The GAA should engage younger members

I thought a lot over the past week about choosing a topic for my second blog piece. I found it very difficult to pick a topic that I felt would be interesting as well as acceptable for a current inter-county GAA player to write about. When I thought about certain things within the GAA I thought to myself, ‘no, you can’t write about that’. Sometimes I feel like I can’t say certain things because of the knock on effects it may have on my playing career right now. I spend so much of my time playing GAA as well as associating with those who are involved in it that sometimes it is difficult to understand some of the goings on.  

Most players have issues with how the GAA is organised throughout the year, whether it’s the scheduling of club games or county board squabbling. There appears to be a lack of communication between officials and both club and county teams in most counties. It often seems that those who hold positions of authority within counties are self-serving and old-fashioned in their outlook. Change is something which arouses suspicion and young people are often discouraged from seeking positions within the GAA.

If the GAA is to move forward, the youth of the organisation need to be involved. The mentality that suggests that younger members are not capable of contributing to the running of the GAA at club and county level is ridiculous. If anything, the youth of the organisation in general are far more advanced in areas of marketing, advertising, sales and online media than their older counterparts. If the age profile at decision making level remains as is, the association can never expect to develop.

Often it seems that young members don’t want to get involved and it’s not hard to see why. The level of politics, back scratching and secrecy at times make the GAA look more like the Illuminati than an organisation inclusive of all; not to mention being transparent and fair. We’ve all heard the stories and they never actually surprise us because we’ve all witnessed something similar along the way.

The problem lies within the system as it does with politics in Ireland. Our current Government spoke of change before the last general election but once they gained control ‘appetite for change’ became ‘more of the same’. The level of politics within the GAA is clear so maybe the youth of the organisation have recognised that there is also no appetite for change within the GAA.

Will the age profile of the GAA president remain the same going forward or will we see younger office holders? At the moment I’d envisage more of the same. In that respect we can liken our organisation to the Catholic Church; an organisation which can hardly be applauded for its foresight and management. The most successful businesses in the world have vibrant leaders with dynamic ideas. The GAA needs the same at many levels.