Something for club committees to think about.
Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 12:14 pm
Just to give ye some background on this piece, this was a column I prepared for the Offaly Independent for the second week while I was away, based on a blinding flash of the obvious that came about when I was talking to George O'Connor down in Wexford during the minor hurling match against them last year. Now the paper chose not to run it since they considered it to be downplaying the importance of women's games - before ye read, please note that to knock ladies football (or camogie) for it's own sake was not my intention in the slightest. I am one of the most firm believers you will find in the merit of participation for the sake of participation, whether that be kids, forty something adults, ladies or anyone else - the more people that play our games, the better off our association will be, and the better for the players involved themselves.
However to apply some real world thinking here, the truth is that club committees would not dedicate time and money to underage games on the scale they do were it not for the perceived benefit to their flagship teams down the line, whether that be a senior championship contending team or a small village side that hopes to finally break out of junior. Ladies games often receive little or no support or encouragement, simply because their contribution to the greater goal of championship success for the club's best adult male team is PERCEIVED to be negligible.
I would love to see clubs working harder at promoting ladies' games for the sake of it, but since that hasn't happened, maybe the following line of thinking might get them thinking instead.
Obviously the same thinking applies to camogie/hurling, however our camogie is a lot stronger right now and that possibly goes some way towards explaining why our senior hurlers are seemingly on the up to - or else it may simply be a coincidence. Either way, the principle remains the same and it's for each club to decide if they think that there is a lesson in this somewhere.
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“I’m the fastest guy on the team, but he’s the fastest linesman in Ireland. I dream of lifting trophies – he’s happy, even when we lose. I’ve kicked a hundred points, but she’s made us a hundred sandwiches. I’ve missed a couple of matches, but Jimmy never has. I dream of the roar of the crowd, but I’d settle for a glance from her.”
Now the Irish taxpayer has given more than enough, some would say too much, to our banking community in recent weeks, so this column is not about to compound the situation and throw in a free ad for one of them by way of naming which prominent bank’s advert features a young boy running for a club photo, speaking the above lines. Disregarding the damage the banks have done to the country in recent years however, in this instance the institution in question does appear to have captured the spirit of a GAA club and painted the culture in both an accurate and favourable light.
Certainly the marketing department who inspired this promotion hit on one key aspect of a young boy’s thinking in that ad, an aspect which appears to have escaped the notice of most of the clubs within Offaly. While we all understand the crucial role played by the club stalwarts who line the pitches, wash the jerseys, sell the lotto tickets and the hundred other volunteer tasks that keep a club running, to the teenage boy, it’s all about the last line: “I dream of the roar of the crowd, but I’d settle for a glance from her”.
To listen to the officials at the top level of the GAA and indeed many of the media commentators, one could easily imagine daily flights to Sydney and Melbourne packed with outstanding young footballers heading out to try and make a living playing Australian rules football, or county teams losing three or four key players every year to professional rugby. The truth is that the GAA will never compete with the allure of professional sport and for the sake of the small trickle of players who take up an opportunity to play for pay, neither should they try. Much moaning and gnashing of teeth is done regarding the twenty to thirty players every year who call a premature halt to their hurling and football careers in order to follow other sports, while the two to three thousand players that drift away from the game every year due to pub culture or other less avoidable reasons seems to cause much less angst.
To relate this back to Offaly, one needs only to look at this year’s county under 21 football championship for an example. Thirteen teams took part, with most clubs only able to field due to amalgamations and permission players. That meant that perhaps 250 footballers played under 21 championship, of which maybe 200 were overage for minor, or aged between 19 and 21. National census figures would indicate that there are perhaps 3000 young men aged between 19 and 21 in Offaly, meaning that 2800 did not participate, of which barely a handful could be attributed to players taking part in other codes. This should put the issue of loss of personnel to other sports really into a proper perspective.
Clubs will argue that they do all they can to facilitate teenagers and young adults to take part, but they are correct when they point out that there are huge dropout levels once boys hit their late teens. Now certain things mightn’t be easy to point out at club committees where the local priest is often a long standing member, but passion in the jersey is not a huge factor for lads of this age – but the chance of passion of another variety is very much to the forefront of their thoughts. The elders might want to be part of a roaring crowd cheering on a young player, but he’s more likely to be interested in catching the eye of a particular girl, or perhaps no girl in particular, but any eye will do for now.
This, somewhat indirectly, leads us to one of Offaly GAA’s biggest issues, both now and in the future: the relative lack of female participation. Factoring in the relatively small “hurling heartland” area of the county, camogie is faring reasonably well, though no doubt many clubs would like to see more girls involved and that’s as it should be. However ladies football in Offaly is really struggling to gain a foothold and for those who wish for greater fortunes for our male teams, this should be a matter of high priority, certainly a higher priority than it appears to be at the moment.
Increased participation in ladies games is a highly desirable goal for a wide variety of reasons. Ireland’s young girls and women have been proven to partake in exercise much less than their male counterparts and the benefits of regular exercise, team sports and involvement in a community activity and hobby are just the same irrespective of gender. However these reasons have unfortunately not inspired enough Offaly clubs to really throw their weight behind ladies’ football, so this column is hoping to point out the possible knock on benefits that may not have been considered up to now by those in positions of influence.
The simple truth is this – at fifteen years of age and beyond, young men want to be where the young women are. It’s not for no reason that nightclubs have been running “ladies get in free” promotions for donkey’s years. If the local girls spend their time the pub, then that’s where the boys will want to be. If the girls are down on the field training for their own games, then the lads will stay involved in the club, if only for the social events. Indeed if the local girls are into their football, then the lads will find themselves all the more inclined to improve their game, since it becomes all the more of a “shop window”. A girl with no interest in football is not going to care about which guy who scored four points at the weekend, while a girl who was at the match most certainly will.
Going on a step further, if the women of a community have taken an interest in football all their lives, they’re also likely to be a lot more supportive for generations to come, happily getting their own kids involved and encouraging their husbands to help out with the local club rather than bemoaning their time away from the home. Essentially, from a club’s point of view, a woman who takes an interest in their success is the gift that keeps on giving.
It’s no coincidence that within Offaly, the most successful women’s club of the past decade – Rhode – is also the most successful men’s club of that time. Indeed it's remarkable to note that when Ladies Gaelic was first played at a national level, Offaly were a leading county, with two All Irelands won in 1979 and 1981 - a time when our male footballers were also punching way above their weight on the intercounty stage. However despite this clear indicator, this year the only clubs who are certain to take part in full adult ladies championships, at any level, are Rhode, Edenderry, Shamrocks, Killeigh, Tullamore, Ferbane and the combination of Doon/Shannonbridge. St. Rynagh’s and St. Vincent’s are probable participants while Clara may yet take part but still look to be a year or two away from being ready. Outside of these clubs, only St. Broughan’s are putting in any groundwork and hopefully have set the trend for coming years by entering an under 12 team for this year.
Obviously girls who wish to take part from other clubs will be accommodated within the existing structure; however that misses the point entirely, from the clubs’ perspective. It is no good to any club to be sending their girls elsewhere to take part when what they need is to have a thriving girl’s scene of their own. Comparisons with our peers also do not paint Offaly in a good light – Laois have 16 clubs who take part, while in Westmeath there are 18 clubs registered to play ladies games with fully 15 of these playing at adult level.
It would be great if ladies played for their own fitness, health and wellbeing, just as it would be great if the local lads kept involved and kept up their commitment for the sake of the parish and the jersey. However the truth is that neither of these things are happening to a sufficient level, and after spending generations concentrating their efforts on the latter, perhaps it’s time for clubs to take a second look at keeping the ladies involved for longer, if only for the most pragmatic of reasons. The side effects could be a real eye opener.
However to apply some real world thinking here, the truth is that club committees would not dedicate time and money to underage games on the scale they do were it not for the perceived benefit to their flagship teams down the line, whether that be a senior championship contending team or a small village side that hopes to finally break out of junior. Ladies games often receive little or no support or encouragement, simply because their contribution to the greater goal of championship success for the club's best adult male team is PERCEIVED to be negligible.
I would love to see clubs working harder at promoting ladies' games for the sake of it, but since that hasn't happened, maybe the following line of thinking might get them thinking instead.
Obviously the same thinking applies to camogie/hurling, however our camogie is a lot stronger right now and that possibly goes some way towards explaining why our senior hurlers are seemingly on the up to - or else it may simply be a coincidence. Either way, the principle remains the same and it's for each club to decide if they think that there is a lesson in this somewhere.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“I’m the fastest guy on the team, but he’s the fastest linesman in Ireland. I dream of lifting trophies – he’s happy, even when we lose. I’ve kicked a hundred points, but she’s made us a hundred sandwiches. I’ve missed a couple of matches, but Jimmy never has. I dream of the roar of the crowd, but I’d settle for a glance from her.”
Now the Irish taxpayer has given more than enough, some would say too much, to our banking community in recent weeks, so this column is not about to compound the situation and throw in a free ad for one of them by way of naming which prominent bank’s advert features a young boy running for a club photo, speaking the above lines. Disregarding the damage the banks have done to the country in recent years however, in this instance the institution in question does appear to have captured the spirit of a GAA club and painted the culture in both an accurate and favourable light.
Certainly the marketing department who inspired this promotion hit on one key aspect of a young boy’s thinking in that ad, an aspect which appears to have escaped the notice of most of the clubs within Offaly. While we all understand the crucial role played by the club stalwarts who line the pitches, wash the jerseys, sell the lotto tickets and the hundred other volunteer tasks that keep a club running, to the teenage boy, it’s all about the last line: “I dream of the roar of the crowd, but I’d settle for a glance from her”.
To listen to the officials at the top level of the GAA and indeed many of the media commentators, one could easily imagine daily flights to Sydney and Melbourne packed with outstanding young footballers heading out to try and make a living playing Australian rules football, or county teams losing three or four key players every year to professional rugby. The truth is that the GAA will never compete with the allure of professional sport and for the sake of the small trickle of players who take up an opportunity to play for pay, neither should they try. Much moaning and gnashing of teeth is done regarding the twenty to thirty players every year who call a premature halt to their hurling and football careers in order to follow other sports, while the two to three thousand players that drift away from the game every year due to pub culture or other less avoidable reasons seems to cause much less angst.
To relate this back to Offaly, one needs only to look at this year’s county under 21 football championship for an example. Thirteen teams took part, with most clubs only able to field due to amalgamations and permission players. That meant that perhaps 250 footballers played under 21 championship, of which maybe 200 were overage for minor, or aged between 19 and 21. National census figures would indicate that there are perhaps 3000 young men aged between 19 and 21 in Offaly, meaning that 2800 did not participate, of which barely a handful could be attributed to players taking part in other codes. This should put the issue of loss of personnel to other sports really into a proper perspective.
Clubs will argue that they do all they can to facilitate teenagers and young adults to take part, but they are correct when they point out that there are huge dropout levels once boys hit their late teens. Now certain things mightn’t be easy to point out at club committees where the local priest is often a long standing member, but passion in the jersey is not a huge factor for lads of this age – but the chance of passion of another variety is very much to the forefront of their thoughts. The elders might want to be part of a roaring crowd cheering on a young player, but he’s more likely to be interested in catching the eye of a particular girl, or perhaps no girl in particular, but any eye will do for now.
This, somewhat indirectly, leads us to one of Offaly GAA’s biggest issues, both now and in the future: the relative lack of female participation. Factoring in the relatively small “hurling heartland” area of the county, camogie is faring reasonably well, though no doubt many clubs would like to see more girls involved and that’s as it should be. However ladies football in Offaly is really struggling to gain a foothold and for those who wish for greater fortunes for our male teams, this should be a matter of high priority, certainly a higher priority than it appears to be at the moment.
Increased participation in ladies games is a highly desirable goal for a wide variety of reasons. Ireland’s young girls and women have been proven to partake in exercise much less than their male counterparts and the benefits of regular exercise, team sports and involvement in a community activity and hobby are just the same irrespective of gender. However these reasons have unfortunately not inspired enough Offaly clubs to really throw their weight behind ladies’ football, so this column is hoping to point out the possible knock on benefits that may not have been considered up to now by those in positions of influence.
The simple truth is this – at fifteen years of age and beyond, young men want to be where the young women are. It’s not for no reason that nightclubs have been running “ladies get in free” promotions for donkey’s years. If the local girls spend their time the pub, then that’s where the boys will want to be. If the girls are down on the field training for their own games, then the lads will stay involved in the club, if only for the social events. Indeed if the local girls are into their football, then the lads will find themselves all the more inclined to improve their game, since it becomes all the more of a “shop window”. A girl with no interest in football is not going to care about which guy who scored four points at the weekend, while a girl who was at the match most certainly will.
Going on a step further, if the women of a community have taken an interest in football all their lives, they’re also likely to be a lot more supportive for generations to come, happily getting their own kids involved and encouraging their husbands to help out with the local club rather than bemoaning their time away from the home. Essentially, from a club’s point of view, a woman who takes an interest in their success is the gift that keeps on giving.
It’s no coincidence that within Offaly, the most successful women’s club of the past decade – Rhode – is also the most successful men’s club of that time. Indeed it's remarkable to note that when Ladies Gaelic was first played at a national level, Offaly were a leading county, with two All Irelands won in 1979 and 1981 - a time when our male footballers were also punching way above their weight on the intercounty stage. However despite this clear indicator, this year the only clubs who are certain to take part in full adult ladies championships, at any level, are Rhode, Edenderry, Shamrocks, Killeigh, Tullamore, Ferbane and the combination of Doon/Shannonbridge. St. Rynagh’s and St. Vincent’s are probable participants while Clara may yet take part but still look to be a year or two away from being ready. Outside of these clubs, only St. Broughan’s are putting in any groundwork and hopefully have set the trend for coming years by entering an under 12 team for this year.
Obviously girls who wish to take part from other clubs will be accommodated within the existing structure; however that misses the point entirely, from the clubs’ perspective. It is no good to any club to be sending their girls elsewhere to take part when what they need is to have a thriving girl’s scene of their own. Comparisons with our peers also do not paint Offaly in a good light – Laois have 16 clubs who take part, while in Westmeath there are 18 clubs registered to play ladies games with fully 15 of these playing at adult level.
It would be great if ladies played for their own fitness, health and wellbeing, just as it would be great if the local lads kept involved and kept up their commitment for the sake of the parish and the jersey. However the truth is that neither of these things are happening to a sufficient level, and after spending generations concentrating their efforts on the latter, perhaps it’s time for clubs to take a second look at keeping the ladies involved for longer, if only for the most pragmatic of reasons. The side effects could be a real eye opener.
