GAA look to Rugby League

News round-upThe GAA are looking to rugby league as a model for primary school and other underage competitions. A presentation by Niel Wood, Britain's Rugby League services director, will feature in the GAA's annual Games Development Conference in Croke Park later this month, and that could mark the beginning of some sweeping changes in the way underage competitions are run.

With the theme of the conference centred on "Creating a platform for people to Play and Stay with the GAA" there is much emphasis on bringing more youngsters into Gaelic games and maintaining their interest. According to Pat Daly, the GAA's head of games, one way of ensuring that is to do away with the overly competitive structure of primary school competitions, something rugby league has already accomplished.

"What the rugby league found was they had a huge problem with kids playing a full-sided game, and they weren't happy with that," explained Daly. "What they've now decided is that all kids up until the end of primary school play in small-sided games, a bit like our Go Games.

"They had a huge problem implementing that, with the various stake-holders refusing to buy in, saying they wanted to stick with the traditional 13-a-side. Eventually they got acceptance, changed the culture, and Wood reckons that if they went back now to reintroduce the full-sided game, all hell would break lose. That they wouldn't have it under any circumstances.

Wood's presentation is part of the key-note address "Underage competition: Is there an over emphasis on Winning? Are we getting the Balance Right?" - and Daly believes the GAA have currently got the balance wrong.

"We wants kid to play in order to learn, and if you have championship-style competitions, the whole emphasis is on getting the best, forget the rest. We want to get away from that culture, and instead get a game where everybody plays. Nobody should be deprived of an opportunity to play up until the end of primary school. But they are at the moment, and that's because of this preoccupation with championship competitions and winning.

"But I think the will is there (to change), increasingly so. The feedback we're getting from parents is that they simply want their kids to play.

"It has to be a developmental thing, but if sport becomes another pressure thing for kids, then ultimately they'll just drop out."

The GAA have already established a relationship with the rugby league, who as part of their professional development, sent Wood to Ireland. He analysed what the GAA were doing, and Daly also believes the GAA can learn more from them in terms of their underlying philosophy.

But now it will be limited to their model of underage competitions: "These would work up until the end of primary school," explained Daly. "Each team plays in a blitz, and has 10 or 12 games, and will know exactly when and where they're on. More importantly, all the kids can be accommodated. None of this "stick you on for five minutes at the end", which is soul-destroying for the kids, and I've seen it happening so many times.

"If we can get the team-based model, we can cater for far bigger numbers in a far more meaningful way. So we're talking about small-sided games, nine, 11, or 13-a-side, where everybody gets a game.

"There's no such thing as 10 or 15 subs on the sideline, trying to stick a few of them on for the last five minutes. And the whole emphasis is on skill development and personal development, and not winning cups and medals."