Square Ball

I recently read about how Ireland is being filled with 'white elephant' GAA county grounds, stadiums with a capacity that far outstrips demand. Some say that these grounds may only be filled once or twice a year, whereas a small number of big grounds in each province would suffice. Is it a fair criticism?

The GAA's annual Congress has come and gone. Some in the media in Ireland dismissed it as a 'non event' since there were no juicy stories to tell about epic battles on such controversial matters as allowing members of British security forces to play, or whether to allow non-gaelic sports into Croke Park. For gaels in North America, there was a matter of the utmost importance up for discussion: the issue of when players from Ireland can be sanctioned to play in North American clubs for the duration of the summer.

The dust has settled after the opening of Croke Park to non-Gaelic games and the first sounds of God Save the Queen echoing through the Cusack and Hogan stands. As of this writing, soccer has yet to grace the sod of our stadium, but all the indicators are that it will be another seven-day wonder and then back to business as usual.

Hurling can pop up even in the most unexpected of places. Monterey, California, is no exception. A small band of students at the local university have managed to get the makings of a college hurling team together, and the prospects are quite exciting.

The GAA redesigned its logo over ten years ago but hasn't quite managed to ditch the old one. It's time to drop the old and move on with the new.

There is a rising trend of GAA county boards in Ireland appointing full-time secretaries. Full-time staff are beginning to appear throughout the organization from Croke Park to provincial councils working in administration and games development roles.

With the International Rules series out of the way after another ill-tempered test, there has by now been the usual chorus of calls from the media and from people within the GAA for the 'experiment' to be scrapped. Many are saying that the competition is on trial for its life and may be scrapped before long.

GAA president Nicky Brennan recently admitted that the battle against illegal payments to county managers is a very difficult issue to address. Proving where the money went is almost impossible. Indeed, former president Peter Quinn several years ago was involved in a special investigation into illegal payments, and he concluded that not only was it impossible to trace the money, it was also impossible to find the tables under which it was all hidden.

The world of American sport is incredibly different from the rest of the world. While the world watches Soccer, Cricket, and Formula 1, the US watches American Football, Baseball, and Indycar and Nascar. It's intriguing that a major world sport like Formula 1 has made so few inroads stateside that many Americans have never even heard of it.

Anyone watching the recent World Cup will have noticed the bizarre pattern on the ball with its propeller-shaped panels. Footballs in all their shapes and sizes have come a long way from the various objects used in medieval times.