve their win. And of course like everyone else Im supporting Carlow. In a sense, yesterday was a great day for the smaller counties and I genuinly am happy for them. In saying that, the GAA has destroyed Leinster. Dublin jerseys, ticket sales, and the Dublin based media is one of their big money spinners and always has been, and millions of euro in investment over the decade has strengthened that. Dublin has exploded into this juggernaut and yes ill use the word professionals, thats what they are, at the utter destruction of competetiveness, and even interest within their nearest rivals. The societal changes within Meath and Kildare from the late 90s until the present have also created a very new Leinster where kids on the streets of Meath wear Dublin jerseys because their parents moved there years earlier. The effect of the celtic tiger/rise of Irish rugby has left the GAA in splinters in its traditionally strong centres around the country. The players work very hard, I dont doubt that, but its to no avail and no possibility of an outcome so they walk away from their counties in dozens. Now we've a perrenial situation where Dublin are left on their pedestal with Kerry, Galway, Mayo, Monaghan and a few others still nipping at their heels and a Leinster championship where anyone can reach the final to face Dublin because the outcome will remain the same. What happens in 5/10 years when this situation hasnt changed? And in 15/20 years when Dublin win maybe another 10/15 all Irelands? What happens when the Kerry teams, Mayo teams and others also start to fall behind, as they will. Other sports will pull ahead. Its very simple. No one seems to be worried about this trend which will spread all over the country gradually unless the GAA and its people drop their inane conservatism and completely change the way inter county football is contested. Once again, Im not a bitter, disgruntled Meath fan having a rant. Im a genuine gael, proud of Longford and Carlow, but very worried about the future of a game I love. Young_gael (Meath) - Posts: 589 - 28/05/2018 12:52:29 2104706 Link
I agree with all of the above. The post will be ridiculed however the reality on the ground in kildare and meath is that the interest in county football is gone. Fans have seen so many hammerings from dublin that they simply do not care about county football anymore. Id say there was less than 1000 kildare fans in tullamore yesterday, never seen such a lack of interest in kildare its scary. Kids in kildare and meath are turning to rugby at an alarmingly rate. Well done to carlow and longford all the same but once they meet dublin itll be a massacre 11jm11 (Kildare) - Posts: 366 - 28/05/2018 13:01:57 2104711 Link
The dub jersey wearing kids is a generational thing, it will calm down, give it time. Otherwise just put up the tombstone now. Dublin jersey sales were massive during the 90's too. This football demise you all seem to be terrified of will only gather momentum with this kind of attitude, its like wishing it to death. When Kerry were demolishing most in their path, people waxed lyrically about their wonderful players, maybe a little credit where its due for our lads hunger and application. Pat Spillane has admitted that the Kerry hunger dried up in the middle of their domination and they were coaxed back with offers of sun drenched holidays and the likes. So much for the natural love of the game. realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8596 - 28/05/2018 13:09:29 2104718 Link
is that you ulsterman :) waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13650 - 28/05/2018 13:14:52 2104724 Link
Good post mate, i dont agree, but there you go. I am just curious, how has Dublin being successful this decade impacted on Meath being beaten by Longford yesterday? I think its even two seasons since Dublin played Meath. If Dublin didnt exist would Meath and Kildare be powerhouses within the inter-county game, i suspect not. Historically when you look at it, even before this period of success, Dublin have historically been the most successful team in Leinster. Has the change really been that radical. TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4445 - 28/05/2018 13:29:55 2104729 Link
Replying To Young_gael: "This is my first post. Ive been reading these forums for a long time and it seems to be one of the only ways of airing concerns that can be seen all over the island and beyond. Im a Meath fan, a big one, and attend most if not all the matches that I can. Im no expert on the game and wouldnt pretend to be but the result yesterday vs. Longford was shocking as was the result of Kildare/Carlow. Im not at all begrudging Longford, they deserved it. They were better overall and deserve their win. And of course like everyone else Im supporting Carlow. In a sense, yesterday was a great day for the smaller counties and I genuinly am happy for them. In saying that, the GAA has destroyed Leinster. Dublin jerseys, ticket sales, and the Dublin based media is one of their big money spinners and always has been, and millions of euro in investment over the decade has strengthened that. Dublin has exploded into this juggernaut and yes ill use the word professionals, thats what they are, at the utter destruction of competetiveness, and even interest within their nearest rivals. The societal changes within Meath and Kildare from the late 90s until the present have also created a very new Leinster where kids on the streets of Meath wear Dublin jerseys because their parents moved there years earlier. The effect of the celtic tiger/rise of Irish rugby has left the GAA in splinters in its traditionally strong centres around the country. The players work very hard, I dont doubt that, but its to no avail and no possibility of an outcome so they walk away from their counties in dozens. Now we've a perrenial situation where Dublin are left on their pedestal with Kerry, Galway, Mayo, Monaghan and a few others still nipping at their heels and a Leinster championship where anyone can reach the final to face Dublin because the outcome will remain the same. What happens in 5/10 years when this situation hasnt changed? And in 15/20 years when Dublin win maybe another 10/15 all Irelands? What happens when the Kerry teams, Mayo teams and others also start to fall behind, as they will. Other sports will pull ahead. Its very simple. No one seems to be worried about this trend which will spread all over the country gradually unless the GAA and its people drop their inane conservatism and completely change the way inter county football is contested. Once again, Im not a bitter, disgruntled Meath fan having a rant. Im a genuine gael, proud of Longford and Carlow, but very worried about the future of a game I love." I have only one question as this has been done to death. Define professional? Jackeen (Dublin) - Posts: 4097 - 28/05/2018 13:34:37 2104734 Link
What exactly do you want changed for the future? Dublin mainly have went far ahead due to the hard work by their huge numbers of volunteers and by having a population bigger than most by a distance and actually getting the best out of those resources which they werent doing for years before this very successful period DonaldDuck (Tipperary) - Posts: 544 - 28/05/2018 13:53:27 2104746 Link
Replying To Young_gael: "This is my first post. Ive been reading these forums for a long time and it seems to be one of the only ways of airing concerns that can be seen all over the island and beyond. Im a Meath fan, a big one, and attend most if not all the matches that I can. Im no expert on the game and wouldnt pretend to be but the result yesterday vs. Longford was shocking as was the result of Kildare/Carlow. Im not at all begrudging Longford, they deserved it. They were better overall and deserve their win. And of course like everyone else Im supporting Carlow. In a sense, yesterday was a great day for the smaller counties and I genuinly am happy for them. In saying that, the GAA has destroyed Leinster. Dublin jerseys, ticket sales, and the Dublin based media is one of their big money spinners and always has been, and millions of euro in investment over the decade has strengthened that. Dublin has exploded into this juggernaut and yes ill use the word professionals, thats what they are, at the utter destruction of competetiveness, and even interest within their nearest rivals. The societal changes within Meath and Kildare from the late 90s until the present have also created a very new Leinster where kids on the streets of Meath wear Dublin jerseys because their parents moved there years earlier. The effect of the celtic tiger/rise of Irish rugby has left the GAA in splinters in its traditionally strong centres around the country. The players work very hard, I dont doubt that, but its to no avail and no possibility of an outcome so they walk away from their counties in dozens. Now we've a perrenial situation where Dublin are left on their pedestal with Kerry, Galway, Mayo, Monaghan and a few others still nipping at their heels and a Leinster championship where anyone can reach the final to face Dublin because the outcome will remain the same. What happens in 5/10 years when this situation hasnt changed? And in 15/20 years when Dublin win maybe another 10/15 all Irelands? What happens when the Kerry teams, Mayo teams and others also start to fall behind, as they will. Other sports will pull ahead. Its very simple. No one seems to be worried about this trend which will spread all over the country gradually unless the GAA and its people drop their inane conservatism and completely change the way inter county football is contested. Once again, Im not a bitter, disgruntled Meath fan having a rant. Im a genuine gael, proud of Longford and Carlow, but very worried about the future of a game I love." WELL thought out post. But until every county receives equal proportion of money then nothing will change. I am actually delighted for Carlow and longford even if I am disappointed. We have a professional team in a amateur sport. The 4 in a row will happen as will the 5 in a row. And barring a fluke result this won't change until every county receives the exact same funding. royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 28/05/2018 14:00:34 2104753 Link
Roscommon hammered Leitrim in second gear. Don't see too much comment about that. The gap has always been there. True Dublin are excellent right now but Meath and Kildare are not small counties struggling with playing numbers and financial backing...why are both teams so bloody poor? Meath seem to have good minor teams lately so maybe the future is brighter. Kildare are a mystery...is everyone horse racing or what ? yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11236 - 28/05/2018 14:49:10 2104792 Link
Replying To yew_tree: "Roscommon hammered Leitrim in second gear. Don't see too much comment about that. The gap has always been there. True Dublin are excellent right now but Meath and Kildare are not small counties struggling with playing numbers and financial backing...why are both teams so bloody poor? Meath seem to have good minor teams lately so maybe the future is brighter. Kildare are a mystery...is everyone horse racing or what ?" I live in KIldare and they're football mad when it suits them. The late 90s here were unreal, it was like the world cup with all the colours and banter. Big horsey county like you said, and rugby is also in a healthy state in some parts. I think that they have excellent players but no team ethic or football intelligence. Patience is the key, we're the 2nd most successful county in the game but had to endure 16 straight years of heartbreaking defeats and some humiliating ones too. I've asked this before but will everyone be happy when we stop winning? My guess is yes, money talk will be replaced by the slating of a county with a large population and great financial support. realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8596 - 28/05/2018 14:56:45 2104796 Link
Replying To TheUsername: "Good post mate, i dont agree, but there you go. I am just curious, how has Dublin being successful this decade impacted on Meath being beaten by Longford yesterday? I think its even two seasons since Dublin played Meath. If Dublin didnt exist would Meath and Kildare be powerhouses within the inter-county game, i suspect not. Historically when you look at it, even before this period of success, Dublin have historically been the most successful team in Leinster. Has the change really been that radical." "how has Dublin being successful this decade impacted on Meath being beaten by Longford yesterday? I think its even two seasons since Dublin played Meath. " The players arent interested in playing in a laughably unfair competition where one team is bestowed with every advantage imaginable. Over 20 of our top players have dropped off or made themselves unavailable in the past year. Why train all winter only to be hockeyed and laughed at in Croke Park by a professional team that has millions pumped into them...there are far better ways to spend your time. Similarly why if you live in any county outside Dublin (say Wicklow), why would you bother bringing your child to play GAA...from day one the GAA has already said he is worth less than a child born in Dublin, will never get the same opportunities, the same coaching, the same facilities, will never get to play a home championship match against Dublin even if he did get to senior level etc etc. If I was in the FAI/IRFU, I'd be getting strategies in place to take advantage of this ludicrous situation. A whole generation will be lost. But clearly the Dublin fans dont mind'and especially the corporate money men in GAA HQ. Crinigan (Meath) - Posts: 1319 - 28/05/2018 14:59:00 2104799 Link
Replying To yew_tree: "Roscommon hammered Leitrim in second gear. Don't see too much comment about that. The gap has always been there. True Dublin are excellent right now but Meath and Kildare are not small counties struggling with playing numbers and financial backing...why are both teams so bloody poor? Meath seem to have good minor teams lately so maybe the future is brighter. Kildare are a mystery...is everyone horse racing or what ?" Reference paddy O'Rourke. The players don't want to put in that effort when there is not a snowballs chance in hell of beating dubs, at least every other province counties can dream of winning a provincial. In Leinster that is as far away as winning all ire. So players give up , underage lads want to support winning teams. It's a vicious cycle, look at Cavan Offaly. Traditional football counties with little or no interest in it anymore. It wasn't so bad when u had Meath Kildare etc challenging dubs, cause otherrs seen it as well we can beat one of them. It is so one team dominated now it's got out of control. Is that Dublin fault? Absolutely not. It's the gaa and Leinster council plus incompetent cb at county level. Those are the problems in that order. royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 28/05/2018 15:01:06 2104801 Link
A lot of people are putting up questions to my original post that are purposely rhetorical, and some questions that cant be answered with fact. Meath and Kildare are the two most prominent examples of decline, but its also prevalent elsewhere in other provinces, eg: Leitrim being beaten easily by Roscommon etc. Its not necessarily something that can be mended in my opinion. If things stay as they are, this trend from Leinster will creep in everywhere until its a total one horse race. It wont fix itself. GAA people are completely enamoured with the past, and always mention past trends as if those days will simply re-emerge. It wont happen. The future is and should be the biggest concern for everyone. As radical as it sounds, Id completely overhaul the championship, completely change the format of fixtures, and axe provincial championships. Young_gael (Meath) - Posts: 589 - 28/05/2018 15:01:26 2104802 Link
Replying To royaldunne: "WELL thought out post. But until every county receives equal proportion of money then nothing will change. I am actually delighted for Carlow and longford even if I am disappointed. We have a professional team in a amateur sport. The 4 in a row will happen as will the 5 in a row. And barring a fluke result this won't change until every county receives the exact same funding." Your right royaldunne, but even if the GAA were to even the financial playing field today it would take years for the rest of us to catch up. The gap between the dubs and the rest is massive. KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 28/05/2018 15:03:43 2104806 Link
'I'm not a disgruntled, bitter Meath Fan-- But.....' We all just have to play catch up- keepherlow (Tyrone) - Posts: 127 - 28/05/2018 15:17:33 2104821 Link
Young_gael great post and hope to hear more of your thoughts in the future. Just thinking about a county like Donegal, we start most years with a half decent chance of winning Ulster so have something to aim for. Do you think that might be why the Leinster counties are doing so badly? They feel they have no chance of winning the Leinster title so have nothing really to play for. Even for the Dublin supporters the Leinster championship must be really boring. Is there a case for Dublin not entering Leinster and going to one of the other provinces, or even just go straight to the Super 8's? Dublin a super side but they gain nothing from winning the Leinster title whereas the like of Kildare and Meath would see this as a great success. I think we all agree that the cash could be spread around a bit more evenly but that could take 10/15 years to filter down to success for weaker counties. Short term, we need to give the Leinster counties something to play for. Green_Gold (Donegal) - Posts: 1876 - 28/05/2018 15:25:50 2104827 Link
That's a pretty solid first post Its ironic, the worst thing which happened Westmeath in recent time was getting to a couple of Leinster Finals. Some severe beatings and now there's only a handful of these players who has decided to stay around. Its not Dublin's fault. I for one have really enjoyed watching them during this decade. The problem is the GAA organisation. They are not structured to best service the game. They are setup to best service themselves. I'd love to see Westmeath and other counties full out of the Championship. What these players are putting in for such little in return baffles me. Ban (Westmeath) - Posts: 1415 - 28/05/2018 15:27:25 2104828 Link
Replying To Young_gael: "This is my first post. Ive been reading these forums for a long time and it seems to be one of the only ways of airing concerns that can be seen all over the island and beyond. Im a Meath fan, a big one, and attend most if not all the matches that I can. Im no expert on the game and wouldnt pretend to be but the result yesterday vs. Longford was shocking as was the result of Kildare/Carlow. Im not at all begrudging Longford, they deserved it. They were better overall and deserve their win. And of course like everyone else Im supporting Carlow. In a sense, yesterday was a great day for the smaller counties and I genuinly am happy for them. In saying that, the GAA has destroyed Leinster. Dublin jerseys, ticket sales, and the Dublin based media is one of their big money spinners and always has been, and millions of euro in investment over the decade has strengthened that. Dublin has exploded into this juggernaut and yes ill use the word professionals, thats what they are, at the utter destruction of competetiveness, and even interest within their nearest rivals. The societal changes within Meath and Kildare from the late 90s until the present have also created a very new Leinster where kids on the streets of Meath wear Dublin jerseys because their parents moved there years earlier. The effect of the celtic tiger/rise of Irish rugby has left the GAA in splinters in its traditionally strong centres around the country. The players work very hard, I dont doubt that, but its to no avail and no possibility of an outcome so they walk away from their counties in dozens. Now we've a perrenial situation where Dublin are left on their pedestal with Kerry, Galway, Mayo, Monaghan and a few others still nipping at their heels and a Leinster championship where anyone can reach the final to face Dublin because the outcome will remain the same. What happens in 5/10 years when this situation hasnt changed? And in 15/20 years when Dublin win maybe another 10/15 all Irelands? What happens when the Kerry teams, Mayo teams and others also start to fall behind, as they will. Other sports will pull ahead. Its very simple. No one seems to be worried about this trend which will spread all over the country gradually unless the GAA and its people drop their inane conservatism and completely change the way inter county football is contested. Once again, Im not a bitter, disgruntled Meath fan having a rant. Im a genuine gael, proud of Longford and Carlow, but very worried about the future of a game I love." Biggest issue Meath had was niether Dublin not money but you let you underage structures fall behind. This takes time to change and some recent Minor results bare out the recent work is starting to bear fruit. Also rugby has not left GAA in splinters, you look at the media and say it must be so, but its based around 4 teams only. How many people go to an AIL match? Or Junior club games? You know the Kerry team of the '70s were also accused of been professional? Getting tired of threads trotted out because someone who thinks they are a journalist knows the only way to get traction is to write ** about the GAA. Fact based journalism is a thing of the past! witnof (Dublin)** - Posts: 1604 - 28/05/2018 15:41:54 2104842 Link
Replying To yew_tree: "Roscommon hammered Leitrim in second gear. Don't see too much comment about that. The gap has always been there. True Dublin are excellent right now but Meath and Kildare are not small counties struggling with playing numbers and financial backing...why are both teams so bloody poor? Meath seem to have good minor teams lately so maybe the future is brighter. Kildare are a mystery...is everyone horse racing or what ?" Do you know exactly what Kildare' s financial power is? We were 17th on the list of spending on our county teams last year. I imagine Carlow were lower but it's a red herring to say population and financial power is big in Kildare. The population boost provided by proximity to Dublin is just that, a Dublin overflow who have no interest in Kildare or for that matter, Meath football. They see themselves as Dublin through and through and that's fine but people are fooling themselves if they think Kildare or Meath reap much or any benefit by the census counting them in those counties population. I was first on here yesterday congratulating Carlow on a great win and likewise Longford soon after. They are on absolute highs today and it's great for them. But now trips to play Dublin in Croke Park are on the horizon and the heavy beatings are coming. When that happens a few times it dulls the interest within a county, the buzz isn't there as much anymore and things like yesterday end up happening. I do have serious doubts about where are management is taking us but there is apathy among supporters about what lay ahead beyond yesterday even had we won. Ultimately the goal was make the super 8s which is now a harder job but still doable. I hope yesterday provides a long term boost to Carlow and Longford and other so called weaker counties and they enjoy the success. Everyone deserves their day in the sun and a reward for their hard work. kildare73 (Kildare) - Posts: 854 - 28/05/2018 15:53:56 2104850 Link
I dont think Im a journalist. One of the first points I made was that Im not an expert and wouldnt claim to be. I love the game. I have no grudge against Dublin or their players, theyre awesome. The organisation however is rotten to the core. Theyve created this situation because its very profitable and caters to 2 million people and keeps them happy. Everyone else just isnt as important and in the future, that will be realised. If things persist like this, Dublin will be winning and Dubs might love it, but at what cost? Young_gael (Meath) - Posts: 589 - 28/05/2018 15:57:01 2104854 Link