Why so anti GAA?

[Terry]

salthill/knocknacarra paraded there trophy a few weeks back in terryland at half time and got a fantastic response, although it was mainly due to the fact the players with the trophy were all ex-GUFC players

[balls]

used to play alot off gaa when i was younger and was very successful with local club. we won lots of counties at underage level. when we used to play soccer we won alot at that too. i took over as manager of local under 18 soccer team when i was 19 and the tricks gaa club used to pull on us were unreal. we were playing cup final one sunday morning at home. gaa fixed training session for an hour before game and ran the lads into ground this was after we changed our games kick off times for them during the year to accomodate them and generally done everything to keep them happy. they used bully soccer club into giving walkovers then if games clashed even though all players wanted to play soccer but gaa men would just keep on to them and there families around the parish plugging gaa. the lads just wanted to play both. eventually a lot of plaers stopped playing gaa and local gaa club went from being premier minor and u21 county champs to barely fielding teams and no one showing up training

[Sam Savic]

harpsbear: "I don't follow gaa but if I did I'm pretty certain I wouldn't see a steward assaulted......racist chanting......."
Stop talking absolute sh.ite.
You say you don't follow gaa, well that's obvious. Because if you did you would know that last weekend a linesman was attacked and a player had his jaw broken and received a serious eye injury at the same club match in Laois. It's also a well known fact that referees have, on more than one occasion, been beaten up and locked in car boots.
I have been attending League of Ireland ( Eircom League ) for decades and racist chanting is non existant. I have heard racist shouts from an individual on a couple of occasions but it would always be stopped by the people surrounding the idiot. By far the worst racist chanting ( chanting meaning coming from a group ) that I have heard at a sporting occasion in this country was the racist chanting against Jason Sherlock.

[Mr A]

Let's just get the straight- the 'racist chanting' he refers to was in fact one individual, who was immediately challenged and was removed from the ground after taking exception to this.

You get idiots everywhere you go in every sport- including in junior and underage football, GAA, Rugby and every other sport that draws a passionate crowd.

[harpskid]

And the fellow he refers to made a racist comment - not a chant (irrelevant, I know, but anyhow...) - and was heard by a director.

The chap has received a life-time ban

[anto eile]

I can tell you that for many years now Longford National schools are proud to have soccer, GAA and basketball teams represent them. In most cases it is the same teachers/parents who look after the different teams. It is well recognised that without the support of GAA fans Longford Town would not be able to exist. At any high profile games at Pearse Park Longford representatives of longford Town are guests in the VIP area. At Longford Town matches it is not unusual to see the GAA County chairman and other senior board members in attendance.

and thats the way it should be
unfortunately longford would be a minority in that respect

[BohDiddley]

Sam Savic and others have outlined my views on this but just to add a wee story to illustrate the GAA mentality - a mate of mine did a sponsored walk for the Central Remedial Clinic a few years. The walk was to culminate in Croke Park. When the walkers got to Croke Park, the celebrity leader of the walk was refused entry. The walker's crime? He played "soccer." His name? Nobby Stiles.
KOH

Says it all.
It's a constant refrain of the GAA lobby that this sort of thing has gone away. I think most people on the ground understand that, while the PR might have gotten a little more sophisticated, at root this is still a very common attitude, especially at grass roots level.

[Mad Moose]

And the fellow he refers to made a racist comment - not a chant (irrelevant, I know, but anyhow...) - and was heard by a director.

The chap has received a life-time ban

My apologies, a racist comment toward Eloka Asokuh I believe. How many life-time bans is that from Finn Park in the last couple of seasons. Did Mr Holmes get one.

In relation to Clash I felt it was only fair to allow him/her post his/her opinion. They may have been born after the ban or for whatever reason they didnt understand the position of the GAA in relation to football. Because the guy follows GAA and has an opinion on the relationship to football, league of Ireland or otherwise he shouldn't have to answer for the GAA's position in relation to the sport. Nor is it necessary from him/her to fully understand that position before posting.

Just a thought.

B

[gspain]

clash you may not bhe the same person but a wum using this monikor appeared on OWC - the Northern Ireland site.

Now if you are genuine why not name the specific games and dates and town.

Ther eis a good chance somebody here was at the game. Indeed given most EL games are played at night and GAA is still played opn sunday afternoons it must be rare that a GAA game was played before a football match in the same town/county.

[reder]

Well just thought I would add a little something here. To say football fans are all saints is silly but .....

Last friday, I decided to take my mate who came over from Liverpool to Shels V Bohs. I dont follow any particular team in the EL but attend games due to the fact that I grew up in Liverpool and that is my local team.

We ended up going into the Bohs section. The game was quite dull and WET. There was a decent gang of bohs fans 99.9% of whom were good fans, who supported their team. However one guy in the row behind me kept shouting anti scouse comments towards one of the shels centre backs during the first half. One other maybe 2 people in the crowd passed comments of the same nature. We looked back and asked him to give it a rest and he did. (He also apologised to us and never shut up chatting to us for the rest of the game (in a nice way)!).

Just a little story to add.

(Still reckon Clash is a wind-up merchant)

[BohDiddley]

I love Scousers, honest! (Except for Dave Rogers of course.)
I think this illustrates something of the difference between GAA and football culture. While (by all accounts) you get all sorts of disgusting behaviour and commentary at GAA matches, there's still an attempt to have the fans mix in an all-good-Gaels-together fantasy.
In football, the support is much more formalised, and abusing a player because he comes from somewhere different is a kind of ritual, just like some of the hair-raising chants. It's a different type of fantasy, in which the opposition, fan and player alike, is your mortal enemy for 90 minutes. Certainly not for the faint-hearted, especially if you play on the outside.
The fact that they stopped, out of respect for a real live scouser (as opposed to the player) says something.
Different cultures, to be judged differently.

[sullanefc]

We ended up going into the Bohs section. The game was quite dull and WET. There was a decent gang of bohs fans 99.9% of whom were good fans, who supported their team. However one guy in the row behind me kept shouting anti scouse comments towards one of the shels centre backs during the first half. One other maybe 2 people in the crowd passed comments of the same nature. We looked back and asked him to give it a rest and he did. (He also apologised to us and never shut up chatting to us for the rest of the game (in a nice way)!).

Just a little story to add.

(Still reckon Clash is a wind-up merchant)

I'd imagine his comments were merely a way to wind up Dave Rogers given his reaction to you when he heard your accent. By the sounds of it, this guy was not anti-scouse, but more so anti-rogers.

I wasn't there, but thats the way it seems.

[dfx-]

Why so anti-GAA...?:

Rovers had applied a fortnight ago to be joined as a 'notice party' and this was to be heard by the Court today. Todays hearing was adjourned to next Monday. The adjournment was requested by the GAA to allow them file their opposition to SRFC being joined to the proceedings. They had sought a two week adjournment but settled for one week.

"Anti GAA" is personally becoming an understatement.

[Thunderblaster]

used to play alot off gaa when i was younger and was very successful with local club. we won lots of counties at underage level. when we used to play soccer we won alot at that too. i took over as manager of local under 18 soccer team when i was 19 and the tricks gaa club used to pull on us were unreal. we were playing cup final one sunday morning at home. gaa fixed training session for an hour before game and ran the lads into ground this was after we changed our games kick off times for them during the year to accomodate them and generally done everything to keep them happy. they used bully soccer club into giving walkovers then if games clashed even though all players wanted to play soccer but gaa men would just keep on to them and there families around the parish plugging gaa. the lads just wanted to play both. eventually a lot of plaers stopped playing gaa and local gaa club went from being premier minor and u21 county champs to barely fielding teams and no one showing up training

And I'm glad that the GAA Club got the punishment it deserved!!

[Macy]

Bloody scousers, always the victim.

Following on from this weeks shocking revelation that an opposition player was getting picked on, someone swears at the football.