Offaly GAA is in Some State

[Daleamar]

Dalemar, we do not have to go to Mullingar to train, the agreed ground for football training is Clara, and Banagher for hurling. Players are NOT left waiting for 2 months for expenses if they submit them properly. For too long these rubbish stories have been circulating. Players travel expenses came to almost 90,000 euro last year and were paid. Players want for nothing. Some panels have psychologists, acupuncturists etc. So please desist from rumours that are not true.

so Niall Mac and Brian Carroll plus the two mangers are telling lies so about no where to train why don't the county board take them up on it so. also i know a county player who had to wait 6 weeks for player travel expense and had to drive to Certain mans house 3 time's for it the first 2 times he hadn't the manners to tell the lad he wouldn't be there. you can sugar coated all you want Truesupporter we are a disgrace at county board level, and didn't the hurlers have to go to outside
Abbeyleix to train during the year thats along way from Banagher last time i look Abbeyleix was i laois

So what are we saying here? Waiting 6 weeks for expenses inhibits a lads ability to train? Did he miss training for 6 weeks?

I know the point is more professional like the dubs et al. But we aren't the dubs and never be. It's an amateur sport. For the love of the game and the pride of your county. That's what we had in offaly when we were good. We would do well to remember that.

[Round Inside]

Dalemar, we do not have to go to Mullingar to train, the agreed ground for football training is Clara, and Banagher for hurling. Players are NOT left waiting for 2 months for expenses if they submit them properly. For too long these rubbish stories have been circulating. Players travel expenses came to almost 90,000 euro last year and were paid. Players want for nothing. Some panels have psychologists, acupuncturists etc. So please desist from rumours that are not true.

so Niall Mac and Brian Carroll plus the two mangers are telling lies so about no where to train why don't the county board take them up on it so. also i know a county player who had to wait 6 weeks for player travel expense and had to drive to Certain mans house 3 time's for it the first 2 times he hadn't the manners to tell the lad he wouldn't be there. you can sugar coated all you want Truesupporter we are a disgrace at county board level, and didn't the hurlers have to go to outside
Abbeyleix to train during the year thats along way from Banagher last time i look Abbeyleix was i laois

So what are we saying here? Waiting 6 weeks for expenses inhibits a lads ability to train? Did he miss training for 6 weeks?

I know the point is more professional like the dubs et al. But we aren't the dubs and never be. It's an amateur sport. For the love of the game and the pride of your county. That's what we had in offaly when we were good. We would do well to remember that.

The game is professional in all but money in any decent county at this stage. This 'oh pride in the jersey will save us' is the kind of backwards thinking that will stop us from ever progressing. It's the kind of thinking that has seen Dublin pass us by in hurling because Offaly will produce 'natural hurlers'.

[old yellar]

I have to agree with you. Us smaller counties are only going one way in relation to Dublin and some other counties - down! Money now more than ever is a key factor in counties success. Dublin are the perfect storm - money and numbers. Let's face facts, some Dublin clubs - several in fact, would have budgets in excess of some counties. Some employ more full time staff than both ye and us. And then the county! We smaller counties are pissing up a down pipe compared to them. And being a dual county is a hard drain too. I suppose people are peeved about the lack of success etc but we now have to be realistic in where things are. Talent is great, but if as a county you can employ full time people to serious work with all the squads who in turn are coming from clubs with unreal facilities interms of coaches, gyms etc, well you are bound to be miles ahead of the rest. Money allows you the best at all levels. Just look who the dubs have had in there back room team. It also allows you to train as much as you want. Why? Because each session costs money in terms of travel etc. unfortunately county boards have to balance the books too. And they sad fact is as a smaller county, your budget is normally less as it's harder attract sponsors and punters alike. We probably now are in the celtic tiger of gaa preparation and I for one don't like where we re going..

[manfromdelmonte]

More full time coaching staff means you are firstly able to support the work going on in clubs - running more blitzes, coaching demos, training courses and general upskilling of everything done at underage and adult level.

Get more coaching hours into schools both primary and secondary. This is a huge area that is neglected by clubs.

You need the right people though.

Dublin clubs having full time GPOs means they have an instant link with the local schools with the same coach going into the school and being available on eg a Saturday morning to run the coaching in the club.

Someone needs to start a fundamental review of the whole coaching and games structure within the county

[Daleamar]

We are not effing Dublin and never will be. Why don't we compare ourselves to something realistic and attainable.

It's all but professional but in name? Then why are we bothering our holes talking about it? If we don't have the money and never will have the money (or population) to run things the same way as them then why do you idiots keep trying to compare us to them?

Ye things can be done better by those at the top. But in the same vein. Things can be done a whole lot better by the supporters/clubs and players.

It's always somebody else's fault.

[Daleamar]

Dublin clubs having full time GPOs means they have an instant link with the local schools with the same coach going into the school and being available on eg a Saturday morning to run the coaching in the club.

Tell you what. You give up your job and income and do it.

no? Well organise the funds for it?

No? Get someone to do it for nothing?....

Am I missing something?

[old yellar]

Dale, you re telling it like it is! Theres the haves and have nots now in the gaa more than ever. The days of the smaller county competing for titles in a realistic sense is over. People talk about the 5 million debt on o connor park. Clare spent over 1 million last year on intercounty teams.

[manfromdelmonte]

Put a plan together and submit it to Leinster Council and Central Council.

If funding is refused, then you can talk about the haves and have nots.

[old yellar]

I ve been a part of a committee that met the president and a few more from part of the 6 "emerging" counties. The dont really care. Its great to be listened to, but we - and probably offaly and a few more, are not their priority. We ll get 50 grand from their new prog. What will that do?? Nothing.

[Daleamar]

Put a plan together and submit it to Leinster Council and Central Council.

If funding is refused, then you can talk about the haves and have nots.

I suppose there is a prewritten plan aswell that all you have to do is fill in the blanks?

Get real, somebody would have to dedicate a lot of time, just to be listened to. Nevermind the fact of trying to get others on board.

Every so often, somebody willing to put in the work for little or no remuneration comes along and leaves a legacy that improve things within the smaller counties. The likes of the man in Laois at the moment etc. Im terrible with names.

Until this man comes along, Offaly cannot afford to fund these ventures. Its plain and simple.

We are where we are. If you are not going to act on these insightful suggestions there is little or no point in suggesting them. In fact, it is counter productive as people who are doing there bit and the general supporters etc are getting demorilised and as you know, the mood in the county regarding GAA is at an all time low.

[Offalys Future]

I ve been a part of a committee that met the president and a few more from part of the 6 "emerging" counties. The dont really care. Its great to be listened to, but we - and probably offaly and a few more, are not their priority. We ll get 50 grand from their new prog. What will that do?? Nothing.

Ridiculous statement. I would really worry if its all people like you with that mind set on these committee's.
Kildare setup their own gym for 20,000 and got all players to help with the decorating, flooring, etc. They got a building in the k club for free.
I know of plenty of people who would offer a free facility for Offaly GAA. Buy 30,000 worth of equipment. Give free membership to 180 inter county hurlers and footballers.
Sportsgear,Equipment,Gym and Laundry was 123,575 Euro in 2013 and 92,684 Euro in 2012. If you take gym membership from this figure I'm sure it would be substantial not just over one year but over the next 10 years.

50,000 is a massive amount of money and if managed correctly could prove invaluable to the future development of Offaly GAA.

[old yellar]

Obviously you dont know the money is only for hurling not football as you mentioned.. Its 45 grand - i got that bit wrong. Setting up a gym is unlikely to improve us substantially but it can help obviously. It shows the new mind set of where we see things going in the gaa - look after the county set ups. I d be more in favour of looking at participation rates in our counties. We sometimes forget its a sport we play for enjoyment! The 45 grand is indeed a nice sum, dont get me wrong but compare it to the millions of euros pumped into dublin hurling by the gaa over the last number of years and this is what i m saying.

[old yellar]

Ps kildare were supposedly to have parted with several hundred thousand over the 6 years of their last football managers reign in "expenses". No wonder they had to get players to help decorate the gym!!

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

The whole area of volunteerism is something that needs to be addressed around the county.

But in order for people to give up their time there needs to be a structure in place. I would like to make people aware that there is currently ongoing, an u13 academy giving 8 weeks training, in hurling and football. As far as I know the football is in Mucklagh each week at 4.30.
Also this Saturday there is an u12 academy starting for 6 weeks (football in Clara at 11am), with this being run by county players, past and present, and set up by Liam O'Reilly who will coordinate the sessions.
So for any of ye interested, ye could do worse than go along and have a look.

And if you took this a step further, these programs should be rolled out in the clubs, by the clubs, (likes of many of you guys could get involved??), thus ensuring that the development squad type training is being completed in clubs.
Does this cost any money? No , dont think so, maybe some equipment, but shag all.

Does it take time and effort, yep, and there is the problem for the clubs! (Some clubs are doing good work, at some age groups, but we need a consistent approach across the board in order to start producing the type of players that we need).

[Daleamar]

Ridiculous statement. I would really worry if its all people like you with that mind set on these committee's.
Kildare setup their own gym for 20,000 and got all players to help with the decorating, flooring, etc. They got a building in the k club for free.
I know of plenty of people who would offer a free facility for Offaly GAA. Buy 30,000 worth of equipment. Give free membership to 180 inter county hurlers and footballers.
Sportsgear,Equipment,Gym and Laundry was 123,575 Euro in 2013 and 92,684 Euro in 2012. If you take gym membership from this figure I'm sure it would be substantial not just over one year but over the next 10 years.

50,000 is a massive amount of money and if managed correctly could prove invaluable to the future development of Offaly GAA.

Are players travelling from all over Kildare to use the same gym facility? It is a much smaller county I guess.... Do Offaly all train in the same gym? I doubt it. So then you are looking at paying players expenses to travel to the gym?... Pay full time cleaners/maintenance.... Insurance ESB etc....

It can obviously be done and made profitable. Start organising it Offalys Future seeing as you have a great deal of knowledge/ experience and will to do it? Start drumming up the support. Somebody had the bright idea and made it happen in Kildare. I don't think too many will stand in your way.