Soccer isn't GAA's problem; drink is

GER HOULAHAN would like to see Rule 42 repealed. He'd like to see other sports allowed into Croke Park. He'd like to go to see other sports played in Croke Park. He thinks it would be good for the country. He thinks it would be good for sport. Most of all, he thinks it would be good for the GAA.

To these sentiments, there are people out there who will say: "Well he would, wouldn't he?" Wasn't Ger Houlahan, after all, a soccer man? Didn't he play for Sligo Rovers and Monaghan United in the League of Ireland? Didn't he have a stint with Ards in the Irish League? Didn't he line out with Sligo in the European Cup Winners' Cup?

Sure, he did all of those things, but he was never a soccer man. Houlahan was a Gaelic footballer whose career with Armagh spanned three decades - he just happened to also play a bit of soccer for a few years during the off season. One year it spilt into the 'on' season when he played with Sligo Rovers through their extended run in the FAI Cup and scored the winning goal in their quarter-final victory over Cobh Ramblers. Sligo subsequently qualified for the final and Houlahan's celebrations lasted until he learned of the date for the decider.

May 15 1994 just happened to be the same day Armagh were due to play Fermanagh in the preliminary round of the Ulster championship. At the time, Armagh football was in the doldrums. The only prospect the championship offered was to see how far they could get before receiving a hammering from one of the all-conquering powers of Donegal, Derry or Down. The Sligo Rovers game offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to play on the biggest day in the League of Ireland calendar. For Houlahan, the choice was academic.

"Willie McStay was the manager of Sligo Rovers at the time," he recalls. "Being a Scotsman he couldn't understand how I could pass up the opportunity of an Irish cup final to play in an ordinary championship match. As well as everything else, you were getting your few pound to play for Sligo. But although it was a big decision, in my own mind I always knew I'd play with Armagh that day."

Dabbling in semi-professional soccer has shaped his view on matters in Gaelic games, but not necessarily in the way people might think. He's been in League of Ireland dressing-rooms when the pay was handed out. One guy might receive £50 in a brown envelope; another £200. The unlucky bugger in the corner who happened to be a local might only get £15. Nobody knew for sure what anybody else was getting, but the perceived disparity nurtured petty resentments. It was a corrosive atmosphere for team morale. That's why he's against pay for play in the GAA.

These views do not emanate from his experiences on the soccer field. They come from his work. As Head of Recreation and Leisure with Armagh City and District Council, he's responsible not just for the provision and maintenance of leisure facilities in his area, but also the enhancement of sports performance through coach education.

'There's not a GAA player or coach around who doesn't have the Clive Woodward book tucked away somewhere'

They recently held a coaching seminar that included input from Northern Ireland soccer manager Lawrie Sanchez, Ulster rugby star Andy Ward and Tyrone manager Mickey Harte. To him it was another example of the cross pollination that is occurring across the sporting spectrum.

"The relationship between these sports, particularly rugby and the GAA, is very strong," he says. "We're learning a lot off each other. There's not a GAA player or coach around who doesn't have the Clive Woodward book tucked away somewhere.

"In the north, in particular, we have David Humphreys and Oisín McConville doing kicking drills here, showing us the different styles of kicking at coaching sessions. We use them all the time and it's noticeable that their (rugby) training regimes are very similar to GAA stuff. So there is a cross fertilisation happening at coach education level. It's happening at player level and I think that would be encouraged by seeing both codes being played on the same park, even if it's only for the short term while Lansdowne Road is being redeveloped."

Coming from Ulster, he's well aware that his views are by no means universal. Most of the debates he has about the validity of Rule 42 tend to be with old timers, but there's also a geographical issue. Those from rural parts, particularly south Armagh, tend to be extremely conservative. The attitudes of GAA people in towns tends to be more liberal, which is ironic because the urban areas are the interfaces where the competition for the hearts and minds of the youths is fiercest. That's the theory at least. The GAA's perceived rivalry with rugby and, in particular, soccer is one of Jack Boothman's main arguments against opening Croke Park to its rivals.

Houlahan doesn't accept it. "Soccer isn't the GAA's greatest competitor," he says. "Drink is. Let's be honest, in the north no other sport can touch GAA. You may say that's a result of the troubles, but if you go to Crossmaglen, Newtown or Cullyhanna there's no other sport there, only football. The problems arise when you come into Armagh city, Lurgan and Portadown. Most of the clubs will tell you that. Sure soccer is there, and it's played regularly, but it tends to be played over a different season and though there is a cross over, the real problem for any (urban) club is commitment.

"There are three different boards in Armagh and the level of commitment they experience varies greatly. The commitment of players in South Armagh would be much, much superior to that of North Armagh and certainly more than the Mid Armagh board.

"Okay, drink may be an issue as well, but in a rural area everybody knows what you are doing and if you're misbehaving. And football certainly comes first. If you opt out in areas like South Armagh, you become 'Billy No-Mates' - particularly if you have ability.

"In the cities it's different, because there's so much more to do. But it's also easier for people to get lost because there's so much going on. People dabble in drink, drugs or whatever so it's harder to hold on to them."

Recruitment is not the difficulty in urban areas. Retention is, and that's where a repeal of Rule 42 would help. "Because Armagh are doing so well at the moment, there's 80 or 90 kids at a time knocking on the doors of clubs. But what club can look after those sort of numbers? Most can't. They'll do their best, but there are so many issues holding back volunteers nowadays - child protection stuff, insurance issues - and then there's the pressure of modern day life.

"So repealing rule 42 can provide us with essential money to put into games development. I've seen a figure quoted that by renting out Croke Park we could gain €1m per match. That money could be used to employ development officers in urban areas, or it could be given to counties to re-develop their own stadia - they are attempting to do that in Armagh at present. From a business point of view, every argument is in favour of opening Croke Park up."

There are other arguments, of course, perhaps less tangible but no less relevant to those who want to retain the stadium exclusively for Gaelic games use. Such as history. Croke Park is a symbol not just of Irish nationalism, but of Ireland's unique cultural identity. To this point, Houlahan tells a story about a row that broke out between the GAA in Armagh and the Craigavon Council ten or 15 years ago.

'If the political situation up here teaches you anything it's that you have to move on'

The dispute was over a piece of land that one of the clubs in the area, St Peter's, wanted to develop as a GAA facility. Because it was overlooking the site of an old rectory, the council objected. The case went to court and though the GAA won, their working relationship with the council broke down. For years neither side would recognise the other. That was then, this is now: "At the moment, Craigavon Council pay half the funding for a GAA development officer. People have moved on, and if the political situation up here teaches you anything it's that you have to move on.

"The world is a totally different place now. Who'd have thought that Croke Park would ever have its own commercial manager: Surely if we have a commercial manager the job is to bring money in, and that money has to be re-invested either in Croke Park or in the GAA. I know in my job if I had a leisure centre that was left lying empty, I wouldn't be long in the job.

"That's why I can appreciate things like concerts being held in Croke Park. But by the same token I don't see any difficulty in a stadium which, while they have a museum and conference facilities there, can't be used for other things, being opened up to other sports. Nowadays there is a commercial aspect that needs to be addressed and in doing that the money earned could make a huge difference to other wings of the GAA."

His job also necessitated his involvement with the Special Olympics held in Ireland two years ago. Armagh city hosted the Australian team and the committee that organised their stay were later bussed down to the Opening Ceremony in Croke Park. The committee was a cross community effort, it was also comprised of some people who otherwise would have had little interest in sport. "We had a real mixed bag going down to Croke Park that day and the atmosphere was really heart warming to hear everybody saying 'that is some stadium you'se have'. Rugby guys came to me and said they'd been to Ellis Park (South Africa) and all over the world and Croke Park was the best stadium they had seen."

It did the heart proud. Wouldn't it be great to feel like that all the time?

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