National Forum

Dropping Counties Out Of The NHL With Less Than 5 Hurling Clubs

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Replying To cavanman47:  "On the flip side of that. . .

Cavan have 3 teams. So circa 70 hurlers if we're lucky.

30 or so of those make the county panel.

Take half their intercounty games away and what does that do to hurling in the county??"
I didn't mean to make this about Cavan in particular, but good to have input from somebody in the county.

Thing about a place like Cavan is that the flip side of that coin is almost the same size as the front size - i.e. with only three hurling clubs and only three hurling teams (presume none of them field a second team?), almost half of all club players are also inter-county players.

Anyway, what might taking away of the inter-county games do for hurling in the county? I reckon it depends on the attitude within Cavan itself:

- if there's a genuine will and effort to grow hurling in more clubs there, taking away those inter-county games could indeed be good for hurling overall, as it would provide more opportunity for club activity, with whatever number of new clubs on board.

- however, if there's no real desire within Cavan to grow hurling, then taking away those inter-county games would end up a bad move overall, as nothing really would change on the club scene - you'd just have the same three clubs playing each other over and over again.

The answer to your question lies within Cavan itself. Would there be a genuine desire and effort in other clubs there to start hurling if extra resources were made available? I can't answer that.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2615 - 30/11/2023 20:04:59    2515129

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Replying To Claretandblue:  "Is it a bad idea? Leitrim spent more than €150,000 on senior hurling county team last year? That's surely an incredible waste of money. Merit to the proposal. Those opposing it in these counties should do something practical to increase participation"
You haven't been listening I'm afraid ,there "proposal "is get rid of these counties ,with no plan for them after ....sligo have gone from lory meagher to christy ring, increased there adult club numbers ,what has sligo got ,in the last 5 to 6 years since then ,NOTHING!!!we have to share 1!!!gpo with Leitrim, we v been shouting for at least one more ,we v been laughed at!!!!
Give these counties 2 gpos each and give them 5 years to increase teams and if there still the same I'd say ,right this isn't working or I'm open to suggestions

Timmy86 (Sligo) - Posts: 302 - 30/11/2023 20:57:19    2515130

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Kent should look at Martin Fogartys (a real hurling man) comments on the debate.

There is zero appetite among football county boards to improve the small ball game in those 5 weak counties.

They don't want hurling GDAs, they don't want hurling in schools. They hate hurling.

Wasn't it good old Wexford back in 2013 that voted against their neighbours Carlow on a proposed change to the Allianz Hurling League.

Wexford voted to keep Carlow down in 2A in 2014.

And then Mount Leinster Rangers put manners on Oulart the Ballagh in the Leinster club final at the end of 2013.

Past hurler (None) - Posts: 798 - 30/11/2023 21:35:41    2515132

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Replying To Claretandblue:  "Is it a bad idea? Leitrim spent more than €150,000 on senior hurling county team last year? That's surely an incredible waste of money. Merit to the proposal. Those opposing it in these counties should do something practical to increase participation"
I seen that a few weeks ago.

While Leitrim have made strides in hurling in recent that's still a big amount. Interestingly it's apparently mostly because of travel expenses

oneoff (UK) - Posts: 1472 - 01/12/2023 08:43:56    2515139

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Replying To Bon:  "How much money did they waste on their senior football team?"
Wouldn't say Andy was cheap

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 13783 - 01/12/2023 10:10:49    2515145

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Replying To Timmy86:  "You haven't been listening I'm afraid ,there "proposal "is get rid of these counties ,with no plan for them after ....sligo have gone from lory meagher to christy ring, increased there adult club numbers ,what has sligo got ,in the last 5 to 6 years since then ,NOTHING!!!we have to share 1!!!gpo with Leitrim, we v been shouting for at least one more ,we v been laughed at!!!!
Give these counties 2 gpos each and give them 5 years to increase teams and if there still the same I'd say ,right this isn't working or I'm open to suggestions"
1 hurling GPO between 2 counties is a joke.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 13783 - 01/12/2023 10:11:50    2515146

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There are 2 known counties that play in the TC struggling financially, it's all starting to unravel me thinks.

supersub15 (Carlow) - Posts: 3045 - 01/12/2023 10:14:25    2515147

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Replying To Past hurler:  "Kent should look at Martin Fogartys (a real hurling man) comments on the debate.

There is zero appetite among football county boards to improve the small ball game in those 5 weak counties.

They don't want hurling GDAs, they don't want hurling in schools. They hate hurling.

Wasn't it good old Wexford back in 2013 that voted against their neighbours Carlow on a proposed change to the Allianz Hurling League.

Wexford voted to keep Carlow down in 2A in 2014.

And then Mount Leinster Rangers put manners on Oulart the Ballagh in the Leinster club final at the end of 2013."
https://wexfordgaa.ie/wexford-to-vigorously-oppose-proposed-nhl-changes/

Bit of background for you. I don't think keeping Carlow down was a consideration at all. And I don't think it was in any way a motivation for MLR, who had a very good team that year, with a great manager. Tbh MLR and St Mullins would be Senior clubs in any other Leinster county.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 13783 - 01/12/2023 10:16:52    2515148

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Replying To Claretandblue:  "Is it a bad idea? Leitrim spent more than €150,000 on senior hurling county team last year? That's surely an incredible waste of money. Merit to the proposal. Those opposing it in these counties should do something practical to increase participation"
And how would they do it without additional resources? Leitrim have 30% (LOL!) of a GPO shared with Sligo. Do you actually have any idea what that cost is made up of? I bet you haven't a clue. How much do you think it costs to send a panel over to play a game in Lancashire for example? You're not much of a gael if you think this idea has merit.

Square_B (Leitrim) - Posts: 1022 - 01/12/2023 10:33:15    2515154

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Martin Fogarty's comments on this are surely laced with irony, his own county's attitude and participation in football is scandalous and deliberate

Claretandblue (Westmeath) - Posts: 1907 - 01/12/2023 10:43:02    2515156

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Replying To Bon:  "How much money did they waste on their senior football team?"
More or less the same as Kildare I'd say.

Square_B (Leitrim) - Posts: 1022 - 01/12/2023 10:44:10    2515157

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Replying To Viking66:  "https://wexfordgaa.ie/wexford-to-vigorously-oppose-proposed-nhl-changes/

Bit of background for you. I don't think keeping Carlow down was a consideration at all. And I don't think it was in any way a motivation for MLR, who had a very good team that year, with a great manager. Tbh MLR and St Mullins would be Senior clubs in any other Leinster county."
You sure about that?

It was the very first thing the commentator from Carlow mentioned on the radio when MLR won that match.

He also stated Oulart wouldn't play MLR the year before in a challenge match as they didn't seem them strong enough.

On the flip side of that, Kilkenny have been brilliant for Carlow & Kildare hurling, allowing their underage teams enter their leagues which the fruits can be seen isn't Nass adult club and also allowing Carlow senior clubs enter their adult leagues.

Past hurler (None) - Posts: 798 - 01/12/2023 11:14:27    2515162

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Replying To Past hurler:  "You sure about that?

It was the very first thing the commentator from Carlow mentioned on the radio when MLR won that match.

He also stated Oulart wouldn't play MLR the year before in a challenge match as they didn't seem them strong enough.

On the flip side of that, Kilkenny have been brilliant for Carlow & Kildare hurling, allowing their underage teams enter their leagues which the fruits can be seen isn't Nass adult club and also allowing Carlow senior clubs enter their adult leagues."
I'll weigh in on this one to say I'm absolutely 100% sure that "keeping Carlow down" was most definitely not a reason for how we in Wexford handled that 2013/2014 controversy. I know this because I was involved myself in how we dealt with the issue.

Yes, there were unfortunate consequences for Carlow (and some other counties too), but our sole motivation was to protect our own interests. Any other county would have done the same - in fact, you're doing it even now, by focussing only on what were Carlow's interests at the time, rather than considering what ours were.

Do you really believe that if Kilkenny were the ones who stood to suffer on account of the changes that were proposed at the time, that they would have decided "ah well, pity for us, but let's go along with it anyway because it would be good for Carlow" ???

If Carlow got the hump over it, and if a radio commentator decided to make a meal of something, that's their own perogative. It doesn't change how it was not Wexford's motivation in how we handled the issue.

I can't speak for what Oulart-The Ballagh may or may not have told MLR around that time, as I'm not associated with that club. However, if that was indeed their attitude, then yes, it came back to bite them.

However, are there shades there of how Carlow teams first used to play in the Wexford Leagues (maybe 25 years ago now), before deciding to stop that and later applying to play in Kilkenny instead? Could that be taken as a view in Carlow that "Wexford aren't good enough for us, we'd be better off playing somewhere else"?

Just asking.........!

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2615 - 01/12/2023 11:35:44    2515165

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Maybe allowing clubs to play in other counties leagues is part of the resolution to improve hurling in the weaker counties?

Antrim allow 5 Down teams to play in their league, along with some from Armagh. Meaning they get regular competitive hurling as opposed to playing the same 3 teams week in week out.

upandwin (Down) - Posts: 112 - 01/12/2023 12:46:39    2515181

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Back to the point here about some of the five counties actually involved, rather than about Carlow, who in fairness to them have long been showing just what can be achieved with a relatively small hurling base if a genuine will and desire is there.

Have just read the article on the news section of this site, about Ulster Council backing the stance of Cavan and Fermanagh, as you'd expect them to do.

Seems Cavan and Fermanagh want to protect their participation in the League as a means of maintaining and hopefully strengthening hurling in those counties. But just as we haven't yet seen any details on the "expanded Lory Meagher Cup" that was mooted as part of the proposals, I don't think we've yet seen any detail on how those counties propose to strengthen their club hurling bases either? Anybody know if there's been anything on this?

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2615 - 01/12/2023 13:00:11    2515183

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Replying To Square_B:  "More or less the same as Kildare I'd say."
I doubt that somehow

Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 2084 - 01/12/2023 13:21:51    2515186

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There needs to be 5-10 year plan of introducing hurling at underage in many of the football only clubs in these counties. Clubs with larger playing numbers should be introducing hurling at u8/u10/u12 level and coaching this right through to senior in the later years. The GAA should help financially with this through development officers as the will and enthusiasm within these counties to coach and bring in hurling voluntarily just isn't there. Maybe if they got the ball rolling people would buy into it. There is no quick fix it has to be a long term strategy focused on bringing underage hurling into football only clubs and growing both codes which are both excellent sports. But the GAA don't seem to care

upandwin (Down) - Posts: 112 - 01/12/2023 13:38:18    2515190

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Replying To upandwin:  "Maybe allowing clubs to play in other counties leagues is part of the resolution to improve hurling in the weaker counties?

Antrim allow 5 Down teams to play in their league, along with some from Armagh. Meaning they get regular competitive hurling as opposed to playing the same 3 teams week in week out."
That's exactly what I was looking for on the Cavan GAA website, to see if there was at least some sort of cross-county league or tournament between clubs there and neighbouring counties. It would be an obvious starting point.

Maybe one exists, but if it does, there's no record of it on their website.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2615 - 01/12/2023 14:01:07    2515199

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Replying To upandwin:  "There needs to be 5-10 year plan of introducing hurling at underage in many of the football only clubs in these counties. Clubs with larger playing numbers should be introducing hurling at u8/u10/u12 level and coaching this right through to senior in the later years. The GAA should help financially with this through development officers as the will and enthusiasm within these counties to coach and bring in hurling voluntarily just isn't there. Maybe if they got the ball rolling people would buy into it. There is no quick fix it has to be a long term strategy focused on bringing underage hurling into football only clubs and growing both codes which are both excellent sports. But the GAA don't seem to care"
That's along the lines of what "the Liam Griffin proposal" was at Congress earlier this year - that every club should provide hurling to players up to U12, save for a couple of exceptions such as:
a) there was already a separate hurling club in the area, capable of catering for those children, or
b) demographics showed conclusively that a club simply wouldn't be capable of fielding a hurling team.

If it had been passed, the supports would have been put in place all right.

However, it was roundly defeated, after being opposed in the main by the sort of counties where hurling is such a minority sport.

I remember even being in a discussion with one such opponent on here afterwards, whose main point was "sure where would clubs get time for hurling, on top of all the football they already do?"

The answer is simple - just do what all existing dual clubs do. Split sessions so that some are football and some are hurling, or alternatively, in an hour's training session, do maybe 40 minutes of football and 20 minutes of hurling.

Anyway, in that particular instance, it wasn't a case of "the GAA don't seem to care". It was a case of how the counties who'd be involved simply didn't want to do it.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2615 - 01/12/2023 14:09:11    2515200

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "I didn't mean to make this about Cavan in particular, but good to have input from somebody in the county.

Thing about a place like Cavan is that the flip side of that coin is almost the same size as the front size - i.e. with only three hurling clubs and only three hurling teams (presume none of them field a second team?), almost half of all club players are also inter-county players.

Anyway, what might taking away of the inter-county games do for hurling in the county? I reckon it depends on the attitude within Cavan itself:

- if there's a genuine will and effort to grow hurling in more clubs there, taking away those inter-county games could indeed be good for hurling overall, as it would provide more opportunity for club activity, with whatever number of new clubs on board.

- however, if there's no real desire within Cavan to grow hurling, then taking away those inter-county games would end up a bad move overall, as nothing really would change on the club scene - you'd just have the same three clubs playing each other over and over again.

The answer to your question lies within Cavan itself. Would there be a genuine desire and effort in other clubs there to start hurling if extra resources were made available? I can't answer that."
I'm not 100% certain, I'm probably 95%. . . but my guess would be no.

cavanman47 (Cavan) - Posts: 5181 - 01/12/2023 14:29:06    2515205

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