Professionalism is not quite as far fetched as some people on here think. As was mentioned super league is able to maintain a fully professional league with roughly the same numbers as attended the all-Ireland football series last year. The major differences are the smaller number of clubs than counties so as was originally mentioned you would probably need to amalgamate smaller counties, is this feasible? The other stumbling block is that Sky currently pump about 18 million sterling into rugby league every year. Could the GAA really expect to get a similar deal?

Some of the points are way off by posters. Players at the top teams are now training 5 nights per week, players are looking after themselves like professionals and supporters expect them to do it. Players breaking drink bans are looked down on by supporters. The man cutting the field or training the underage team is giving up a few hours per week is doing an invaluable job but he can go to the pub on a Saturday night or organise a family holiday. Something a top county player can't. As for is a Monaghan hurler as dedicated as a Kerry footballer, maybe but does he have to put in the same level of committment? If we want players to train as professionals then we are going to have to consider paying them or else there is going to have to be a major rethink in terms of county training.

MB1 (Tyrone) - Posts: 360 - 07/04/2012 21:08:04    1145734

Rubbish, look at Paul O Connell, David Wallace, Donnacha Ryan, ROG, Leamy etc for Munster. BOD, Darcy, Sexton, etc for Leinster all 1 club careers.
That is a total generalisation that simply is not true at all
ormondbannerman , 07/04/2012 at 21:04


yes it is true

thurlesblues (Tipperary) - Posts: 4475 - 07/04/2012 21:10:20    1145736

07/04/2012 21:10:20
thurlesblues
County: Tipperary
Posts: 3316

1145736 Rubbish, look at Paul O Connell, David Wallace, Donnacha Ryan, ROG, Leamy etc for Munster. BOD, Darcy, Sexton, etc for Leinster all 1 club careers.
That is a total generalisation that simply is not true at all
ormondbannerman , 07/04/2012 at 21:04


yes it is true

How exactly is is true. Explain how?

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 07/04/2012 21:13:14    1145739

I think the leitrim guy made his case well.

I guess the way you make it work is more games in a league basis to increase revenue. GAA as a professional sport is unfeasible in the current format. The feasible way would be to do it on an AFL, NFL system of regular season and playoffs.

The only counties who could sustain it would be successful counties and big counties that get big attendances. A middle ground of semi professionalism would have to happen first and then see how it develops. That is how it would have to happen to eventually work if this was ever pursued.

You would eventually just widen the gap between the haves and have nots and counties who could not sustain it would end up being like a League 2 team, and likley still amateur, with bigger teams being like Premier League teams. Some could argue this happens in the current format anyhow.

You'd also have issues with Labour laws with it being illegal to stop a player moving counties, another controversial road. It could suit kildare as they love to dabble in the transfer market!!!!!!!!!!

But you gotta have a better argument than it wouldn't be right and it never has been that way so it shouldn't go that way. There have been some good argument against it however relating to cost effectiveness.

mayoman007 (Mayo) - Posts: 159 - 07/04/2012 21:15:20    1145743

ormandbannerman
How much would Munster and Leinster win without their mercenaries from abroad!

TheGateKeeper (Tyrone) - Posts: 2843 - 07/04/2012 21:21:30    1145747

ormandbannerman
How much would Munster and Leinster win without their mercenaries from abroad!
TheGateKeeper , 07/04/2012 at 21:21


totally agree

thurlesblues (Tipperary) - Posts: 4475 - 07/04/2012 21:25:09    1145751

07/04/2012 21:21:30
TheGateKeeper
County: Tyrone
Posts: 326

1145747 ormandbannerman
How much would Munster and Leinster win without their mercenaries from abroad!

Not mercenaries at all. How exactly are they mercenaries
Munster/Leinster would still win plenty.

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 07/04/2012 21:26:08    1145752

thurlesblues..well said ..clubs are under enough pressure as it is and they are the bedrock..the very thing that makes our games great is the devotion of those volunteers and dedication of all for THEIR community.
What caps will we have on transfers - soccer is ruined by pampered players totally detached from the real world. A Chelsea player shot a YTS lad at their training ground - went unpunished while the young lad was binned off.

Tyronetim (Tyrone) - Posts: 1254 - 07/04/2012 21:27:28    1145753

yes it is true

How exactly is is true. Explain how?
ormondbannerman , 07/04/2012 at 21:13


go into your local pub when a gaa match clashes with a soccer match and see what the population is watching also watch lads wearing English soccer jerseys and they are Irish remember not English!!!!

thurlesblues (Tipperary) - Posts: 4475 - 07/04/2012 21:28:27    1145755

07/04/2012 21:28:27
thurlesblues
County: Tipperary
Posts: 3320

go into your local pub when a gaa match clashes with a soccer match and see what the population is watching also watch lads wearing English soccer jerseys and they are Irish remember not English!!!!

But thats soccer not rugby. Rugby is different. Irish men and women supporting the province that they were born in/have lived most or all of their lives.

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 07/04/2012 21:35:34    1145764

But thats soccer not rugby. Rugby is different. Irish men and women supporting the province that they were born in/have lived most or all of their lives.
ormondbannerman , 07/04/2012 at 21:35

I agree ormondbannerman soccer is what Im talking about but a lot of transfers into Munster rugby too Mafi etc etc

thurlesblues (Tipperary) - Posts: 4475 - 07/04/2012 21:38:09    1145771

when an irish guy wearing a liverpool jersey has being shouting at the tv for his team and starts we done this and we done that,and then turns around to make conversation i always say i cant understand you in that strong scouse accent. forget the rugby them lads not just liverpool are the most embarressing people .

AthCliath (Dublin) - Posts: 4347 - 07/04/2012 21:45:40    1145780

07/04/2012 21:38:09
thurlesblues
County: Tipperary
Posts: 3321

1145771 But thats soccer not rugby. Rugby is different. Irish men and women supporting the province that they were born in/have lived most or all of their lives.
ormondbannerman , 07/04/2012 at 21:35

I agree ormondbannerman soccer is what Im talking about but a lot of transfers into Munster rugby too Mafi etc etc

There was a chance Mafi could have played for ireland due to residency, he eventually couldnt as he played 7s with new zealand but irish provinces are only allowed 6 foreigners and from next year its 5 so thats not a big deal

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 07/04/2012 21:46:39    1145782

Employment laws will kick in also, so players can play for who they like !

Rugby is an international sport, money being pumped in to keep it going !

Give me the maths and we can then tak a closer look!

MR (Louth) - Posts: 2570 - 07/04/2012 21:49:45    1145788

1145771 But thats soccer not rugby. Rugby is different. Irish men and women supporting the province that they were born in/have lived most or all of their lives.
ormondbannerman , 07/04/2012 at 21:35

Thats a fair point.

AthCliath (Dublin) - Posts: 4347 - 07/04/2012 21:53:47    1145790

Not a big deal ormandbannerman! When the players at home are judged to be not good enough
and teams have to look abroad for mercenaries I would say that is a big deal! It doesn't send out
a positive message to the local lads who are overlooked.
Here are a few of the mercenaries from abroad playing rugby in Ireland:
jean de Villiers, Ruan Pienaar, John Afoa, Doug Howlett, BJ Botha and Isa Nacewa.
Irish rugby is becoming a bit like Jack Charlton's Irish soccer teams! Lol.

TheGateKeeper (Tyrone) - Posts: 2843 - 07/04/2012 21:56:28    1145795

TheGateKeeper
County: Tyrone
Posts: 328

1145795 Not a big deal ormandbannerman! When the players at home are judged to be not good enough
and teams have to look abroad for mercenaries I would say that is a big deal! It doesn't send out
a positive message to the local lads who are overlooked.
Here are a few of the mercenaries from abroad playing rugby in Ireland:
jean de Villiers, Ruan Pienaar, John Afoa, Doug Howlett, BJ Botha and Isa Nacewa.
Irish rugby is becoming a bit like Jack Charlton's Irish soccer teams! Lol.

Doug Howlett at the end of his career was better than any one in munster. Many like Botha, Howlett etc are being used as coaches to the young players to learn from

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 07/04/2012 22:01:03    1145803

Who was that Ormond, Mafi Johnson? : )

realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8585 - 08/04/2012 09:13:50    1145812

While I don't think that the G.A.A can afford to move into proffesionalism there are still some slight indications that it is already happening. If Kildare eventually do manage to get somebody like Seanie Johnston to play for them this would be a big kick in the teeth to the G.A.A. Basically, what could happen over the next ten years, unless some rules are implemented, is that players will mysteriously get offered high paying jobs in other counties and then they will opt to play for the county they work in..... I don't kno if many people will agree with that point but the whole Kildare fiasco leaves me to think this

razor99 (Mayo) - Posts: 186 - 08/04/2012 09:20:01    1145814

Proffessionalism can only work on a league format with enough games to generate revenue from merchandise and tickets. Players once in county squads would be gone from their club(now they have to be available for club championship and last two games of league for club) clubs would become feeders for county teams. Would a player in employment now give it up for maybe a 1 ,2, or 3 year contract with the chance of being dropped from panel after that,because of this to make contracts work their would have to be a transfer system so if players were not wanted by a manager and they are proffessional they could move to another team. Imagine new manager comes in wants different players in squad but other players are under contract and he cant move them. PLAYERS ONLY PLAYING FOR THEIR OWN COUNTY WOULD BE A THING OF THE PAST AND THE LINK BETWEEN CLUB AND COUNTY WOULD BE GONE. TRANSFERS WOULD HAVE TO BE ALLOWED, WOULD HAVE TO GET USED TO A LOT MORE LADS MOVING COUNTIES FOR MONEY, WEALTHY INVESTORS WOULD BE NEEDED FOR SMALLER COUNTIES( for them to survive or compete,maybe a few jps )GAA AS WE KNOW IT WOULD BE GONE FOREVER,

AthCliath (Dublin) - Posts: 4347 - 08/04/2012 10:34:19    1145838