Heading away can make summer pay
Students who have recently finished their summer exams have little chance of securing summer work to bolster finances in advance of heading back to college in the autumn.
Depending on the progress of their county team and the nature of the fixture schedule in their native county, it would not be uncommon for June and July to be relatively quiet on the club scene.
However, the player will always feel under pressure to stay around especially if the club has already permanently lost a number of players.
Still, for a 19 or 20 year old who will most likely play for the next 15 years or so surely he should be allowed the opportunity to head away and enjoy the experience, not to mention the opportunity to earn a few quid without feeling like he is letting his club or teammates down.
Having spent three summers in Boston (2000-2002), I have never been able to have anything but a positive disposition towards players heading away. I played with the Wolfe Tones club based around the South Boston district. A predominantly white, Irish-American neighbourhood, ‘Southie’, as it was commonly known, had a chequered past and in the 1970’s and 80’s housed the notorious gang of James ‘Whitey’ Bulger, the Irish-American gangster who still holds a place on the FBI ten most wanted list. ‘The Departed’ is based on his life story.
The Wolfe Tones had a sprinkling of players from many counties, though Dubs and Royals predominated within the panel. At my first training session I was apprehensive and not too sure what to expect. I had been told I was brought out to play midfield that summer so I immediately tried to suss out who I might be nudging out of the team. It didn’t take me long to pick out this big shaven-headed fella who looked like he would go through you for a short cut. Aware I was new on the scene, he came straight over. ‘Howya Dickie, I’m Joe Mooney from Meath’, as he tried his level best to crush my hand. We proceeded to knock lumps out of each other in a training game, neither of us giving an inch.
Having been warned about the lawlessness of football in the US, I was keen to show I wasn’t one for standing back. It was only after training that one of the other lads came over laughing, ‘I see you met Joe, don’t mind him, he is as mad as a box of frogs, but will only be playing with the Juniors this year!’
The first summer I shared an apartment with Marty McGrath and my brother.
There were no airs or graces about us in that place and while we weren’t on the bread line by any means, if we wanted to live in relative comfort and have a good social life we had to work to pay our way. Some of the best craic was had when working on random jobs.
Students transferring to the US has always been a part of GAA culture and it is generally accepted that players can get well recompensed for doing so. Some simply get their flights, accommodation and promise of a job, whilst headlines acts can expect large lump sums along with travel and accommodation for the missus — if he’s unlucky enough to have to bring her! However in many cases it can be the former who provide a better return on investment as the latter can treat the whole experience as an indulgence and feel he doesn’t need to give the same level of commitment.
What also must be considered, however, is the impact this has on the club.
I was fortunate insofar as I was never put under pressure to stay at home as by early June it was not uncommon for both the club and county to be out of the Championship, a trend that has thankfully changed over the interim period.
The GAA is coming under increased pressure to help in combating the country’s economic woes by ‘supporting’ its players. In truth, the sheer volume of players in question makes this impossible.
However if a young player has the opportunity to head away for a few months to earn a few bob, Croke Park should do everything possible to facilitate it. At present the three-month rule and transfer deadline constraints make it a more difficult proposition.
In New York there used to be an option to go on a weekend transfer to play but that has been discontinued.
In saying all this, it must be recognised that the club scene in America is very well run with those involved taking immense pride in their organisation.
They want to maintain the integrity of their games and so a revolving door transfer policy throughout the summer might not be the best development in that regard.
But I think the current system could be looked at by both parties and an improved system could be developed to provide our young players with an alternative to hanging around idle all summer.
