All-Stars charade hits Frisco
This weekend the GAA All-Stars of 2008 play the 2007 All-Ireland champions in San Francisco. Interviewed during the week Sean Cavanagh of Tyrone noted that since the All Ireland final in September he had been in Australia with International Rules team, now he was going to the US with the All -Stars and just after Christmas he will be heading to the Canaries with the Tryone team. What a schedule and what does Sean do for a living that he can get so much time off. The guys from FAS don’t do as much traveling!
I accidently ended up on an All- Stars tour to San Diego in 2003. These tours are supposed to foster the game in parts of the world that have an Irish population and a GAA games structure in place. Last year, they went to that bastion of Gaelic football, Dubai!
Anyway, in San Diego the entire trip was one almighty piss-up. It certainly fostered good relations with the pubs and clubs of San Diego, whatever about the football. The big game was on a Saturday afternoon in one of the many stadia that populate the grounds of the University of San Diego. On the Friday night, there was a big reception for the travelling partyand a mighty drinking session. Two of the players ended up in jail, having crossed the border into Mexico because the pubs there don’t close to 6am. When they crossed back illegally into the US without passports, they were arrested and locked up in San Diego jail house. A flurry of diplomatic activity ensured that they were released at noon in nice time for the game.
The game itself was a farcical exhibition from hungover players which did little to promote the game in Southern California. About 100 ex-pats showed up in a sweltering stadium fit to hold 20,000. Great atmosphere as you can imagine.
The point is why have these trips for travel-weary players in the name of promoting the cause of the GAA? Call it what it is - a boozy holiday for players deemed the best in the country. We have no problem with that- the players deserve it. Dispense with all the blazers that tag on to the trip and donate the savings to the hosting team. That would be better promotion.
Comment from Armagh GAA
Time April 10, 2009 at 3:27 pm
yeah what type of crowds came to see the games? To be honest I don’t blame the players for having a piss up, they put sweat and blood into preparation for a championship and they entitled to let there hair down when on a free holiday to the US of A