Unleashing 'The Blue Wave' A Strategy for Dublin GAA - Croke Park

UNLEASHING “THE
blue wave ”
A Strategy for Dublin GAA 2011-2017

1. INTRODUCTION
contents
»
03
2. looking back
3. challenges facing
dublin GAA
»
13
5. what gets
measured gets done
»
73
appendices
»
19
4. Unleashing
“the blue wave”
our action plan
»
6. recommendations
to other units
31 74 »
»
76

UNLEASHING “THE blue wave” A Strategy for Dublin GAA 2011-2017
1. INTRODUCTION
But the Dublin of old statutes, this arrogant city;
Stirs proudly and secretly in my blood
The city, they say, is recruited from the country. The blue-clad supporters
who spend many summer Sundays with their backs to the Dublin-Sligo train
line would demur; Dublin made them, and no little town…
The relationship between the Dublin GAA club and the migrating
generations who settled in the capital to work has always been reinforcing;
the ideal of the GAA club, as a central point of communal empathy, is
central to rural, village and provincial town life in Ireland.
It is an ideal that continues to be carried by GAA people who settle in
Dublin bolstering the existing traditional values. Enshrined in the ethos of
the Association, we aspire through our clubs to achieve a strong sense of
local identity.
However, the ideal is increasingly nuanced in a burgeoning city where a GAA
club’s membership can rival the population of a small town. Dublin is a
county, governed by four local authorities, where parish boundaries are
either antiquated or irrelevant; where the maxim for many could be ‘one life,
three clubs.’ Whither the community and whither the intricate challenge
facing Dublin’s GAA administrators
How can local identity be defined when one shares a common environment
with a huge population Is the challenge different across Dublin’s variant
socioeconomic demographics How can we best harness the GAA’s truly
classless ethos to unleash the Power of The Blue
The complexities of modern city life in Dublin, of sprawling urban growth,
cultural diversity, rapid population increase, spatial restriction and social
mobility have forced a fundamental rethink for what the GAA means and
where the GAA is going… and not just in Dublin. The economic downturn is
also shaping this new approach, centring on the twin challenges of
resourcing and emigration, but equally heightening the GAA’s responsibility
to help alleviate the adverse consequences of recession.
With nearly one in every three children in the 26 counties born to a mother
resident in Dublin, the challenge of the county is a challenge for the
Association whose future is increasingly linked to urban growth.
But if the challenge is obvious why do senior Dublin administrators remain
thin on the ground in Croke Park There is an interdependent relationship
between the development of Gaelic games in Dublin and the future
03

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
Increasing
and improving
access to
games for
players from
all backgrounds
and
genders is
an essential
component of
any strategic
plan.
wellbeing of the GAA. The work of the capital’s administrators is critical to
the realisation of the GAA’s national ambition while the Association’s central
and provincial hierarchies must recognise that the absence of a permanent
Dublin presence at the respective top tables leaves perspectives dangerously
incomplete.
And although the need for tangible support from the Leinster Council and
Croke Park is critical, the challenge of nurturing and safeguarding Dublin’s
GAA identity and its growth ambition is a challenge that must be met by
people whose vision and passion is, as the American troubadour put it,
Tangled up in Blue. Ambition must be sanity checked and guided by the
principles of county identity. Our flagship teams – our senior footballers and
hurlers – must never be divided.
That is not to be insular or ignore the reality and scale of what lies ahead.
Nor is it to shirk radical thought and action which may help sustain and
develop our national games in the capital.
Increasing and improving access to games for players from all backgrounds
and genders is an essential component of any strategic plan. The tide has
turned in 2011 but Dublin’s relative lack of success at All-Ireland level
hitherto is proof enough that a crude numbers game is not enough. Talent
must be nurtured, experiences must be positive, opportunity must be
widespread, and resources must be allocated.
The relationships between all strands have to be managed effectively. The
collective goals of club and county cannot be mutually exclusive. County
success nurtures the dream, club volunteers nurture the reality.
The continued commercial health of the inter-county game remains
essential for the wider Association but we need to examine how well we are
served by the traditional models of competition. As an important component
of that commercial reality, Dublin has a serious role to play in future
developments.
Dublin’s hurling revolution, now posing new but welcome challenges for
Dublin GAA, is testimony to the value of long-term planning, strategic
thinking and passionate ambition. It is also proof that with the courage of
conviction, even to the point of positive discrimination, serious obstacles
can be overcome.
But all revolutions require momentum and hurling will be sustained longterm
by senior county success. While the game is projected to grow faster
than football at grassroots level over the next five years, the dream must
continue to be nurtured, to ensure that Dublin hurling is equally tangled in
blue the dream, our future, must be Blue.
The Blue Jersey is a unique, inclusive brand, uniting Dublin’s dense
expanse, blurring the difference in class and possession which became so
pointedly manifest during the delusional days of the Celtic Tiger.
Dublin’s county teams are of monumental cultural and social importance
to the city but, with over a fifth of the country’s population resident here,
they are also of enormous strategic importance to the future wellbeing of
the GAA.
While Blue must become the colour of success, this is no cheap marketing
gimmick. Blue is the colour of our Dublin heritage, of our Irish, Gaelic
identity in the capital city, the colour that helped separate the capital from
its colonial past. It is the colour of the ideal… of Heffernan and Foley, of
Mullins and Doherty, of Boland and McMahon, of Barr and Curran, of
Brogan and Whelan, of Rushe and Keaney… of Hill 16.
It is an extraordinarily effective promotional tool, enshrined in the anthem
of the county’s often maligned but fiercely loyal supporters.
Blue is also the colour of a commercial phenomenon, of capacity crowds,
of broadcasting schedules and of ambitious sponsorship. But it is a
success harnessed by the centre which can serve to sustain the
peripheries.
04

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
We can’t copyright a colour but the subliminal exploitation of Dublin’s
unique sporting hue by our competitors has not gone unnoticed.
Mutual respect is essential in Irish sport yet the appeal of a flourishing
professional franchise is still a real challenge in the struggle for hearts and
minds in Dublin while the demographic shift continues to distort traditional
values and interests. Our Blue affords Dublin GAA the greatest potential to
evolve as the flagship brand of commercial sport in Ireland. Successful
implementation of our strategy will also reinforce the fact that Dublin is
GAA Country.
We are a progressive county, administered by a county committee whose
commitment to development and change is reflected in the improvements
that continue to be made. The 2011 Allianz Spring Series was a snapshot of
our ongoing innovations.
The success of our Board’s games development work is evidenced by the
growth in juvenile numbers, underpinned by effective administration.
But as always, success poses new and greater challenges; we are never more
vulnerable than when things are going well. The GAA in Dublin must
continue to maximise participation in our games which in turn will require a
greater investment in structures and resources. The premium of space will
require continual honing of administrative models and a possible expansion
of the traditional playing weekend.
Stronger links must continue to be forged with the education sector, once
such a critical component in the development of players. The message and
the approach should be consistent.
The counties infrastructure deficit, for decades distorted from over-reliance
on Croke Park, must be addressed through the development of stadia
affording low cost spectator accommodation and participation/centre of
excellence facilities in the county.
05

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
In 1974 Kevin
Heffernan
reawakened
a moribund
senior football
team and
helped
revolutionise
the GAA in
Dublin in the
process.
Our Ladies Football teams have brought great pride to the county and have
become role models for the exploding interest in ladies football. Similarly
camogie is being carried to new levels at club and county level by the
successes in hurling. Yet the continuing separation of male and female
associations contrasts sharply with the singular responsibility for promoting
both genders entrenched throughout Dublin’s GAA club network.
Acceleration of the integration agenda at national level would serve to
underpin the work being done on the ground and afford greater potential for
growth, synergies and commercial opportunity.
In 1974 Kevin Heffernan reawakened a moribund senior football team and
helped revolutionise the GAA in Dublin in the process. He did so by
changing a mind-set.
Dublin has a strong present built on the solid foundations of our past. Our
future must now be informed by a comprehensive, ambitious strategic plan,
guided by a willingness within Dublin’s GAA community, and across the GAA
nationally to embrace a different mind-set, one which genuinely twins the
long-term health of the GAA in Dublin with that of the Association as a
whole.
Unleashed. 5:05pm September 18, 2011
4:50pm September 18, 2011. The strained hearts of massed Blue hoards
longed for a break, a reward for the spirit and effort that had carried the
county to the cusp in four finals. Three painful steps and a fourth following
the same harrowing path. There had been no loss of dignity, no set-backs,
merely the cruel twist of fate’s capricious hand, yet again. All sports are
games of inches.
But as September’s gloom enveloped Croke Park the brightest blue spark
ignited an explosion which hadn’t yet subsided when, with the truest strike
of Stephen Cluxton’s left boot, the dreams of generations sailed over the bar
into the rapturous embrace of Hill 16.
Only the coldest of hearts or those of expectant Kingdom stock could not
embrace the extraordinary outpouring of emotion. The clichéd vision of
grown men crying with joy was surpassed by the sight of thousands of
children doing likewise, carried on the Blue Wave of elation coursing around
the famous stadium and on to the streets of the city and county.
This was wonderful, this was proper, this is Dublin.
This is the beginning.
06

president
cumann lúthchleas Gael
Táimthar a bheith sasta an réamhrá seo a scríobh ar láoll mhór do mhuintir CLG
igContae Átha Cliath agus gach éinne a bhfuil acu in ár gcursaí sa phríomh
chathair.
You don’t have to reside in Dublin or in its surroundings to fully appreciate the
importance of the city and county to the overall health and well being of the Gaelic
Athletic Association. However, as someone who has spent a lot of time in the
capital city at various different times over the course of my life, this has always
been abundantly clear to me.
The facts and figures speak for themselves and if we are not well organised,
ambitious and competitive in our main urban bases and in Dublin in particular,
there is a gaping hole in our Association.
Thankfully we are on track – even before the publication of this review, and you only
have to glance back at the championship year enjoyed by Dublin to back this up. By
any standards it was a remarkable season.
Of course Dublin would have liked to have secured more All-Ireland silverware to go
with the famous football title they annexed in such dramatic fashion by Pat Gilroy’s
fine team. However, that the county reached a total of four finals is not easily
overlooked – and I pay particular reference to hurling in that observation.
The rise of hurling in the county over the last decade has been a massive boost to
the game and also a template for how counties can re-organise themselves and
reinvigorate already ongoing efforts to promote our activities.
As a city and county Dublin has always held a special place in the Association that
extends far beyond the numbers game that goes hand in hand with capital city
demographics.The playing and administrative centre of the Association is located
here and we all have happy memories of Croke Park and Dublin, no matter where it
is we call home.The superb network of clubs in Dublin have provided a sporting
infrastructure to behold that otherwise would not exist.
They have also assisted in a subtle but not insignificant way in the movement of
people both within Ireland but also into Ireland through the provision of outlets that
foster community ethos and spirit that can be hard to come by in urban settings.
Of course there are challenges. There are areas of the county were we are not as
strong on the ground as we would like to be. We have fantastic clubs who attempt
to cater for areas and numbers that mean they are fully stretched.
This is where the significance of what has been produced between these two covers
comes into play. The success or otherwise of a sporting body can be measured in
participation levels. Everything flows from the people who play our games from an
early age – whether it is a desire to provide top level coaching, to attend county
games or to develop the best facilities we can for our young people.
In many ways this is timely coming as it does on the back of a season of massive
promise for those who wear and support sky blue.
I encourage everyone with an interest in the fortunes of this county to buy into the
plan outlined here and to play your role.
2011 does not have to be a one off. It could in time be bettered if some of the
goals and aspirations outlined here bear fruit.
Ar aghaidh len ár gcluichí,
CRIOSTÓIR Ó CUANA
UACHTARÁN, CHUMANN LÚTHCHLEAS GAEL.
07

CHAIRMAN
DUBLIN COUNTY COMMITTEE CLG
Dublin GAA’s strategic plan (2011-2017) outlines the path the Dublin County
Committee (DCC) will take to achieve our vision of positioning Dublin as the
leading GAA county. Achieving our goals will allow Dublin to effectively help
the Association to confirm its position as the leading driver of sport and
community development in Ireland.
The continuation of the GAA’s role as the largest generator of social capital in
Ireland and the greatest force for equalising access to sport across the genders
is now more necessary than ever in the Ireland of 2011. This position is
reinforced by the principle driving the games development policy of “play and
stay with the GAA”. Dublin GAA is also in the best position, due to its
extensive classless club network, to create increased social inclusion
consistent with Government policy. In short it can be a vehicle for Government
and local authorities to help redress social deficit through sport and
community-based funding and projects. The County Committee recognises
that Dublin GAA must continue to broaden its base and emphasise
participation, health, wellbeing and community spirit.
After extensive research, analysis and stakeholder consultation we have
identified nine strategic goals that cover all aspects of the County Committee’s
activities. These start with the many thousands of children who experience
GAA games from a very early age and who progress through underage
participation, then participation in club activity leading to representing Dublin
in the inter-county competitions right through to those volunteering and being
involved in all aspects of club and County Board activities.
The current county committee structure has served Dublin well but today’s
challenges dictate that we cannot stand still. We must ensure that the
county committee is itself adequately resourced and is supported by strong
sub-committees such as brand and commercial development, infrastructure
and finance.
In working towards our vision we will create opportunities for all Dubliners to
engage with the games and other activities in a way that suits their life
stages, lifestyles and aspirations.
We will continue to monitor social and demographic trends and respond
positively to such changes while protecting and adding to our values to
ensure that Gaelic games will continue to be meaningful and consequently
grow and make a positive contribution to the quality of life for people living
in Dublin.
We will provide clear pathways of excellence for our talented juveniles, both
male and female, so that they are given every chance to achieve success in
club and inter-county competitions at the highest level of our games. Dublin
GAA, which is pivotal to the future wellbeing of the GAA and the Dublin
County Committee, looks forward to working with the Leinster and Central
Councils of the Association and the people of Dublin over the coming years
to convert our goals and aspirations into reality.
We enjoyed unparalleled success on the inter-county playing fields this year.
This success was a result of hard work and planning by a large number of
dedicated people across the GAA community in Dublin. We need to build on
this success and this Strategic Plan will provide the pathway to future
achievements. This is a beginning, not an end.
ANDY KETTLE
CHAIRMAN, DUBLIN COUNTY COMMITTEE CLG
8

ARD StiÚrthÓir
cumann lúthchleas gael
Is cúis mhór áthais dom an deis seo a bheith agam na focail seo a leanas a
scríobh don foilseacháin fíorthabhachtach seo do gach éinne a bhfuil baint acu
len’ár gCumann an seo i gContae Átha Cliath.
As part of the Association’s Strategic Vision and Action Plan in 2008 it was
agreed that all county and provincial units would undertake their own Strategic
Reviews with the objective of putting in place a detailed plan covering the
activities and promotion of the Association within their area of operation. I am
pleased to say that the vast majority of our units have by now completed this
review and planning process, and that the process is already producing positive
results.
Croke Park does not accord a favoured status to any unit, but it would be
denying demographic facts not to recognise that Dublin is a region of vital
importance to the GAA. According to preliminary figures from Census 2011,
almost 1.3 million people live in Dublin city and county, which represents
20% of the entire population of Ireland. It is a simple statistical fact that
Dublin constitutes, in terms of population catchment area, the single largest
county unit in the Association, and is, therefore, a region in which the health of
the GAA has a profound impact on the wider health of the Association.
Apart from the high concentration of population, Dublin also offers the vast
range of cultural and leisure activities of a major capital city – not only does the
GAA have to compete against the strong presences of other sporting
organisations in Dublin, it must also fight for attention against the calls of
activities and opportunities that tempt people away from sport altogether.
One indication of the importance of a successful GAA in Dublin at a national
level is visible in the recent success of both the senior county football and
hurling teams. Both teams, through winning the All-Ireland Senior Football
Championship and National Hurling League, have generated excellent coverage
for the Association in national media and it is an indisputable fact that
successful Dublin county teams create an excitement and anticipation that no
other county can match. Such coverage is crucial – if the GAA does not get
these column inches and this broadcast time, they will surely go to other sports,
and will act as promotional activity for sports with which the GAA is in
competition in Dublin. Those wonderful successes reflect the hard work of so
many people with development squads and underage teams. But the
groundwork for the success of county teams takes place, as always in the GAA,
at club level. Here, the GAA has a strong and vibrant presence in Dublin.
The county’s 90 clubs provide an unrivalled network that brings the
Association’s community ethos to all areas of city and county. And it is also at
club level that the success of the GAA will be measured. Dublin, indeed,
presents a unique challenge to the Association, one we must all be ready to
accept: is the GAA offering good enough to allow the Association to survive and
thrive in the most competitive geographic area in the country It is in the
interests of the Association as a whole that it is. If we can compete successfully
for members and volunteers at club level, then the Association will prosper. The
formulation and enactment of the Dublin Strategic Plan are critical elements in
the Association’s drive to maintain and build upon its presence in Dublin.
I am grateful to everyone who has contributed to the formulation of the Dublin
Strategic Plan, and I look forward with optimism to seeing its implementation
strengthen the Association in Dublin city and county.
Rath Déar an obair.
PARAIC Ó DUFAIGH
ARD STIÚRTHÓIR
9

CHAIRMAN
strategic review committee
THE GAA IS UNDERPINNED by a strong community-based structure which has
helped to integrate people drawn from increasingly different cultures.
Dublin GAA’s network of 90 clubs is crucial to fostering and further
developing this community ethos in all areas of Dublin city and county.
Furthermore Gaelic games play an important part in the life of Dublin
society and have a unique profile where the county teams captivate the
imagination and unify the entire population of the county behind one jersey.
Dublin is home to 20% of the population of our island which places a
significant responsibility on Dublin GAA to ensure the promotion and
development of Gaelic games in the country’s largest population centre.
This responsibility has grown in recent years as nearly 30% of all the births
in the 26 counties are to mothers resident in Dublin. These challenges are
considerable in a county operating under the control of four different local
authorities with such a diverse population and developing communities.
■
■
■
■
■
■
The collapse of the Irish economy and its impact on Irish society
Changing social and demographic trends and the uneven geographic
and social distribution of the population
The increased media profile of sport generally and of Gaelic games
in particular
The opportunities and expectations created by the
commercialisation of sport
The evolving expectations of both players and supporters
Developments in the use of technology, especially communications
technologies, and the need for the Association to harness and
manage those changes to its advantage
In addition, because of its size and the potential for future playing numbers,
the children of Dublin are also the primary focus of the Association’s main
competitors. The task of ensuring that the Association can provide the
playing opportunities to meet these demographic movements places a
considerable onus on both Dublin GAA and the Association nationally.
The enormity of this task is reflected in the need to increase the numbers
participating in Go-Games from 12,063 in 2010 to 18,000 in 2017 if we
are to increase participation in real terms by ten percent over our current
rates. In addition to the increase in the population, the Strategic Committee
recognises the major environmental challenges facing Dublin GAA:
The participation of an tArd Stiúrthóir at the meetings of the main Strategic
Committee demonstrates the GAA’s recognition of the extent of the
challenges and the significance of Dublin to the future growth and
development of the Association. It has also served to heighten awareness at
Central Council level of some of the practical challenges facing Dublin GAA
as well as emphasising the mutual dependency between the national and
Dublin units of the Association.
10

The enormous contribution of our volunteers, players and club
administrators is also recognised and acknowledged as critical to the
prosperity of Dublin GAA. The many selfless hours they dedicate to the sport
at the grassroots level ensures Gaelic games in Dublin remain the favourite
sports for both children and adults. Their tireless dedication also fosters and
develops our elite players – both today’s and tomorrows - football, hurling
and camogie heroes.
The Government, the Irish Sports Council, Local Authorities, NAMA, the
education sector and our sponsors are also important stakeholders.
Effective consultation with all these groups will assist us in tackling the
issues we face in bringing the goals and objectives of this Strategic Plan to
fruition.
Our plan seeks to harness the Human Capital of our volunteers, the
Intangible Capital inherent in the Dublin Brand, the Commercial Capital of
our Sponsors and other stakeholders and the Financial and Cultural Capital
of Central Council to increase the Social Capital necessary to create a
vibrant capital city.
Striving to be the best in all that we do, will underpin each of the objectives
we have set, and will help us to develop the best players, coaches,
administrators, facilities, participation, promotion events and experience
possible.
I wish to thank everybody who was involved in the preparation of this plan
and who worked selflessly for the advancement of the GAA in Dublin. The
implementation of this plan will be monitored over its duration in order to
ensure that our vision of making Dublin Ireland’s leading GAA county
becomes a reality.
We will not meet the challenges of today with yesterday’s tools and expect to
be successful tomorrow
BRENDAN WATERS
CHAIRMAN, STRATEGIC REVIEW COMMITTEE
11

UNLEASHING “THE blue wave” A Strategy for Dublin GAA 2011-2017
2. a look back
before we go forward
On 2 December 1885 the Dublin County Committee was established with
John Wyse Power, one of the seven founders of the GAA, as its first
chairperson. The Association thrived in its early years and by 1888 there
were one hundred and fourteen clubs of variable scales in the county. It is
estimated that these clubs catered for some 6,000 footballers and about a
hundred hurlers. The hurling clubs, concentrated in the inner city, were
made up of rural migrants who worked mainly in the retail draperies, the
bakeries, transport services, and public houses. Football dominated rural
County Dublin. But it was the hurlers of Kickhams, the representatives of
the drapery trade, who won the first of Dublin’s six hurling All-Irelands by
defeating the representatives of County Clare at Inchicore on 3 November,
1889. The first of the county’s twenty-three football All-Ireland titles was
secured when Young Irelands, drawn mainly from brewery employees, beat
Clondrohid of Cork on 28 February 1892.
But it was political events beyond the playing fields, which threatened to
destroy the Association in its early years in Dublin. The condemnation of
Charles Stewart Parnell, one of the GAA’s patrons, by the Catholic Church in
1891 because of his relationship with Kitty O’Shea, caused deep and
lasting divisions. Many Dublin clubs failed to survive the ‘Parnell split’ and
their numbers in Dublin declined from an estimated one hundred and
twenty in 1889 to a mere thirty-eight in 1900. But Dublin GAA remained
faithful to Parnell. When the ‘uncrowned king’ died in October 1891
officers of the County Board, led by Thomas Lee, chairman, and including
James Boland (chairman 1892 and father of Harry, chairman 1911-
1918), marched in his funeral cortege at the head of some 2,000
followers with hurleys draped in black. Parnell is commemorated today in
both the County Board’s headquarters and the county’s premier playing
ground in Donnycarney.
But Dublin guided by wise administrators, such as Lorcan O’Toole (O’Toole
Park, appropriately opened by Kevin Boland in 1957 commemorates him)
secretary of the County Board from 1915 to 1940, and benefiting from its
core position at the centre of the rail and road network, overcame the
travails of the 1890s. With willing volunteers and a large playing
population to draw from, the county prospered so much that by 1920 it
had won eleven All-Ireland football titles (half its total to date) and two
hurling All-Irelands (one third of its total). But there were problems such
as the withdrawal of the Kickhams club in 1913 and its formation of a
rival organisation to the GAA. Kickhams, one of Dublin’s most successful
dual clubs withdrew ostensibly over representation at County Board but the
conflict was in reality about the unresolved question of constitutional and
physical force nationalism.
13

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
The Garda
team, which
represented
Dublin in the
All-Ireland of
1927, is
generally
recognised
as one of the
greatest
hurling sides
of all time.
Kickhams returned in 1919 to a much-changed Dublin, physically and
politically shattered by the events of Easter Week 1916 in which as many as
three hundred Dublin GAA members participated. Further away from their
native city young Dublin men, again players and followers of the GAA, fell
on the battlefields of the Great War. But the County Board managed to keep
the games going through the War of Independence and the Civil War, albeit
with championships running well beyond their calendar years.
Looking back the years it seems that the summer of 1921, between the
Truce and the yet to be signed Treaty, was a golden period for the GAA in
Dublin. The young revolutionaries, Michael Collins, Harry Boland, Eamon de
Valera, Dan Breen and Seán McKeon, often in military uniform, were feted
in Croke Park. Collins photographed, addressing the Dublin and Kilkenny
hurling teams, on the role of the GAA in the revolution, prior to a Leinster
hurling final is a compelling image. In other photographs from the period
one can see Harry Boland, hurler and former chairman of the County Board,
exchanging banter, as former players do, with his old team mates. Within a
year both Collins and Boland were dead, victims of the Civil War.
Three Sundays between 1918 and 1924 carry great symbolism for the GAA
in Dublin. In defiance of a government ban on the gathering of people to
participate in Gaelic games the GAA designated Sunday, 4 August 1918 as
Gaelic Sunday. ‘In one never to be forgotten tournament’, remembered
Tommy Moore, ‘we crossed our hurleys with the lion’s claw and emerged
victorious’. Sunday, 21 November 1920 is forever recalled as ‘Bloody
Sunday’ for the deaths of players and supporters gathered in Croke Park for
a football challenge match between Dublin and Tipperary. Those killed were
representative of the people who played and followed the game in the city.
They were the city boys from the precincts of Croke Park; the young men up
from the country working in city pubs; the young girl who accompanied her
fiancée to the game; and the older men from the outlying suburban clubs.
Sunday, 28 September 1924, marks the beginning of modern times for the
GAA. It was on that day that Dublin played and beat Kerry in the delayed
1923 All-Ireland final. The Civil War had divided but not fatally damaged
the Association in Dublin. Teams took the sides of their captains or other
key men, but on that Sunday the game persevered and helped heal the
wounds.
In the later 1920s the games became one of the building blocks of the new
state. Both the new police force, An Garda Síochána, and Army Metro
recruited the best players from all over Ireland to form teams in Dublin. The
Garda hurling team won six county senior hurling championships between
1925 and 1931; Army Metro won three between 1933 and 1938.
Eventually under pressure from the established clubs, these almost
professional outfits were disbanded, but not before they provided the
backbone of the Dublin teams that won the county’s last hurling All-Irelands
in 1927 and 1938. The Garda team, which represented Dublin in the All-
Ireland of 1927, is generally recognised as one of the greatest hurling sides
of all time.
The most contentious issue and one that had a long-term impact on the
GAA in Dublin was the Declaration Rule passed at the Annual Congress of
the GAA in 1925. Under its provisions players born outside of Dublin but
resident in the city could play in domestic competition in Dublin and,
subject to ‘declaring’ their intentions by Easter Sunday of the calendar year,
could transfer allegiance to the county of their birth for the All-Ireland
championships. The rule was introduced to counter the success of
institutional teams such as the Garda and Army, whom some feared were
depleting rural counties of their talent to the advantage of Dublin. The
Declaration Rule created a disconnection between club and county and
meant that Dublin were unable to select a team from all the players
participating in its championships. It is no surprise that in the period
between 1925 and the 1950s, the heyday of the Rule, Dublin had a poor
record in the All-Ireland championships – three football and two hurling
wins between 1925 and 1973 – in contrast to the years preceding its
introduction.
By the year of its golden jubilee in 1934 the GAA was a settled body with a
prominent place in Irish cultural life. All of the national newspapers carried
14

1938 All-Ireland Hurling team
special supplements celebrating the Association’s 50 years and Dublin
County Committee published a splendid jubilee brochure. By 1934 the
various Boards administering the games from juvenile to senior levels were
in place.
If the ‘Declaration Rule’ dominated Dublin Conventions in the quartercentury
after 1925, then from 1950 onwards the non-native rule
championed by St. Vincents took centre stage. Originating in the parish
schools on Griffith Avenue the club grew through the Christian Brothers,
who were great nurturers of the games in Dublin, to dominate domestic
competitions in both football and hurling from the 1950s to the 1970s. The
non-native was excluded from their playing ranks and the County Board was
to implement the same policy in the selection of county teams. Success for
St. Vincents in Dublin competitions was not translated at senior county level
– one title in both the 1950s and 1960s – into national dominance.
Perhaps the competition engendered by the city/country divide made the
Dublin championship too intense. Perhaps, St Vincent’s greatest players, as
adept with the camán as with the football, simply played too many games
while their competitors at inter-county level, such as Kerry in football and
Kilkenny in hurling, were focussed on a single code.
Apart from its too brief Indian summer in 1961 Dublin hurling, if measured
in national senior titles, suffered a dramatic decline.
Paper wars over Rule 27, or the Ban as it was generally referred to,
dominated the late 1960s and early 1970s. Dublin as a capital city had
15

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
more ‘occasions of sin’ than rural Ireland and it was proving impracticable
to police the regulations. Members of the Dublin County Committee
pioneered the propaganda battle, but it was only when the clubs and
counties of rural Ireland joined in support that the rule was jettisoned. The
impact of the rule change is still unclear. The optimism of its proponents
that its removal would lead to a resurgence of Gaelic games in the second
level schools, which traditionally favoured ‘foreign games’, was misplaced as
was the pessimism of its defenders that Gaelic games in the cities would be
unable to compete with soccer and rugby. With the passage of time and the
intense specialisation within all sports we have now reached the stage where
dual players at senior inter-county level are banned de facto from playing
both hurling and football.
Within Ireland the emphasis on economic and physical planning developed
apace from the 1960s. The GAA set down its response to changing
circumstances in the McNamee Commission report published in 1971. It
was perceived that the complexity of a modern organisation such as the GAA
could not be efficiently governed according to the structures laid down in
different days. In time governance by committee and professional
administrators, rather than the representative model of delegates from
individual clubs all having a say, became the norm in Dublin.
Two coincidences helped the GAA in Dublin deal with the unprecedented
scale of population growth in the 1970s and later. One was the
farsightedness of administrators who pushed through the reforms
recommended by McNamee and who constantly emphasised to clubs the
importance of having both a ground and a social centre that would anchor
the local community to them. Active intervention rather than a policy of
laissez faire was the order of the day. The County Board was unable to fill in
all the gaps on the map of the GAA in Dublin and its policy of fixing clubs
in parish/suburbs had disastrous consequence for the old ‘gallowglass’ clubs
who were like nations without territories. Time and again throughout the
years clubs evolved rather than being imposed. It was the coming together
of a group who had the faith that was as instrumental in the 1970s as it
was in the 1880s.
The other conjunction was the coincidence of population growth in the new
suburbs with the emergence in the 1970s of what has to be regarded as
Dublin’s most successful football team of all times. Fondly remembered as
the golden age of Gaelic football in the capital, the team and its
managers/selectors captured public imagination and became positive
symbols for the game and the county. Their youthful dash and flowing style
became the measure by which all those who went before and those who
came after were to be assessed. Since 1977 the remainder of the century
returned to a kind of struggling normality punctuated by the All-Ireland
victories of 1983 and 1995. Sadly, there was no parallel success in hurling
but the hurlers never lost the faith and the County Board through new
structures and the voluntary commitment of dedicated enthusiasts have
turned the tide with a hurling league title in 2011.
However, when one looks at our clubs they have been very successful at all
age levels.
Dublin has enjoyed unprecedented success in the national Féile
competitions. In hurling Dublin emerged victorious to claim the Christy Ring
Cup (Division 1), in two of the last seven Féile na nGael finals with
Castleknock’s glory in 2007 coming two years after Kilmacud Crokes’
success. Prior to that Ballyboden St Enda’s (1992) had been Dublin’s sole
winners of the coveted competition dating back to its inauguration in 1971.
In football Dublin’s representatives have enjoyed even greater success in
modern times – being crowned National Féile Peil na nÓg winners on eight
occasions in the last 12 years including the last four years in succession. St
Vincent’s commenced this golden era with victory in Croke Park in 2000
and St Brigid’s retained the title the following year. Since then Kilmacud
Crokes (2003) and St Sylvester’s (2005) also won the Féile title before the
four in-a-row of Kilmacud Crokes (2008), Ballyboden St Enda’s (2009), Na
Fianna (2010) and Ballymun Kickhams (2011).
Dublin’s club football champions have prospered in the last decade in the
All-Ireland series and even more so in the provincial club championship. St
16

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
Brigid’s, St Vincent’s, and Kilmacud Crokes (on three occasions) have all
claimed the Leinster title with both the Marino side and the men from
Stillorgan going on to claim the Andy Merrigan Cup as All-Ireland senior
club football champions.
The GAA in Dublin began under difficult circumstances in a non-supportive
hostile environment; over one hundred and twenty seven years later it finds
itself in partnership with state and local authorities. The Association in the
beginning struggled to find playing spaces in the Phoenix Park. Today,
clubhouses and pitches dot the urban landscape of Dublin, albeit unevenly
spaced. The Park has lost its nurturing role as the clubs have become
localised within their suburbs. Revivalism gave momentum to the young
Association: the belief that it was part of an enterprise greater than the
games forged its identity. Times and themes have changed but the context
in which the GAA evolved will be always important. At the beginning of the
twentieth century the GAA strove to make the people of Ireland more Irish
and as we move further into the twenty-first century its primary purpose may
be to make them healthier. The communion of interests, players,
administrators and supporters, represents the trinity of family, club and
county all sharing an abiding interest in their native games.
Times and
themes have
changed but
the context in
which the
GAA evolved
will be always
important.
17

UNLEASHING “THE blue wave” A Strategy for Dublin GAA 2011-2017
3. challenges
facing dublin gaa
3.1 » Dublin’s Demographic Time bomb
Dublin is home to 20% of the population of Ireland. Our Association is a 32
county organisation but due to the different jurisdictions an analysis of
population figures on a like for like basis presents various challenges. The
total population of the island based on the preliminary 2011 Census for the
26 counties and projections for the 6 counties is 6,364,281. An analysis by
province is shown in the pie chart but all further population figures in the
report are based on the 26 counties.
In the period from 2002 to 2005 there were circa 61,000 births per annum
in the 26 counties with approximately 26% of the births to mothers resident
in Dublin. However, from 2006 the annual number of births increased to
65,425 rising to over 74,500 in 2010 with the number of births to mothers
resident in Dublin approaching 30% of the total for the 26 counties.
The concentration of the population in Dublin has historically been
alleviated by the movement to dormitory towns around Dublin, but in the
context of the current economic climate with negative equity on dwellings in
Dublin and the shortage of finance, this movement will create less of an
impact in the future. These challenges are obviously issues not just for the
GAA but for all stakeholders in the county.
19

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
TABLE 1
CENSUS DATA
NUMBER OF REGISTERED BIRTHS
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Munster 16,269 16,096 16,220 16,456 17,579 18,861 19,670 20,066 19,222
Connacht 6,795 6,951 6,898 6,912 7,142 7,816 8,297 8,163 8,114
Ulster 3,936 4,042 3,912 3,943 3,744 3,943 4,329 4,286 4,438
Leinster excl. Dublin 17,702 17,892 17,646 17,485 18,789 20,302 21,541 21,154 21,532
Dublin 15,729 15,691 15,778 16,280 18,171 19,698 20,159 20,609 21,452
City 5,189 5,096 5,259 5,723 6,548 7,123 7,553 7,827 8,220
South Dublin 3,982 3,899 3,976 3,951 4,450 4,711 4,575 4,524 4,746
Fingal 4,340 4,373 4,277 4,330 4,777 5,284 5,346 5,430 5,560
Dun Laghaire/R’down 2,218 2,323 2,266 2,276 2,396 2,580 2,685 2,828 2,926
Dublin Percentage 26.0% 25.9% 26.1% 26.7% 27.8% 27.9% 27.2% 27.7% 28.7%
GAA games are our national games and in order for them to continue in
their pre-eminent position it is essential that we address the challenges that
this population increase presents, it is necessary to ensure that all the
inhabitants of Dublin are given the opportunity to embrace our ethos and
participate in our Association. It is important from a strategic perspective
that we understand the population changes in Dublin and devise a strategic
plan that is grounded in this reality. Currently our engagement process is
divided into a number of different age categories;
■
■
Pre-Nursery: Children at 4/5 are introduced to basic ball skills in
line with their general motor and developing social skills.
Nursery: Children at 6/7 who are encouraged to develop general
motor skills (ABC).
■ Go-Games: Children from under 8, at the 1 st January, to under 12
who play in small sided games in a friendly environment with the
emphasis on fun rather than competition.
■ Juvenile Games: Children from under 13, at 1 st January, to under 16
who play the traditional 15 a side game with an increasing emphasis
on competition.
■
■
Minor Games: Youths at under 17 and 18 who are transitioning to
adult games.
Adult Participation: Remainder of population who engage in
different playing environments from elite to social and who will
provide the majority of our non-playing volunteers.
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A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
TABLE 1A
A detailed analysis of the two key engagement age groups of Go-Games and
Juvenile Games are contained in Appendix II.
The scale of our ambition is to drive increases in participation in real terms
relative to population growth and our objective over the period of the plan is
to have a ten per cent increase on our current participation levels. This
objective begins with the need to increase our penetration rate by 10% in
Go-Games from the numbers participating in Go-Games from 12, 063 in
2010 to 18,000 in 2017 (Table 1A).
3.2 » Social Challenges
Ireland and Dublin, as its largest concentration of population, face a huge
challenge in providing for sport, recreation and leisure activities in a country
that has become rapidly urbanised and is characterised by lifestyles that
have resulted in significantly less natural physical activity. This lifestyle also
tends to militate against voluntary involvement in sport, recreation and
leisure activities. These factors allied to the challenges of building
sustainable communities that provide for its inhabitants in terms of social
inclusion, local identity and local empowerment are critical to social
cohesion. The macro challenges create a series of underlying trends in
sports, recreation and leisure activities best understood by reference to
research conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
Examples of such trends include:
■
■
■
The definite correlation between good physical, mental health and
the playing of regular sport.
The correlation between playing regular sport, improved academic
performance and social skills.
The statistic that only 20% of Irish adults played sport regularly or
from a recreational perspective that 22% of Irish adults had not
played sport or taken a walk of at least 2 miles in the last year.
2010
Actuals Children
% Participation
2017
Plan Children
% Participation
■
■
■
■
GO GAMES AGE GROUP
TOTAL FOOTBALL HURLING TOTAL
POPULATION
37,084 7,096 4,967 12,063
19.13% 13.39% 32.53%
50,044 10,534 7,466 18,000
21.05% 14.92% 35.97%
The negative impact of lower educational attainment and lower
incomes on sports involvement.
The trend of significantly higher male than female participation in
sport.
The vital importance of volunteerism in creating social capital and
the need to structure interventions around increasing volunteer
involvement and maximising its productivity.
The potential ability of mainstream team focused sports clubs to
engage the “greying” population in mutually beneficial social
activities around the provision of sports for children and younger
adults.
21

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
■
■
■
■
The sometimes prohibitive financial costs of involvement in
individual sports, leisure and recreation activities.
The result of the rapid population shift to and growth in urban areas
is often a sense of alienation and of “not belonging” for the new
entrants to the community. The aforementioned factors often create
a climate where it is difficult to source and secure long-term
volunteer commitment.
The educational sectors capacity to provide games and physical
activity has been negatively affected by factors such as:
■
■
■
■
The lower number of males entering primary school teaching.
The reduced involvement of the Religious Orders in the
management of schools.
Greater emphasis on academic results in schools.
Greater obligations on schools in terms of health, safety and
child protection.
The result is children have less physical activity which will affect
their development and health in later years. The cost-benefit of
investing in pro-active initiatives to stimulate a robust healthy
lifestyle has been clearly demonstrated in national and global
studies.
In the above cases and in many other instances highlighted in ESRI
research the GAA has the structures, format, network, tradition and size to
effectively deliver Government policy at community level in a sustainable
and value for money way. This is not to say that the GAA can address all of
Ireland’s social problems but it is in the best position of any sporting
organisation to deliver on areas of common interest to the State as well as
the Association.
3.3 » Community and Family Challenges
The big increase in the population of Dublin arising from the influx of Irish
and new Irish families into the county has created many challenges and
opportunities for Dublin GAA and the Association nationally. As Dublin has
and continues to change significantly, Dublin GAA needs to change and
grow in parallel with it whilst at the same time maintaining at its core the
traditional values of the GAA.
Community remains a key value for Dublin GAA. Everything we do helps to
enrich the communities we serve. The Association should be seen, first and
foremost, as a sporting body promoting Gaelic games, but one of whose
main strengths is its presence in almost every community in Dublin. The
ethos of Dublin GAA is promoted and most visible through the club, which
aims to have a central role in its locality and within its community. The
modern GAA club in Dublin is not a single-dimension, team-based
organisation, but a family-focused organisation that provides sporting,
leisure and social activities for males and females of all ages in its
community.
Dublin GAA is moving from its traditional role as an administrative body to
that of a development agency stimulating pro social activity across the city
and county. This requires an approach to sports development that is and will
continue to be mainly volunteer driven and community based. The Strategic
committee is conscious that all its interventions are designed to reinforce or
newly create the inputs that drive sustainable club development. When
Dublin GAA is successful in the creation of these inputs they create the
synergies that stimulate the increased volunteerism that is required to
embed the club in the community.
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A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
3.4 » Volunteerism
The volunteer in the GAA is the most important person to the Association.
Volunteers are in essence the lifeblood of the GAA and always have been since
its inception. The role of the ‘volunteer’ is in effect the pursuit of vocation, in
the service of others, and without them the Association has no future.
It is the incredible work carried out by thousands of volunteers, young and
old, male and female, from every single walk of life which drives this
remarkable organisation and keeps it fresh, relevant and a critically important
part of the lives of Irish people. Being involved in the GAA gives a sense of
fulfilment which is unrivalled. It brings membership of the biggest club in
Ireland; it puts one right at the heart of Irish culture and provides a pastime
for every member of the family.
However, the challenge facing the GAA and Dublin GAA is to open the door to
all potential volunteers and keep that door open. We need to provide
volunteers with the necessary resources, skills and support to carry out their
roles in nurturing and mentoring the teams and managing the club.
3.5 » Clubs
The plan recognises that in order to provide a meaningful games programme
for all age groups we must organise our clubs, volunteers and facilities in a
manner that acknowledges the strengths and challenges in the different parts
of the county.
The GAA clubs in Dublin, similar to all GAA clubs, are not single-dimension,
team-based organisations, but are family-focused organisations that provide
sporting, leisure and social activities for all ages and genders in its
community.
However, the challenge for Dublin GAA is that urban life does not adhere to
the “parish rule” which necessitates that we must base our planning and
decision making on larger areas which may cover many parishes, schools
and a number of clubs. The sense of community may be built around the
club rather than the traditional concept of the club existing in a predefined
place which is the community.
The Strategic Committee recognises that the following inputs are essential
to drive community-based sports development:
■
■
■
■
■
■
Participation Levels
Standards Development
Voluntary Administrators
Team Mentors
Competent Coaches
Facilities
The Inputs by Analogy
“If a club can get people be they players of all ages, parents or
sports volunteers of all types it’s got a chance of delivering for its
local community. If that mobilised body can create sports activity in
a fashion that ensures good coaching standards, opportunities for
players of all abilities within an empowered democratic
organisational structure that is support by access to good facilities
then the local community has a sustainable club”
At the moment not all community clubs have equal access to the essential
inputs highlighted above. Some of the key differentiators for clubs in terms
of access to the essential inputs required for sustainable community club
development are set out on the next page.
23

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
KEY CLUB DIFFERENTIATORS
PARTICIPATION LEVELS (CLUB)
VOLUNTARY ADMINISTRATORS
An individual clubs access to:
■ An effective school to club link in its local primary schools
■ An effective school to club link in its relevant second level
schools
■ Parents who are prepared to take an active role in the club
An individual club’s access to and ability to recruit:
■ Voluntary adult administrators who are capable of building and
managing large community entities
■ Some clubs are self sufficient in terms of voluntary
administrative capacity but others have deficiencies in this
respect
PARTICIPATION LEVELS (SCHOOLS)
COMPETENT COACHES
An individual club’s access to:
■ Schools with teachers that have:
■ A sports orientation
■ Capacity to organise and manage teams
■ Schools with a sports friendly management
■ Schools who have a GAA ethos
An individual club’s access to:
■ A sufficient pool of available volunteers
■ Coaching resources beyond the pool of coaches arising from
parental involvement
■ Coaching expertise:
■ A traditionally strong club may have greater access to a pool
of coaches than a new or emerging club
STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT
FACILITIES
An individual club’s ability to create and provide access to:
■ A playing environment at club level that manage the
expectations of players of differing abilities
An individual club’s access to:
■ Facilities that are physically close to a club’s local community
■ Combined club and school facilities
■ Multi sport facilities
■ 3rd generation all weather and lighted facilities
■ People that are experienced in facilities management
24

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
Dublin GAA, in responding to the need to serve communities that have a
desire for GAA activity, have created four club development models which
have been tailored to meet the challenges of community club growth in an
urban setting. These include:
MODEL 1: DEVELOPMENT OF AN EXISTING CLUB
This involves the development of an existing club with interventions focused
on the inputs to club growth.
MODEL 2: EXISTING LARGE CLUB WITH MULTIPLE NURSERIES TO
GO-GAMES HUBS
This involves a large club with an extended hinterland setting up a separate
Nursery to Go-Games structure in a location with sufficient population and
localised identity. The desired outcome would be that a new sense of
community would develop and generate a separate club.
MODEL 3: NEW VOLUNTEER-LED CLUB
This involves the formation of a new volunteer-led club from a community of
spatial concentration of population. This process would be driven by an
existing volunteer base
MODEL 4: HEAVILY SUPPORTED CLUB
The model is focused on the formation of a new club in an area, without a
significant demand for GAA activity, but with a large population base. The
lack of demand for GAA activity may be due to severe socioeconomic
problems or presence of a large new-Irish national population. This model
requires significant intervention and could compromise the volunteer ethos.
The ongoing work on the development models for clubs must continue in
order to ensure that the Association has the tools and capacity to have a
presence in all the areas of Dublin.
The Strategic Committee proposes the division of Dublin into ten Local Area
Development Regions, (LADRs) to allow the County Committee to work
closely with the existing clubs in the region to determine what actions must
be undertaken to advance the Association in the area. This regionalised
approach is suited to an expanding county like Dublin where it can take a
better and more detailed account of the strength of the GAA and the unique
characteristics and challenges of the different areas within the local region.
This initiative should be viewed solely as a tool to grow the GAA in the
county and it is not proposed to entail any changes to the games programme
or the representative status of Dublin’s inter-county teams.
3.6 » Ladies Gaelic Games
In 2002 the Gaelic games Integration Task Force was established to give
expression to the wishes of the membership of Cumann Luthchleas Gael,
Cumann Camógaíochta and Cumann Peil Gael na mBán that there be closer
links between all three organisations and that the possibility of joint/overall
membership be explored.
The members recognised the following benefits for all three Associations
and for the community:
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
Increase in membership
Increase in numbers playing our games
Increase in the numbers of voluntary workers
Additional skills and expertise
Sharing of experience
Encouraging the family ethos
An inclusive Association
All three Associations can be truly involved with the community.
25

UNLEASHING THE “BLUE WAVE”
Dublin has demonstrated the success of this initiative particularly at club,
school and community level where by working together the three Associations
have significantly increased the number of children, particularly girls, playing
our sports. The increase has brought benefits to the club as it allows all of the
family to participate in club and indeed community matters.
It is now critical that this success at club level is replicated at County
Committee level as the parents of boys and girls playing our games consider
the GAA to be one family.
3.7 » Inter-county Success
The success of our inter-county teams is vital for the promotion of Gaelic
games in Dublin and the Strategic Committee recognises the importance of
building a bridge between the large participation numbers at juvenile level,
the development squads and ultimately our inter-county teams. The additional
facilities and the extension of the weekend games schedule should also assist
in the preparation of our inter-county teams as there will be additional space
in the weekend calendar for development squad meetings and training. We
have seen how the recent successes on the field at inter-county level
strengthens the visibility and appeal of the Dublin Jersey.
3.8 » Branding of Dublin GAA
The committee is cognisant that the Dublin Jersey would have a stronger
message if all the inter-county ladies and men’s teams wore one Dublin Jersey.
This jersey would further enhance the value of the Dublin brand which even
today is one of, if not, the most recognised sporting brand in Ireland. Our plan
will only succeed if the County Committee has the proper and dynamic
integrated structures in place to drive the plan forward. The committee is
aware that these proposals must be embraced by all units of Dublin GAA.
26

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
3.9 » Financial pressure and constraints
It is clear to the Strategic Committee that the financial resources that are
currently available to the Dublin County Committee are inadequate to
enable Dublin GAA to give effect to the initiatives identified as appropriate
in this strategic review. The County Committee has traditionally operated a
balanced budget with all revenues (which have been running at €5.2
million per year) being fully re-invested in current organisational and
development initiatives. The scale and nature of the challenge today can be
gauged from the following observations:
■
■
The total cost of the Dublin/SRC games development programme
has been running at c €3m per year which has traditionally been
part funded by the Irish Sports Council (€900k), Dublin Clubs
(€860k), Central Council (€600k) and Leinster Council (€260k),
with the balance being provided by the Dublin County Committee.
Dublin County Committee has a high dependency on the continued
year-on-year financial support of the aforementioned agencies and
GAA bodies to continue the SRC programme.
■
Dublin has no material surplus assets which could be monetised for
re-investment although consideration could be given to the possible
sale of O’Toole Park – although the realisation potential of O’Toole
Park is limited given the current state of the property market.
■ With the exception of a trial venture with Croke Park for the 2011
Dublin Spring Series. Dublin, like all counties, has not traditionally
benefited in any meaningful respect in gate receipts ffrom senior
inter-county games despite attracting large attendances. This clearly
fails to align responsibility for promoting the games with the
resultant increased income streams.
■
Aside from gate receipts, the potential return to Dublin GAA from
investing in the Dublin brand is limited as many of the valuable
rights including TV, Media and Sponsorship revenues derived from
increased brand recognition structurally accrue to other units within
the GAA. The subsequent re-distribution of such revenues as
between provinces and counties generally doesn’t take account of
the scale and strategic significance of Dublin which in turn
mitigates against Dublin’s ability to promote the GAA in the capital.
■
■
Dublin County Committee faces material downside risks from
reduced gate receipts, affiliation fees, advertising revenues and
fundraising capacity due to the economic downturn.
Dublin’s main source of revenue is from its principle commercial
sponsor, Vodafone. Secondary and tertiary sponsorship and
partnering arrangements have traditionally be informal and of
moderate scale – it is considered that there is capacity to increase
revenues from commercial sponsorship but this would require an
increased investment on the part of the Dublin County Committee in
brand development and in the employment of a professional
commercial development team.
The structural imbalance inherent in the traditional approach to sharing
revenues within the GAA has been highlighted by Dublin’s experience in
2011. The success of Dublin’s inter-county teams in both football and
hurling in 2011 has resulted in a significantly increased organisational cost
directly linked to participation in increased matches including finals and
related team expenses. This increased cost is expected to be considerably
more than the related success-based revenues, so that rather than success
being financially beneficial to the County Board, it is expected to entail an
incremental cost.
27

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
The Strategic Committee believes that funding for Dublin’s strategic
development will require the adoption of a more professional approach on
the part of the Dublin County Committee and a greater acceptance at the
Central Council level that increased resources are required in Dublin.
Specifically, funding for the strategic plan initiatives should be derived from
two principle sources:
■
■
New and increased revenue sources generated by the Dublin County
Board from increased commercial and fundraising initiatives during
the plan period, and
The adoption of a collaborative approach with Central Council to
funding the strategic initiatives, which acknowledges the scale and
strategic importance of Dublin to the GAA as a whole. It also
recognises the interdependent relationship between the health of the
GAA in Dublin and that of the Association as a whole and aligns
Dublin’s participation in broader GAA revenues with the valuation
proposition derived by the GAA from Dublin.
The continued growth in the birth rates in Dublin and in the other counties
in Leinster relative to the other parts of the country now requires the
Association to review its future resource allocation policies. This review is
necessary in order to ensure that the GAA retains its pre-eminent position in
Irish sport and Irish life in general.
The case for increasing the allocation of funds from central resources to
Dublin can be gauged from the following analysis:
“
Dublin is central to the Leinster Council
Fortunes
”
■
Dublin births account for 48.75% of all births in Leinster – as such
Dublin GAA and its club network is de facto responsible for
introducing almost half the population of Leinster to Gaelic games
■
■
■
In 2009, Dublin’s 1,223 juvenile teams and 281 adult teams
comprised 24.14% and 18.43% of all such teams in Leinster.
Attendances at Dublin’s 3 Leinster Senior Football (LSF)
Championship games in 2009 averaged 66,561, generating average
gate receipts of €1.227million. Average attendances at LSF games
not involving Dublin in 2009 were 8,144 (aggregate of 32,574) with
average gate receipts of €107k. Hence the average premium for
Dublin participation was 58,417 persons and €1.12 million.
The importance of Dublin GAA as a revenue resource for Leinster
Council was emphasised in 2010 when Dublin did not reach the
Leinster Senior Football final.
■ The gate receipts for 2010 were €4.9m down from €5.7m in 2009
while the gate receipts for the final itself fell by over €0.5m.
“
Dublin is central to ensuring that the GAA
maintains its pre-eminent status
”
■ Dublin’s population at 1.27 million people comprises 20% of the 32
county population and over 28% on a 26 county basis.
■
■
■
Dublin children represent 25.96% of all children aged 0 to 4 in the
26 counties, 24.8% of children aged 5 to 9 and 27.5% of all births
in the 26 counties (2006 Census). Preliminary outputs from the
2011 census indicate that the number of births to Dublin mothers is
now almost 30%.
Hence, Dublin GAA is de facto responsible for introducing Gaelic
games to almost 30% of the population of the 26 counties.
Dublin’s 223 club affiliations comprises c 10% of all club affiliation
in the country.
28

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
■
Dublin’s 1,223 youth teams comprise c 8.5% of all registered teams
in 2009.
■ Central Council generated gross revenues of €66.7 million in 2009
of which €43.3million was distributed to provincial councils, county
boards and clubs via various programmes.
It is nonetheless a valid observation that the level of funding that has
traditionally been allocated to Dublin is considerably less than would be
warranted based on any population, activity, or revenue analysis.
The Strategic Committee believes that there should be a mutual recognition
of the interdependent relationship between Dublin’s ambitions for the GAA
in the capital city and the overall wellbeing of the Association. It will require
Dublin County Board to step up to its responsibility to implement the
strategic initiatives recommended in this review. It will also require Central
Council to embrace a different funding model, one which addresses the
strategic significance of Dublin.
One way of addressing this issue is for the GAA to extend Provincial status
to Dublin for certain purposes including:
■
■
providing a long-term commitment to an agreed minimum annual
level of funding, commensurate with the development challenge for
the GAA in Dublin, to support games development, and club and
county infrastructure development.
affording the Chairman of the Dublin Co Board permanent
representation on Coisti Banaistí.
The Strategic Committee is confident that Central Council will achieve a
strong return on its investment in Dublin GAA. In the short term this return
will see the attendances by Dublin fans grow and continue to underpin
match day income for Central Council, Leinster Council and Páirc an
Chrócaigh Teo. In planning for the longer term the investment from Central
Council will help Dublin achieve an increased market share over and above
the increase in the population. This increase in market share and the
greater interest in Gaelic games will in turn continue to generate
much-needed income for other units of the Association from increased
attendances at games.
3.10 Challenges from the increase of the Dual player
The growth in hurling at all ages has led to a considerable challenge for the
County Committee. The fact that all of the major clubs are now catering for
dual players, is somewhat unique to the GAA in Dublin and adds to the task
of the County Committee. It must now cater for the growth of the two codes
at a time of significant population growth when more and more children
want to play our games.
Dublin GAA’s response to these myriad of challenges and issues is set out in
the next section:
Unleashing “The Blue Wave”: Our Action Plan
The Blue Wave of Hill 16 is synonymous with the vibrancy and energy of the
championship come summer, and inspires the goals, dreams and ambitions
of every young child in Dublin who plays Gaelic games and who aspires to
play before the adoring fans of the Hill.
29

UNLEASHING “THE blue wave” A Strategy for Dublin GAA 2011-2017
4. unleashing “the Blue Wave”
our action plan
This action plan sets out the direction for
Dublin GAA from 2011 to 2017. It is based on
current developments and practices in the
County and the outputs from the strategic
consultation and planning process as described
in this document. Our plan is based on the
following vision:
4.1 » Vision
The promotion of local and national identity should be combined with the
G.A.A.’s sporting and cultural objectives, to achieve the Association’s vision
to:
“Promote and organise the playing of our national games
by having sustainable structures at club and county level
built on achieving a strong sense of local community
identity”
To achieve this Vision, Dublin GAA must be an inclusive and representative
organisation, which uses its heritage, the commitment of its members, the
loyalty to its games and its immense investment in physical assets to
provide recreational opportunities for all in society, in such a way as to
promote community spirit and local identity as an inherent element of Irish
culture.
4.2 » Mission Statement
■
■
■
■
To maximise the opportunity for all to participate in our National
Games.
To foster family participation through the effective integration and
workings of the three County Boards.
To provide Clubs with an attractive programme of games that will
cater for all juveniles and adults.
To cater for the development and welfare of present and future
Dublin Players.
31

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
■
■
■
■
■
To be successful in Leinster and All-Ireland competitions in all
codes at inter-county and club levels and in so doing establishing
Dublin as the most successful dual county.
To provide Clubs with the human resources and management tools
necessary to protect and grow volunteer involvement
To provide mentors, players, parents and officials with best in class
training programmes to maximise the effectiveness and further
commitment of voluntary time
To provide an appropriate players pathway that will make Dublin
GAA an attractive proposition for elite performers relative to other
sports
To provide the necessary infrastructure to meet the needs of clubs
and county teams
4.3 » Values
The workings of the Dublin County Committee and the implementation of
this Strategic Plan will be underpinned by the following key values of the
GAA, in pursuing its vision:
IT WILL BE AN INCLUSIVE ORGANISATION
The GAA is a uniquely Irish organisation that is welcoming to all those who
wish to join and who show respect for its ethos and values, irrespective of
gender, creed or race. The Dublin of today is multi-cultural and multi-racial.
Dublin GAA of the future will be an inclusive organisation that is confident
of its role, its status in Irish life, its potential and its prospects.
IT WILL MAINTAIN ITS VOLUNTARY ETHOS
Despite the immense changes in society and in social attitudes towards
opportunities for commercialisation, the numbers volunteering their time
and efforts to the GAA will have to be maintained and increased, if Dublin
GAA is to emerge as an organisation which provides games and recreation
for more people in the future.
IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE A COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANISATION WITH A
VIBRANT SENSE OF COMMUNITY IDENTITY
The Dublin GAA of the future will facilitate and accommodate the changing
lifestyles and commitments of its members. In the twenty-first century, it
will take a ‘whole of life’ view and facilitate its members in any changes of
location or lifestyle due to education, career or family, rather than expecting
members to build their lives around existing GAA structures and practices.
It will encourage involvement from cradle to grave from both a playing
environment, competitive and recreational and officer/administration.
IT WILL PROVIDE GAMES FOR ALL
Dublin GAA has created an outlet for players to compete to the best of their
ability and, in the process, provided a forum through which generations, at
home and abroad, have shared in the excitement, successes and failures of
teams at club and county levels. These activities can, and will, be
developed and expanded in the future. They will be supplemented by a
variety of new activities which will include both indoor games and
‘recreational’ games for those who do not wish to participate in competitive
sport.
It will cater for those who would like to play its games for recreational and
social reasons, and for the sheer enjoyment of the games.
32

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE A FAMILY-ORIENTATED ORGANISATION
Dublin GAA will be a fully-inclusive organisation built on all family
structures, with:
■
■
■
■
its core activity of organising games and competitions for all
members of the family;
its facilities – including playing facilities for those who require a
recreational outlet;
its ethos and welcome it provides to all – playing and non-playing;
unification of all units – male, female, club and educational bodies
in its decision-making structures.
IT WILL CONTINUE TO PROMOTE BEST PRACTICE IN CHILD
PROTECTION
■
■
■
Over 3,500 applications have been processed for Garda Vetting
A Child Protection Officer will be appointed in every club
All coaches will undergo Code of Best Practice Training
It will continue to engage directly with young people to ensure that all who
participate in any of our activities understand our shared responsibilities
and are in a position to gain the maximum benefit and enjoyment from our
games in a safe environment.
IT WILL PROMOTE IRISH IDENTITY AND CULTURE
Support the promotion of the Irish language and other elements of Irish
culture;
Value all aspects of Irish culture and identity, by its actions as well as by its
stated policies, and, in the process, provide an example to other sectors of
Irish society.
33

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
4.4 » Strategic themes
The Strategic Committee in examining the challenges it faces, together with
its vision, mission and values above, identified nine strategic themes as
central to the development of the GAA in Dublin.
The strategic themes are:
Theme 1:
Theme 2:
Theme 3:
Theme 4:
Theme 5:
Theme 6:
Theme 7:
Theme 8:
Theme 9:
Developing local regional plans and appropriate club structures for each of the regions
Maximising participation in Gaelic games in Dublin
Supporting the Club
Resourcing the volunteer
Creating the bridge from participation to inter-county success
Ensuring the provision of appropriate facilities
Investing in the commercial potential of the Dublin GAA Brand
Procuring the financial resources necessary to develop Dublin GAA
Providing a first-class management and governance structure for Dublin GAA
Each theme is presented below in a consistent manner.
Key strategic objectives for each theme set out the overall aspiration of
where Dublin GAA wants to be in terms of development in this theme / area
by 2017.
These objectives will be realised through a Key and Supporting Actions,
ownership of each action, expected outcomes and timelines show how the
objectives will be achieved.
34

DUBLIN an active GAA County
Internet Hits Hill16
12million per
annum
Bord na nÓg
15,000 games
1,359 Teams
Inter-School games
2,500
Adult Club
4000 Games
494 Teams
Go-Games Referees Trained last 3 years
584
=
vibrant capital city
Clubs
90
Active Primary Schools
320
Active Secondary Schools
90
Number of Children coached in Club
School-Link Program
75000
Number of Children in Club Nurseries
7,600
Members
56,000
35

36
DUBLIN GAA
LOCAL AREA DEVELOPMENT
REGIONS

strategic
themes
THEME 1: DEVELOPING LOCAL REGIONAL PLANS AND APPROPRIATE CLUB STRUCTURES FOR EACH OF THE REGIONS 38
THEME 2: MAXIMISING PARTICIPATION IN GAELIC GAMES IN DUBLIN 41
THEME 3: SUPPORTING THE CLUB 45
THEME 4: RESOURCING THE VOLUNTEER 49
THEME 5: CREATING THE BRIDGE FROM PARTICIPATION TO INTER-COUNTY SUCCESS 51
THEME 6: ENSURING THE PROVISION OF APPROPRIATE FACILITIES 56
THEME 7: INVESTING IN THE COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL OF THE DUBLIN GAA BRAND 60
THEME 8: PROCURING THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES NECESSARY TO DEVELOP DUBLIN GAA 64
THEME 9: PROVIDING A FIRST-CLASS MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE FOR DUBLIN GAA 69
37

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
theme 1: DEVELOP LOCAL AREA REGIONAL PLANS AND APPROPRIATE CLUB
STRUCTURES FOR EACH OF THE REGIONS
The Strategic Committee recognises that Dublin GAA needs detailed
knowledge of what is happening in every locality and proposes the division
of Dublin into ten Local Area Development Regions, (LADRs) in order to
ensure that Gaelic games are brought to every community. This regional
focus will allow the County Committee to work closely with the existing
clubs in the region to determine the characteristics of the different areas
within the LADR and devise strategies to drive participation in the area.
These strategies will focus on club development, volunteer recruitment,
schools involvement and physical infrastructure. A major increase in
physical infrastructure will be required to facilitate the further growth of our
games. They will necessitate Dublin GAA working closely with the local
authorities, government bodies, NAMA and the educational sectors to
secure the necessary land banks. The LADR structure will be best placed to
work more effectively with all relevant stakeholders for the benefit of local
communities. The Strategic Committee divided the county into ten areas
which are aligned as closely as possible with local authority structures:
The following are the key strategic objectives under this theme:
1. Develop a plan for each of the 10 LADRs which will be consistent with
the overall County Strategic Plan in order to:
a. Ensure all communities are covered by a long term sustainable club
structure.
b. Maximise the number of participating schools.
c. Achieve an appropriate number of nurseries and local participation
initiatives (Camps, Games on the Green etc.)
d. Deliver the required physical infrastructure.
e. Deliver the human resources, both voluntary and professional
together with the necessary resources required.
2. LADRs will also become the vehicle for engaging with the relevant
stakeholders regarding physical facilities for the region.
LADR POPULATION PER 2006 CENSUS POPULATION PER 2011 CENSUS % INCREASE
Lucan/Clondalkin 84,971 105,883 24.6
Tallaght 75,815 84,585 11.6
Rathfarnham/Terenure 123,395 124,734 1.1
Blanchardstown 85,212 92,304 8.0
Swords 55,242 67,272 21.8
Fingal Costal Strip 89,281 111,396 24.8
North City 1 197,768 206,362 4.3
North City 2 105,888 111,109 4.9
South City 176,394 183,249 3.9
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown 193,211 205,676 6.5
38

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Key Actions:
THEME 1
KEY ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
KA1
Complete a full review of each LADR
in County Dublin.
DCC Staff
All relevant information for each
community in the sub-areas of each
LADR.
Before end Quarter 1 2012
Division of each LADR into appropriate
sub-areas.
Understand the demographics and key
characteristics of the communities in
each sub area.
KA2
Complete a review and develop an
integrated strategy (club structures,
participation initiatives and physical
infrastructure) for one LADR.
DCC Staff
Development of an integrated strategy
(club structures, promotion and
participation initiatives and physical
infrastructure priorities) for the area.
Before end Quarter 2 2012
Development of milestones for an initial
area and for each club that is consistent
with the overall milestones for the
county Strategic Plan and a timeline to
achieve the club structures (existing and
new), infrastructure requirements and
roll out of participation initiatives to
achieve targeted participation growth.
KA3
Appoint area committees comprised of
chairpersons and a strategy officer
from the local clubs to oversee the
implementation of the plan.
DCC Staff
Before end Quarter 2 2012
As above.
KA4
Complete a review and develop an
integrated strategy (club structures,
participation initiatives and physical
infrastructure) for the remaining nine
LADRs in County Dublin.
DCC staff
Before end Quarter 4 2014
As above.
39

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
THEME 1
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Supporting Actions:
SUPPORTING ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
SA1
Align DCC Staff to provide capacity to
implement Key Actions.
DCC
Executive
Staff
End Quarter 1 2012
Required Management Structure.
SA2
Establish a voluntary committee that
will comprise of the requisite skill base
– local authority, educational and
planning - to support the initial
project.
DCC
Executive
Staff
End Quarter 1 2012
Establish requirements of the proposed
plan.
SA3
Engage with local authorities.
DCC Staff,
Clubs
End Quarter 2 2012
Full engagement by all areas leading to
partnerships with Local Authorities.
SA4
Review of GPO utilisation in each area.
DCC Staff,
Clubs
End Quarter 1 2014
Increased Value of GPO Investment.
SA5
Put in place a panel of experts from
existing clubs to assist the DCC in
supporting new and existing clubs in
their management capabilities and
capacity.
DCC
Quarter 1 2012
Ongoing
To have sufficient volunteer capability
available to assist clubs in preparing
and achieving their plans.
40

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
theme 2: MAXIMISE PARTICIPATION IN GAELIC GAMES IN DUBLIN
In reviewing how the Dublin County Committee could increase participation
the strategic committee used the following guidelines to assess all
proposals:
■
■
■
■
■
Dublin GAA is a dual player county with equal status given to both
football and hurling.
Dublin GAA provides all club players (dual and single code) with the
opportunity to play one game every week during the season. (Approx
25-30 games).
Dublin GAA’s Games Programme needs to facilitate/support intercounty
success in both hurling and football.
Ensure that clubs and schools forge strong links.
Dublin GAA players and clubs require certainty in respect of when
games will be played.
The following are the key strategic objectives under this theme:
1. Increase participation rates as at January 2011 by a factor of 10% by
the end of the plan.
2. To provide the opportunity for all children and adults who want to play
Gaelic games in a competitive or non-competitive environment.
3. To provide meaningful games programme for all players.
5. To formalise links with the management of schools in order to achieve a
coordinated games programme.
6. To develop coaching standards in our clubs.
7. To provide structured training programmes to ensure the consistency
and high standard of refereeing throughout the county.
■
Player welfare underpins Dublin GAA’s games programme.
41

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
THEME 2
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Key Actions:
KEY ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
KA1
Develop an integrated Games
Programme structure for clubs and
schools that caters for all age groups
and skills levels.
Coaching and Games
CCCs
Schools Bodies
Agreed competitive structure by
Quarter 2 2012
A Games Programme that provides
meaningful games and allows
players participate to the
maximum of their abilities.
KA2
Ensure sufficient resources are
available in terms of facilities, mentors
and referees to support the Games
Programme structure.
CCC
Coaching & Games
Infrastructure
Committee
Facilities – see Theme 6
Mentors – Training Programme
Referees – Referees Pathway
Quarter 2 2012 – Quarter 4 2017
Sufficient resources to support
the Games Programme structure.
KA3
Camogie and Ladies Football to be
fully integrated into Dublin County
activities, with co-ordinated fixtures
programme being extended to include
Ladies Football and Camogie fixtures.
3 County Boards
Agreed SLA’s for 1 Committee
Structure Quarter 1 2013
Integrated fixtures programme for
all Dublin club fixtures.
KA4
To establish integrated calendar for
club/school fixtures.
CCC’S/School Bodies
Agree overarching fixtures Body
Quarter 1 2013
Integrated club/school fixture list.
KA5
Develop Specific Coaching Pathway for
each club.
Coaching and Games
2 pilot clubs Qtr 2 2012
Rollout to all clubs by end
of 2014
Higher standards with increased
retention.
KA6
Develop Referee Strategy for Dublin.
Referee
Committee/Coaching
and Games
Agreed Strategy from Go-Games to
Adult Quarter 2 2012
Consistent and high standard of
refereeing.
42

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Supporting Actions:
THEME 2
SUPPORTING ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
SA1
Juvenile Hurling / Football played on
Alternative Weeks.
Structure Weekly Programs of Games.
All Juvenile games on Saturday.
13/15 One Code, 14/16 Other Code.
Enhanced Subsidiary Competitions for
players who only play one code.
Bord na nÓg
Implemented Quarter 2 2012
Greater Choice of Games for all.
SA2
Adult Hurling / Football played on
Alternative Weeks.
Structure Weekly Programs of Games.
Restructure Senior Football/Hurling
Championship to enhance competitive
environment and ensure timely
completion.
CCC
Review Committee established
1 st QTR 2012
Report 2 nd Qtr 2012
Revised Programme 2013
More Competitive Games
Programme.
SA3
Move responsibility for minor
competitions to CCC2.
Management
Committee
Quarter 1 2013 Programme
Greater Emphasis on minor
activity.
SA4
Bridge the Gap between 18 & 21 to
retain players, i.e. U21 leagues
exclusively for U21 players & possible
U19 league
CCC
Under 21 weekly competitions
Quarter 1 2014
Developmental Pathway – Reduce
level of drop off.
SA5
Extend the weekend programme to
include Friday night matches to cater
for club players. This initiative will
require additional mentors, referees
and the provision of more floodlit and
all-weather pitches.
DCC, CCC and clubs
Quarter 1 2013 – Quarter 4 2017
Provide an adequate games
programme for club players to
cater for the overlapping demands
of both the dual and inter-county
player.
43

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
THEME 2
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Supporting Actions:
SUPPORTING ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
SA6
Support the development and
promotion of handball in Dublin
through quarterly meetings with the
Handball County Board.
DCC and Dublin
handball
Quarter 2 2012 – Quarter 4 2017
Increase in the numbers playing
handball in Dublin.
SA7
Coaching Pathway Criteria by club
type.
Coaching and Games
Quarter 3 2013
Increase Playing Standards and
Retention.
SA8
Referee Training Audit.
Coaching and Games
/ Referee Committee
Agree training programme from
Go-Games to Adult
Quarter 2 2012
Increase Referee Standards and
Numbers.
SA9
Referee Management System.
Coaching and Games
/ Referee Committee
Agreed grading and progression
protocols from Go-Games to Adult
Quarter 1 2013
Increased Referee Standards.
44

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
theme 3: SUPPORTING THE CLUB
If the volunteer is the lifeblood of the GAA, then the club is the heart of
the GAA. The club has always been and will remain the corner-stone of
GAA activities. The changing environment faced by the Association has
many implications for how clubs in Dublin are managed and organised
in the LADRs (as addressed in Theme 1), but there are certain core
activities and best practice standards that are fundamental to the
growth and development of each club in Dublin and these are
addressed in this theme. Also, the club should be involved in non-team
based activities, by supporting local developments, promoting cultural
activities, especially Irish cultural activities, supporting schools and
contributing to community infrastructure.
The following are the key strategic objectives under this theme:
1. To ensure club structures and activities reflect the ‘one family, one
community’ ethos underpinned by volunteers.
2. To promote best practice standards across the full range of GAA
club activity in Dublin.
3. To encourage and exploit synergies between Dublin GAA clubs.
4. To leverage current Croke Park and Local Sports Partnership
programmes.
45

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
THEME 3
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Key Actions:
KEY ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
KA1
Work with Ladies football and Camogie
to ensure that club structures continue
to reflect the ‘one family, one culture,
one community’ ethos underpinned by
volunteers.
DCC Staff
Quarter 2 2012
Greater alignment of different
County Board activities.
KA2
Development of a Dublin best practice
programme - club maith structure.
DCC Staff
Club accreditation structure in
place and launched in Dublin by
Quarter 4 2012.
Recognition and implementation
of best practice in clubs.
KA3
Collaboration – Centrally encourage
increased collaboration between all
Dublin clubs to target financial
benefits such as savings from centrally
organised shared services and central
procurement synergies, and to
collaboratively develop pan club
commercial opportunities.
DCC staff and clubs
Prepare discussion paper.
Quarter 2 2012
Ongoing
Improve synergies and exploit
financial benefits arising from
collaboration between Dublin GAA
clubs.
KA4
Design and roll out a comprehensive
Club Volunteer training programme –
See KA2 Strategic Theme 4.
See KA2 Strategic
Theme 4
See KA2 Strategic Theme 4
Quarter 4 2012
See KA2 Strategic Theme 4.
46

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Supporting Actions:
THEME 3
SUPPORTING ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
SA1
Development of Statement of Best
Practice for GAA Clubs.
DCC Staff
Quarter 4 2012
Development of Best Practice.
SA2
Continued implementation of the best
practice programme in the area of
Child Welfare and Protection in all
Dublin GAA clubs.
DCC Staff
Quarter 4 2011
Ongoing
A games programme that will
cater for all juveniles, in a safe
and enjoyable environment, whilst
ensuring that all clubs are in
compliance with all requirements.
SA3
Develop a programme to support the
Dublin GAA’s communications strategy
by optimising the use of latest
technology, (e.g. internet, social
networking), to enable the County
Committee maintain continuous links
with its members and supporters living
in Ireland and overseas.
PR and
Communications
Committee with DCC
staff
Quarter 2 2012 – Quarter 4 2017
The County Committee will use
the latest technologies to
communicate with our members
and supporters to keep Dublin
GAA activities as part of their
daily lives.
SA4
Implementation of Toolkit on Club
Planning & Administration.
DCC Staff
10 Clubs 2012
20 Clubs 2013
20 Clubs 2014
Remainder 2015
Club Management Improvement.
SA5
Develop non-core activity programme
in each club to cement community
positioning.
DCC Staff/Clubs
Disseminate activity currently
undertaken in different clubs
Community Focus.
47

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
THEME 3
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Supporting Actions:
SUPPORTING ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
SA6
Develop structures to facilitate
information sharing and best Practice.
Targeted club Seminars to address
common issues e.g. Finance.
Social Network Site to allow
information sharing. See sa3.
PR and
Communications
Committee with DCC
staff
4 Club Forums each year on major
club activity
Social Network Site
Quarter 4 2012
Ongoing
The GAA clubs across Dublin have
within their ranks a resource that
if accessible to clubs will
contribute handsomely to
improving quality across all clubs.
SA7
Engage team of volunteer professionals
who will mentor clubs with
management skill deficits.
Dublin County
Committee
Agreed Panel of Volunteers
Quarter 2 2012
Improved Management Capacity
at Clubs.
SA8
Promotion of Scór activities in clubs
with a view to expanding its role in
the promotion of culture and
contributing to greater inclusiveness
and community awareness in clubs.
Clubs
Quarter 1 2012
Expansion of Scor activities.
48

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
theme 4: RESOURCING THE VOLUNTEER
The volunteer in the GAA is the most important person to the Association.
Volunteers are in essence the lifeblood of the GAA and always have been
since its inception. The role of the ‘volunteer’ is in effect the pursuit of a
vocation, in the service of others, and without them the Association has no
future.
It is the incredible work carried out by thousands of volunteers, young and
old, male and female, from every single walk of life which drives this
remarkable organisation and keeps it fresh, relevant and a critically
important part of the lives of Irish people. Being involved in the GAA gives a
sense of fulfilment which is unrivalled. It brings membership of the biggest
club in Ireland, puts one right at the heart of Irish culture and provides a
pastime for every member of the family.
However, the challenge facing Dublin GAA is to open the door to all
potential volunteers and keep that door open. We need to provide volunteers
with the necessary resources, skills and support to carry out their duties in
administering and managing their clubs.
The following are the key strategic objectives under this theme:
1. To ensure adequate resources are in place to assist the volunteer in their
activities.
2. To create the environment and programmes for life stage volunteering.
3. To provide the resources that will assist clubs in growing and dealing
with the unique characteristics of their area.
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Key Actions:
KEY ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
KA1
Development a life stage volunteer
recruitment and continuous training
strategy.
Coaching & Games
Department
Develop Club Volunteer
Recruitment Strategy
Quarter 4 2012
A strategy that drives the recruitment
of volunteers in clubs in Dublin.
KA2
Implement a comprehensive club
volunteer training programme to
empower volunteers and enable them
achieve a high degree of technical
competence through a structured
training path.
Club Operations
Manager
Delivery of club volunteer training
programme
20 Clubs in 2012
20 Clubs in 2013
20 Clubs in 2014
Remainder in 2015
A programme that provides volunteers
with the necessary information and
skills to successfully operate and
manage their clubs.
KA3
Identification and development of best
practice volunteer tool-kits to support
volunteers.
Club Operations
Manager
All Toolkits ready
Ongoing
Best practice toolkits that support and
assist volunteers in the operation and
management of their clubs.
49

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
THEME 4
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Supporting Actions:
SUPPORTING ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
SA1
Brand, celebrate and consistently
acknowledge the volunteer as the
lynchpin of the Dublin GAA
community.
Club Operations
Manager
Volunteer Recognition
Ceremony Quarter 3 2013
Place the volunteer at the centre
of our Association.
SA2
Develop training programmes and
toolkits for the various volunteer
positions in the club.
Club Operations
Manager
Rollout of volunteer training and
toolkits
Executive position training Quarter
4 2012
Provide the volunteer with the
necessary resources.
SA3
Establish a Club Forum whereby all
Dublin clubs can share experiences
and advice on issues such as e.g.
fundraising, grant aid etc. (could be
done on website under certain
headings etc).
Club Operations
Manager
Quarter 1 2013
Dublin Club Forum established by
March 2013.
SA4
Development of induction programme
for new volunteers.
Club Operations
Manager
Generic programmes Quarter 3
2012 – Quarter 4 2017
All clubs 2014.
SA5
Encourage people under 35 to get
involved and contribute to County
administration by promoting SA1.
Club Operations
Manager
Quarter 1 2013 – Quarter 4 2017
20% made up of these groups.
50

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
theme 5: CREATING THE BRIDGE FROM PARTICIPATION TO INTER-COUNTY SUCCESS
Dublin football is a significant flagship for the County Committee and
generates sizeable revenues for the entire Association. Considerable
competition exists for elite players and an attractive environment is
necessary for these players to engage in GAA activity. Hurling is now another
platform which elite players can aspire too. The benefits for Dublin having
developed into a Tier One hurling county cannot be underestimated and
continued success for Dublin at national level will do for hurling what the
70s team did for football and drive activity in the clubs and schools.
The success of our inter county teams is vital to the promotion of Gaelic
games in Dublin and the committee recognises the importance of building
the bridge between the large participation numbers at juvenile level, to the
development squads and ultimately to our inter county teams. The
additional facilities and the extension of the weekend games schedule
should also assist in the preparation of Dublin’s inter county teams as there
will be additional space in the weekend calendar for development squad
meetings and training. Success on the field at inter county level has
demonstrated the ability of the Dublin jersey to captivate an entire county
and beyond. Through the implementation and delivery on each of the key
strategic actions identified below, the DCC has set out the following
performance targets for the years 2011 to 2017.
The Strategic Committee recognises that Dublin GAA’s commitment to a
dual player strategy at club level will bring challenges in creating favourable
conditions for excellence and the development of elite talent. Best practice
on skill development advises that specialisation in one code (be it football
or hurling) from age 15 onwards is preferable to enable the advanced
technical development of players and achieve peak performance in the
chosen code. Whilst acknowledging best practice advice the committee
believes that a balance must be sought between the competing demands of
elite player development and Dublin GAA’s dual player ethos, and this is
reflected in the key actions presented.
The following are the key strategic objectives under this theme:
1. Building the bridge from participation to inter-county success.
2. Set key performance targets for the inter-county teams at all age levels
in both codes.
■
■
■
Win a Senior football All-Ireland every 3 years.
Win Senior All-Ireland Hurling Final every 5 years.
Win one Minor All-Ireland Football and one Minor All-Ireland Hurling
title every 3 years.
■
Win one U21 All-Ireland Football and one U21 All-Ireland Hurling
titles every 5 years.
51

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
The Dublin Hurling squad, 2011
52

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
The Dublin Football squad, 2011
53

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
THEME 5
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Key Actions:
KEY ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
KA1
Development of a dual player policy for
development and inter-county level.
Coaching and Games
Development of dual player policy
by Quarter 1 2012 with a review
every two years.
Development Squads for both
codes will start at age 13 and cater
for dual players up to age 15. From
U16 minimise the number of dual
players at ages 16/17. The
selection of dual players will be
decided by the welfare committee
and team managers in consultation
with the players.
KA2
Development Squads – Develop player
pathway structures from U13 in
Development Squads.
Coaching and Games
Agreed player pathway structures
by Quarter 1 2013
Player pathway structures in place
from U13 in development squads.
KA3
Establish structures for strength and
conditioning and age-specific skills for
development and inter-county level.
Coaching and Games
Agreed structures for strength and
conditioning and age-specific skills
by Quarter 1 2013
Structures for strength and
conditioning and age-specific
skills.
KA4
Develop programme for development
squad mentors.
Coaching and Games
Mentor pathway Quarter 1 2013
Best in Class Coaching.
KA5
Develop Centres of Excellence for
inter-county Training.
Infrastructure
Committee
See Theme 6
See Theme 6.
54

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Supporting Actions:
THEME 5
SUPPORTING ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
SA1
Player Welfare:
Set up Player Welfare Group.
DCC
Committee established Quarter 1
2012
Guidelines for combining
Club/School/Inter-county Activity.
SA2
Monitor training regime and potential
burnout.
DCC
Initiate programme to review
activity in light of Player Welfare
Guidelines
Quarter 3 2012 – Quarter 4 2017
Report on Implementation on
Guidelines with ongoing review
and burnout/injury reporting.
SA3
Establish Career Advice Programme.
DCC
Develop programme to advise on
personal development and career
opportunities Quarter 1 2013
Ensure all players are prepared to
meet a challenging job
environment.
SA4
Management Selection:
Establish Criteria for appointment of
Inter-County/Development Squad
Mentors/Managers.
DCC
Job descriptions Quarter 1 2013
Agreed management selection
criteria and management charter
in place by 2013.
55

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
theme 6: ENSURE THE PROVISION OF APPROPRIATE FACILITIES
For Dublin GAA to grow and sustain the targeted increase in the numbers
playing our games it will be necessary for the County Committee to adopt a
more proactive and effective approach to the development of infrastructure
facilities. The relatively high cost of land in Dublin over the last two decades
and the lack of investment in stadia facilities in Dublin in the era prior to
the development of Parnell Park in the early 1990s has led to a significant
infrastructure gap at both club and county level in the capital. The current
economic conditions represent both an opportunity and challenge in
meeting this gap. A long-term investment commitment is required by all
stakeholders to leverage the current opportunities.
While many Dublin clubs have made significant investment in existing
facilities in recent years, the economic downturn has made it increasingly
challenging for clubs to finance, develop and maintain existing facilities let
alone develop new facilities to cater for targeted growth in team numbers.
Our analysis has shown that many clubs are very dependent on local
authority pitches, which cannot always provide the utilisation necessary to
meet their fixture commitments. The demands placed on club facilities, by
the vibrant level of activity in football, hurling, ladies football and camogie,
generally serves to exacerbate this infrastructure gap.
At Inter-county level the lack of appropriate facilities is now acute. The
development of Parnell Park in the early 90s provided Dublin with a home
venue but it is clear that the current capacity restriction on Parnell Park to
below 10,000 spectators and its tight confines, renders it insufficient to
meet the needs of successful Dublin inter county teams. The infrastructure
deficit also extends to a lack of training academy and centres of excellence
suitable to adequately cater for development squads at all age groups up to
senior level in all codes that match the on-field ambitions of Dublin intercounty
teams.
The traditional match weekend arrangement for Saturday and Sunday games
cannot provide an adequate games programme for clubs players as it seeks
to cater for the overlapping demands of both the dual and inter-county
player within the constraints of an already strained infrastructure platform.
In order to secure greater usage from existing and new facilities, the
Strategic Committee proposes that the traditional playing weekend should
be extended to include Friday night matches to cater for club players. This
initiative will require the provision of more floodlit and all-weather pitches
in each of the ten local regional development areas.
Through the implementation and delivery on each of the key strategic
actions identified below, the DCC has set out the following performance
targets for the years 2012 to 2017.
The following are the key strategic objectives under this theme:
1. Develop two centres of excellence, one on the Northside and one on the
Southside of the county, on a phased basis.
2. Provide sufficient number of cluster facilities with floodlight and all
weather capacity to provide for current and targeted increased games
requirements in all codes and to allow for the extension of club fixtures
to Friday nights.
3. Develop a stadium to bridge the gap between the capacity of Parnell
Park and the 82,300 capacity of Croke Park to meet the needs of
Dublin and its population.
4. Optimise the use of all existing GAA facilities in Dublin, including
second and third level colleges, to support our Games Programme.
56

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Key Actions:
THEME 6
KEY ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
KA1
Develop a playing facilities strategy for the
urban environment to incorporate the
nature and location of each regional area
to provide the pitches to play club games
by way of a roll out plan for between 5
and 10 cluster facilities over the next five
years.
Infrastructure
Committee
DCC
Playing facilities strategy for all
regions to be developed by Quarter
3 2012, with at least two cluster
facilities developed in the short
term
Playing facilities that meet the
needs of the 10 LADRs.
KA2
KA3
Development of a strategy following an
economic appraisal for the construction of
an optimum size stadium taking into
account the stadia deficit in the
neighbouring counties.
Agree policy with Páirc an Chrócaigh Teo
for using Croke Park for Dublin’s major
senior inter-county games.
CrokePark,
Leinster
Council and
DCC
Dublin County
Board
All feasibility studies and proposals
to be completed by Quarter 2
2012, funding to be in place by
June 2013 and development to
commence by March 2014
Quarter 4 2011
Appropriate facilities in Dublin that
ensure that all Dublin inter-county
games are watched by optimum
attendances.
There will be an agreement in place
with Páirc an Chrócaigh Teo to
facilitate Dublin GAA playing their
major senior inter county games in
Croke park.
KA4
Centres of Excellence – Development of
two centres of excellence in key locations
in the county – one on Southside and one
on Northside, one of which should
incorporateelite best in class facilities.
Infrastructure
Committee
DCC
2 centres of excellence in operation
Quarter 1 2014 – Quarter 4 2017
Ensuring a centre of excellence
infrastructure that provides for the
needs of all Dublin Inter-county
teams.
KA5
Following the completion of the facilities
audit and in parallel with KA1 and KA2 in
Theme 2 (in relation to Games
Programme), DCC to collaborate with the
Education Sector (including Third Level)
to achieve an optimal shared use of GAA
and education-based facilities.
DCC/Education
Sector
Agreement with second and third
level colleges for use of facilities by
Quarter 4 2012
Optimum shared use of GAA and
education-based facilities.
57

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
THEME 6
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Supporting Actions:
SUPPORTING ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
SA1
Facilities Audit:
Carry out an audit of all GAA games
facilities in Dublin (GAA, schools,
local authorities) to determine current
and future needs.
Infrastructure
Committee
Quarter 1 2012
Audit Completed
Establish current requirements.
SA2
Club Facilities Development:
Develop a long-term sustainable model
that will include provision for younger
children to play near their
communities and a strategy for older
participants in areas where land is at a
premium.
Infrastructure
Committee
Model Quarter 2 2012
Robust plans that will allow an
increasing population have access
to facilities in an urban
environment where additional
recreational space is available.
SA3
Develop best in class (centralised)
facilities maintenance programme.
Infrastructure
Committee
Guidelines and training programme
on facilities maintenance
Quarter 4 2012
Increase usage capacity.
SA4
Develop Toolkit to help clubs with
pitch development in terms of advice
and expertise.
Infrastructure
Committee
Guidelines and training programme
on facilities maintenance
Quarter 4 2012
Increase usage capacity.
58

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Supporting Actions:
THEME 6
SUPPORTING ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
SA5
Following agreement on KA3, and
awaiting results of KA2 review County
Grounds Strategy with the use of Croke
Park and current facilities.
Infrastructure
Committee
Quarter 2 2012
Robust Strategy that will ensure
County Board can maximise
attendances at all county games –
inter-county and club.
SA6
In advance of completion of centres of
excellence, DCC to run tender amongst
clubs with all weather facilities to
secure 3 year commitment of prime
time slots for use by development and
inter-county squads.
DCC
Quarter 1 2012 – Quarter 4 2017
To maximise use of current
facilities.
SA7
Ensuring Value for Money:
– All capital projects to be subject to
detailed value for money assessment
and independent sign off and regular
review.
Infrastructure
Committee
Project Evaluation System
Quarter 1 2012
6 month Review process
beginning Dec 2012
To ensure appropriate benefits are
being targeted and focused on.
59

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
theme 7: INVESTING IN THE COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL OF THE DUBLIN GAA BRAND
Dublin GAA owns one of the most supported and recognised sports brands
in Ireland. This success is despite the lack of any formal brand development
strategy or market-focused investment. However, the potential of the Dublin
Brand is not being fully maximised. The Strategic Committee believes that
there is strong potential to develop the Dublin Brand to be the most
recognised and valuable sports brand in Ireland. In addition there is an
opportunity for the GAA, as the overarching body, and the other counties, to
collaborate with Dublin to raise the profile and commercial value of all GAA
brands.
Central to the development of the Dublin Brand will be an overall strategy
that seeks to engage all relevant stakeholders (including the Dublin County
Committee, Ladies Associations, all Dublin Clubs, Club Members and all
Dublin Fans, County Teams, Sponsors, and all other units of the GAA) in a
revolutionary approach to unlock the full potential of the Dublin Brand and
its related assets.
The following are the key strategic objectives under this theme:
1. To develop the Dublin GAA Brand as the leading sports brand in Ireland
2. To support the Leinster Council and Central Council in developing the
brand potential of the Leinster Championship and National League
respectively and in so doing support the brand development and
commercial potential of all participating counties
3. To fully integrate Camogie and Ladies Football in the brand development
initiatives to ensure consistency of brand objectives and a single view of
the Dublin GAA Brand
4. To fully engage all stakeholders in the Dublin GAA Brand development
process.
60

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Key Actions:
THEME 7
KEY ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
KA1
Develop enhanced Strategy for
development of Dublin GAA as an iconic
sport brand.
Commercial
Committee and
DCC staff
Strategy in place Quarter 1
2012
To establish Dublin GAA as the leading
sports brand in Irish sport and ensure
that the value inherent in the brand is
maximised
KA2
Develop individual programmes to underpin
the Dublin Brand proposition for each
stakeholder category including Fans, Clubs,
Sponsors, Media, National and Local
Government, the Public generally and
across all units of the GAA.
Commercial
Committee and
DCC staff
All programmes to be
completed and adopted by
end 2012
Enhanced engagement of all Sponsors,
Media and all GAA Stakeholders in
promotion of GAA in Dublin and
development of Dublin GAA Brand.
KA3
Develop and roll out of a professional tiered
sponsorship strategy and sponsor
management capability
Commercial
Committee and
DCC staff
By end Quarter 1 2012
Provide for an effective means of
managing all sponsorship relationships
and to support enhanced commitment of
commercial sponsors to invest behind
Dublin brand development effort.
KA4
Develop and agree a pan association
commitment to create a single
family-oriented Dublin Brand.
Investigate the full integration of Ladies
Football and Camogie Associations in
Dublin into Dublin GAA to create single
male and female association and brand
proposition in the capital.
3 County
Boards
Agreement by end Quarter 1
2012
Ongoing
To ensure consistency of brand
development amongst all three
associations in Dublin.
KA5
Co-ordinate and integrate various existing
fans clubs in Dublin to create a single
“Dublin GAA Fans Club“, and develop a
members database meeting all applicable
data protection and security guidelines to
support the roll out of affinity relationships.
Commercial
Committee and
DCC staff
By end Quarter 4 2012
Successful Dublin Fans Club and
effective members’ database.
61

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
THEME 7
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Supporting Actions:
SUPPORTING ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
SA1
Dublin County Committee to appoint a
professional brand and commercial
development team of up to 4 professional
executives to comprise Brand and
Commercial Director, Brand Development
Manager, Sponsorship Relationship
Manager and Club Commercial Manage.
Commercial
Committee & DCC
Executives to be employed
on phased basis in line
with increased revenue
generation commencing
with the appointment of
the Brand Development
Manager in Quarter 1 2012
Development of Brand and Commercial
Relationship capability to be underpinned
by properly resourced professional team.
SA2
Engage with Central Council to capitalise
on and further develop the Dublin Spring
Series concept in 2012 to maximise
attendances and brand impact for
Dublin’s home and away National League
fixtures.
Commercial
Committee & DCC
Quarter 4 2011
To maximise attendances and potential of
National League fixtures to create an
enhanced GAA match day family
experience and to allow opposition
counties in the league to leverage Dublin’s
brand development experience to support
their own brand development ambitions.
SA3
Engage with Leinster Council to target
revamped format for 2013 Leinster
Championship that supports fixtures
planning, maximising attendances, and
active marketing of Dublin’s (and all
Leinster counties) Leinster Championship
games packages and to build the Leinster
Championship brand.
Commercial
Committee & DCC
Quarter 1 2012
To maximise attendances at games and
assist in generating more interest in the
Leinster Championship. as well as
providing support for all other Leinster
counties to leverage Dublin Brand
development experience to support their
own brand development ambitions.
SA4
Engage with Leinster Council to seek the
admittance of additional Dublin teams
(and teams from other larger counties) in
the provincial club championships
(similar to hurling in Féile).
Commercial
Committee & DCC
By end Quarter 2 2012
To leverage the unique potential of club
participation in the provincial
championships to strengthen GAA brand
recognition in more local communities.
62

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Supporting Actions:
THEME 7
SUPPORTING ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
SA5
Embed Brand Development
responsibility in RDOs, GPOs and SRC
programme generally through
enhanced Learning and Development
Programme for all county board
employees.
Commercial
Committee & DCC
Quarter 2 2012
Promotion of Dublin GAA in all
operational programmes and
greater appreciation and
consistency across all organs of
Dublin GAA of brand potential
and objectives.
SA6
Develop full range of Dublin GAA
Merchandise and On and Off pitch
apparel (aka “the New York Yankees”)
and appropriate distribution channels.
Commercial
Committee & DCC
By end Quarter 4 2012
Underpin brand development
through roll out of merchandise
range.
SA7
Discuss with media outlets for
coverage of underage county finals for
screening at a later date.
DCC
Coverage by Quarter 2 2013
Maximum coverage of all GAA
activities.
SA8
Arrange annual Dublin GAA Awards
Gala which collectively recognises
club and inter-county playing and
volunteering success and
achievements.
Commercial
Committee & DCC
Quarter 4 2012
Acknowledge club and intercounty
playing and volunteering
success and achievements.
63

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
theme 8: PROCURING THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES NECESSARY TO DEVELOP DUBLIN GAA
The Strategic Committee believe that the financial resources that are
currently available to the Dublin County Committee are inadequate to
enable Dublin GAA to give effect to the initiatives identified as appropriate
in this strategic review. As noted in section 3.9, the County Committee has
traditionally operated a balanced budget with all revenues (which have been
running at €5.2 million per year) being fully reinvested in current
organisational and development initiatives. In the current economic climate
the ability to secure additional funds to finance the increased investment
contemplated in this plan is very challenging. A professional and proactive
approach is a prerequisite. However, the Dublin County Committee cannot
be expected to finance the rollout of the strategic development of GAA in
the capital city, one which has a catchment population as big as the rest of
Leinster and of each of the other provinces. The level of funding that has
traditionally been allocated to Dublin is considerably less than would be
warranted based on any population, activity, or revenue analysis.
The Strategic Committee believes that the starting point towards addressing
this shortfall should be the recognition of the interdependent relationship
between Dublin’s ambitions for the GAA in the capital city and the overall
wellbeing of the Association. It will require the Dublin County Committee to
step up to its responsibility to implement the strategic initiatives
recommended in this review. It will also require Central Council to embrace
a different funding model, one which acknowledges the strategic
significance of Dublin. Dublin GAA’s plans, if they are to succeed, will need
additional resources from Central Council to add to the increased funds to
be targeted by additional investment in the Dublin Brand and a refocused
commercial sponsorship and fundraising drive.
The following are the key strategic objectives under this theme:
1. Increase annual commercial revenues of the County Board by at least
€1.5m over the plan period.
2. Achieve Provincial status for Dublin in terms of funding allocated by
Central Council.
3. Professionalise Dublin’s Brand and Commercial Development Focus to
ensure that the revenue potential of Ireland leading sports brand is
optimised.
4. Create an enhanced sense of collaboration between the Dublin County
Committee and Dublin Clubs to generate incremental financial benefit
for the clubs of at least €1m per annum.
5. Secure sufficient funding for the roll out of two centres of excellence
and approximately six club-based cluster facilities over the plan period.
6. Collaborate with Leinster Council and Central Council to ensure Dublin
perspective is brought to the maximisation of GAA income streams and
to harness the resources of all stakeholders to procure the necessary
funding to develop a suitably-sized stadium in Dublin to cater for the
needs of Dublin and the East Coast counties generally.
64

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Key Actions:
THEME 8
KEY ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
KA1
Develop detailed financial strategy to finance all
current commitments and investments required
by the Dublin GAA strategy 2011 to 2017.
Finance
Committee
and DCC staff
By end Quarter 2
2012
Clear Strategy for financing operational and
capital investments in Dublin over plan
period.
KA2
Engage with Central Council and other units of
the Association to secure agreement for Dublin
GAA to attain provincial status development
purposes in order to secure an adequate share
of GAA disbursements and capital grants.
DCC
Agreement in place by
end Quarter 2 2012
To secure adequate funding from Central
Council, on an annual basis, to meet the
challenges of increasing participation rates
and advancing the Association in Dublin.
KA3
Refresh sponsorship strategy towards more
formal tiered sponsorship programme targeting
incremental sponsorship revenues of €1.5
million per year by end of plan period
Finance
Committee
and DCC staff
Target 20% pa growth
in revenues
Secure receipt of enhanced and sustainable
streams.
KA4
Develop range of fundraising initiatives and
commercial collaborations (2/3 annually) to
include the Dublin Spring Series, to raise up to
€1m annually for development of Dublin Club
infrastructure.
Finance
Committee
and DCC staff
First initiative by end
Quarter 2 2012
Harness collective capacity of Dublin clubs
to collaborate in major financing initiatives
and achieve commercial and procurement
synergies.
KA5
Continue and enhance Dublin Spring Series in
2012 based on updated financial arrangement
with Croke Park.
Finance
Committee
and DCC staff
Updated agreement by
end November 2011 –
to maximise
attendances
Increase revenue participation for Dublin
County Committee and Dublin clubs while
simultaneously investing in Dublin Brand.
KA6
Engage with Leinster Council and the other
counties to seek to revamp the Leinster
Championship in both Hurling and Football, to
increase the revenue potential of the premier
competitions in Leinster for all participating
counties.
DCC
Agreement by end
Quarter 3 2012
Support efforts to increase in the revenue
generating capacity of Leinster Championship
where the allocation of such increased
revenue for all participating counties is
based on attendances, thus aligning reward
with promotional commitment.
65

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
THEME 8
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Supporting Actions:
SUPPORTING ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
SA1
Collaborate with Central Council to ensure
that the Irish Sports Council grant
towards Dublin’s SRC games promotions
programme is maintained at a minimum
of 2010 levels.
DCC, Irish Sports
Council
Maintain SRC funding over
the period of the plan Quarter
1 2012 - Quarter 4 2017.
Securing and maintaining income
from Irish Sports Council.
SA2
Broaden engagement with national and
Local Government, including the four
Dublin local authorities, NAMA and
educational bodies to secure increased
operational, infrastructure and financial
support for games development in Dublin.
DCC, various local and
national government
agencies
Quarterly meetings with all
local authorities from
Quarter 1 2012
Enhanced co-operation and direct
and indirect financial support
from local authorities to ensure
funding allocations towards sport
are fairly distributed across all
sports, including GAA.
SA3
In line with Theme 7 – SA1, Dublin
County Committee to appoint a
professional brand and commercial
development team comprising Brand and
Commercial Director, Brand Development
Manager, Sponsorship Relationship
Manager and Club Commercial Manager.
Commercial
Committee, & DCC
Executives to be employed on
phased basis in line with
increased revenue generation
commencing with the
appointment of the Brand
Development Manager in
Quarter 1 2012
Development of Brand and
Commercial Relationship
capability to be underpinned by
properly resourced professional
team.
SA4
Roll out refreshed merchandising strategy
to generate increased licensing revenues.
Finance Committee
and DCC staff
Quarter 2 2012
Initiate new merchandising
strategy
SA5
Propose amendments to Official Guide -
GAA Sponsorship Rules to allow for
secondary and tertiary sponsorship logos
on playing gear while working within the
core values of the GAA.
Finance Committee
and DCC staff
Quarter 4 2011
To allow GAA to compete with
other sports codes for increased
share of sponsorship revenues
66

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Supporting Actions:
THEME 8
SUPPORTING ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
SA6
All sponsorship relationships to be
reviewed annually.
Finance Committee
and DCC staff
Annually from 2012
To ensure that sponsors are getting good
value for their investment as a means of
deepening sponsor relationship and
safeguarding Dublin GAA revenues.
SA7
Engage legal team to ensure all
unauthorised marketing and
merchandising (ambush marketing) of
Dublin imagery is eliminated.
Finance Committee
and DCC staff
Appointment in Quarter 1
2012
To protect value of Dublin Brand and
prevent unauthorised use of Dublin
Image Rights.
SA8
On and off Field Apparel Sponsor to be
openly and formally tendered on
expiry of current agreements.
Finance Committee
and DCC staff
Tender Process during Quarter
1 2012
To maximise value for Dublin County
Committee and Dublin Clubs from
apparel rights.
SA9
Formal procedures to be adopted for
all other material commercial and
procurement contracts to ensure value
for money and revenue optimisation
with effect from adoption of DCC
strategy 2012 to 2017.
Finance Committee
and DCC staff
Quarter 1 2012 – Quarter 4
2017
To maximise value for Dublin County
Committee and Dublin Clubs.
SA10
Strategy to embed enhanced
collaboration between Dublin County
Committee and Dublin Clubs to be
developed to ensure that the interests
of all units are aligned towards
maximising the financial potential of
such collaboration for both the Clubs
and the County Board.
Finance Committee
Dublin Clubs and
DCC
To be completed by end
Quarter 2 2012
Clear alignment of interest and mutual
drive to increase overall revenue
potential of the Association in Dublin
between County Board and Clubs.
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UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
THEME 8
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Supporting Actions:
SUPPORTING ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
SA11
Prepare financial feasibility for the
construction of an optimum size stadium
taking into account the stadia deficit in
the neighbouring counties Croke Park,
Leinster Council and Finance subcommittee
and DCC.
Croke Park, Leinster
Council and Finance
Committee and DCC
Feasibility studies and
proposals to be completed by
Quarter 2 2012, funding to
be in place by June 2013.
To ensure that funding is in place
to develop the Stadium.
SA12
Undertake economic appraisal of the
contribution to the social capital of
Dublin arising from the activities of the
Dublin County Committee and the Dublin
Club network.
Finance Committee
and DCC
To be completed by end
Quarter 1 2012
To have a robust economic report
available to underpin financial
discussions as between Dublin
GAA and other stakeholders.
SA13
Seek local and national government
support for reduced rates including water
rates charges for all voluntary sports
organisations that are recognised by the
revenue commissioners as having
charitable status.
Finance Committee
and DCC
By end Quarter 2 2012
Reduction of the cost of rates for
sports bodies.
68

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
theme 9: providing FIRST-CLASS MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE FOR
DUBLIN GAA
For Dublin GAA to grow and prosper the management of the County
Committee and the clubs must be in strong hands. Strong leadership and a
meaningful connection to participants, our supporters, key stakeholders and
sponsors will assist Dublin GAA in becoming the leading GAA county and the
key driver for the future development of the Association nationally.
Following the publication of the strategic review in 2002 a significant
investment was made by all the stakeholders in Dublin GAA to employ
coaching and games personnel, predominantly at club level (Games
Promotions officers). The appointments included 50 GPOs, 3 regional
development officers reporting to the clubs operations manager (formally
strategic programmes manager). The Strategic Committee recognises that
there will be additional manpower investment required to implement the
commercial and LADR initiatives. It is important that the volunteer structures
are strengthened to ensure that volunteers continue to have an effective
oversight of these personals.
This plan will only succeed if the County Committee has the seamless and
dynamic integrated structures in place to implement the recommendations.
In this report the Strategic Committee stresses the urgency for the plan’s
proposals to be embraced by all units of Dublin GAA and for the clubs to
work in an integrated manner with the County Committee. It is also necessary
to have this integrated approach at the centre of Dublin GAA’s relationship
with Coiste Báinistí and Leinster Council as the Association must be single
minded in its tactics of providing games and facilities for the large population
who live in the province. The statistics in Section 3 demonstrate that the
increase in births is not just a Dublin phenomenon but that 57% of births in
2010 were to mothers resident in all of Leinster. The Strategic Committee
recognises that it is only by having integrated action plans in place will the
Association be able to provide the resources necessary for the expanding
urban communities. Dublin is at the heart of the demographic challenge and
should participate on the management committees.
The committee believe that this seamless approach requires the following
steps:
■ The clubs being represented at the County Committee by their
chairperson and/or other senior officers
■ Dublin having provincial status for developmental purposes to allow the
chairman of the County Committee be a permanent member of Coiste
Báinistí
■ Dublin GAA having a permanent member on the Leinster Council’s
Management Committee
The implementation and delivery on each of the key strategic actions and
performance targets for the years 2011 to 2017 identified in the themes is
critical to the success of Dublin GAA. The Strategic Committee proposes
changes to improve the workings of Dublin’s County Committee, Management
Committee together with reorganising the executive staff, with a small increase
in personnel in order to service the regionalisation of the games development
needs of Dublin GAA.
The following are the key strategic objectives under this theme:
I. Ensure that the clubs work in an integrated manner with the County
Committee.
II. Ensure that there is an effective and vibrant management structure in
place.
III. To have one Dublin GAA County Committee, similar to the arrangements in
the clubs to deal with all GAA affairs in the County.
IV. To ensure that the day-to-day management team is adequate to meet the
targets set out in plan.
V. Obtain Provincial status for developmental purposes by representation of
the Dublin Chairman on Coiste Báinistí.
VI. Achieve permanent representation on the Leinster Management Committee
to integrate planning, obtain resources, achieve efficiencies and exploit
commercial opportunities.
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UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
THEME 9
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Key Actions:
KEY ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
KA1
Clubs to be represented at County
Committee meetings by Chairman,
Secretary or Treasurer
Dublin County
Committee
Quarter 1 2012 – Quarter 4 2017
Greater Club/County alignment
KA2
Redesign management structures to allow
elected and selected positions on the
County Management Committee
Dublin County
Committee
Quarter 1 2012
Specialised Expertise on
Management Committee
KA3
Set up Operational Committee to deal
with issues between management
meetings
Dublin County
Committee
Quarter 1 2012
Quicker Decision Meeting
KA4
Reorganise the subcommittee structure of
County Committee
Dublin County
sub-committee
Quarter 1 2012
Quicker Decision Meeting
KA5
The Chairman of the implementation
committee is a member of the Dublin
Management Committee
Dublin County
Committee
Quarter 1 2012
Strategic Plan Focus
KA6
Develop the steps to integrate the
management of all Dublin GAA activity to
reflect current club practices
All Dublin
County Boards
Implementation Sub-Committee to
be established by Quarter 1 2012
Full integration of Ladies Football
and Camogie into Dublin GAA
Quarter 4 2017
All Dublin GAA activity integrated
into a co-ordinated management
structure
KA7
Seek the designation of provincial status
for Dublin for development purposes and
the appointment of The Dublin Chairman
to Coiste Báinistí
Dublin County
Committee,
Central Council
Quarter 1 2012
Input in decision making and
greater national / Dublin alignment
KA8
Seek appointment of a permanent
representative on the Leinster Council
Management Committee
Dublin County
Committee,
Leinster Council
Quarter 1 2012
Input in decision making and
greater provincial alignment
70

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Supporting Actions:
THEME 9
SUPPORTING ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
SA1
Improve collaboration between the
Dublin County Board and Dublin Clubs
from a financial and commercial
perspective.
DCC and strategic
sub committees
Quarter 1 2012 – Quarter 4 2017
Improved collaboration between
the Dublin Co Board and Dublin
Clubs.
SA2
DCC to host an Annual Dublin
Strategic Workshop which:
• Brings together all Dublin GAA key
stakeholders and Clubs, with a
distinct input from players of all
levels and codes
• Reviews the progress of the
Strategic Plan
• Identifies new issues to be
addressed by Dublin GAA.
DCC staff
Quarter 4 2012
Annual strategic workshop hosted
each year with the input of the
whole Dublin GAA community.
SA3
Production of an annual county
information manual released in
January that includes contacts for
Chairpersons, Secretaries, Youth
Officers, Coaching Officers, and team
management from youth to senior
Level.
DCC staff
Quarter 1 2013
One point of contact for all
bodies promoting Gaelic
Games in the County.
SA4
Reduce the number of County
Committee Meetings to 4/5 a year.
DCC
Quarter 1 2012
Club officer participation at
County Committee meetings.
SA5
Establish Strategic Committee to
oversee and ensure implementation of
the Strategic Plan.
DCC
Quarter 4 2011
All strategic performance targets
achieved.
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UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
THEME 9
These objectives will be achieved through the realisation of the following Supporting Actions:
SUPPORTING ACTIONS OWNERSHIP MILESTONES DESIRED OUTCOME
SA6
Sub Committees:
Terms of Reference of the Finance
committee, Planning and Physical
Development committee, as provided for
by paragraph 3.22 of Treoir Oifigúil, to be
updated to incorporate the strategic
ambitions of the plan and to mandate
their operation in accordance with the
Strategic Plan.
DCC and Strategic
Committee
Quarter 4 2011
All strategic performance targets
achieved.
SA7
Finance Committee brief to incorporate
clear directions in relation to Brand and
Commercial Development and Protection.
Finance Committee
Quarter 4 2011
All strategic performance targets
achieved.
SA8
Committee chairpersons and members to
be nominated by the Management
Committee and ratified by County
Committee
DCC
Quarter 1 2012
All strategic performance targets
achieved.
SA9
Promote the integration and cohesion
between the various GAA bodies
regarding insurance, registration and
other costs - Develop and define a
common approach between the GAA,
Ladies Gaelic Football Association and
Camogie Association regarding insurance,
registration and other administrative
issues, leading to eventual integration
and more cohesive relationship between
the three associations.
Three Associations
Quarter 1 2012 – Quarter 4
2017
In the current economic climate it
is becoming more challenging to
finance the cost of participating
in Gaelic games. For a moderate
size club playing in all codes the
costs of entry fees, affiliation,
registration and insurance costs to
participate are c €40,000 now.
The desired outcome from this
initiative would be to reduce these
costs.
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UNLEASHING THE blue wave A Strategy for Dublin GAA 2011-2017
5. what gets measured
gets done...
The success, implementation and
management of this strategic plan will be
dependent on the adherence to a robust
monitoring strategy.
The ownership of each strategic action has
being assigned in this plan.
It is the intention that these strategic actions will form the basis for the
annual work plans that each Dublin County Board Sub-Committee will
be expected to draw up and work to.
In order to keep a strategic, county-wide focus, a Strategic
Implementation Committee will be set up by the County Board. It will be
tasked with maintaining an ongoing overview of the plan’s
implementation and to report formally to the County Board. This will
ensure transparency and accountability and help to provide the various
units in Dublin GAA with valuable updates on progress being made.
73

UNLEASHING THE blue wave A Strategy for Dublin GAA 2011-2017
6. recommendations
to other units of the association
■ Propose introduction of U16 Feile as an initiative to keep young people involved in Gaelic games
■ Propose to Leinster Council that the earlier rounds of the football and hurling championship are
played on the same weekend. This initiative would free up some weekends for club games, lower
the costs for supporters and the Council while improving attendances at the games.
74

strategic committees
Name
Club
overall Committee
Support Services
Finance
Brendan Waters
Padraic Duffy
Andy Kettle
Sean Donnelly
Michael Hand
Gerry Harrington
Noel Kelly
Dave Kennedy
Gerry O’Sullivan
Chairperson St Brigids
Ard Stiurthoir Cumann Luthchleas Gael
Chairperson Dublin County Committee
Kilmacud Crokes
Ballinteer St Johns
Naomh Mearnog
O’Tooles
Thomas Davis
Ballyboden St Enda’s
Michael Roche
Bríd Power
Donal Doyle
Conal Markey
Maire Ni Cheallaigh
Ger Quinn
Peter Kettle
Fergus McNally
Lucan Sarsfields
St. Vincents
Dublin County Board Staff
Fingallians
Raheny
Ballinteer St Johns
Fingal Ravens
St Judes
David Kennedy
Niall Cooper
Herbert Sharkey
Paraic Fahey
Kevin Kellet
John O’Leary
John Holland
Activities
Thomas Davis
Dublin County Board Staff
Ballinteer St Johns
Templeogue/Synge Street
Beann Eadair
O’Dwyers
Naomh Mearnog
Susan Naughton
Kevin O’Shaughnessy
Bríd Power
Michael Roche
John Costello
Infrastructure
Michael Hand
Conor O’Brien
Gerry Rowley
Donal Nolan
Scoil Uí Chonaill
Dublin County Board Staff
St Vincents
Lucan Sarsfields
CEO Dublin County Board
Ballinteer St Johns
Ballinteer St. Johns
Scoil Uí Chonaill
Clontarf
Club Development
Noel Kelly
Susan Naughton
Eimear Dignam
Phil Gough
Conor Foley
Mark Duncan
Paul Casey
Ray O’Connell
O’Tooles
Scoil Uí Chonaill
Dublin County Board Staff
Crumlin
Naomh Olaf
Kilmacud Crokes
Clontarf
Croí Ro Naofa
Sean Donnelly
Gerard O’Connor
John McNicholas
Damian Allen
Frank Lynch
Seamus Harrington
Christy Cox
Enda O’Toole
Cathal O’Donnell
John O’Brien
Paddy Christie
Kilmacud Crokes
Dublin County Board Staff
Dublin County Board Staff
St Vincents
Naomh Mearnog
St Brendans
Erins Isle
Thomas Davis
St Sylvesters
Naomh Olaf
Ballymun Kickhams
Kevin O’Shaughnessy
Dublin County Board Staff
Edel Williams
Robert Emmets
Declan Coulter
Naomh Barrog
75

appendices
1. developing a
strategy for
dublin gaa
2. demographic
timebomb
»
79
3. local area
development regions
77 81
» »
76

APPENDIX I - DEVELOPING A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA
Scope
The plan is based on a number of significant drivers which form the
foundation for the future growth of Dublin GAA and is built on the key
components of club, youth participation, player, volunteer and facilities.
We will also deliver the requisite programmes to maximise the benefits from
these components. Additionally, these programmes will be seen as a means
of enhancing and enriching the lives of all GAA people involved.
Methodology
1. STRATEGIC STEERING COMMITTEE & STRATEGIC SUB–COMMITTEES
The overall Strategic Committee assembled 5 sub-committees.
Each sub-committee’s chairperson reported directly to the overall Strategic
Committee. The following is a list of the sub-committees formed:
■
■
■
■
■
Finance
Activities
Club Development
Support Services
Infrastructure
2. FOCUS GROUP NIGHT HELD ON 18 th OCTOBER 2010.
All clubs were invited to nominate 2 members of their club, who were
selected to participate in two focus groups on the night. The object of each
of these groups was to identify:
■
■
■
the main challenges facing Dublin GAA family from that group’s
perspective
what should be included in the plan to address those challenges
the success criteria of which those initiatives should be judged
Each attendee was asked to reflect on the above objectives before the
meeting and below is a list of topics which could have formed part of their
deliberation. This list was not seen as an exclusive list but as an aid to start
the thought process.
Club-School Link, Coaching Qualifications/Standards, Coaching Standards,
Collaboration, Community, County Board Support, County vs. Club, Croke
Park Support, Development Squads, Dual Players, Facilities Development,
Financial Management, Fixture Programme, Games for All, Governance
Issues, Image, Injuries/Player Welfare, Integration, Inter-County Success,
Leinster Support, Local Authority Relationship, Marketing, Participation,
Playing Standards, PR, Referee Standards, Role of Media, School Games,
Schools, Shared Objectives, Standards, Volunteer Recruitment.
Each sub-committee was tasked with setting out their terms of reference at
their 1 st meeting and subsequent meetings took place over a period of 8
months.
77

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
Groups were split up according to area of knowledge / expertise within the
club. Groups were as follows:
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
Club Executive
Juvenile Executive
Adult Player / Mentor
Parent
Juvenile Mentor
Teacher
Local Government
Elite Player
There were also 4 separate consultation groups consisting of members from:
4. ONLINE SURVEY
An Online Survey was posted on www.hill16.ie in the following languages:
■
■
■
■
■
■
English
Irish
Polish
Nigerian
Spanish
French
This survey was also emailed to all mailing lists, including club chairmen,
secretaries, GPO’s, Local Authority contacts & steering committees etc.
■
■
■
■
Dublin Camogie
Dublin Ladies Football
Bord na nÓg
Elite Mangers
3. CONSULTATION MEETINGS
A series of consultation meetings was held for the following groups:
■ Club Chairpersons
■ Club Secretaries
■ GPOs
78

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
APPENDIX II - Demographic timebomb
The detailed analysis focuses on four key dates (a) 2006 the year of the
latest census (b) 2010 (c) 2015 and (d) 2017 when male children born
2010 will first engage in Go-Games activity. The source of the demographic
analysis is the CSO census of 2006 and the CSO Vital Statistics on births
by county of the residency of the mother.
Tables 2 and 3 detail the position of each of the local authorities within
Dublin at the two key engagement age group as at 2006, 2010, 2015 and
2017 and the percentage increase on the last census.
Table 4 is the same as Table 2 with adjustments for mothers who have a
Dublin residency at birth but move to non-Dublin locations. This is factored
in at 6.81% decrease for Dublin, for the period 2006 to 2010, when the
2005 Vital Statistics are compared to the Census. The comparable figures
are used for each local authority in Dublin.
The impact on Dublin GAA clubs of this population growth is significant and
to retain the penetration rates of Go-Games we require an overall increase in
numbers playing of between 13% and 23% in 2015 and 25% and 35% in
2017 compared to 2010.
However the scale of our ambition must be to drive increases in
participation in real terms and the objective over the period of the plan is to
have a ten percent increase on our current participation rates. This level of
ambition requires numbers participating in Go-Games rising from 12,063
in 2010 to 18,000 in 2017.
TABLE 2
GO GAMES ENGAGEMENT
South Dublin
Pop Inc.
Pop
Fingal
Inc.
Pop
City Council
Inc.
Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown
Pop Inc.
Pop
Total
Inc.
2006
2010
2015
2017
8,716
9,758 12%
11,368 30.4%
11,503 32.0%
8,178
8,778 7.3%
11,958 46.2%
13,397 61.4%
12,747
12,653 -0.7%
16,000 25.5%
18,636 46.2%
6,133
5,895 -3.9%
6,136 0.0%
6,708 9.4%
35,774
37,084 3.7%
45,462 27.1%
50,044 39.9%
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UNLEASHING THE “BLUE WAVE”
TABLE 3
JUVENILE ENGAGEMENT
South Dublin
Pop Inc.
Pop
Fingal
Inc.
Pop
City Council
Inc.
Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown
Pop Inc.
Pop
Total
Inc.
2006
2010
2015
2017
7,214
7,133 -1.1%
8,343 15.7%
8,869 22.9%
5,972
6,025 0.9%
8,000 34.0%
8,519 42.6%
10,265
9,866 -3.9%
10,185 -0.8%
10,531 2.6%
5,292
4,886 -7.7%
4,559 -13.9%
4,624 -12.6%
28,743
27,910 -2.9%
31,087 8.2%
32,543 13.2%
TABLE 4
GO GAMES ENGAGEMENT
South Dublin
Pop Inc.
Pop
Fingal
Inc.
Pop
City Council
Inc.
Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown
Pop Inc.
Pop
Total
Inc.
2006
2010
2015
2017
8,716
9,758 12%
10,999 26.2%
10,886 24.9%
8,178
8,778 7.3%
11,963 46.3%
13,208 61.5%
12,747
12,653 -0.7%
14,509 13.8%
16,017 25.7%
6,133
5,895 -3.9%
5,976 -2.6
6,428 -4.8%
35,774
37,084 3.7%
43,447 21.4%
46,539 30.1%
80

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
APPENDIX III - LOCAL AREA DEVELOPMENT REGIONS
LADR POPULATION PER 2006 CENSUS POPULATION PER 2011 CENSUS % INCREASE
LUCAN/CLONDALKIN 97,013 105,884 9.1
TALLAGHT 75,815 84,585 11.6
RATHFARNHAM/TERENURE 123,395 124,734 1.1
BLANCHARDSTOWN 85,212 92,304 8.0
SWORDS 55,242 67,272 21.8
FINGAL COASTAL STRIP 97,234 111,397 14.6
NORTH CITY 1 197,768 206,362 4.3
NORTH CITY 2 97,935 101,161 3.3
SOUTH CITY 164,351 171,498 4.3
DÚN LAOGHAIRE - RATHDOWN 193,211 205,676 6.5
The clubs included in the above LADRs are listed on page 82.
The number of clubs total 75 and include only those clubs who have a
precise geographical location with teams at juvenile participation
competitions.
All other clubs will be included in the process to ensure that they are
included in the development plans and are listed seperately.
81

UNLEASHING THE “BLUE WAVE”
Area
Club
Area
Club
Blanchardstown
Blanchardstown
Blanchardstown
Blanchardstown
Blanchardstown
Blanchardstown
Fingal Costal Strip
Fingal Costal Strip
Fingal Costal Strip
Fingal Costal Strip
Fingal Costal Strip
Fingal Costal Strip
Fingal Costal Strip
Fingal Costal Strip
Fingal Costal Strip
Fingal Costal Strip
Fingal Costal Strip
Dun Laoghaire
Castleknock
Erin Go Bragh
St Brigids
St Peregrines
Tyrellstown
Westmanstown
BeannEadair
Innisfails
Man-O-War
Na DubhGhall
NaomhMearnog
O’Dwyers
Round Towers Lusk
Skerries Harps
St Maurs
St Patricks Donabate
St. Sylvesters
Ballinteer St Johns
Lucan/Clondalkin
Lucan/Clondalkin
North 1
North 1
North 1
North 1
North 1
North 1
North 1
North 1
North 1
North 2
North 2
North 2
North 2
North 2
North 2
St Finian’s, Newcastle
St Patricks, Palmerstown
Ballymun Kickhams
Erins Isle
Na Fianna
Naomh Fionnbarra
Setanta
St Josephs/O’Connell Boys
St Oliver Plunketts Eoghan Ruadh
St Vincents
Whitehall Colmcille
Clontarf
Croabh Chiaráin
Naomh Barróg
O’Tooles
Parnells
Raheny
Dun Laoghaire
Foxrock-Cabinteely
North 2
Scoil Uí Chonaill
Dun Laoghaire
Cuala
North 2
St. Monicas
Dun Laoghaire
Geraldine Morans
North 2
Trinity Gaels
Dun Laoghaire
Kilmacud Crokes
Rathfarnham/Terenure
Ballyboden St Enda’s
Dun Laoghaire
Dun Laoghaire
Lucan/Clondalkin
Lucan/Clondalkin
Naomh Olaf
Stars of Erin
Lucan Sarsfields
Round Towers, Clondalkin
Rathfarnham/Terenure
Rathfarnham/Terenure
Rathfarnham/Terenure
Rathfarnham/Terenure
Wanderers
Faughs
St Judes
Templeogue/Synge St
82

A STRATEGY FOR DUBLIN GAA 2011-2017
Area
South City
South City
South City
South City
South City
South City
South City
South City
Swords
Swords
Swords
Swords
Swords
Swords
Swords
Swords
Swords
Tallaght
Tallaght
Tallaght
Tallaght
Tallaght
Tallaght
Tallaght
Club
Ballyfermot De La Salle
Clanna Gael/Fontenoy
Crumlin
Good Counsel
Kevins
Liffey Gaels
Robert Emmets
St James Gaels
Ballyboughal
Clann Mhuire
Fingal Ravens
Fingallians
Garristown
St Colmcille
St Finnians, Swords
St Margarets
Wild Geese
Commercials
Croí Ró Naofa
St Annes
St Kevins Killians
St Mark’s
St Mary’s
Thomas Davis
adult only clubs
AIB/Banc Aontais Éireann
Bank of Ireland
Civil Service Football
Civil Service Hurling
Garda
Na Gaeil Óga
Park Rangers
Portobello
Ranelagh Gaels
Réalt Dearg
Starlights
Rosmini Gaels
St Brendans
St Francis Gaels Cabinteely
U.C.D.
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UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
acknowledgements
Many people have contributed to the development of this plan. It would be impossible to thank every individual and organisation individually but Dublin GAA
wishes to acknowledge their appreciation of all the volunteers and staff who gave freely of their time in committees and focus groups. It is appropriate to thank
a number of individuals who contributed who have not been included in the sub-committees above.
John Crimmins
John Treacy
Lorcán O’Rourke
Marcella Kinsella
Marcus Mac Raghnaill
Peter Finnegan
Rob Hartnett
Sean Potts
C.S.O.
Genprint (Ireland) Limited
Sportsfile
84