Unleashing 'The Blue Wave' A Strategy for Dublin GAA - Croke Park

CHAIRMAN
strategic review committee
THE GAA IS UNDERPINNED by a strong community-based structure which has
helped to integrate people drawn from increasingly different cultures.
Dublin GAA’s network of 90 clubs is crucial to fostering and further
developing this community ethos in all areas of Dublin city and county.
Furthermore Gaelic games play an important part in the life of Dublin
society and have a unique profile where the county teams captivate the
imagination and unify the entire population of the county behind one jersey.
Dublin is home to 20% of the population of our island which places a
significant responsibility on Dublin GAA to ensure the promotion and
development of Gaelic games in the country’s largest population centre.
This responsibility has grown in recent years as nearly 30% of all the births
in the 26 counties are to mothers resident in Dublin. These challenges are
considerable in a county operating under the control of four different local
authorities with such a diverse population and developing communities.
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The collapse of the Irish economy and its impact on Irish society
Changing social and demographic trends and the uneven geographic
and social distribution of the population
The increased media profile of sport generally and of Gaelic games
in particular
The opportunities and expectations created by the
commercialisation of sport
The evolving expectations of both players and supporters
Developments in the use of technology, especially communications
technologies, and the need for the Association to harness and
manage those changes to its advantage
In addition, because of its size and the potential for future playing numbers,
the children of Dublin are also the primary focus of the Association’s main
competitors. The task of ensuring that the Association can provide the
playing opportunities to meet these demographic movements places a
considerable onus on both Dublin GAA and the Association nationally.
The enormity of this task is reflected in the need to increase the numbers
participating in Go-Games from 12,063 in 2010 to 18,000 in 2017 if we
are to increase participation in real terms by ten percent over our current
rates. In addition to the increase in the population, the Strategic Committee
recognises the major environmental challenges facing Dublin GAA:
The participation of an tArd Stiúrthóir at the meetings of the main Strategic
Committee demonstrates the GAA’s recognition of the extent of the
challenges and the significance of Dublin to the future growth and
development of the Association. It has also served to heighten awareness at
Central Council level of some of the practical challenges facing Dublin GAA
as well as emphasising the mutual dependency between the national and
Dublin units of the Association.
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