Changing demographics present significant challenge to the GAA

The report of the GAA’s National Demographics Committee was published in early December last.

The Committee examined the issues caused by the dramatic demographic changes in Ireland in recent years and its findings certainly give much food for thought on the huge challenges facing the Association. 

The demographic report also contains a number of recommendations to address the challenges. 

In essence the issue throws up two distinct challenges; significant population decline in rural areas versus a population explosion in urban areas, especially the East coast.

Arguably they are very different challenges, with different potential solutions and might be best dealt with separately.

Some of the statistics featured in the report are eye-opening.  One in three people of Ireland’s population of over 7 million people live within an hour of Dublin, yet only 18% of GAA clubs are based in that same area.  While overall the country is experiencing a decline in birth rates in the 0-5 age cohort, almost 20% of this age group live in Dublin, with one in 12 in living in Cork.

There is clearly a huge challenge then to give as many of these children as possible the opportunity to experience and enjoy Gaelic games.

In terms of playing there are 5,500 teams in Dublin, about 45% of those are female and that is not including nurseries.  There are a total of 412 pitches in the county, but only 30% of these are owned by clubs.

While the average club membership nationally is approx. 350 members, there are 74 clubs with membership in excess of 1,200. Thirty four of these are in Dublin.   Interestingly there are six of these large clubs in each of Kildare and Meath, mostly based in the commuter belt bordering Dublin.  Cork also has six, with four in Down, three in Galway and two in Limerick.

Population projections suggest that these large urban areas will continue to grow and by extension so too will the clubs there.  Already we are seeing evidence in some counties that larger clubs are beginning to dominate competitions at all levels.

These large numbers also bring equally large challenges to the clubs.  Overcrowding, excess demand, stretched resources, limited access to facilities, all of which impact negatively in player retention, especially in teenage years.

In his Annual Report to the County Convention last December, Dublin CEO, Finbarr O’Mahony spoke about the negative impact caused by the pressure on resources at clubs.  “There is a real challenge for the GAA here in that nobody wants to see young people not catered for or maybe even turned away from clubs. The real danger in situations like this is that you have a natural attrition where young players who may not yet have developed their skills are possibly lost to the game through sheer weight of numbers. We have to avoid that scenario.”

In order to deal with rapid population growth in urban areas, one of the key recommendations of the demographic report is to establish new GAA clubs in such areas.  Obviously easier said than done.  As outlined above, existing clubs in Dublin already have huge difficulties in acquiring adequate playing facilities for their members.

As the Dubin CEO also pointed out in his Annual Report, affordable land in Dublin is a scarce commodity and with the current housing crisis and pressure to build on every available space, it is almost impossible for clubs to secure playing facilities as it is.

To help alleviate the pressure on Dublin clubs, the County Board have acquired land at Spawell and Hollystown and are seeking to provide four additional pitches plus ancillary facilities at each location. In excess of €12.5m has been spent to date with a total cost of €60m projected when the developments are complete.  Expenditure that again outlines the huge cost of development in urban areas.

Dublin County Board is also engaging with local authorities, especially in the new urban areas outside the M50, with a view to providing playing pitches.  The importance of adequate amenities in these areas cannot be overstated in the context of the physical and mental health of the local community.

Dublin’s representative on the National Demographics Committee, Brendan Waters sees a key role in all of this for the smaller clubs in Dublin, as they already have facilities and could play a role in reducing the dependence on the city’s huge-catchment units.

“The issue for Dublin is that clubs dealing with enormous catchments are obviously less efficient than a greater number of smaller units, which can cultivate their areas more intensively.   It’s not a criticism of the big clubs, which are more a symptom or product of lack of action by the GAA all over the country, but I think the paradigm will have to change as to how we do things.”

Historically in many urban areas in Dublin it was left to each club to fight its own corner. Clubs themselves sought access to schools, recruited and retained playing members and engaged people new to the country and community etc. But what was formerly a strength can now be a serious obstacle to growing capacity in the locality. 

There is also the issue where newer clubs are bypassed by parents taking their children to a bigger neighbouring club.  Changing this mindset is going to be one of the biggest challenges in effecting the necessary changes to grow capacity in urban areas.

Another difficulty recognised by the report is local opposition to a new club even when an existing GAA club in a heavily populated urban area is only capable of reaching a small percentage of the people.

This will need a change of mindset, as pointed out by Demographics Committee Chair, Benny Hurl when the report was launched, “Self-interest will decide whether this project succeeds or fails. We have to now prioritise the greater good rather than indulge in self-interest.”

Brendan Waters believes the solution to many of the demographic challenges lie in proactive strategies, such as targeted investment, innovative club models, and stronger engagement with urban communities. 

There is no doubt that investment will be key in the battle to meet the challenges posed by an ever-changing demographic landscape.  As already mentioned there are major financial challenges in urban areas like Dublin in terms of land acquisition and facility development. 

Another key investment area will be coaching and games development, vital tools in ensuring that participation grows and playing opportunities are available for all.

The GAA continues to operate in a very crowded and competitive sports sphere where winning the hearts and minds of youngsters is a tough and ongoing battle. With falling birth rates too it means all sports are fishing in a smaller pond.  Our national games need to remain attractive to all and must remain available to all.  

There is a sizeable challenge ahead in ensuring this and nowhere more so than here in the capital.   As always in Dublin GAA there will be no shortage of volunteers to take on the task.  They just need the proper tools to do the job.