A interesting clash of the old and the new has developed in Clare GAA over the work being done with the hurling panel and management by local PR professional Mark Dunphy.
The Ennis based former news journalist with Clare FM has been advising manager Davy Fitzgerald and members of his team on a voluntary basis since news broke of unrest in the camp and two players being removed from the panel.
Speaking in today’s Irish Examiner County Board Chairman Pat Fitzgerald, father of the manager is quoted as saying “We couldn’t afford anything like that. Not at all, he gave advice to some people on the board but we don’t have money for that sort of thing.”
In a world where sport is one of the biggest sources of content for mainstream as well as social media it would be unthinkable for and major professional organisation in sport not to have a whole communications team at their disposal.
Even in amateur sport, telling the right message in the right way is a key part of creating the right image and impression of players, teams and programmes.
The GAA is based on voluntary effort in many ways and so it is with Dunphy’s advice. The same contribution to a team or club’s efforts in telling their story to members, fans or potential sponsors happens every night in club meeting rooms or local bars every night of the week.
It’s ‘old school’ that the though of hiring somebody to help in communication should be treated with horror while the same expert input in terms of conditioning, physio or even sports psychology is seen as perfectly OK.
