The Great Socialist Movement

On Sunday, one team of players will climb the famous steps of The Hogan Stand to fulfill their boyhood dreams. For some it may be the first time whilst others will have made the trip before. It will be a culmination of a journey which took them from Primary School Blitzes and their club's street leagues all the way to County Finals, Provincial Finals and ultimately the granddaddy of them all, the All-Ireland final.

Once the final whistle goes on Sunday, there will be time to commiserate or celebrate. In the post match dialogue you will hear names you never heard before. These will be the names of teachers, parents, mentors, friends; all credited with helping fellas along the way and making their contribution to their County's success.

By the following weekend, Sunday's heroes will wear the colours of the parish from which they and those mentioned above hail. They will play alongside childhood friends who sat on the edge of their seat in Croke Park, hurling every ball alongside their clubman the previous Sunday. Whether it be Newport, Toomevara, Ballyhale or anywhere else, they will blend back into the club scene, all be it with a little extra attention from their marker.

Its a unique feature of the GAA. A boy only dreams of walking up those steps in one jersey. It can only every be the red of cork, the black and amber of Kilkenney or the maroon of the Tribesmen, depending on where they were born. These players will spend the rest of the year dispersed around Junior, Intermediate and Senior clubs in their Counties fighting for their club's cause. You can be sure they would get the same satisfaction if they spent Sunday night in the village pub, with the local Championship cup on the bar, as they will if they are stood in the Burlington along side Liam.

In any good Socialist country, the gap between rich and poor is small. Maybe the GAA is the greatest Socialist organisation of them all; keeping the elite and the common man close and giving every parish, no matter how big or small, the chance to cultivate the game's future stars and share in their success.