Originally posted by Jinto:
How are things TD??

I often thought of this myself. I think that with with most GAA clubs offering second team options (ie junior 1,2 etc) along with regular twice weekly training in good facilities, they cater for the physical and social needs of the players who might not take things as seriously as others.

Originally posted by Pa Laide:
this is right off the top of my head,a bit random but sure its an idea anyway!For a hurling game
-4-a-side
-in a hall like where indoor soccer would be played
-use a sponge ball(the dense ones),not the indoor sliotars
-hurleys be at most 32"(A BOUNCY BALL),all about the touch' flicks
-only one use of the hand instead of two
©fungames

Originally posted by Fran:


-On horseback

Originally posted by Pa Laide:
this is right off the top of my head,a bit random but sure its an idea anyway!For a hurling game
-4-a-side -in a hall like where indoor soccer would be played
-use a sponge ball(the dense ones),not the indoor sliotars
-hurleys be at most 32"(A BOUNCY BALL),all about the touch' flicks -only one use of the hand instead of two
©fungames

Originally posted by Taxi Driver:
Does the GAA suffer because of difficulties in organising informal games of hurling and football?

On numerous occasions we have endured the argument along the lines that the sports organisations will lose/gain the hearts and minds of young people if X happens/doesn't happen. This is all hypothetical as a causal relationship is impossible to prove.

Whatever the process involved, all sports organisations aim (or should aim) at increasing the numbers who attend and more importantly play their respective games. The stadiums' debate is an issue of attendance, but very little emphasis has been given to participation apart from the blurry "hearts and minds" tripe.

I believe the numbers playing soccer and to a lesser extent rugby are underreported because of the large number of people who play informal games (indoor soccer, 5-a-side games, Nightowls leagues, tag rugby etc.) There is a huge number of facilities to cater for such soccer games of which very few are FAI controlled and tag rugby now has a visible presence in most major cities.

How many people play a weekly game of hurling or football with the lads from work? Close to none I would imagine. I know that inter-firm GAA boards cater to this need to a certain extent, but I would treat them as being formally organised.

Some soccer games can have same 10/12 lads playing week-in week-out for years. I know that fellas might on an odd occassion go for a few pucks, but what is it that holds back informal GAA games from occurring.

It is probably the nature of the games. But surely there is some variation we can devise that would overcome this difficulty. Rugby does not lead itself to informal games but tag rugby does, although tag rugby isn't as popular as soccer yet.

Maybe someone out there already has a variation that deserves some exposure and we can move away from debates about where the top 1% or fewer players play and look at the arrangements provided for the overwhelming majority of players.