Games for the inept.

[Lone Shark]

This is the shell of an idea I saw on another website, but I said I'd throw it up here to see what people think.

A big problem in terms of getting people back into the GAA etc. I think is the opportunity to participate. To give the example of my own situation, between college and work I'm up in Dublin now for the best part of a decade - and I haven't played with Ferbane since 15 years of age. (I was a late grower and being honest getting bruised and battered at training sessions combined with being quite useless killed my enthusiasm for participation then. A hefty dose of Lowry-esque encouragement for the more robust aspects of the game did nothing to help me.) Now I like heading home for weekends, which rules out both playing with a Dublin club when the games are at the weekend and rejoining Ferbane juniors when training is midweek and they've no shortage of players anyway.

I was just thinking that most people play five a side soccer with workmates etc, and a good scatter have tag rugby etc. going on as well - which is a casual outlet the GAA doesn't offer.

Now a couple of years ago I started organising a few games among likeminded souls in Terenure, with slightly adjusted rules to make it workable for all abilities. They went well, but it took an awful lot of organisation, and you do need huge numbers. So I was wondering what could you do in terms of playing seven or eight a side games that would suit the likes of my ilk.

The way we did it was anyone who played senior club football (or felt that they would be comfortable doing so) was considered too good and as such were discouraged from coming along. Since the idea was to play Gaelic Football and not soccer, goals weren't allowed, it was points only. This also ruled out the need for anyone to be tethered to playing in goals. It worked quite well, but you'd need to get something going regularly, ideally on a small size training pitch as well.

It's probably more suited to lads trapped in an urban situation like myself, but are there any situations out there, from people who've played sevens etc. as to what could help make this work? Are there any others like myself up here who would be interested in taking part? And are there any lads very involved in a club who reckon they'd be amenable to maybe taking a small fee in exchange for regular use of a training pitch etc for these purposes?

Just floating the notion. If half the city can get in on playing tag rugby, there has to be some way to put together gaelic football for the masses.

[turk]

this is a great idea. i'd love to do something like this, except i'm not in dublin any more

[Bord na Mona man]

A good idea.
One thing that might need to change would be the scoring system.
In a 7 or 8 aside, on a short pitch or public park, fellas going for the booming 40 yard shot for a point would kill the flow of the game. You'd have to be mindful that Harriet and Beatrice might be walking their permed poodles around these Dublin parks.
Savages from outside the Pale plying their vile native games might be offensive.
If little Fido takes fright, their might be some complaining done.

[Ron]

I have looked into this before last winter (04-05) and, like the comments above, and it dawned on me that there is no social outlet for GAA in the city. I remembered seeing a "social football" exhibition match in Croke Park at half time last year, so I emailed Croke Park to see if I could find out more bit I ended up with no more information than what I knew myself.
I have thought about it again since this tag-rugby craze seems to have gripped Dublin, and I am left wondering why couldn't the GAA do something too? Even if it only had a small base at least there would be an option for people to play.
It would probably work best in the winter when students are in the city, when the club scene is quiet.
The rules of the game played at half time in Croke Park had mixed teams of all ages, no physical contact etc.
Its a long time since Gaeloc Football and hurling was the main activity during school lunch breaks and this is simply another side to the same coin!
The ironic thing is that the GAA is probaly the best equiped organisation to offer this option with all the astroturf pitches all over the city. Even if they only set up a website to help organise teams it would be a start.

[Lone Shark]

This is gathering momentum a little bit now - I've emailed a few places asking about facilities. Being honest I'd say we just need a patch of grass and ideally some posts - the rest should look after itself. Anyone who might be interested in taking part, be sure to keep me posted.

[blueandwhite]

There would a good few public pitches that you could play in dublin on without having to pay any fees to clubs.

St Annes Park (clontarf), Phoenix Park, Tymon North (Templeogue), think there is a public park in Marino with pitches too.

I'm sure there are more these are the ones I have played junior b/c hurling (if it qualifies as hurling ) in Dublin

I'm sure you could play on these pitches as they are public parks as long as no teams are playing on them.

Has anyone tried organise social/informal hurling games? Just wondering how they would work out. I suppose it would be a lot more difficult than football to run, but it could be done i'm sure

Also for Lone Shark you would get a good lot of games if you joined a junior team in Dublin, even only playing weekdays. Generally juniors get about 15-20 games a season and a lot are on during the weekdays so you would probably get 10 games in a season anyway.

[mykneehurts]

Yeh this seems like a good idea. If there was no physical contact it might also be a facility for injured players to make a return to the game.

[Ron]

I think that a winter league would work best. I play for my club at home so transferring to a Dublin club is out (as it is for many people who would be interested in this kind of set-up). The problem with a winter league is that you would need floodlights and probably astroturf. I know of a few people who play in an organised soccer league in Sandyford run by a private company, I wonder would there be enough potential to have this kind of set up for Gaelic football? I think it would be well worth the GAA finding out. If it took off it could really revitilise GAA in Dublin (and other urban centres of course).
To blueandwhite - I think it would be more difficult to get a huring league going, less players, more dangerous, (remember there would be few experts playing!), and more equipment needed. Having said that it would be hust what hurling needs.
If the AFL can have a go at it why not the GAA???

http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=recfooty

[blueandwhite]

I think the night time soccer league in Dublin for companies is the astra soccer league or something like that. My flatmate's company put a team in about 3 years ago and they started at division 10 with a good few teams in the division. This was 11 a side soccer which shows how many were involved if there was 10 divisions in the league.

Obviously there are plenty people out there to play sports in the winter.

Some of the clubs in dublin have floodlite pitches so you might have a chance of getting a loan of pitches. (O'Tooles, UCD, Clan na Gael Fontenoy, Kilmacud Crokes and i'm sure there is more that i don't know of)

I think the hurling for winter would work best indoors. No handling or ground hurling would work best. You could also look at using those rubber bas hurls that they have introduced for schools. In justin mccarthys book he wanted to bring in a handball alley type tournament for hurlers in the winter which i think would work at all levels. You wouldn't be running laps in the rain and you'd get a lot more enjoyment out of it.