Gooch: Protect our skilful players or fans will stop watching

Colm Cooper has warned that the GAA faces the spectre of plummeting attendances at senior inter-county football games if the trend for massed defences and a focus on athleticism rather than skill continues.

The Gooch, speaking at the launch of Lucozade’s Sport Club Crusade, claimed football is not the game it used to be because individual “class and elegance” is being sacrificed to the gods of work-rate and defence.

“If this trend continues, it’ll be a lesser game,” he said. “If you take a look at attendances at games, I think it’s falling. Maybe I’m wrong on that but Croke Park are expecting 50,000 (for a Leinster semi-final double-header) on Sunday. Two or three years ago, they’d be expecting 80,000 at it. If it continues to go the way it is, you’ll see attendances dropping. You need to safeguard the skills of the game and the skilful players in the game.”