With the General Election taking place in less than two weeks, everyone is talking about politics, economics, and the future of the country.
When it comes to rural Ireland, the GAA has a big part to play in its development, as it is often the heartbeat of local communities.
The GAA club helps develop young players from the local primary school, they are sponsored by the neighbourhood shop, they celebrate their wins and drown their sorrows in the village pub, and it all works in a cycle, where they help each other flourish.
However, small clubs are struggling more than ever as it becomes more difficult to build houses, buy property and young people are having to move away to find work.
This means that young footballers and hurlers are emigrating, the GAA club is struggling, and that has a knock on effect to other businesses in the area.
In his Sunday World column, Kerry legend Pat Spillane has some suggestions that could help smaller clubs survive during these tough times.
READ ALSO: Chrissy McKaigue Admits He Wasn't Winning As Many Man-Marking Battles 'In The Last Wee While'
“There are many avenues we can take. The parish rule needs to go. Amalgamations have to be back on the table. We may have to consider 13-a-side, or maybe even 11-a-side, to keep clubs alive.
“Dual club status for designated clubs is another option. Give them help, give them players from other clubs. They need help. Now.
“But action from the GAA on its own is not good enough. For a community to have a future, to be successful, it must be a living, breathing community, where people are front and centre.
“It must be about jobs, about families and about housing. Sadly, rural Ireland is very low on the list of government priorities.”
This is an area close to Spillane’s heart, and we are seeing more and more GAA clubs fold due to a lack of resources and numbers.
The impact that this has on the area, and the wider community can be detrimental, so it might be time for changes to be made.
