Surprising lack of support for clubs at weekend games

IATTENDED four Joyces Expert Intermediate ‘A football championship games over the weekend but I was shocked at the lack of support. At both venues just a handful of spectators were present, I would say leaving the G.A.A. struggling to meet the match fees of referees and linesmen.

For the eight clubs - Cloughbawn, Réalt na Mara, Naomh Eanna, Kilrush, Kilmore, Kilanerin, Craanford and Geraldine O’Hanrahans - the few hardy supporters that surfaced in both Farmleigh and St. Patrick’s Park may not have been entertained by the best quality football, but again it’s difficult for players to summon up an energy to bring out their best in the vacuum that is an empty ground.

No more than a few weeks back we brought a wave of purple and gold to Croke Park, some 40,000 to be precise, although this filtered off dramatically for the All-Ireland quarter-final in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, and earlier we had the ticket furore prior to the Wexford versus Kilkenny provincial Senior hurling championship semi-final. But where have all the supporters gone?

I’m sure many dozens of supporters from those parishes, and the parishes of other clubs participating over the weekend, joined in the mass support of the county’s Senior hurlers, but I’m also led to believe that club attendances at other venues throughout the county were sparse.

To the supporters’ credit, they come out in increased numbers, although not a great deal more, to back the local hurling championships.

These are the same supporters who lay claim to be the very best in the land, but given the ‘Davy’ factor, one would expect even more for our hurling games.

Still, where does this leave football, which once again has become second choice for supporters given the weekend attendances.

This makes one uneasy having witnessed the queues and scramble for tickets for the Wexford versus Kilkenny championship game.

It was this and the lack of County Board support for clubs at the time which is still hurting, and contributing to people staying away from club games.

Maybe this is a reason for the loyal supporter who struggled for tickets, with no club outlet, to now vote with their feet.

They feel hurt at the lack of loyalty from the G.A.A. in the county, the lack of support for the clubs and many supporters who are the bedrock of clubs in the respective parishes.

Wexford G.A.A. have acknowledged it was a divisive decision not to allocate tickets to clubs, but now it’s just a case of pointing the finger as to who was responsible, as in a recent G.A.A. management committee bulletin it was at pains to state that it was a management decision, not made by any one individual.

The management committee meeting recalled the discussion that had taken place at the most recent County Board meeting and it was agreed that there had been unwarranted criticisms of the County Secretary, Margaret Doyle, both at that meeting and elsewhere.

The minutes added that it was important to note that the key decisions regarding ticketing for the Kilkenny match had been taken ‘in good faith by the Cathaoirleach and the Rúnaí and with the full approval and consideration of the Coiste Bainistí’.

So it was noted that it was an overall decision. Even more shame then on those management committee members who chose to isolate the very clubs who put them there in the first place, thereby also isolating the genuine club supporters.

But like the clubs, one would have expected more parish support for what were important championship games, games that for some were deciding their destiny for the remainder of the year.

The love of all things parish-based should be very much to the forefront when the local G.A.A. club is participating in the county championships.

For many the G.A.A. club is an extension of the family, so one would expect more than a handful of supporters at the respective venues.

The closeness of support can translate into sucess, so that is why the parish support base is crucial to the players.

Next weekend a full programme of hurling championship games will take place, and it will be interesting to see if our club players get the backing they deserve.