What are they smoking in Birr?

[Offalys Future]

Yes teams come and go. I'm not talking about Birr Senior team.
From 1990 - 2008 Birr won at least one county title every year.
From 2009 - 2013 Birr have not won any county title at any level.

To me that's a crisis and one or two people coaching teams won't fix that. A strategic plan with good people implementing the plan will solve it.

[babsandbond]

As KC said teams come and go...not only were the senior team successful but birr underage hurling was winning the vast amount of underage for years there with a core group of players from dylan Haydens age group to Brian watkins.When that period ended it wasn't a crisis because they were still getting hurlers from the minor team up to senior for example Thomas Bolger Colm Mulrooney Eoin Hayes Emmet Nolan Brendan Murphy Barry Harding Brian lonergan...and this year eoin cahill stepped up to the grade.To say they need a strategic plan is a bit over the top...I think with gary cahill over alot of the coaching they can move forward and in 10 years time we will see the rewards again..There is no quicker solution.If you go through most other clubs in Offaly you will see they have been struggling at underage too Coolderry Clareen Banagher even..so its just not in Birr.I suppose it shows when the strong hurling clubs are not at the top Offaly hurling suffers.

[manfromdelmonte]

Surely at this stage most clubs have yearly and 3 year coaching plans in place with skills targets for each age group, short term and long term plans, upskilling of coaches etc.

[Offalys Future]

Surely at this stage most clubs have yearly and 3 year coaching plans in place with skills targets for each age group, short term and long term plans, upskilling of coaches etc.

Offaly county teams don't have a plan of any sort never mind clubs. This is right from senior hurlers to development squads.
We are so far behind its unbelievable and nothing is improving.

It's funny Birr are investing so much time and resources on having this inter county stand but a previous poster mentioned they don't need a strategic plan.
If Birr want to be the best club in Ireland which they should be striving to be then yes they should have a strategic plan.
Instead though they have this small club mentality and blame everybody else except themselves.

[Truth as i see it]

Surely at this stage most clubs have yearly and 3 year coaching plans in place with skills targets for each age group, short term and long term plans, upskilling of coaches etc.

Offaly county teams don't have a plan of any sort never mind clubs. This is right from senior hurlers to development squads.
We are so far behind its unbelievable and nothing is improving.

It's funny Birr are investing so much time and resources on having this inter county stand but a previous poster mentioned they don't need a strategic plan.
If Birr want to be the best club in Ireland which they should be striving to be then yes they should have a strategic plan.
Instead though they have this small club mentality and blame everybody else except themselves.

Are you reading this townman?

[sam88885a]

i agree teams come and go . when birr came to set really high standards .
if birr didnt win they all ireland, they fell they under preformed . i think birr won 2 all irelands by double scores .
all good thing come to an end .
birr hurling brains get them there for the last few years . birr were not the second best team in offaly last year yet they got to the county final . it was if they were hurling from memory .
it hard work to stay at the top and hugely expensive .i guess birr had to look after that senior team and may have negelected their underage side a little.
birr have the talent to bounce back but they have a huge challange competing with football and rugby , both were always strong alongside hurling in birr
. they problem now seem both wont allow their player to play hurling .this forces young lads to chose and it looks like hurling is loosing that battle .
i heard that there were almost 100 more kids at the football summer camp than the gaa summer camp in birr this year .
birr hurling needs to win the hearts and minds of the u 10 again.

[manfromdelmonte]

Kids will generally go where the parents feel all the kids are respected, looked after well and gets lots of games.

If any club look after them in the schools in terms of extra coaching for the kids and help for the teachers, then the kids will usually end up in the GAA field.

You need a basic plan for all that.
In terms of manpower, coaching skills, finance and games.

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

Sam, by football, I assume you mean soccer??

Surely not 100 kids in Birr at Gaelic football camp.

And i am even more worried that you see soccer as football!!!

[sam88885a]

athlethimoutwithit yes soccer is what i meant .
what i said was i heard that there was 100 more kids at the soccer summer camp than the gaa camp in birr this year .

did u see the all ireland final this year u couldnt call it football . it was soccer with handpassing and no offside .

my point was birr hurling are loosing their youth to soccer and rugby .

[townman]

there was always a big number playing rubgy or soccer in Birr this donkeys years. i remember Birr winning the towns cup with Johnny Pilkington and a few more on board.

[Plain of the Herbs]

You're making it up as you go along, as usual. Birr never won the Towns' Cup, with or without Johnny Pilkington or anyone else.

there was always a big number playing rubgy or soccer in Birr this donkeys years. i remember Birr winning the towns cup with Johnny Pilkington and a few more on board.

[babsandbond]

Townman birr never played rugby and soccer to the extend they do now...Both clubs are flying it at underage in the town now.Ah with some hard work hopefully in a few years we will get it back on track.

[sam88885a]

I have no problem lads playing whatever sport the want but what concerns me is to see a club with such a great hurling tradition loosing most of there young lads to soccer and rugby ,sports with no real tradition in the town.
why is that happening ? are soccer and rugby more organised ? are there coach better? has birr hurling lost it hunger? do birr hurler think there so good they produce hurlers without putting the work? Something has gone wrong i hope someone in birr rembers what made birr a great hurling club once .
I think birr are in danger of becoming like st rynagh , going from wining county titles for fun to be without one for over 20 years . who would have said that in 93 that st rynagh would not win a title for over20 years . st rynagh have won lots at minor and u 21 in that time but notting at senior .
birr dont look like their going to win a minor soon , looking at their under age teams and especially when most of the promising hurlers are picking soccer or rugby ahead of hurling ..

[Offalys Future]

Jesus just when I thought it couldn't get any worse for Birr GAA and they go and do this.
Sad really sad.

[blinkers]

Jesus just when I thought it couldn't get any worse for Birr GAA and they go and do this.
Sad really sad.

Do what?????