Cost of a United Ireland and the GFA

A much younger crowd than an average OO meeting I'd bet, Downcow

I watched my first GAA match (on tv) today, or at least part of it. There clearly is a great love for the sport in Irish communities, but I knew that anyhow. An impressive display by a voluntary outfit. The commentator said jarlath burns was taking over and I googled him. What I found would suggest he can only be good for community relations.

Very differently culturally from football which I’d be used to.

i think you are doing it an injustice. I think it is very different from any other football I have ever seen on the pitch and even more different off the pitch. Indeed, I don’t know how you could play on a pitch with a ball and make it any more different in all aspects eg, game, crowd, presentations, commentary, attitude to rules, etc, etc And I didn’t even see what happened at the start with flags etc.

don't hear what I am saying as negative. I think difference great. It would be a shame if ball sports morphed or copy each other.

I also thought there were huge differences in everything surrounding it. And don’t take these the wrong way - they are just cultural differences and everyone is drawn to what works for them:

a huge part of my draw to live football is the crowd atmosphere. I thought it was very impressive to have 80,000 people sellout, that’s up there with the FA cup final - something e.g. Northern Ireland football could only dream about.

This is something e.g. Northern Ireland football could only dream about. The thing that struck me was that the game was in the last minutes and everything to play for for both teams, and you could have heard a pin drop. I guess that is the culture of GAA and how high tension is dealt with. If I had that been e.g. Windsor Park, same situation, the noise in the stadium would have been intense, and with everyone feeling they were the 12th man and crucial to the outcome. It was the 12th man thing that struck me. In football the supporters have a direct impact on the outcome of the result. We definitely influence how the game goes. I did not sense that connection between GAA supporters and the team. But clearly there is a different type of deep connection - it’s just different and the role is different.

I also found the speeches very strange. Again, it felt like small community, even naming names of people. When we win something big at football, everyone is overtaken with euphoric celebration. And there would certainly be no space or attention given to speeches.

I also find the casual approach to rules in the commentary box very interesting. And again that is not bad it’s just different. Even Magee heart saying that that is just GAA it’s full of anomalies.

You may recall that there were planned sometime ago, that rugby, football and GAA which share a stadium in Northern Ireland. The vast majority of Northern Ireland football supporters were heavily opposed to the idea. I think some GAA circles misunderstood us and thought it was because we did not want to share with GAA. There were too big reasons. 1) We wanted a city centre location because the buildup to the game is crucial and starts at lunchtime for an evening kick-off. 2) the size of the pitch - the best football grounds in the country, and indeed all the purpose-built ones, have the fans as close as possible to the pitch to enhance the atmosphere. If you were to draw a football pitch in the middle of a GAA ground, it would be dire - the one concern I would have about the use of casement for games.

Everything I saw yesterday reinforced for me, that Northern Ireland football fans got it 100% right in the campaign to have a dedicated football pitch - we would have been happy to share with rugby.

Anyhow, I could go on with lots of differences, but I’m sure GAA is rightly proud of putting on such a day. I would think most looking on from UK will think that’s nice and I’m glad I seen it.

Wembley had to compromise too for the greater good and lost out a bit on atmosphere apparently. Doesn't seem to stop people going to big games.

Haven't heard anyone describe the experience there as 'dire'.

Compromises have to be made to get the tournament.

This is soccer in Croke Park BTW

Which is not that much different to Wembley TBH

Why would a GAA crowd be going to a NI v England game?

Sorry I read that wrong.

You are saying the locals will object to soccer being played in Casement because a soccer crowd is different to a GAA crowd.

Have the 'locals' expressed this anywhere?

GAA is 'football'.

So 'one objector' might not like crowds...most stadiums in residential areas would have that problem to deal with.

I presume you mean 'soccer' crowds are 'different' to GAA crowds. How so?

Would you expect the English crowd to mis-behave en-masse as they have done around the world?

I'm sure most police forces would be prepared for that.

You’re trying to drag this down.

I ‘THINK’ GAA crowds are a bit different from football crowds. For example wherever ni fans go we are facilitated by locals to walk en masse to the ground. Many big clubs do this as well. So if the game is in casement, the day will be spent at pubs in the town centre. Then an hour or so before kickoff a few drummers will appear and thousands will walk behind them as they snake past the pubs. It will be a very noisy singing colourful procession. I would imagine, to lower any tension, that ‘parade’ will not travel through west Belfast but will make its way down Lisburn road and up stockmans lane. It will then need to emerge unto Andersonstown Road and down to the stadium. It will be an interesting experiment and give give a flavour of how accepted OWC identity would be in a Ui. I think there is a very good chance it would pass off without incident.

in contrast I don’t think GAA crowds do this mass walk with singing and flag waving.

I know the majority are fine people and I have no issue with them but it is 'En Masse' enough to be known all over Europe for their behaviour. Special policing arrangements when they come to venues etc.

It is you that is speculating about potential problems when they play NI, not me. I am just trying to figure out what you are talking about.

Probably worth adding a few links covering football hooliganism for clarity:

There's also the most recent serious event, which warranted sanctions: https://www.tntsports.co.uk/football/euro-2020/2021/football-news-england-fans-face-wembley-stadium-ban-after-crowd-trouble-at-euro-2020-final_sto8590834/story.shtml

Most instances of hooliganism don't result in sanctions, so this was definitely worse than the usual hooliganism.

They were absolute scum when they wrecked the landsdown road stadium and a lot òf history of causing similar trouble at major tournaments

So why would there be a problem with a n NI v England game?

What were you getting at.

Nobody said anything about ‘majorities’ either. Stop twisting to deflect

Walking down the Andytown Road with drummers, Union flags and undoubtedly a minority engaging in songs they shouldn't is about as representative of how attitudes to your culture will be in a United Ireland as a crowd of Shinners wrapped in tricolours and singing Wolfe Tones songs on a dander down the Shankhill or Newtownards Road is representative of how attitudes to Irish culture are in your Union, Downcow.

union flags are now rare at ni games and dodgy songs are not sung. Many years ago we had the ‘sea of green’ initiative which transformed the image. The drums have nothing on them and it green shirts with mainly green flags and some ulster flags. Of course francie will now scour the internet for incidents that contradict what I am saying.

bottom line is you will never see eg a rangers top at an ni game while roi games are awash with Celtic tops. We have moved on and are welcome everywhere in Europe so hopefully andytown as well.

how are you saying a hand in casement should be approached. Should the locals be able to decide who goes to the ground?