The coming of the All Stars to Boston was a huge event for
the Boston GAA. Combined with the
involvement of underage players and the Boston and New York teams, it made for
a memorable weekend. It was a novelty to
head to Canton in wintry cold, as locals we are more used to bearing with extreme
heat when attending games at the ICC over the summer months. The Boston versus New York game revealed that
there is a considerable appetite in both cities for competition. The Boston v New York rivalry that is touted
in relation to the professional teams was there to be seen between the Gaels of
both cities. The players in Boston
enthusiastically prepared for this game, training every Sunday morning for
weeks in advance. The word is that there
will be a return date at Gaelic Park in New York in April, a game for which New
York will no doubt be better prepared. The
New Yorkers will have their date with Galway in May’s Connacht Championship
preliminary round coming up and playing at a competitive pace can only help
improve match sharpness and identify areas for improvement. Having a cup to play for between the cities
would give added meaning to the game, (or series of games), and give the home
based players in the Boston area a chance to represent the division on an
annual basis.
The All Star game itself was played at a pedestrian place, which
is to be expected given that this trip is a reward for players who have and
sacrificed tremendously over 8 or 9 months.
Some were also involved in intense club championship activity, as well
as the international rules against the professionals in Australia. The chance for us here across the Atlantic to
meet the players up close, take pictures (check out facebook in the days following the
game), and for the kids have a chance to be coached by the stars from Ireland
was a real treat. Many of the players
were hosted at social occasions by people from their counties after the game on
the following day, which helps cement the links between the GAA in the states
and at home.
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| Budding Players from Boston and New York met the star players from Ireland, can this link be further built upon to develop the games in the States? |
Speaking of links, there were a couple of interesting
articles written following the game which got me thinking about one
of the biggest hurdles that underage development of the game faces in the U.S. The issue is that of athletic scholarships to
third level educational institutions.
Parents look ahead to the post high school phase of raising a family
with fear; the cost of sending 2 or 3 kids to college is akin to buying a second
home. This fact has a large bearing on deciding
which sports kids are registered for at an early age. It also goes a long way to explaining the
exploding popularity of soccer and lacrosse.
In their own right, Gaelic games measure up favorably against either of
these two, and also even against the likes of baseball or American football. Unfortunately, at this stage in the game, Gaelic
sports do not offer such scholarship opportunities and when compared to the other
sports we are at a significant disadvantage.
There are examples of talented kids who have come through underage ranks
being offered athletic scholarships for other sports, and not playing GAA sport
for fear of losing the scholarship.
Also, trying to attract kids from a “non-traditional” background has an
added barrier for this same reason. Some
adult clubs have introduced scholarship programs to attract or retain players
who have come through underage ranks, and this is an element that needs to be
focused on for the long term prospects of the game in North America.
In today’s Irish Times, Sean Moran’s article talked about
scholarship funds raised by the GPA and awarded to players at home, and also mentioned that some
of the funding was raised in the United States. Many parents
here consider sending their kids to Ireland as International Students to attend
college, and some colleges are actively recruiting international students from
the U.S. A scholarship program for promising
players coming through underage ranks to attend either a college in Ireland, and
participate in the GAA set up at that school, or even to attend one of the
colleges in the US that is part of the budding efforts to introduce the games
at third level here, would be a beginning in attempting to breach this
barrier. The involvement of the GPA and/or
a third level institution in Ireland could be part of that effort. There is a huge effort going into trying to
develop games with the youth all across the United States with introducing the
games, organizing competition, and sourcing equipment and facilities. The scholarship is one piece of the games
development puzzle that can help make a breakthrough.
By Rory O'Donnell
