JJ Doyle: GAA are missing a trick by not showing all games live

The GAA are missing a trick…

That’s the opinion of former Wexford Senior hurling selector, and current Faythe Harriers manager, JJ Doyle, who believes that the GAA are missing something.

He believes that the GAA are missing a trick regarding their coverage of live games. Last weekend, when Wexford hosted Antrim in Wexford Park, the game was not available to watch on any platform. Likewise, the Dublin versus Offaly game, which was believed to be an excellent game, was not shown on any platform.

Despite that, cameras were at the game and a short highlights package was available on RTE’s The Sunday Game later on Sunday. But even at that, when The Sunday Game do show these highlights, they are limited; they last approximately four minutes with little to no analysis.

One of their reasons for not showing the game live is due to production costs and because they believe that the production would not be high-value. However, JJ Doyle doesn’t contend with this argument and made a valid point, especially when comparing the GAA+ service to the current League of Ireland’s, LOITV.

“I think we’re missing a trick on it. Look at the League of Ireland – both the Premier Division and the First Division – every single game is streamed. I know Clubber are after taking over Wexford GAA TV. For people who can’t get to the game, they’re not too interested in production value. If there’s one camera at the game, they’re well capable of covering that game. It’s a lot better than not seeing it at all.”

I don’t think it would be a big job to have a camera there; have a couple of local lads commentating on the game – one from each county. Have a commentator from Wexford – and just put it up on GAA+. I think the campaign a few years ago, the female sports – ‘you have to see it to be it’, I think it’s the very same. We have such a narrow window now. If young lads are not seeing their heroes playing on the pitch, then what do they have to emulate or try to emulate,” Doyle said.

“There’s games that are happening – and no one realises that they’re happening,” JJ Doyle told The Wexford Hurling Podcast.

Promotion for the Leinster Senior hurling championship seems to be at a low ebb too. There was just over 4,000 people at the Wexford match against Antrim, while only 8,000 people were at the Kilkenny vs Galway game at Nowlan Park.

Wexford’s next game in the Leinster Championship against Dublin in Parnell Park will be broadcast on the GAA’s new pay-per-view streaming service, GAA+. Wexford’s clash against Galway will also be shown on RTE, while their final group game clash may be broadcast live on RTE too. It means that viewers will not be able to watch the Wexford vs Offaly match in this year’s championship, unless they show up in person.