O’Donovan raises rural club fears

The closure of garda stations and the loss of other traditional services will have a serious impact on the GAA as it makes rural areas less attractive and players will move elsewhere, delegates at the Munster Council GAA club forum in Killarney have been warned.

Cork Games Development Administrator, Kevin O’Donovan fears that a generation is being lost to emigration but there is very little clubs can do to counter the problems of recession and urbanisation.

“You can only treat the effects,” he admitted. “We need to maximise participation at underage level and get quality coaching because if you’re good at it then you’ll stay at it longer.”