Originally Posted by
OwlsFan
How many of these countries have another football creed as their national game, also played in the Summer, and which for decades forbade its members to play soccer? For 6 decades soccer was played and supported primarily by working class people from urban areas. The rest of the country and much of the cities was owned by the GAA and was an integral part of the community. Soccer could not compete and by the time the ban was lifted, the BIG MATCH, MATCH OF THE DAY etc were being broadcast at the exact same time as the League of Ireland games were on. This is not an excuse. It's a fact and club soccer has been playing catch up and always will in this country behind the GAA. There is huge interest ok in soccer but because of expert way the GAA has sown up the country and parish scene, soccer is on a hiding to nothing as far as the clubs are concered. It's just too difficult to break that stranglehold and whether it's John Delaney, Donald Trump, Pope Francis or whoever in charge of the FAI, it is an almost an impossible task to compete with the GAA because that's what it's about.