Kerry GAA icon wants ‘boring' All-Ireland final tradition ditched in favour of US-inspired alternative
'SCRAP IT' Kerry GAA icon wants 'boring' All-Ireland final tradition ditched in favour of US-inspired alternative
THE whole off the field spectacle of an All-Ireland final has been slated by a Kerry GAA icon.
Pat Spillane is not impressed with the GAA's efforts - or lack of effort - in building hype and excitement for finals.
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Spillane's Kerry were the most recent champions of the Sam Maguire Cup
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The 69-year-old is unhappy with the GAA's efforts around All-Ireland final day
The eight-time Sam Maguire Cup winner might know a thing or ten about All-Ireland final day.
Spillane compares the occasion to the off-the-field thrill and excitement the NFL will bring to Dublin next month.
The Pitsburgh Steelers are playing the Minnesota Vikings in Ireland's first ever NFL match in Croke Park and Spillane believes the NFL will make a tremendous effort to create a great atmosphere and buzz for the event.
When writing in his Irish Independent column, the nine-time All-star wrote: 'Surely for the biggest day in the Gaelic football calendar, the GAA could do better?'
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'America's NFL will be here in a couple of months. They're going to take over Dublin for the week.
"They're going to have street parties. They're going to have fan zones. They're going to have marching bands.
'Surely to God, when it comes to the All-Ireland senior football final and the All-Ireland senior hurling final, the GAA could up its game? Instead, it's a box-ticking exercise. They're going through the motions.
'As for the pre-match entertainment. Surely to God we can do better than wheeling out the Scór winners from a couple of counties?
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'Having the presentation of the jubilee team in front of a couple of thousand people is an embarrassment and an insult. Half-time entertainment leaves much to be desired."
While Spillane has plenty of complaints of the match day experience, he singles out one irritant which particularly bores him.
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The former RTÉ pundit added: 'And that brings me to the speeches. Speeches in total at the All-Ireland senior football final took nine minutes. Too much – just hand over the cup. Because nowadays, the speeches are scripted.
"Speeches in total at the All-Ireland senior football final took nine minutes. Too much – just hand over the cup. Because nowadays, the speeches are scripted."
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There have been a number of iconic All-Ireland acceptance speeches over the years.
From Anthony Daly's 'there's been a missing person in Clare for 81 long years' speech in 1995 to Donegal's Anthony Molloy 1992 speech - 'Sam's for the hills.' There's been some great moments.
But recently speeches have been brandished samey, boring or repetitive by a lot of spectators.
On many occasions it has been just a very long thanking session from both the GAA president and the winning captain with nothing particularly notable being said.
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Spillane blasted: "They're scripted by the GAA president. They're scripted for the captain. They're boring. They're repetitive. You have to thank everyone in the audience.
"Let's scrap the speeches, hand over the cup and celebrate. The GAA can do it."
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