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realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8678 - 22/11/2013 12:32:14    1516510

I think from a smaller club perspective is that with underage the leess talented players are relyed on to fill a team but when reach 18 they know they wont be getting much of a game anymore with the 1st team and realise there is more to life than staying in on a Saturday night and sitting on the bench!

woops (Kerry) - Posts: 2073 - 22/11/2013 13:53:41    1516552

No games. No opportunities to play. County boards have (moderately) structured competitions for u-18, u-16, u-14. After minor level, there is nothing. Under-21 is the least well structured grade of all, being pushed to the back by most counties. If you don't make your senior team relatively quickly, guys lose interest.

icehonesty (Wexford) - Posts: 2559 - 22/11/2013 14:07:53    1516563

I agree woops why would a fellow break his arse and give up his social life if gona be warming the bench.

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 22/11/2013 14:22:08    1516570

That's true ice honesty.

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 22/11/2013 14:23:49    1516573

Going to college and woman and beer take over and getting calls while your on the beer from managers during the week asking to get out for a run and join a gym, its the most annoying call in the world to recieve. I didnt leave because i was playing minor for a full year when in college and then i was in the first team so i enjoyed it

SamMaguire3 (Mayo) - Posts: 21 - 22/11/2013 16:00:17    1516646

Drink, feck, girls and yeah going away to college didn't help. But I will admit I wouldn't have been the best player and not got much playing time so interest kinda faded.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11407 - 22/11/2013 16:04:19    1516648

Havent read any comment except the initial one.....

But Id imagine drink/girls/college etc play a big part in drop off.

But if you are playing Minor for a top team in your county and at 18 you are expected to play Adult Football, but your teams Senior set up is decent...and you wont get a game, you might just head off and play soccer.

Kids are brought up to be winners, and at 18 you've been first pick all your life its hard to be a fringe player in a Senior set up.....or to play for an inter or Junior Team. Especially if your friend/s have made the Senior Team etc. Theres pride....nobody likes to feel inferior!

JayP (Dublin) - Posts: 1772 - 22/11/2013 16:07:52    1516652

The back decided for me, I have discs all over the place......but I will admit that drink, young ones and recreational substance abuse were also deciding factors :-)

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 22/11/2013 16:14:26    1516660

As a 17 year old with some of my friends who are a few months older than me going through this at the minute, I suppose I'd add my bit.

The step up to training for the seniors I think is a big one. It's hard stepping up from minors to training with lads 7 or 8 years older and a hell of a lot bigger, faster and stronger. Also, the prospect of getting a regular starting place for the 2nds is virtually none for a few years (with the exception of the very good lads), and nobody wants to be stuck on the 3rds for a few years.
Also, most people go onto uni and therefore aren't about until June so have missed 5 months of training at that stage! Then they want to go away and travel or work during the summer.
And during minors a lot of people are totally disheartened with football, and don't enjoy training etc, so why would they want to make the step up to seniors where it is even harder?
Perhaps U 20's should be played during the summer to try and make up for the lack of options after leaving minor.

OgraAnDun (Down) - Posts: 406 - 22/11/2013 19:14:08    1516723

Interesting topic, surely. From my own experience, I play for a very small club who at underage over the past 6 years have swept up in the top divisions. However the transition from underage to senior hasn't taken place at all and it is definitely gutting. I think some of the reason for this are similar right throughout clubs in the country, especially smaller clubs. I know there is this craic of heading off to uni and drink and this and that, however I also believe some of the problems lie with the already established senior players. I have experienced turning up to training with only 8 senior players togging out and then having to ask minor players to train to make up numbers. Not only that but then hearing them talking about other members of the panel on the rip the previous night, it is a disgrace. There is the argument that this will improve minor development however I also found it demoralising. Seniors are the people you look up to, they are supposed to be the players you want to be, now when you see such poor commitment from senior players it definitely affects the way the younger generation see things. I believe it has to start right from the top, the established people at the club have to give the younger lads some encouragement, something to look up to and keep their interests in the game because I surely believe a lot of the younger lads who drop off at 17, 18 or 19 still have a burning passion inside them for GAA.

doublechamps (Fermanagh) - Posts: 150 - 22/11/2013 19:53:50    1516733

Only just came across this thread , friends of mine have lads just out of minor , so what Im saying is from their perspective , a lad may have played with a group from 9 or 10 years of age , they stay together for the next 8 years , but after minor theres a free for all , best are cherry picked , its not unusual to be receiving calls from 5 or 6 different coaches looking for your services , as lads develop physically differently there are those straight out of minor that are ready for senior or intermediate but what about the other guys , and thats a problem there is no long term plan for a player who may be a senior come 22 or 23 , its instant or not at all , some clubs are starting to put in place a liaison officer with sole purpose of retention of services , if you played div 1 or 2 all your way up through juvenile ranks it can come as quite a shock to find yourself on a 3 or 4 team not knowing to many players ,
The succesfull clubs will be the ones who put the time and effort into the 19 year olds and nurture their talent as opposed to just cherry picking best of minor every year .

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 23/11/2013 10:34:07    1516783

19/11/2010 15:41:09
MourneArmy
County: Down
Posts: 1476

819496
Laziness.

Never has an input into a discussion been summed up perfectly , don't bother to elaborate why don't you .

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 23/11/2013 12:26:30    1516794

The GAA has to look at the age setup between U21 and U16 and follow other sports. The drop out rates after U16 is extremely high with even in large clubs weaker players at 17 being expected to train/play with late thirty somethings.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4940 - 23/11/2013 17:40:48    1516880

I am now 18 years of age, and still playing football and hurling. But at the start of the year I injured myself quite badly, while playing with a county team. I was forced to sit out several months of football. As you can imagine fitness was a big problem when I started playing again, and I felt I had no support from anyone as in the best way to fix my injury and return to football. When I injured myself I never recieved a phone call from management asking how I was, which was fairly annoying. These managers don't care if you're injured, only if you're considered a "start" player will they care. Still to do this day I haven't been given advice on how to build myself back up again. Just my opinion on it!

Haas (Meath) - Posts: 25 - 23/11/2013 21:06:38    1516967

I packed it in at 21, the enjoyment factor was gone, also was disheartening when you train all year and get dropped for the championship when some of the oul fellas decided to show up. From my own experience this was one of the main factors for a lot of my team mates to fall by the wayside. From the last minor team I played on, only 3 are playing senior now 10 yrs later.

Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 2085 - 24/11/2013 11:05:18    1517008

All which has been mentioned boils down to lack of committment and not really that interested. I struggled with club politics for years but stuck with it until they played me. If you want it enough you'll stay at it with the exception of serious injury

tiobraid (Tipperary) - Posts: 4119 - 25/11/2013 13:50:36    1517548

Did anybody on this site stick at it??
All the factors mentioned come down to not having enough interest in my opinion.

Joe_Bloggs (Tipperary) - Posts: 186 - 26/11/2013 15:04:17    1518040

Joe_Bloggs That's the attitude boy!

icehonesty (Wexford) - Posts: 2559 - 26/11/2013 15:33:10    1518062

If Gaelic football reverted back to teaching skills at underage rather than the current laps, laps, laps fitness-based training that currently goes on up and down the country maybe the youth of today would have more incentive to play for seniors. It would be more craic to join the priesthood. Small, skillful players are being overlooked for 6ft athletic tanks. It is an amateur sport, let's cut back on the fitness and focus on skills, and more u12s up will stick with training rather than get bombed on bottles of buckfast on friday and saturday nights/days

beansycpn (Down) - Posts: 128 - 27/11/2013 15:56:50    1518464