GAA Paying managers

The Sindo focuses on the GAA "hypocrisy" of failing to acknowledge the industry of paying managers to train club teams. Yes, the GAA's pig-headed refusal to acknowledge the situation is exasperating. Claiming that "All GAA members play and engage in our games as amateurs" is downright laughable. 

But, the Sindo's view that clubs are voluntarily scouring the country to find the best manager to land the county title is in most cases very far from the truth. A lot of the clubs are forced, yes forced, to pay someone to do the job.  When a club contacts 50 ex-players, ex-coaches and ex-managers all from within inside the club, to ask if they are interested in managing the senior team and receives 50 No answers, what the hell else is it to do, but spend its already meagre resources to pay someone to do the job. This is the sad reality the GAA finds itself in today.

GAA Club players

What exactly was  Keith Duggan trying to say about playing club games at this time of the year in the IT on Saturday?

The basic fate of club teams is they train like dogs in the blue cold of January and February and the best two football and hurling teams in Ireland play for their great prize on St Patrick's Day. League promotion and relegation duties are taken care of through the April showers.

Then, the sun comes out in May and the clubs are told to run laps until late September, when it is getting dark and rainy and the glories of the All-Ireland are finished with. It means most clubs worth their salt are training for practically every month of the year and that the truly great club franchises, like Crossmaglen Rangers, can go a full decade without taking a break from training.

What he should of said is that it is a disgrace and shouldn't be allowed to happen.