Time to bring the curtain down on the double bill mentality
Almost invariably, the main game will be played as the second fixture with the opening game as the curtain-raiser. Often times this makes sense.
For years, minor championship games were played as curtain-raisers to all provincial and All-Ireland championship matches. But in recent years, with the growing importance of the Leaving Certificate, with almost all students going on to that level at least, the GAA has adapted it’s programme so as not to interfere too much with these exams and help ease the pressure on minor inter-county players.
The opening rounds of senior provincial championships takes place in May and June and as this is prime exam-time, it is no longer opportune to play minor championship games as curtain-raisers to senior inter-county championship ties. Still, tradition dies hard in the GAA. People feel that we always had double bills so we must continue to have them. It is believed, that curtain-raisers help bring in the crowd early and help prevent congestion and overcrowding before the big throw in. Personally, I am very dubious about the validity of these ideas.
As the minors were no longer available as curtain-raisers, tradition and belief dictated that some curtain-raiser had to be found. Enter the Junior Football Championships and Intermediate Hurling Championships.
So in Munster and in other provinces we get these junior and intermediate inter-county games as curtain-raisers each year now.
Do they help bring in a crowd early? Are they attractive curtain-raisers? The answer, I am afraid, is in the negative and that is not to diminish or devalue the genuine commitment of those involved in these teams.
But the reality is when these games are played as standalone fixtures, they attract very few spectators. So the obvious question is, how can games that on their own, don’t attract much interest from the paying public, be deemed suddenly to be attractive curtain-raisers?
It’s time for the GAA to rethink their whole approach to curtain-raisers. As most people go to senior inter-county championship games to support their own county and no more, the idea that a junior or intermediate game is going to bring in the crowd early or increase the attendance is a fallacy. Those who come early do so because they like to come early, relax and take in the atmosphere. It doesn’t matter a whole pile to most of them what’s on before the big game.
Therefore, the GAA should use this “curtain-raiser” time to promote the game, and to encourage young people to get involved and stay involved.
That curtain-raiser time could be put to quite good use to showcase promising young talent, give recognition to outstanding Gaels, promote integration and recognise the value and contribution of schools.
For instance, if a Cumann na mBunscoil final was played as a curtain-raiser, wouldn’t it be far more beneficial and exciting than a run-of-the-mill junior inter-county game? Couldn’t a ladies football or camogie game involving young girls be a great opportunity to promote those codes? What about non-exam players’ games? I am not talking now about a few minutes play as we have in the mini-sevens, but a full game where players could get plenty ball time and spectators could run the rule over budding talent.
Of course, it doesn’t always have to be a game. I noticed recently that as part of one evening’s racing at the Mallow racetrack, they put on a concert by Bagatelle as part of the racing experience. Couldn’t the GAA do something similar at some major championship matches? Ireland is blessed at the minute with some outstanding musical talent and with a little imagination some of this talent could be utilised to entertain and warm up the crowd for the major game by playing music and singing songs relevant to the participating teams and the occasion.
There are a whole host of singers, dancers and musicians who would love to play at major GAA games.
They’d certainly do more to bring in the crowd early and create a rousing atmosphere than some of the fare we have seen too often in recent years.
