OPINION: GAA fans let down by poor promotion

TO MANY of us, sport is the elixir of life. It plays a large role is our existence and it would be hard to imagine a world without the cut and thrust of athletic endeavour.
The love of sport takes on many different guises. Some people are armchair fans, never taking part, never taking to the pitch and never experiencing the ups and downs of sport in a personal capacity. However, they get enormous enjoyment from following the exploits of others, whether that be a favourite team or individual.
Others are immersed in sport physically. They take part, they play, they manage, they officiate or administer. Some are happy to play, coach, officiate or administer at a local level in their community, while others do so at various rungs of the sporting ladder from local to global level.
Then, there are others, who spend their working lives reporting, promoting and commenting on various aspects of sport. Again, that takes on many different perspectives all the way from local-media hacks to stars of the world stage, where millions hangs on their every word.
Sport is embedded in the lives of so many, and those who came before us and created a platform for us to enjoy our chosen sport are often forgotten by those who currently think they know best.
Locally, the promotion of sport by the various organisations can sometimes leave a lot to be desired.
Mayo GAA, potentially one of the biggest brands of its kind in the country, is not capitalising on fans’ loyalty by reaching out to them in any real shape or form. There is no connectivity between what’s happening on the pitch, the brand, the supporters and the wider world. Facebook posts are not what the promotion of Mayo GAA should be about, but it’s what the whole process seems to have been reduced to.
There are so many other aspects that are crying out for proper, incisive, intelligent promotion on a daily basis, but nothing is really happening. The training facilities so badly required could be paid for easily if a dynamic and intelligent focus was directed towards the promotion of the Mayo GAA brand. The crippling debt on MacHale Park could be dealt with intelligently if the proper promotion was in place.
And this is not just confined to Mayo GAA. Promoting sport starts with doing the small things properly: facilitating the service-user and bringing everyone together in pursuit of a larger common goal. That simplicity throws up many obstacles for sporting organisations with no real understanding of promotion.
In recent years, Mayo GAA and other county boards’ refusal to take cash from customers looking to attend a match (access to club games was restricted to those with pre-paid digital tickets) has baffled many. It resulted in my own father being turned away from a championship match in Islandeady after a lifetime of dedication and devotion to the GAA. The refusal to allow him into the match was nothing to do with Islandeady or Ballycroy, may I add.
Thankfully, some progress has been made in this regard since then, with club representatives present at gates to help those who find the digital system impossible.
However, a recent event at a Connacht U-20 match in Castlebar highlighted the problem once again. Peter Moran, a man who has dedicated a lifetime to the GAA, was turned back from the gates of Hastings Insurance MacHale Park by Connacht stewards because he didn’t have a digital ticket. The Burrishoole man hadn’t planned to go to match earlier, when more digital-friendly members of the family were close by, but as the day progressed he thought he’d like to go and see the game.
He approached the stadium with cash in hand, only to be told he wouldn’t be allowed in unless he had a ticket on his phone. Peter is well-served by his old Nokia, which is far from the smartphone required for such a transaction. To be given such an instruction was farcical.
The well-known sportsman turned away and headed for the car, but a kindly Sligo supporter was on hand and saved the day.
This should not have happened. It’s utterly wrong, but if the GAA cannot get these things right then all the Facebook posts in the world won’t make the slightest bit of difference.
Sporting organisations are losing touch with those who helped create them. Is it too late to stop the rot?