Permanent Home Advantage

As I listened to the experts discuss the draw for the Heiniken Cup quarter finals my mind strayed in a different direction. They spoke of how important home advantage is. The term itself says it all; you have an advantage playing at your home ground. Transferring this theory to the GAA can only mean one thing; Croke Park as the unofficial home of the Dubs.

In 2011, Dublin played seven National League and six Championship games. In those thirteen games, ten were played in Croke Park. The three games played outside Croke Park were National League games. What can we take from the league fixtures? Croke Park is the home of the Dubs. Traditionalists will suggest that Dublin’s home venue is Parnell Park but it’s hard to argue that point seeing as the only action it saw last year was a couple of O’Byrne Cup games. How can a team have the fortune of playing in their home venue for an entire championship? It’s the equivalent of Dublin Senior club champions, St Brigids playing the entire Championship at their home venue. On a broader scale it’s like Ireland playing all their 6 Nations games at the Aviva. It wouldn’t happen.

Ask the GAA why the Dubs play all of their games in Croke Park and the answer may include; the size of their following and the marketability of their fixtures. The main reason is money. Dublin supporters will pay to watch Dublin play in Dublin, just like most counties; you get your greatest support at home.

So the GAA is not about making money? Really? If the GAA wasn’t about money, Dublin’s footballers would be on a bus to Carlow or Tullamore on a Sunday in June. The last time they played a Leinster Championship game outside of Croke Park was in June 2006 when they travelled to Longford. They came away from Pearse Park after scraping a one point victory. It’s no wonder they haven’t left their back yard since.

In view of last week’s debate on the future of the GAA and the payment of managers, you have to wonder how far apart the notions of amateurism and professionalism really are. The Association’s wage bill soars annually as managers, coaches, physios, caterers, games promotion officers, county board staff as well as Croke Park staff all take their cut. Pay for play is an argument for a different day but it is clear that those who advocate volunteerism within the Association are generally the ones who profit from it.  

I don’t begrudge Dublin their All Ireland title, they deserved it and it was good for football. I have played against Dublin in Croke Park and witnessed the noise from the Hill when their team are on top. It is a huge advantage to them. If we played Dublin in Wexford Park that advantage would swing in our favour which arguably might help us get the few points we have needed on the last two occasions. For example, if we play Offaly in the first round of the Leinster Championship, the first team out of the hat plays at home, if we draw Dublin and we come out first we still play at Croke Park. Does that make sense? I’m pretty sure Voltaire wasn’t speaking of the GAA when he said that ‘common sense isn’t all that common’. You might argue that the concept could be applied in some situations.

The truth hurts

“If ur English, u play for England. If ur English and sh*t, u pretend ur Irish grand parentage matters to u and play for Ireland!”

“I'd rather have my 1 England cap and be forever yearning more than take somebody from that countries chance away because my nans from their.”

These are two of the tweets which appeared on my Twitter timeline last night in the name of QPR’s Joey Barton. It was like a red rag to a bull for a lot of Irish tweeters who felt it was necessary to show Barton their outrage. Why did they feel the need to let him know their thoughts? Because Barton was wrong in what he said? Certainly not. Because he insulted a true Irishman? Hardly. Because we never discuss the commitment of English players lining out for Ireland? Don’t think so. Access is the reason for the backlash; Twitter has opened the doors for all to have a go at professional athletes, movie stars, politicians, musicians, etc.

I don’t know Joey Barton personally or any of the celebrities that I follow on Twitter. I try not to make assumptions about people I don’t know. Some people believe that Twitter encourages them to say what they like to those they follow. I disagree. The outburst came after former Irish midfielder Matt Holland criticised Barton on Talksport radio. The Bury born player represented Ireland 49 times after declaring for the national side at 25.

If the death of Gary Speed thought us anything last year, surely we can see that success and wealth don’t automatically bring happiness. What gives any of us the right to send hateful messages to people who we know very little about? People argue that setting up a Twitter account means that from that moment you are ‘fair game’. Personally I think that it is a pathetic attitude.

Creating a Twitter account is optional so you have to accept that you are open to criticism when you post opinions. The criticism however should be balanced. Sometimes you don’t enjoy popularity from being honest and as the old cliché goes, the truth hurts. Let’s face it, if Matt Holland was good enough he would have worn an English jersey in the 2002 World Cup. He obviously wasn’t good enough so he chose to declare for Ireland. We took him with open arms as we do with any English player who shows an interest. Some people have a problem with that. Personally I don’t see it as a problem; we want to be successful so we pick the best players available regardless of birthplace. We get on with it and support them in the belief that they are doing their best.  

Are we as a nation really that upset about what Joey Barton said on Twitter? I doubt it because what he said is the truth. Does anyone out there actually believe that at 25 Matt Holland’s dream was to play for Ireland? The man sang God Save the Queen before a Championship playoff final. Why? Because he is English.

Don’t get me wrong I was cheering as loud as anyone when Holland equalised against Cameroon in 2002. I’m really looking forward to the European Championships this summer and a Jon Walters winner will mean as much to me as one from Kevin Doyle. At the end of the day the issue isn’t what Barton said, it’s the medium he used to say it.

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.

The aftermath of 'Cha'

At 26 James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick has decided to hang up his intercounty helmet in what could be described as a shock to many. Having won five senior inter-county All Ireland titles as well as three All Stars, the Kilkenny hurler has cited lack of game time as the main reason for his decision.

Playing senior intercounty hurling or football is a massive committment for any team and no more so than for a group that can be described as the most successful hurling team to ever compete. Fitzpatrick is a teacher in Dublin and travelling to Kilkenny for training more than likely adds to his efforts. Failing to nail down a starting place only adds to the strain.

The papers carried the story from early in the week of the retirement but beyond that there seemed to be an agenda. It was mooted that Fitzpatrick could declare for Dublin. There seemed to be little fact behind the possibility yet the media seemed to welcome it as a positive switch. Why? Probably because there is a school of thought that Dublin hurling needs to be strong to keep hurling both interesting and competitive? And what better way to promote hurling in Dublin as well as increasing the potential of the senior team than to bring in a player of Cha's reputation and quality.

This is the first time I have read reports of transfer within the GAA as positive. If Fitzpatrick wanted to join Tipperary, would it be viewed as a positive move or as a threat to the amateur ethos and the intercounty structure we have in place? I doubt the GAA would encourage such a move. The media would print articles of how a player sold out and brand the GAA as 'in crisis' with fears of more intercounty transfers.

In today's (23/11/11) Irish Independent, Martin Breheny suggests that Fitzpatrick is destined to declare for Dublin. The player listed 'The Moon' as a location he would like to holiday, the home of the Sea of Tranquility. Breheny asks, 'how's this for a coincidence? The geological description of the Sea of Tranquility notes that "whenever colour is processed and extracted from multiple photographs, it gives off a slightly bluish shade". Surely a sign that 'Cha' is destined to end up with Dublin. It's written in the stars, or at least on the Moon'.

There's no doubt that this is tongue and cheek from the reporter but it gauges the ease with which the media are willing to marry 'Cha' and Dublin hurling. As a player who has relocated in Dublin and switched to a Dublin club I know there is an unease regarding the amount of players joining clubs in the capital. It would seem that the proposed intercounty transfer of a high profile player should cause massive debate but it appears to be accepted if not welcomed!

The media shape opinions on wide reaching subjects from current affairs to fashion to sport. If the media decided to suggest that a possible switch from Kilkenny to Dublin was an outrage, then that would be the talking point. It seems though that the media have now championed the Cha to Dublin cause and opened the public's mind to the prospect. Now, I don't believe that a player who has achieved all that he has with his native Kilkenny would be interested in a move to play with Dublin, but maybe I'm wrong.

What would happen if a move went ahead? We already have rumours of Cavan's Seanie Johnston and Offaly's Niall McNamee joining Kildare. Does this signal the end of the current intercounty structure? I'll nail my flag to the mast here, if I could get paid to play GAA I would grab it with both hands, who wouldn't? At the same time, playing for your county is a fantastic reward and brings great pride. However, the modern game is so demanding that it is increasingly harder to give the required committment while balancing work, family and everything else. Either way, I don't see it as a cross roads we will reach during my playing time but eventually the debate will need to be settled.

Once that happens, the media will be at the forefront of the discussion and be under no illusions; their view will play a major role in the outcome.