One of the side issues amid the preparatory hype and wall-to-wall soccer coverage consequent on next June's World Cup will be to what extent Gaelic games will be affected.

This can be either in the impact on attendances, recruitment or general attention spans. It's not a new consideration; international soccer tournaments have been a constant factor in the modern evolution of the GAA.

It is commonly held that the 1966 World Cup, the first to be fully available on television in Ireland, created a big interest in soccer in this country. This impact was noted in the McNamee Commission Report in 1971: ". . . interest generated by the World Cup soccer competitions of 1966 and 1970 undoubtedly strengthened the development of that game in Ireland."

It was to be over 20 years before the GAA felt the full force of such tournaments, as the Republic of Ireland had to wait that long before qualifying for the finals of a major competition, the European Championship of 1988.

The World Cup of two years later probably represented the highpoint of public interest in the national soccer team. A random sample in April 1990 revealed that of 22 commercials broadcast during 35 minutes of Gay Byrne's morning programme, 17 related to Ireland's World Cup involvement.

But you can only qualify for a first World Cup once. The hype four years later had died down a little and is likely to be even more settled next year.

The virtual changeover in personnel on the Republic's side underlines how we have grown accustomed to qualification. Ireland has become one of those countries that can reasonably hope to qualify for finals of tournaments now and then.

Over the years the GAA's championship programme has managed to avoid many direct schedule clashes. Ireland-England at Euro '88 was an obvious exception, as was the World Cup match against Egypt in 1990. There were no such problems four years later but a parallel phenomenon was noticeable.

Championship fixtures in June 1994 had notably lower attendances. Regular crowd-pullers played during this month included Dublin-Kildare and Cork-Kerry. The first fixture normally draws an average of 60,000 and a year previously, in 1993, attracted 59,696. Even the '94 replay got only 22,569. Similarly the Munster tie, which usually pulls in over 40,000, was attended by only 26,884 at Pβirc U∅ Chaoimh - compared to 42,874 a year before.

Jerry Grogan of GAA's Cumann na mBunscol, the primary schools' organisation, sees at close quarters the response of children to World Cup mania.

"I think it did have an impact," he says. "Not so much at primary school level because schools don't lose players but clubs were hit, particularly badly-run clubs. Soccer is often well organised in parishes where the GAA isn't. But the better clubs counter the attraction by running promotions and keeping the children interested."

In Grogan's experience there's only so much the GAA can do when the hype is at its height. "There's no doubt that it has an effect. Kids will be caught up in the hype at a time when schools are winding down. They're aware of it on TV and will watch the matches.

"At other times of the year we can counteract other attractions - here we have a promotional programme, Follow the Dubs built on League matches. You do your best, but realistically we can't compete with these big international events. I remember the kids (in '94) coming in (to school) wearing the Irish jerseys and talking about the match all day. But we don't object to this. We're not competing aggressively."

But there are plans to maintain the profile of Gaelic games and counter the saturation coverage from the Far East. "I was just at a meeting in Croke Park," says Grogan, "to ask the GAA and the county boards for extra resources to distribute promotional material during June when the World Cup is at its height."

The relationship between the sports in this context is something the GAA isn't always comfortable about discussing. The association has also had to deal with a media that at times seems inexplicably anxious to get views on Ireland's big matches from two sources in particular: English newspapers and GAA presidents.

"There would be a resentment," says the PRO of the GAA, Danny Lynch, "that when games are taking place in Japan that we're expected to explain how they're going to affect the GAA. The reality is that if you go back to Italia '90 and look at the aftermath, we are stronger than ever in terms of what can be tangibly measured: attendances at matches, television figures and general interest."

The context has changed dramatically even since 1994. The GAA's structures now provide for additional matches and in recent years, greatly-expanded television coverage has broadened the appeal of football and hurling. It won't be as easy to drown out the championships. Television has been altering the landscape for over 10 years.

"The year after the 1990 World Cup you had the four Dublin-Meath matches which were a major plus for us," says Jerry Grogan, "certainly from a Dublin point of view."

In a way he feels that international soccer tournaments are just occasional phenomena and that the regular soccer season poses a more enduring challenge.

"It is on a year-round basis. Last year for instance, the most popular Christmas presents were a subscription to Sky Sports and a mobile phone. So the Premiership has wide penetration although it's interesting that many kids with a mad interest in it don't actually play soccer."

Whereas the GAA acknowledges the likely impact on the country's sporting attention span next June, the belief is that it won't be lasting. Albert Fallon was chairman of the Leinster Council in 1994 and is currently chairman of the GAA's Policy and Planning committee.

"Direct clashes in terms of time should be avoided but I don't see a big problem with morning fixtures. I don't think it'll have the same effect as a tournament played in Europe.

"Indirectly, a lot depends on the success of the team. If we win through to the quarter-finals again, I think a great momentum develops behind the team but we can survive that - actually not just survive - and come through strongly. We can switch fixtures that clash and make sensible arrangements.

"This is a great nation of sports lovers and it's only natural that a big event like this would have an impact. The same would apply to a rugby World Cup."