HomeSportPENNY-PINCHING GAA, (and the huge untapped potential).

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PENNY-PINCHING GAA, (and the huge untapped potential). — 4 Comments

  1. I am not so sure about paying players.Altready there is a gap between the most sucessful countys and the rest. Paying might only widen this gap. Rugby even with an international aspect can afford to run only four professional teams. At best the GAA might be able to afford something along the lines of the league of Ireland.

    The number of full time professional footballers playing for Ireland or from Ireland would hardly be the same as three full GAA squads. I think it is better to pay no one than just a few from across the country no matter how you decide to choose them.

    Can't see any reason the GAA would pay their players to play rugby. though I would like to see more young players recuited at home than bringing in players from abroad. The skill required to play rugby at the top level might mean that players would need to switch in their early twentys at the latest. Australian rules have been coming over and doing this for years, But only a handful ever make it, It might be easier to switch to rugby if if ment staying in Ireland.

    • A sham,

      Mine was wishful thinking! I was imagining the IRFU model for the GAA except they’d have nobody to play against except each other. But I love hurling, (I’m from Cork), and I would hate to see anythinh hurt its popularity in Ireland. 

      My point though is that the really top GAA players get nothing back financially fom all their hard work and talent and I suspect many of them get to a point where they can’t afford to play and live too. They are the potential I was thinking of.

  2. There was a time when top rugby players were not paid, but a lot of them ended up in jobs that allowed them to have the time train and play. This might be the best for amature players, to have a desent job when you finish playing might have far more value than a small amount of cash earned through playing.

    • What you outline is, in fact, is in practice in both GAA and amateur rugby circles today and this has been happening for years. It was even worse in New Zealand with the All-Blacks in the seventies and eighties. When asked about payments in those years they hinted their players were, “Semi-Pro.” The other half of the payment was in cash expenses and salaries from ‘jobs’ they were never expected to do. It wouldn’t be crazy to think that Henry Sheflin might be on a mileage rate, (cash of course), that allows him to drive cost free for a year and replace the mid-range car annually. 

      But that is still not €200,000 a year plus expenses and commercial endorsements of the professional contract. 

      I’m only saying!

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