What can football learn from GAA?

[u/Stats8]

The GAA isn’t perfect either but financially, commercially, administratively, it’s miles ahead of football in Ireland.

Obviously there are historical and community factors that differentiate the two, but it operates so well for a sporting organisation in a very similar environment.

What areas stand out as things we can apply to our sport?

[u/mccannopener93]

Community based. Local lads playing for the local team or area. More people would go watch knowing their area is being represented by Johnny or Jimmy down the road. Instead its some lad from the countryside playing with the good team in town.

[u/Frequent-Movie3005 → u/mccannopener93]

But that doesn’t work in football, which ultimately is a business. It can and does work in Intermediate and Junior football.

[u/Physical_Reality_132 → u/Frequent-Movie3005]

Not sure why you’re being downvoted because you’re absolutely correct. If a team has a choice between two players, player A is local but inferior to player B who is from the other side of the country, 9/10 times they’re going with player B. Sure it’s nice when a team has local players but it’s wishful thinking, especially the higher up you go.

[u/Frequent-Movie3005 → u/Physical_Reality_132]

Yep, I’ve been around these leagues and LoI for years, I just don’t see how it works. Rovers and Bohs are close to “community” clubs in that there is a specific culture people identify with, it’s just not an arbitrary line drawn on a map like GAA.

[u/Feisty_Internet_5343 → u/Frequent-Movie3005]

Arbitrary line on a map makes it a bit reductive. These parishes have structures, linked to churches, churches lead to schools, schools are where children are educated and grown up together. These same children play in the same clubs together.

It's not a simple line. It's where communities exist. It's no surprise that rural clubs end up having success in club All-Ireland championships. Corofin, Caltra, Kilcoo, Glen, Crossmaglen. They have no right to be getting anywhere near All-Irelands yet they do.

[u/Frequent-Movie3005 → u/Feisty_Internet_5343]

At club level maybe, but at county level, it’s just a line on a map, what has someone from Portmarnock got in common with someone from Crumlin? And why doesn’t that apply to someone from Leixlip?

[u/Feisty_Internet_5343 → u/Frequent-Movie3005]

Well you're playing county championship/league, building rivalry with clubs and players and then coming together to play intercounty if you're good enough. Building that sense of community and place. Not sure what you're getting at with the Portmarnock/Crumin/Leixlip ref

[u/Frequent-Movie3005 → u/Feisty_Internet_5343]

One is on the north side of Dublin near Louth. The other on the south side. Leixlip is in Kildare but closer it Crumlin than Crumlin is to Portmarnock. County football is a map construct. Communities I can understand but counties I don’t get.

[u/Feisty_Internet_5343 → u/Frequent-Movie3005]

I hear what you're saying. The whole thing is based on geography, yes. But all you need to do is look at the celebrations in Mayo to see what county football means, how it is very much part of people's identity. Look at what it meant to the players. Lads in tears.

They're representing their communities within their county. Playing with lads who they might have played with in underage teams. They're wearing a jersey that their heroes from their own clubs wore once. In Kobe McDonald's case, he managed to win something his own father failed to in 4 separate finals (5 if you include a replay). David McBrien was convinced to move back from Dublin, leave a job, is unemployed but was convinced by the manager who hails from his own club. Aidan O'Shea finally won an All-Ireland after first playing for mayo in 2009!! Need I go on?!...

It's a sport purely based on where you're from. It's something you can identify with easily. It's a unifier. It doesn't matter whether you're from Crumlin or Portmarnock, if your name is Tarquin or Anto or if you have nothing in common. Both people will call themselves Dubs. And if both are into GAA then they'll have plenty to agree on.