As part of a two week deep dive into the GAA Annual report we are looking at different aspects that go into and beyond the numbers.
Today we look at the GAA perspective on an issue that is challenging for Ireland in many different ways, some positive, but in rural areas some that threaten many of the institutions that have until now been so important within communities.
This year’s GAA Annual Congress will host a workshop looking at the Association’s structures and in light of the way that the population is shifting, nothing is off the table.
We learned in the report that the median size of registered members within a club is 354, spread across a total number of registered teams for 2024 of 21,482.
60 clubs have a membership base in excess of 1,400 and while most of these are urban clubs and many in Dublin, there are a number growing quickly in each county.
The report points out the impact of this on competitiveness and also on the burden faced by volunteers in finding facilities to manage such large numbers.
The latest census revealed that for the first time since 1841 the population of the island is now over 7,million, and that one third lives in what is termed the Greater Dublin Area stretching from Drogheda to Gorey.
Smaller communities, where once the GAA club was the heartbeat, are growing smaller and clubs are faced with the choice of merging with other local villages or passing into history.
Perhaps the greatest concern is that we are seeing a drop off in participation of teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17.
The number of teams in the Youth category dwarfs that of the adult base, with 16,399 teams in total for the children over four times the number for adult players.
The question posed in the report is whether the club, county and provincial structures that have always dominated the Association remain fit for purpose.
Galway and Antrim are already playing in the ‘Leinster’ Hurling Championship at inter-county level so there is already a precedent and just as our political boundaries cross traditional county boundaries, perhaps so too will the GAA of the future.
Join us tomorrow when we will be looking at Communications.
SPORT FOR BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE
Changing ways in which society is structured have to be reflected in all areas of that society and why should sport be different. Laois Offaly is a political constituency and maybe it needs to be a GAA one too in the future..
WHAT’S UP NEXT?
Tomorrow we will look at what was said about communication, the role of the traditional PRO and digital content in a changing media landscape.
MEMBERSHIP AND EVENTS
The GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association are among the 300+ organisations that are members of the Sport for Business community.
The Sport for Business Membership comprises nearly 300 organisations, including all the leading sports and sponsors, as well as commercial and state agencies.
