FAI to unveil €863m wish-list to transform footb

It's not necessarily a negative that clubs don't own their ground. The model works for Rovers and if the rebuild happens then will likely work well for Bohs also.

On the largest stadia etc, that's purely down to the fact that GAA exists. 

I wouldn't know much about it to be honest, just seemed quite high and stood out to me.

In terms of stadia, regadless of the existence of the GAA, that's still a crazy stat when football is the no.1 most participated sport in the country. We also aren't the only country in the world that plays multiple sports.

The GAA have been better at lobbying than football has - That has to be laid at football's door. 

Most of the money the GAA have got has been very well invested. 

The point on rugby doesn't really stand up based on their level of funding received I believe. 

Rugby is disproportionately wealthy compared with the size of its support base, simply because its support base is the ABC1 demographic. They also have ready access to volunteers with significant business contacts and can leverage that for funding and investment. Have you ever attended a schools rugby match? It is like PwC meets GoldmanSachs! The biggest single variable that explains the differential in wealth between the major sporting organisation relates to social class and access to political influence, and not financial competency. John Delaney is thankfully gone now, so yeah, if I had a million to invest, I would trust someone like Roy Barrett. Pity he is on the way out.

Then look at the way the sports treated and spoken about, probably about 4th behind GAA codes and Rugby. There is a pitfall here, and thats to compare. No sports can or should be compared and its and easy debate to get dragged in to which will have no conclusion. Also I think the FAI got it wrong with their recent report. Dont get the Racing community offside, they are intertwined in irish community life up and down the country and to be seen to have a go is to make football look bitter. They should have just stuck to the Positives football contributes and ask for cut of gambling tax. To me the PR backfired. There was also a blatant hypocracy in their approach. They both undermined the ethics and gambling and asked for the cut of it.

Theres a good interview with angus o rioridan on LOI weekly recently. Really paints a picture of Football in the country. Just to take one point, Its far easier for a local politician to back the GAA club than the local Football table, based simply on catchment size. Theres more football clubs within the same catchment size as 1 GAA club. 

I dont propose a solution. I do think Football has to fend for itself unfortunately as the country is sewn up otherwise. Its a shame it hasnt considering the level of interest in the support. And without a doubt the FAI have been brutal costodians of the game previously which have done more damage than any rival organisation could have ever done to the sport.