Tony Kilkenny used his personal membership to make a wider level. “I assure you could possibly go all the way down to the guts of Kilkenny, Wexford or wherever… we didn’t simply pop up, there are locations like us,” he stated.
Us’ is Kiltormer, All-Eire senior membership hurling champions in 1992. Kilkenny performed on that crew and was additionally on the Galway squad that gained the All-Eire double in 1987-’88.
When his taking part in days have been over, he did greater than his bit on the administration facet, together with a interval as Kiltormer chairman. He’s a lifetime hurling man, nicely value listening to.
Which is precisely what Frank Roche did as a part of his very good piece in final Saturday’s Irish Unbiased on the issue dealing with rural golf equipment, arising from inhabitants shifts.
He targeting 4 east Galway golf equipment: Portumna, Killimor, Kiltormer and Meelick-Eyrecourt. All of them instructed the identical story of dwindling numbers at underage degree.
Amalgamation can solely be a part of the answer as a result of neighbouring golf equipment are shedding numbers too. It’s not the GAA’s fault. Fashionable-day demographics are at work, concentrating ever-larger numbers in cities and cities on the expense of rural Eire.
It’s an unforgivably silly coverage, however is so ingrained in official pondering that there appears no approach again. In lots of situations, members of the family aren’t even allowed to construct new homes on their dad and mom’ land, as a substitute compelled into city areas the place costs are loopy.
It additionally widens the urban-rural inhabitants divide. Primarily based, as it’s, on the parish mannequin, the GAA suffers greater than different sports activities from what’s occurring – therefore the experiences of the 4 Galway golf equipment as outlined final Saturday.
As Kilkenny stated, the identical considerations apply within the majority of counties. So what’s the answer? In reality, is there one? There’s actually no straightforward one. The search must be prioritised and intensified.
“There must be a template put in place. Almost one thing you should purchase from the GAA,” stated Kilkenny. It needs to be extra a matter of the GAA providing quite a lot of choices to golf equipment, relying on their circumstances.
Kilkenny wonders if the time has come for amalgamations of some golf equipment in all grades. That runs towards the underpinning custom of each membership, however occasions have modified. The issue isn’t all the way down to mismanagement of golf equipment – quite the opposite most of them are run very nicely – however to demographic circumstances which they can not affect.
So what’s the GAA’s place on the altering panorama? An apparent reference level is their five-year Strategic Plan. Launched in April 2021, listed amongst its 5 key goals is having ‘a sustainable Affiliation with thriving golf equipment at its core.’ Sounds good. One of many core points is recognized as ‘adapting to inhabitants shifts’.
We’re getting someplace now. There’s even a heading: ‘What we’ll do’. And the solutions?
1. Develop our authorities and knowledge analytics capabilities to implement the suggestions set out within the Demographic Toolkit Report (2020).
2. Roll out the Geographic Data System (GIS) throughout the Affiliation to allow evidence-based improvement planning.
3. Companion with Planning and Coaching Committees at provincial and county ranges to have interaction with Native Authorities and Statutory Our bodies concerning shared amenities.
4. Develop and handle GAA amenities in a sustainable approach.
5. Assessment the taking part in eligibility standards for gamers to recognise connections to golf equipment, e.g, discover the feasibility of permitting gamers to play with the house golf equipment of their dad and mom/guardians inside a county.
What the hell does all that imply? Solutions 1 and a pair of look as in the event that they got here straight out of the ‘Sure Minister’ handbook of gobbledygook and the remainder aren’t precisely examples of clear and decisive insurance policies. Is that one of the best the technique group might provide you with? If that’s the case, then golf equipment have lots to fret them.
A suggestion. Name a Particular Congress, devoted purely to the difficulties dealing with rural golf equipment. It might spotlight the extent of the issue within the starkest phrases, after which a committee can be established and given a six-month timespan to provide you with significant suggestions.
And don’t trouble with the Demographic Toolkit Report (2020), no matter it’s.
Jimmy Hyland’s omission an All-Star error
If a switch system utilized in Gaelic soccer, Con O’Callaghan can be on the premium finish of the value market. Certainly, if he had been obtainable for the latter phases of this 12 months’s championship, there’s a powerful risk that Dublin would have gained the All-Eire title.
Nonetheless, regardless of his distinctive skills, he shouldn’t have been included within the All-Star nominations. Disrupted by harm, he performed solely three aggressive video games, all within the hopelessly lopsided Leinster Championship the place Dublin are miles forward of the remainder.
He performed nicely in these three video games however on condition that Kildare, Meath and Wexford completed seventh, twelfth and thirtieth respectively on the league rankings and made no influence within the qualifiers or Tailteann Cup, it didn’t advantage an All-Star nomination.
Kildare’s Jimmy Hyland, who scored 4-50 (4-19 from play) and who averaged 7.3 within the Irish Unbiased’s rankings in his 11 aggressive video games – 9 towards Division 1 opposition – was extra worthy of inclusion.
Seven scores in an hour – how boring
5 scores have been sufficient for Burren to beat RGU Downpatrick (2-3 to 0-2) within the Down SFC final weekend.
Situations have been horrible, which made it very troublesome for attackers nevertheless it’s not as if Down gamers haven’t skilled heavy rain earlier than. Regardless of the circumstances, seven scores was a pathetically low return.
However then Down golf equipment have seen how profitable defensive ways have been for Kilcoo, present All-Eire champions and overwhelmed finalists in 2020, so it’s hardly stunning that copycats have come out to play.
In fact it began at inter-county degree the place packing defences has been a vital a part of the sport for fairly a while now. Given the standard of attackers, it’s tougher to lock all of the doorways within the inter-county recreation.
Nonetheless, it units the agenda on how the soccer is performed and we now see massed defences in any respect ranges. All nice, in accordance with the rule-makers, who clearly don’t care about leisure ranges.
Disgrace on them.
