Typical GAA begrudgery

now that is what you call typical GAA begrudgery!!

ha ha classic donal , top scorer for ireland all stemming from a snub by the GAA

proper order , theres no reason the two teams cant share players , keeps them fitter for fecks sakes

a good few fellas in mayo double job it TC but the GAA is always the priority

fuly agree donal , you are dealing with years of lost potential there as regards the ban and what with emigration as well , currently reading the "house of pain" mayo book and the amount of great players lost to america was a crying shame

surely you could argue donal that it was the lifting of the ban that spurred  the irish team to its highest heights ?

Zizu, the reality is the money the FAI make is already being invested in grassroots. People have this perception that they don't spend any money around the country. It's simply not the case. Every schoolboy club in the country is a phonecall away from a regional development officer or a football in the community officer who can coach their managers and take training sessions with their players.
Any individual in Ireland if they so wish can take the first step on the FAI's coaching ladder and go all the way up to UEFA level. The mechanisms are already in place (largely due to Brian Kerr and Packie Bonner).

There is also the introduction of the emerging talent programme and the new national academy at abbotstown. unfortunately the only attention the FAI get is (mostly deserved) negative attention surrounding the senior team.
Regional development officers do not sell newspapers. but its grossly unfair to ask will they spend the money? when they already are.

there are also almost 200 people employed full time by the FAI.


it is also a myth to say the GAA is amateur (Just like the FAI, the top brass of the GAA are full time professionals)

I suppose the GAA forgot the huge sum of money they got from Bertie to build Croke Park some years ago and were told that they didn't have to change their (then) rules about "foreign games". This at a time when we were trying to build a national sports arena.

I know a lot of dead on GAA lads but met one or two who still harp back to the old days when their spy's turned up at soccer games just to see if any GAA people were there!!! The best one though was when the President of Ireland, Douglas Hyde, turned up at an Ireland soccer game in 1938 and was then banned by the GAA even though he was a patron of the GAA and THE BLOODY PRESIDENT!!!!

the 2nd reply is excellent..wonder what that clown would say in response to that..total tunnel vision on this gobsh*te and failing 2 see both sides of the argument..