Kerry fear for their future

KERRY’S domination of gaelic football in this country could be brought to a shuddering halt not by Dublin, Cork or Tyrone, but by the rapid depopulation of huge rural swathes of the county, a worrying new report has warned.

The worsening trend of rural depopulation in Kerry is having considerable consequences already, GAA officials in the county have been told. A sub-committee established by the Kerry County Board to investigate the problem has revealed that 23 of the 76 clubs in the county have less than an average of eight boys per class in their local primary schools.

Eight of the 23 clubs have less than an average of 5 boys per class — with six of these clubs being in the South Kerry area, home to such Kingdom legends as Mick O’Connell, Jack O’Shea, Maurice Fitzgerald, Declan O’Sullivan and current Kerry coach Jack O’Connor. It is forecast that each of these 23 clubs will have to amalgamate with other clubs to field underage teams over the coming years.

There are also concerns over a worrying trend at minor level with less than four out of 10 (37%) clubs in the county able to field 15-a-side football teams this year. That compares to 69% of clubs fielding 15-a-side football teams in 1998.

Joseph McCrohan, who chaired the committee that examined rural depopulation in Kerry, insists that measures must be taken now to tackle the problem before it has an adverse effect on the fortunes of the county’s senior sides in recent years.

“We were asked by the Kerry County Board to look at this issue which has become more significant in the county in recent years. There is a definite problem there for small rural clubs in Kerry and this needs to be addressed. The number of young players coming through to senior teams is narrowing the whole time. The key reason for that is the lack of jobs out there and the emigration that is ensuing as a result of that.

“We have asked that job creation in rural parts of the county now become a priority for the county committee. For instance we’re suggesting that the county board, district boards and every club encourage GAA members to become members in local development organisations.

“If the situation worsens, it could have serious consequences for the Kerry senior teams down the line. If you look at Kerry All-Ireland winning teams, it has been a common occurrence for some of the county’s best footballers to have come from small rural clubs, in areas in the south and north of the county for instance. But there is the prospect that will stop happening as these clubs won’t have the players to supply to county teams. The Kerry county teams would then largely be drawn from the urban areas in the county.”

Kerry GAA chiefs are set to now study the report and the findings of the sub-committee with the intention of implementing its recommendations in 2012.

The report comes amid revelations that the drain of GAA players requesting transfers to clubs in Australia is reaching record highs with almost 900 transfer applications submitted to the organisation in the first nine months of this year.

Counties losing the most footballers and hurlers include Cork (86 players), Tyrone (57 players), Tipperary (55 players), Limerick (54 players) and All Ireland football champions Dublin (49 players).

Even though the moves are a blow to rural GAA clubs struggling to make up the numbers on local teams, the fresh blood in Australia is being wholeheartedly welcomed.

Senior member of the Sydney Shamrocks Hurling Club, Mark Tobin, says its always good to see new people joining.

“This year we had about 60 members registered and we’ll be hoping to get that again when the season starts in January/February,” he told the Irish Echo.

While he hasn’t noticed a dramatic increase in new players, he does say that more and more players are remaining in the club.

“It used to be just backpackers for one season, but now you’d have lads who’ve been sponsored coming back every year…that’s a good way to build up a team and get it to the standard you’d need for Championship competition.”

As a result of the high number of players now permanently resident down under, it is felt by some that the GAA should now consider including an Australian team in All-Ireland Senior Championships. The changes could see a team from one of the main clubs in Sydney or Perth compete in a provincial first round qualifier, in a manner similar to the New York and London teams.

However, GAA Communications Officer Alan Milton says that while the possibility of including an Australian team may have been thought about informally, it is not something the organisation is actively pursuing.

“For practical reasons I don’t believe it is something that could or will come to pass,” Mr Milton says. “In terms of geography, finance and general logistics, there is no comparing a scenario whereby a representative team from Australasia would compete the way New York and London do.”