Martin Fogarty: Hurling taskforce needed to save the game

A rising tide will lift all boats. Former national hurling development manager Martin Fogarty reckons a little bit of time, money and energy aimed in the right areas can help strengthen the ancient game from the ground up.

Fogarty served as the GAA's first such hurling overseer for several seasons from August of 2016 and, while the former Kilkenny selector feels the inter-county game is strong, he told RTÉ Sport this week that unless the issues at club level among the less traditional counties are properly addressed, the future of the game may be uncertain.

"The inter-county hurling, by and large, is okay. It’s unbelievable at the top level, right down along down to the Lory Meagher," Fogarty said. "But the big problem is club hurling. I have no doubt in my mind whatsoever, that for hurling to rise at county level, it has to start at the bottom and build the clubs.

"Even if we jump into the middle tiers and take Laois and Offaly. Two proud hurling counties. Excellent hurling counties, excellent GAA counties. Probably the best examples of the dual sport people. But to be very fair to Laois and Offaly, beside Kilkenny, how would 10 to 15 hurling clubs consistently compete with Kilkenny with 44.

"To me, those counties, if they can find their way to building, to go from 15 to 30 hurling clubs, then everything will rise. That’s the key to it. It’s a huge task. The big problem I see is, who will take ownership of it, who will take responsibility?"

The GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee recommended recently that any county with fewer than five adult hurling teams should compete in the fifth-tier Lory Meagher Cup only from 2025 onwards.

The proposal was met with shock and anger throughout the hurling community. The affected