IS the dual player in danger of being squeezed out at club level? That’s the fear expressed by Carbery GAA President Seamus Coakley.
In his address at the unveiling of centenary plaque at Bandon GAA Club earlier this month, as Carbery GAA’s centenary celebrations kicked off, Coakley highlighted how much GAA has grown in the division over the last hundred years, but he also sounded a note of caution.
‘We should never presume that this is a continuous upward spiral and the GAA at club level, at West Cork board level, at county board level and at national level should never become complacent,’ Coakley said.
‘The club is the basic unit of the association and all actions should enhance that position and every decision must be examined under that lens. Is our decision-making becoming too centralised and are we moving away from listening to those who are operating at club level?
‘If we are moving from a bottom-up to a top-down model of leadership, we are foolish because the people in leadership roles at club level are the best analysts we have and will be the first people to recognise problems and the best people to find solutions.’
Diarmuid Ó Mathúna clubman Coakley voiced his concerns over the impact the split season is having on dual players at club level.
‘Can we say that the split season, as it is currently operating with all the championship games compressed into a small fraction of the year, is facilitating players and particularly those who play both hurling and football?’ Coakley asked.
‘We have effectively eliminated dual players from our county teams and are we now likely to do the same with our club teams? Are clubs going to be forced to prioritise participation in one code at the expense of the other code?
‘What is happening to hurling in the clubs in our division where football is strong? Can anyone visualise a football-only club starting a hurling team in present circumstances? If a club has a small playing population then there is every likelihood that they have a high percentage of dual players and most rural clubs have relatively small playing populations. We need radical thinking to solve this one and the clubs and the divisional boards must be listened to.’
Coakley also hit out at the ‘lack of priority’ given to the U21 club championships, as divisional competitions are run off in February but clubs who progress must wait months to play at county level.
‘This is a very important cohort of players in every club and if we don’t cater for them they may be lost to the association. The way we operate the split-season for this age group is unnecessarily restrictive but I’m certain that if we engage properly on the subject we will find a solution,’ the Carbery GAA President said.
