Photo courtesy of Boston Red Sox Facebook.
That the GAA or Croke Park had little hand in the organization and promotion of this event yet 27,000 showed
up due mainly through local media exposure, shows that
the GAA’s overseas promotion efforts have to be reviewed
and reviewed in a big way. As stated, the attendance was
the second highest for a GAA event since the 1947 Polo
Grounds game 68 years ago and the fact that the GAA –
who are in charge of promoting their games – had to take
a back seat to, yes, the GPA and an American sports group,
doesn’t show well for the Irish organization. In times past,
finances for such events might not have been present, but
today’s GAA/Croke Park is a different story with resources
to hand and plenty of big sponsors about.
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The GPA’s Farrell has also alluded to the prospect of having
some kind of a league going forward with the game format
open for how best to proceed.
Like it or not, if the proper attention and resources are
put in place for a hybrid type or real monies put behind
the marketing of the game of Hurling itself, the US could
be a very favourable hunting ground for the GAA. The
question is are the GAA ready and willing for such an
eventuality?
Can they build on this and seize the day, if they don’t someone else might!