Emigration is taking a terrible toll once more across Irish society. There are few places is it being felt more than in sporting clubs.  As many as 40,000 a year are leaving to find work and a better standard of living elsewhere.  This is as many if not more than in the last massive waves of emigration in the 1980’s and the 1950’s.
In areas of Kerry the population has been stripped by more than 50%.  In Leitrim only ten of the players from the senior county panel of two years ago are still living in the county.
Many of those leaving are younger adults who would otherwise be the heart and soul of a sports clubs playing membership.  They are finding other sports in their new homes and GAA clubs are flourishing from Stockholm to Singapore.
Clubs here perform a vital community role and many will survive so long as there are two adults involved.  There is an understanding from history that emigration is a cyclical trend and things have to be kept going.
For those that can survive there is at least some silver lining in the ways in which they can maintain a stronger link than was ever possible to those players that are leaving.
Emigrants have long sought to maintain as deep a connection to home and family as they could.  In the 50’s it was through letters, in the 80’s and 90’s through live sport being brought to their new communities from their old.  Setanta Sports was established on the back of broadcasting GAA Championship games to Birmingham, Basildon and Boston.
In the modern age social media is enabling as great a connection as if the players were merely sidelined by injury, and this needs to be utilised by clubs in the battle to survive.
The fan base of any of the major soccer teams in England is now predominantly based overseas.  Sport has become very international and local rugby, soccer and GAA clubs in particular need to follow suit.
Facebook, twitter and other social media like Pinterest are presently used primarily for keeping in touch with those players and club members who are still here.  That is only natural but those who have had to leave can easily be remembered and catered for by involving them in the flow of news and stories.
Associations with overseas clubs can be built through one or two former members that have maintained a link.  This can be of benefit in terms of tours both to and from Ireland, in a way that can forge lifetime bonds.
Just as importantly players will feel a strong connection if and when they return.  There is a strong inter generational draw in sport and one parent will often travel miles to have children play in the club they grew up in.  That can only be maintained if the connection is too.
Merchandise which locates the identity of an individual can be created and sold or distributed through social media channels, and fundraising initiatives can be promoted to an international diaspora rather than across three townlands in the country or three square kilometres of a city.
Portumna GAA Club in Galway sold 1,500 copies of their professionally produced calendar in 2010, many of them overseas.  The club membership is only 300 and the extra sales produced a €15,000 windfall for the club.
Young people generally leave for economic reasons and many will have a better standard of living as a result of their departure, even if it is only temporary.  The reach and draw of a local touchstone like a sports club can be used to repatriate financial contributions in the short term as well as human capital in the longer run.
Individuals who have done well in their new surroundings might be better placed and more inclined to contribute to projects that might be needed but are short of funds like dressing rooms or training grounds.
Not every club will benefit but those who have a problem with emigration need to work on ideas that will connect them to the players and families that are leaving, to build a bond that will endure and be of benefit to both sides, and to make sure that emigration is limited to a physical rather than a total loss to their community.
Sport for Business will be present at the Irish International Business Network Annual Conference in London on Friday 9th November.  If your sport or club has an initiative to maintain connections with overseas players or members please let us know and we can help to spread the word.
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