Team GB has killed my love of football!

[nutty nigel 7,509]

I haven''t watched any of the olympics but I can see the point being made here and while I have every sympathy with it I do feel that if the media tried hard enough they would be able to dig the dirt on Team GB too.

 

[Camuldonum 0]

We have also to face up to the fact that there are very few amateur games left in our modern world - even in the Blue Square Conference Premier most teams are now full time and the top teams or the best backed teams are paying as much as some League Two clubs.

When I was in the game you had a £25 a week maximum and the lower leagues (Third Division) half pay in the close season.  I think the top players deserve good money because it''s a limited career and liable to be wrecked by injury every time they play although I think the salaries should be capped.

One of the last amateur games is Gaelic football (hurley, also) - the County players do get around £2000 a year from the GAA but that''s a recent development and purely to help them with expenses of travelling to training camps away from their clubs etc.  It''s also still very much an across the board game - a recent Co Kerry football team included a consultant neurologist, two bus drivers, a postman from Dingle, a financial analyst and a lorry driver.  And, in recent years, the ladies game has taken off in a big way.

The GAA are steadfast in refusing to cash in on it - I''m sure that in Ireland they could do lucrative deals with TV but they refuse to do so.

And Kerry is the "Man U" of Gaelic football - they''ve won the All Ireland Cup more than any other county.

I do think we have reached silly money but it''s the inevitable result of TV cash and commercial exploitation.  Not that many years ago, and before some of the members of this forum were born, the FA would not allow any form of sponsorship on shirts - not a thing. 

[Fozzie 0]

Has it also killed your love of football message boards?

What does that take?

[yellowngreen 0]

Great post wiz

(never thought id write that)

A minority sport has infact already taken the shine off my love of football. as an excile I didnt get to see my beloved Norwich much however i did atend as many away games as possible This has dwindled over the last 3-4 years when my 8 yr old stepson decided he wanted to take up gymnastics. Yes Gymnastics!!!! I am now totaly in love with a sport that i always sneered my nose up at

The dedication that these sportsmen/ women have to have is unbelivable,

To give you an example of gymnastics at the age of 8 he was late (most start around 6) He trains 5 days a week doing around 18 hours a week, He has a 60 mile return trip to get to the gym, If he was to miss a week then his fitness levels drop and it needs a week to recoperate them, to get to the top of the sport he has to excel on 6 different apparatus which require different skills, If in competition he may get away with 1 mistake but not 2, If he was to get a serious injury witch is not unlikely with what they do. at his age 6-12 months out would almost certainly end any chance of getting to the top as he would be that many months behind in ongoing development, IF! he becames one of the top six in the country his passion might become self funding (at senior age), IF! he becomes top 20 in the world he might make a living, IF! he wins an olympic medal he might make a lot of money

Bloody big ifssssssssss lol