To be honest Billy I wouldn't like to see it go either its a unique to the sport and it has caused no major problems before. In the 125 years of the GAA they're hasn't been any serious injuries. What should be done is proper policing and stewarding of the pitch invasion. I know its a cliche, but this is just another case of over regulation in modern society.
It has caused no major problems that you know of.
I saw a young fella about 10 years of age get trampled on in 2006. God forbid if that Kid had died as a result, do you think his parents would take comfort in the fact that its a 120 year tradition? Lets say it was your brother, father, or nephew? Would you still advocate invading the pitch? I listened to a phone in on this topic last year on Radio 1, where people were ringing in to talk about injuries they sustained because of pitch invasions. There were a couple of horror stories. To say it has caused no major problems is a little wide of the mark.
In my own personal opinion, it is more dangerous now than it was 15 to 20 years ago. The demographics have changed a lot. It seems to me that there are less and less older people attending games these days. By that I mean Women or Fella's of say 50+ years of age. People from the "old stock" if you know what I mean? Slowly but surely there seems to be a lot more younger people attending games. Groups of teenagers out for a day on the piss, with vodka in their coke bottles and all that jazz.
When I saw that kid being trampled on, I didn't see 1 person stop to help him. I tried to get to him but I couldn't because there were hundreds of pissed up yobs in my way. Eventually a Steward got him up and got him back to his Dad, who was visibly distressed by the whole ordeal. You wouldn't see the "old stock" as I call them, leave a child on the ground. Never in a month of Sundays. But the pissed up youth of today are completely different, many of them dont pay any heed to acting responsibly.
This is why I think its only a matter of time before we eventually end up with a tradgedy on our hands. Take last years All Ireland hurling final for instance. One Steward tried to restrain supporters from running onto the pitch over at the corner of the Hill. He got smacked in the face, and kicked by the Kilkenny fans. They eventually just steam rolled him. At the other side of the Hill the fans were trying to climb into the Hogan so they could make their way out onto the pitch that way. Numerous stewards were assaulted
Now consider if someone in the middle of a melee like that needed medical attention. How do you get an ambulance to them? You have 30 odd thousand of the losing fans streaming out onto Jones Road and Clonliffe Ave, and another 30 odd thousand people inside trying to raid onto the pitch. I think its fair to say it would be a nightmare. And thats a tight rope that isn't worth walking these days IMO. It has simply got to stop, in the interest of everyones safety. This aint the good old days anymore, times have changed unfortuneatly
