Strap yourselves in for an uncomfortable truth. There is a notion that we are all born into a club; we take our first steps there, we begin playing and then we move into coaching, management and administration to 'give something back', and the cord will never be broken. Well, it's nonsense. Clever nonsense, but nonsense all the same.
he idea of being with one club for your entire life is a relatively new concept. It is one that AIB, in their long-running sponsorship of the Club Championships, have exploited with sharp marketing slogans such as, 'You don't choose your club. You inherit it', or, 'You don't support the club. You are the club'. Not to mention the daddy of them all, 'One Life, One Club'.
Truth is, up until the 1980s players moved flagrantly across parish and county divides for work and life reasons. The late Matt Fitzpatrick, a freelance GAA writer, used to tell a story of playing games for Newtownbutler (Fermanagh), Clones (Monaghan) and Annagh (Cavan) over the course of one weekend. Back then, games were frequently delayed as heated debates were kicked up with players' allegiances questioned.
As the GAA matured, though, there is a greater appreciation for the sense of place that your home club engenders and an emotional attachment. That continues even when times are very lean indeed.
I recall being on a sideline two summers ago when Dregish Pearse Ógs came to play our seniors. They weren't bringing a reserve team as they barely had enough to cover their seniors and, while they did not lack in effort or pride and had some fine players among their ranks, it was very one-sided against them.
That winter, Dregish found a solution to their difficulties. They amalgamated with Newtownstewart St Eugene's, and the new club was re-christened Naomh Eoghan. Discussions to merge the two had been ongoing for two years prior.
Lofty ideals of one club, one life are well and good if you are a member of a club with the resources, success and structures of a Crossmaglen Rangers or a St Vincent's. But it is becoming clear that clubs all over the island are finding things tighter when it comes to numbers. This pandemic will not help either with a long slide into disinterest among children.
The GAA are acutely aware of this. Last week, the GAA's Community Development, Urban and Rural Committee threw the dust covers off a neat research tool called the 'Geographic Information System', which will gather demographic information relevant to GAA clubs from governmental bodies both north and south of the border.
At its most simple level, it tracks population shifts and rates of birth in your area. With the ongoing population migration eastwards here to Belfast, and Dublin in the south, it will soon establish itself as an important indicator to clubs if they need to think about amalgamating with others nearby.
Particularly to the west of the Bann, this is becoming a serious problem.
It's partly the evolution of society. Thirty years ago, senior teams were populated with multiple members of the same family.
In the late 1960s, Enniskillen Gaels realised they were not getting enough from the massive housing developments beside their eventual ground. They organised 'street leagues' for under-age players. A row of 30 houses could field an entire team.
When they won the senior football Championship in 1976, their first in 46 years, the team had seven players from one stretch of houses in Derrin Road.
Now, smaller families and a wider range of activities has made life tougher for clubs to attract and retain players.
Look at the economic factors. Outside the public sector, Northern Ireland is relying on technology or services, and that is Belfast-centric. Without the EU monies that flooded in pre-Brexit, the rural economy is also heading for decimation.
There are outliers and there is some imaginative thinking. Some have already spotted the trends and have leaped ahead of the conclusion.
In 1991, the small south Derry parish of Lavey won an All-Ireland Club title. The team was backboned by Henry and Seamus Downey, and seven McGurk brothers.
In the next few years, you could well see the offspring of that generation, with six Downeys and four McGurks 'in the works'.
But the club are taking no chances.
They have a scheme calling on people to register an interest in social housing in the area by contacting the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, so they can retain young families.
The last housing drive was a development in Gulladuff village (one shop, one pub) that has yielded a lot of under-age talent for the club.
The alternative is that they move to a bigger town nearby like Magherafelt, which is busting at the seams with under-age players.
In the meantime, we need joined-up thinking between governmental departments to prevent the inland migration eastward.
We need to see ability, talent and imagination.
