Can 'rich' sports learn from Gaelic games? - Amateur pursuit

[bananarepublic.ie]

Article from Business of Sport

When most people think of the world's great stadia, they probably have in mind the Giants Stadium in New York, Ellis Park in Johannesburg or Wembley in London.

These great theatres of entertainment are all home to professional and global sports such as American football, rugby union or soccer.

Yet there is a stadium in Dublin, which is just as large and iconic but is home to purely amateur and far less well-known sports such as hurling and Gaelic football.

With a capacity of 82,000, Croke Park oozes sporting as well as political history and it's the pride and joy of the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) - a volunteer organisation, which doesn't pay its top players anything.

Unsung heroes (and heroins) and an army of parish participants giving their whole summer (much more) time for pure passion of sport nothing less nothing more. GAA rock's again!

[captainwillard]

Article from Business of Sport


Unsung heroes (and heroins) and an army of parish participants giving their whole summer (much more) time for pure passion of sport nothing less nothing more. GAA rock's again!

hilarious and it brings us all back to simpler times.

[PrinceMax]

Can someone please explain to me something about the GAA. Do the top people in the GAA get paid? Such as the president?

[Mar Tweedy]

Absolutely brilliant organisation. I've a young fella and the local soccer clubs won't field you if you're still getting co-ordination skills together but the GAA mentors - all volunteers - are very encouraging and at junior level are fielding mixed ability teams. Great example of mol an og agus tiocfaigh siad. As far as I'm aware they're hugely inclusive, put a lot of energy into the girls and women's sports.

They are the only institution that hasn't let us down.

[Sync]

Not a lot for professional sports tbh. But certainly any amateur sport across the world should come over to see how it should best be run.

[seanmacc]

One thing you have to admire about the GAA is the disgusting nancy boy behaviour that occurs in soccer just doesn't happen. I grant you that the occasional fist fight breaks out but nothing of the blatant cheating Ronaldo et al participate in.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJywYrI303s"]YouTube- Top 10 dives[/ame]

[PrinceMax]

If the players don't get paid, then there is absolutely no justification for charging the prices they do for tickets. Oh, and having done a search, I see the president gets paid 150,000 euro a year. It is very Irish though, let those at the bottom do all the work and get nothing, while someone else benefits greatly.

[Sailor]

If the players don't get paid, then there is absolutely no justification for charging the prices they do for tickets. Oh, and having done a search, I see the president gets paid 150,000 euro a year. It is very Irish though, let those at the bottom do all the work and get nothing, while someone else benefits greatly.

Not correct - you may be thinking of the Director General ( CEO ). The President is unpaid and holds office for 3 years. HQ staff are full-time and are paid - related to public service pay levels, I think. Provincial secretaries and some county secretaries are also paid. Otherwise, it's genuinely a voluntary effort.

[PrinceMax]

Not correct - you may be thinking of the Director General ( CEO ). The President is unpaid and holds office for 3 years. HQ staff are full-time and are paid - related to public service pay levels, I think. Provincial secretaries and some county secretaries are also paid. Otherwise, it's genuinely a voluntary effort.

I don't know anything about the GAA. I was just going on the article in the kerryman. GAA's amateur ethos undermined by president's €150,000 salary - Gaelic Football, Sport - Kerryman.ie

If it's a genuinely voluntary effort, then it should be by all.

[Culann]

If the players don't get paid, then there is absolutely no justification for charging the prices they do for tickets. Oh, and having done a search, I see the president gets paid 150,000 euro a year. It is very Irish though, let those at the bottom do all the work and get nothing, while someone else benefits greatly.

You get value for money with GAA tickets. Usually you get to see two matches of high class entertainment for about half the cost of a ticket to see ninety minutes of a boring soccer match. I am getting very negative vibes off you towards the GAA.