GAA fans around the country have been treated to some incredible games in recent weeks, with some top quality club championship action on offer.
There have been quite a few memorable moments. Edendork winning their first Tyrone senior crown in dramatic circumstances is right at the top of the list, while the wins for Salthill-Knocknacarra in Galway and Crossmaglen in Armagh also led to some special scenes.
There will further big games to come over the coming weeks, with the provincial competitions in both codes set to kick into gear. In saying that, some have identified what they feel is a worrying trend among many of this year’s county champions in the GAA.
Pat Spillane identifies worrying club GAA trend
Despite still having strong roots in rural areas, it seems apparent that the GAA is becoming increasingly dominated by urban-based teams in recent years.
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It has become increasingly common to county championships throughout the country won by clubs from the biggest town or city in the area. While that has always been prevalent in the sport, it has increased in recent times as the population demographics within Ireland continue to evolve.
Writing in the Irish Independent, Pat Spillane said this is something the GAA should keep an eye on moving forward.
More and more county champions are emerging from large towns and cities. Killarney, Cork, Galway, Ennis, Sligo, Drogheda and Tullamore are all represented by clubs with big memberships and sometimes enormous player pools.
When clubs can draw from memberships numbering in the thousands, they enjoy advantages unavailable to many smaller rural communities. Membership of Kilmacud Crokes is 5,000 and Cuala’s stands at around 3,500 — the clubs met in last Sunday’s Dublin SHC final.
It is not a crisis yet, but it is certainly a development worth watching.
Will GAA tackle urban domination of club scene?
It is clear that many GAA clubs in rural areas are struggling, with amalgamations at both juvenile and adult level becoming increasingly common.
The nature of modern society means that more and more families are now living in urban areas. While that may strengthen the clubs in that region, it also has the knock-on effect of weakening many teams that were already previously down on numbers.
It is something that the authorities need to combat moving forward. With rural areas having been the lifeblood of the GAA for so long, measures should be taken to ensure that this remains the case for future generations.