BY TOMMY CANNING
To have a debate for either of these fantastic sports you can only draw from your own experience, background, the community you grow up in and at times what your older brothers, uncle's parents and friends were interested in.
For me, my passion has always been football and that's were my allegiance will always lie. From the early days of playing 5 a-side in 'the square' or 'Greenfield Home' (much to the annoyance of the staff I might add) to the past 10 years voluntary involvement with Sion Swifts.
It's very fair to say that there are many facets to football such as cross channel, Irish league/League of Ireland and local junior football. All of which have a varied impact on the individual player or club representative. From the heady heights of professional football, which young boys dream of achieving, to the grass roots local football team which is often the focal point and gives meaning for many to the end of a weeks work.
This is echoed by many junior players when they talk of 'struggling to fill a Saturday afternoon during close season or when they have no game'.
It can't be argued that, at the top level, money has controlled football in recent years and has led it to become a somewhat elitist sport. On the other side ask Steven Gerrard or Roy Keane if they would stop playing if their wages were stopped and you know what answer you would get. No chance!
Sometimes fervent supporters of Gaelic games believe that footballers have no passion or desire and give nothing back. I can't accept this because no matter what level you play at the feelings of winning and losing are the same.
Losing on a wet cold winter Saturday to a local team feels the same as Frank Lampard scoring the winner against you in injury time for Man Utd players. Winning the Irish Junior cup carries the same elation and happiness for local players as winning the FA cup does for professionals. Football means as much to those involved as GAA games means to those who choose to be involved with it.
In my experience at local football you have people giving up huge amounts of their time to ensure football continues in their town, village or community. From cutting and marking out pitches to washing kits, to driving buses, to coaching players, to managing teams and the list goes on.
In my own club, Sion Swifts close on 200 young boys and girls pass through the hands of voluntary coaches each week. Kids aged from four years old right up to reserves and senior players all there because they share a common passion for football.
They love the social aspect of meeting friends, having fun, learning new football skills, life skills, achieving, getting praise and direction and this is true for not only Sion Swifts but also for many local clubs throughout the Strabane district.
Which sport is most popular?
This can be difficult to answer with Gaelic games being based in the communities of Ireland and football being a global phenomenon.
Maybe those in favour of Gaelic games would point to the amount of people who follow GAA and the crowds they draw at high profile games. Can this be put down to the fact that the high profile games that attract the nations attention are confined mostly to championship county football and therefore don't come around every week?
Compare this to football where there are games week in and week out, midweek games in the champions league, European championships and world cups and you are bound to get a fair share of non eventful games. Would this be true also for GAA if their high profile games were as frequent? Maybe!
I have been to some poor GAA games and also been to football games of similar ilk. On the other hand I have watched some exhilarating games such as Kerry v Dublin last week but also been present when Liverpool ousted Chelsea from the Champions league semi final in 2005.
Maybe the answer lies in the amount of GAA tops that people wear around our own town which I might add seems to dwindle when Tyrone exit the championship compared to the huge amount of football tops, both local and cross channel adorned by young and old, male and female. Or maybe it lies in the conversations that take place in the local bars, youth clubs or homes following a weekend game.
Football is a game of intriguing tactical and technical expertise that everyone believes they know more about. We supporters feel that managers should play certain players in certain games and use our tactics instead of his own. Opinion is what makes football such a wonderful game to follow because no matter if you have played or not you can still voice your opinion.
With people like Henry, Ronaldinho, Kaka', Ronaldo but to name a few you can be lifted from your seat in a second with breathtaking skill which leads to young kids all over the world trying to emulate their heroes. It is a universal language no matter which remote parts of the world you visit, even in third world countries the sport kids play is football.
To bring it all together, I do and always will favour football - 'the beautiful game' but I do believe that the GAA is a fantastic organisation with so much to offer.
Maybe the best way of explaining my feeling is to leave you with a quote from the late great Bill Shankly who said-"Football is not a life or death situation....it is much more important than that!"
