Offaly GAA in freefall - the life of an Offaly player

They spend most weekends during season wishing they could join their friends for a pint but in most cases can't even be seen in a pub even when not drinking because it will then most definitely be said that they were seen drinking! They miss family events, friends parties, weddings, holidays, trips they would love to be on, all because they want to be successful at the one thing they are most passionate about at all costs! They never set out to just "turn up" not to disappoint those who do support them. They are willing to allow GAA to dictate their lives, where they can live, apply for jobs, when they can get married, how much time they spend with family and friends and they do it for the love of the game for as many years as they can whether all stars or mediocre. They give their hearts and guts to it and they want to. Like anyone in any code we do our best with what we have but it is bitterly disheartening to carry on with the same enthusiasm and positivity when you are fully aware that other counties are receiving higher quality underage development and training, funding, and professionalism in an amateur sport. The GAA began as something innately Irish and one element of this was the Irish spirit of fairness. We have lost any fair distribution of resources but we have also lost the bottle to demand what we are equally entitled to. Bear a thought of respect for the efforts of all involved in our discussion of this downturn. If players of weaker, smaller, less funded, less developed, less populated counties had a structure within their counties that they were confident in, facilities and resources that taught them to excel and management and coaching they believed in, and a support network that respected them, then they may be able to find confidence in themselves"