By Eugene Kyne

GAA President Nickey Brennan was in New York for three fleeting days last week, with the fundraiser for Gaelic Park the highpoint of the visit. He took the time to sit with the Irish Voice to give his thoughts on the development and the future for New York as he sees it.

How do you feel the development is going at Gaelic Park?

“I was down at the field at it is fantastic what’s happening. The extension of the field will make it on par with any in Ireland. The lights are a huge addition as they will allow for weeknight games and possibly three games on a Saturday evening. Sunday is a family day in Ireland and here, and Saturday might be an option for the future.”

How do you feel New York can develop its games?

“The youth program is the way forward. For a variety of reasons people are not coming here to stay from Ireland anymore. You have to sustain the youth movement, the minor board and develop the players as senior players. The Irish government is investing $100,000 here, a number the GAA in Ireland is matching, and this is being used for development officers in Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and we would like to see something happening in New York. Retiring players need to be encouraged to stay involved with the minor board.”

Are there ways to entice the young players?

“There has to be a clear path to the senior levels for the young players. If they are playing in the new Gaelic Park it will encourage them to stay involved and play with a senior club. If the field is an attraction they will want to stay around.”

What of the facilities at the ground?

“I would be surprised if the O’Donnells, who have the lease on the bar, don’t jump at the opportunity that looks like it will present itself. This is something for the New York board to discuss with them but it is an opportunity for both.”

Hurling has suffered in the last few years here. Any thoughts?

“It will be extremely difficult to sustain it. They will not be able to compete against Irish teams any more, but I would hope that a competition between Boston and New York could be set up as it is important for the players that they can strive to play for the county.

“A two legged affair might be an option, home and away. I know the underage players are being nurtured, but it is not as easy as football for players to walk in and pick up. “

The hurlers had problems with playing the Ulster final in the U.S. last year. Would you see a problem like that if the footballers win in Connaught?

“No. The Connaught Council and Connaught teams have had a great relationship with New York since its inception into the competition. If New York wins the first round I don’t envisage a problem with the second round being played in New York as well.”

What about any other big games for New York, the all-stars perhaps.

“The all-stars always travel in January, so I don’t see them coming to New York due to the weather alone. With the new field we will be looking at other options.”

How are the games in Croke Park going, the soccer and rugby?

“They went very well. We had over 70,000 at the games, and the rugby was a different atmosphere than we were used to. If you weren’t a regular rugby fan it was different. The game versus England was full of emotion.

“The soccer was not as exciting but it had the biggest crowd. Croke Park is seriously over used at the moment. We had the Tyrone vs. Dublin game, six club finals, training sessions for the international games as well as the games themselves. A lot of activity.”

What can we expect from the GAA as the year unfolds?

“Player welfare is paramount, marketing and promotion of the games, development of hurling grounds, getting full time people with clubs and using the revenue from the international games are all items we will discuss and try to point in the right direction. Burnout with the young players in Ireland, as under-21 is where we lose a lot of players. We need to address this.

“The link between club and county. By the middle of the year a paper with views on this will be released.”