Future of Hurling & the GAA

**wexfordclockend** · 09/02/2007, 1:18 AM

I'm not much of a fan of Gaelic Football although at least it is not as boring as Rugby. However Hurling is a brilliant game which should have better coverage & promotion on a world wide basis yet it seems now that the main objective of the founding of the GAA, promotion of hurling, has never really been achieved outside the traditional strongholds.

So should Hurling be run by a new sporting body,one which can promote the game outside the Irish communities abroad? And can Hurling ever become a worldwide game as Liam Griffin once said it should? Reports from the US suggest that Hurling is starting to become established away from the traditional Irish roots & is becoming ever more popular even gaining players from other sports such as Lacrosse.

The GAA trying to run & promote both games when many in the organisation care about one does not bode well for the future of Hurling.

Anyone got any viewpoints on this?

**pete** · 09/02/2007, 10:03 AM

I am no real fan of the GAA but even I can see hurling is the best thing about Gaelic games. Whereas Gaelic football is just horrible hybrid sport with no apparent rules hurling is original & don't think can claim a copy of any other sports. Its even possibly to claim that hurling not played at the top level in enough counties to be considered a nationwide sport?

**Dodge** · 09/02/2007, 10:17 AM

Is hurling to hockey what gealic football is to "real" football?

Before I say anymore I'd like to see these reports stating its branching out of the Irish community in the US

**pete** · 09/02/2007, 12:19 PM

I wonder why gaelic games have never expanded beyond the irish community around the world. Games such as cricket were only played in Commonwealth countries but now other countries have national teams... Even Aussie rules is played in South Africa...

**paul_oshea** · 09/02/2007, 1:04 PM

for some reason i thought this thread read "fixture of hurling....". Interesting to see the anti-"GAH" brigade are the only ones who responded on this thread!!! hehe. bar me obviouslly

but that was just to make this point!

pete, to what extent has aussie rules picked up though? aussie rules is played in Ireland. Gaelic football has been played in Universities in North America and in england, i met a lad when i was looking for a house who worked for an estate agents who used to play gaelic football. No irish connections whatsoever. Found it to rough and left it

but said loads he knew still played it.... I think organisatoin is the problem....

**bennocelt** · 09/02/2007, 2:19 PM

i love hurling, but hate bogball
had my friend from Korea visiting in the summer, repaying him for holding me up during the world cup, and we were in galway and started to watch the football world cup, think england were playin, bored us to death so we ended up watchin a hurling game, and he was amazed, he thought it was a cool game,

i reckon one reason why its not as widely played is cause its a bloody dangerous game, i rem when i was a young fella and went to the first training session of the local hurling club, i was ****ting myself, way to scared to go back
its a great game played by hard men

**pete** · 09/02/2007, 3:56 PM

Originally Posted by bennocelt

i reckon one reason why its not as widely played is cause its a bloody dangerous game, i rem when i was a young fella and went to the first training session of the local hurling club, i was ****ting myself, way to scared to go back...

Hurling doesnot appear to be one of those sports thats easy to pick up. On the otherhand lets face it any average rugby wingback or back would pick up gaelic football easily as seems ability to kick the ball over the bar less important than physical strength these days.

I don't think a few lads playing in college in the US counts as international sport.

**passinginterest** · 09/02/2007, 4:35 PM

I think the danger thing is what puts people off. Too many mammys worrid about little Johnny getting hit with a big stick. Funny thing is you hardly ever see leg breaks and that type of serious injury in hurling. Most of the injuries are superficial cuts and bruises. If helmets and ash guards (hand protectors if your completely new to the game) were compulsory the injury count would be even lower.
I think promotion is the biggest problem. Everyone cries the first time the get a hurl across the shins or a sl�othar in the stomach, and its often enough to put kids off. But if they were encouraged to come back and try again they'd quickly realise that the pain is temporary and lear the best skills to minimise the contact. The GAA dosen't do enough to promote safety around the game. It should be mandatory to wear a helmet and possibly an ash guard and shin pads too. It doesn't make the skills of the game any less to be protected.

Arguments that helmets obstruct vision, or ashguards feel funny are redundant and simply untrue, it only takes a week or two of playin with a helmet on to become totally oblivious to it.

**wexfordclockend** · 09/02/2007, 10:28 PM

[QUOTE=Dodge;620284]Is hurling to hockey what gealic football is to "real" football?

Are you serious?

Bandy / Bando was the English/Welsh version of Hurling/Shinty which died out before WWI. Notts Forest & Sheff Weds were started as Bandy clubs. Hockey is nothing like these sports! Apart from Ice Hockey as is very well documented.

www.hurling.net The first real American Hurling Club "Outside of the traditional North American GAA cities of New York, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco, clubs are springing up in other places where they consist of predominantly American-born players who bring a new dimension to the game and actively seek to promote it as a mainstream sport. " From Wikipedia