Minor Match yesterday.

[Lone Shark]

Before I'd jump in with condemnation, I'd be interested to see how Laois looked after their minor hurlers. If they can provide a similar standard of care for both teams, then we have serious questions to answer. If on the other hand they are just paying for all that by leaving their underage hurlers as the poor relations - then that's not a road I'd like to see the county go down. Budget will always be an issue, and the current crisis in Roscommon GAA - even though they have a very wealthy benefactor who is very generous - is not something I'd ever like to see happen within our own county. It's a depressing prognosis because we'll never have the type of money to spend that Dublin/Cork/Galway will have, but we can only make do as best we can.

Certainly though our setup does not appear at all condusive to the lads giving their best possible performance.

Things like meals on the day directly affect performance on the field. With a 1.45pm throw in, the lads should have been sitting down to a carb intensive meal at 10.15 - and be made eat as much as they can. Getting muck sugar thrown into them is something I'd try and avoid if I was going to be leaving work and going playing a menaingless five a side with the lads, much less playing in a provincial final and the biggest game of my life so far.

Hotels the night before are all very well, but only if budget allows.

For all that, I don't like to see rows and lads walking off panels. Either there was more to it than meets the eye, or Kavanagh is a bit out of order. I can see how he'd feel hard done by to be left off, but no more than James Guinan, Gerry Treacy, or Stephen Egan - all good footballers in their own right who would have started on plenty of Offaly minor teams in recent years. Truth is that unlike most Offaly teams, this is not an Offaly team where we are struggling to fill the last few slots - there is a strong panel there. Kavanagh might feel he deserves to be there, but based on what I've seen so far this year, I would have Mahon ahead of him.

[suckindiesel]

lone shark, to answer your question on laois minor hurlers

all winter, 2 or 3 nights a weeks they trained under floodlights on a pitch outside Nenagh and then received a full meal each night in a pub in borrisaleigh. 3 different buses shipped the squad to the sessions.
the squad also had 2 weekends away(overnight stay) in clare and in derry.
total cost including manager for year for laois minor hurlers was approx 80,000 euros. we fancied this side and rated them as prospects for a bright future. narrowly beaten in semi final by wexford and felt by all in the county that it was money well spent.

so in answering your poser, yes the laois minor hurlers got equal treatment when compared with the minor footballers, I might add that the consensus in laois is that we are better off spending decent money on the youngsters in hurling rather than going overboard on the current senior squad.

[Lone Shark]

That certainly does not reflect well on Offaly if that's the case. I'm aware that in several counties, in fact most, one code is dominant and that leaves the county board with in effect almost half the team expenses. The counties where both codes are treated equally are invariably the big well off counties like Dublin/Cork/Galway. However if Laois can put that amount of effort and focus into their underage teams, then either they are trading below water or we are doing something wrong.

Having seen our minor team dismantle Dublin in the first game this year in Birr, it certainly looks like an opportunity missed. It would be a shame if poor preparation was part of that. It certainyl appears that it was a factor in last Sunday's below par display based on the testimony here.

[Barracuda]

As stated earlier- we are some 200 years behind when it comes to this kind of thing. The funny thing is- that it would be a piece of cake to get most of this sponsored!.
Same applies to most grades in both codes in Offaly- its a joke and now with Tullamore being developed...........forgot seeing any kind of improvement in the near future as that will suck most of the money available for sport

[the bare biffo]

Barracuda I nominate you as your clubs county board delegate (If you are not already it). Go in and sort them out.

Re numbers if you have (purely made up)

Minor hurlers 80,000
Minor Footballers 100,000 (since they advanced further)
U-21 Hurlers 80,000
U-21 Footballers 80,000
Senior Hurlers 150,000
Senior Footballers 150,000
Junior Footballers 10,000
Junior Hurlers 10,000
Academy 40,000

Total 700,000

Where is that sort of money to be easily found ?

[True Red]

John Foley (Edenderry) of Accelerated Drains Cleaning Ltd sponsored the Acadamy.

[Bord na Mona man]

Barracuda I nominate you as your clubs county board delegate (If you are not already it). Go in and sort them out.

Re numbers if you have (purely made up)

Minor hurlers 80,000
Minor Footballers 100,000 (since they advanced further)
U-21 Hurlers 80,000
U-21 Footballers 80,000
Senior Hurlers 150,000
Senior Footballers 150,000
Junior Footballers 10,000
Junior Hurlers 10,000
Academy 40,000

Total 700,000

Where is that sort of money to be easily found ?

Last figure I heard quoted for what we spent for preparing county teams was over half a million.

[Barracuda]

I'd have to get the nod first from my local club and lets face it most of ye know how that works. The typical delegate: Is over 50, pushing towards 60, is a true and true loyal GAA man/woman- probably never played the game at any level worth talking about (think about it in you own club). Of course its not that important whether he/she did or not (play) this is his/her way of being very important. Well that how it works in the north end of the county.

"Jaysus, - woud ya look at all da money we schpent on those useless shower of Gobsh.ts who call themsleves hurlers and footballers"

That would be the first reaction for sure. See the big problem (my opinion only of course) is that most of these have no vision or idea how to create an healthy envoirment for our sport to thrive in.

Anyway.......... Could one man really change the GAA scene in Offaly........ Fraid not, but then maybe.

Back to the money side of things:
The problem with us in Uibh Fhaili is that we are not the cleverest when it comes to spending it. See we pee players off first by penny pinching with the little things. Ask all the Players all over!!!

500k needed each year we reckon

Main sponsor ...... 150k ( if not throw them out and get a new one)
Supporters club fund raising :.... 100k should be do-able
Gates receipts and Leinster council money- --- 50k ??
Let U21's train with Seniors so a cost saving found here.

Split the minor board away from the senior sponsor and let them get a new sponsor for minor. (im sure there would be a rule 57,3 somewhere that would not allow this to happen if they looked hard enough for it)

Funny thing about the minor level and downwards (U16 etc) at both codes is that so many mammys and daddys are only too willing to help out either thru fund raising or thru their business just to see their little darling's play for the green white and gold.

I am as near as damm sure that the minor board would be well looked after if alowed to cut loose.
Meals could be sponsored- so long as the sponsor got the publicity........

"The Bridge House - Fuelling our Minor Hurling Team to sucess". etc.

Training Gear- for heavens sake there must be a dozen shops who would love the opportunity to put a tracksuit top on a minor with their name on it. Same for the seniors- allow more sponsors in- like a F1 car!.

Just some food for thought.................

Remember...we are going to find 6 million in what ?- 5 years is it - to rebuild Tullamore............... Where theres a will theres a way!.........