[QUOTE=“Fagan ODowd, post: 1008862, member: 706”]They had an 11 a side hurling match at half time in the College Football yesterday. All inter county hurlers, but fucked if I could catch their names. Nicky Quaid was one and Lee Chin was another. Donal Og was doing a running commentary with some geebag of an announcer and gave up the quintessential GAA cliche. These players are all amateurs and play the game for the love of their county. They live the life of a professional train 7 days a week but they still hold down regular jobs.
Jaysus it’s so fucking twee listening to that shite. If their was a market that would sustain professional hurling, the players would drop their amateur status in a heartbeat. And rightly so.
Anyway driving down to Dunmore afterwards and listening to the Kerry match. Goes to extra time. Cue Spillane - don’t forget these players are all amateurs and play the game for the love of their counties.
As an aside, Donal Og was asked by geebag announcer what were the core skills required for hurling. Well the first one is great hand eye coordination. The very second he is saying this, the goalkeeper who wasn’t Nicky Quaid drops a howler into the back of the net.[/QUOTE]
How many inter county players actually have full time jobs?
very few id imagine
did RTE commentary say yesterday that Donegal spent 5 days before the game in Johnstown House ( whatever the fuck that is) prepping for the Dublin game, presume these lads have very undersatnding employers with a lot of serious flexi time
everything is a response now in the GAA. Donegal got a point after a minute, yesterday and Dublin went up the field and got a “great response” 15 seconds later.
[QUOTE=“mickee321, post: 1009642, member: 367”]very few id imagine
did RTE commentary say yesterday that Donegal spent 5 days before the game in Johnstown House ( whatever the fuck that is) prepping for the Dublin game, presume these lads have very undersatnding employers with a lot of serious flexi time[/QUOTE]
I’d imagine they just take annual leave considering none will have gone on summer holidays. The vast majority are probably students and don’t work.
Paul Flynn type characters who have enrolled in 10 different cert courses in places like WIT each september…
wasnt there some fella from clare “working” in a suit shop in Ennis and living with his mother
In relation to the cliche about guys having to get up for work the next day, just wondering how many inter county players are actually in full time employment. Aidan Walsh works for himself and pretty much said in a recent interview that he works when he feels like it, he was also in college for the last 5/6 years. Lee chin also gave an interview last year saying that he doesn’t work as he doesn’t want to be on his feet all day as he is a qualified barber and I think he is going back to college this year. I’d say if you were to break it down with the top counties there are probably only 10 guys on the panels who are actually working.
Paul Flynn is a qualified electrician he played for DIT whilst doing FAS there. he went to dcu after finishing his apprenticeship I think and is a PE teacher*
Seems that a large proportion are students, teachers so summers are free, GAA development officers
A couple of lads who work in “real” jobs struggle with the commitment after a year or two - leaving work at 4 to train at 7 and back home by 11pm - that can be three days a week. You lose career progression or it costs money in lost shifts. Bearable if you are on starting 15 but if you are just on the panel it gets harder to justify.
Do Dublin have a few players who work for clubs as development officers - I think Brogan does.
[QUOTE=“TheUlteriorMotive, post: 1009692, member: 2272”]Seems that a large proportion are students, teachers so summers are free, GAA development officers
A couple of lads who work in “real” jobs struggle with the commitment after a year or two - leaving work at 4 to train at 7 and back home by 11pm - that can be three days a week. You lose career progression or it costs money in lost shifts. Bearable if you are on starting 15 but if you are just on the panel it gets harder to justify.
Do Dublin have a few players who work for clubs as development officers - I think Brogan does.[/QUOTE]
I agree 100% with the above. I couldn’t imagine too many employers wanting to employ a GAA player given the time off that would be involved. Any inter county player who is a GAA development officer is effectively a full time player I couldn’t imagine that it is a taxing or stressful job.
A lot of companies would have arrangements with inter county players I’d imagine, they’d get a jersey on the wall and photo opportunities with the said player for time off, etc. Very often fellas who get to the top or own businesses would be involved in the GAA and would help lads out.
Starts off in school, the Harty lads would get half days for training and the GAA oriented teachers would be lax enough with the homework requirements. A lot of the better ones would get scholarships then to College and a handy job. Not a bad number if you are an elite player. It is the squad players making up the 30 for training matches that are getting the shite end of the stick. A few league matches and diesel money is scant reward for bursting your bollox for 6 months with nothing to show for it. Even then, if you are from a county with no hope of getting to the latter stages of championships, the effort is no less, the demands are the same all for a hop off someone in the summer. Inter County is really for the elite 20 odd lads in a county and only 5 or 6 of the high profile lads would be lucky enough to scrape a few pound out of sponsorship or token jobs.
[QUOTE=“Esteban de la Sexface, post: 1009710, member: 2695”]A lot of companies would have arrangements with inter county players I’d imagine, they’d get a jersey on the wall and photo opportunities with the said player for time off, etc. Very often fellas who get to the top or own businesses would be involved in the GAA and would help lads out.
Starts off in school, the Harty lads would get half days for training and the GAA oriented teachers would be lax enough with the homework requirements. A lot of the better ones would get scholarships then to College and a handy job. Not a bad number if you are an elite player. It is the squad players making up the 30 for training matches that are getting the shite end of the stick. A few league matches and diesel money is scant reward for bursting your bollox for 6 months with nothing to show for it. Even then, if you are from a county with no hope of getting to the latter stages of championships, the effort is no less, the demands are the same all for a hop off someone in the summer. Inter County is really for the elite 20 odd lads in a county and only 5 or 6 of the high profile lads would be lucky enough to scrape a few pound out of sponsorship or token jobs.[/QUOTE]
the state pays them mate , you cant disregard that
[QUOTE=“Esteban de la Sexface, post: 1009710, member: 2695”]A lot of companies would have arrangements with inter county players I’d imagine, they’d get a jersey on the wall and photo opportunities with the said player for time off, etc. Very often fellas who get to the top or own businesses would be involved in the GAA and would help lads out.
Starts off in school, the Harty lads would get half days for training and the GAA oriented teachers would be lax enough with the homework requirements. A lot of the better ones would get scholarships then to College and a handy job. Not a bad number if you are an elite player. It is the squad players making up the 30 for training matches that are getting the shite end of the stick. A few league matches and diesel money is scant reward for bursting your bollox for 6 months with nothing to show for it. Even then, if you are from a county with no hope of getting to the latter stages of championships, the effort is no less, the demands are the same all for a hop off someone in the summer. Inter County is really for the elite 20 odd lads in a county and only 5 or 6 of the high profile lads would be lucky enough to scrape a few pound out of sponsorship or token jobs.[/QUOTE]
Is that still the case outside of Dublin or Cork? Are a lot of the Tipp team not unemployed?
Sure there is fuck all industry bar squashing apples in Tipperary. I’m only supposing from what I’ve seen in Limerick and Cork re companies (multi national and family owned) hiring GAA players. One oil company in East Cork seems to solely employ ex GAA players and big busty young ones.
Outside of the students on the Clare hurling panel they are all in full time employment bar one maybe two. Domhnall O Donovan lost his starting place because of work commitments this year, another player who was in the 26 last year dropped himself to concentrate on professional exams. It must be nearly impossible to get into the upper echelons of a given trade/industry/profession and be on a panel. There is only one or two per panel at the very best.
A lot of intercounty players are fond of gambling which kinda is a job in itself.
[QUOTE=“Bad Winner, post: 1009755, member: 2406”]Outside of the students on the Clare hurling panel they are all in full time employment bar one maybe two. Domhnall O Donovan lost his starting place because of work commitments this year, another player who was in the 26 last year dropped himself to concentrate on professional exams. It must be nearly impossible to get into the upper echelons of a given trade/industry/profession and be on a panel. There is only one or two per panel at the very best.
A lot of intercounty players are fond of gambling which kinda is a job in itself.[/QUOTE]