They have it tough the poor divils
Can’t get over the contempt some of the “fans” have for the players they’ll go out and cheer the following summer. Either jealousy of their talents or good old fashioned Irish begrudgery.
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I’m not a fan, I’m a Gael and a patron.
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He didn’t mention a monetary angle in the interview. He was speaking about training demands, tiredness, time commitment etc but he may have been hinting that a financial reward was required to compensate. He didn’t explicitly mention it though and it hadn’t crossed my mind until you raised the financial side.
Well spotted Bandage.
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I agree. But they still know the game.
An Accountant starts his training knowing he’ll make fuck all for a while, but eventually should do well enough. He knows the rules.
The rewards for GAA players is local fame, a few doors opened etc. Thats just the way it is.
I would change alot of things, but they need to get real. They want their cake and eat it too.
As for Managers etc. I fully beliece they should be paid. They do not get the easure of playing. It should be out in the open and taxable. But until the GAA get real that won’t happen either. But its alot of work to get into management. For most lads its 10-20 years of commitment before a county role arrives. Often they are overlooked even though far more qualified for a jackass of a player with a big mouth.
Play the game in front of you. County players have a great life. They get unbelievably well looked after now for the most part. They are adored within their counties, they get opportunities others won’t. They get their education funded so they don’t have to do part time work and so on. Its a wonderful life.
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I feel silly now because I was thinking there was a simple way to alleviate the huge demands placed on county players. All GPA representatives could agree on a universal acceptable weekly time commitment for county squads and present it to the GAA hierarchy for approval. The GAA could in turn compel individual county board units to abide by it and it would be in their financial best interests anyway as it would cut down on the amount of training sessions and related costs.
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The GPA needs a collective bargaining agreement, they’re only tipping around with bits of deals till then.
It’s an absolute gravy train. Wouldn’t necessarily begrudge managers their remuneration considering the long hours most of them put in, media scrutiny etc.
It’s these cowboys like “performance coaches”, stats men, “logistics officials”, sports psychologists and various other assorted bull shitters who are making a fortune that in turn is crippling county boards.
Wouldn’t have much gra for the GPA but a paltry grant is the least they deserve considering the money they generate.
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That’s a load of me arse. Being adored won’t pay a mortgage. Almost all of these chaps have to put their work careers on hold such are the demands made of them on the sporting field and adoration doesn’t compensate for that. Look at Ken McGrath. Adored everywhere he went and he finished his inter county career destitute.
You go on like it’s a conscious decision to become a county player. Most inter county players graduate naturally into the role as 18 and 19 year olds, to fulfil their dreams. They have no rational appreciation of the financial and career sacrifice they are making. If they see sense at some stage in their sporting careers to look after their work careers they’ll have a shower of cunts lining up to vilify them for being a hungry cunt.
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I find myself dishing out quite a few likes here. Decent point by @Bandage but the reason it won’t happen, I believe, is that today’s GPA members are tomorrow’s managers/coaches/gurus/witchdoctors etc and it won’t be in their long-term interests to have that gravy train halted.
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Imagine allowing your hobby leave you destitute in your private life. I thought it was just junkies who did that.
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Go away and spend your time studying so to make a fortune.
Its a fucking choice.
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This is it.
You have a point but they are not simpletons beholden to some malevolent force.
They do make a decision albeit sometimes at a young age but they have an easier life on scholarship than many students (and most of them are students)
They may sacrifice a later career for sporting glory but that is a decision they take. Lots of lads make decisions in their teens and twenties they regret. Playing inter county is a great thing for most of them.
The sponsored cars, the local fame, the jersey hangers are all nice at that age and dead right.
I accept there is a bubble but Jack McCaffrey and Rory Carroll both walked away from a Dublin team at height of their powers which team may be most successful football team of all time.
The other point I would make is most of them (who qualify) go on the all stars trips and team holidays and often other personal holidays as well. That is off season. That impacts their careers and that is a choice too.
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No coincidence that both are well educated and have taken the opportunities their talents have afforded them.
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That’s a load of bollox.
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A player from a decent county will reap plenty of financial reward from their exposure if they have a bit of brains. Look at the brogans going in to the hotel business for example. The amount of lads with handy numbers in the banks and sales jobs. Jesus even lar Corbett owns a few businesses. What do you think lar would be doing now except for the hurling. Not much I imagine! Didn’t Ken McGrath own a few sports shops as well. What went wrong there?
He got hit by the recession like alot of lads who gave up hurling and put everything into being an accountant or a farmer or a builder.
Shit happens. Governments are cunts. Its not nice but why should he as a county hurler get any better break than a contractor who did things by the book and played Junior hurling instead of giving everything to being a Senio club or even county player.
You always have a choice.
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You’re gas. For a fella that purports to spend so much time around inter county teams and players you’ve no idea what’s going on around you.
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