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Official: Great Britain team for London 2012


RlCO
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"The first official tour by the British Isles Rugby Union Team, selected by a committee from all four Home Unions, was to South Africa in 1910. But the idea was not a new one, as combined British & Irish teams had been heading for the southern hemisphere since 1888."

That's off the official Lions site btw fop.

 

Yes and those combined teams initially only had the 3 countries mentioned (although at the time Ireland was of course part of the Union anyway).

 

Still got absolutely nothing to do with NOT having a GB Olympic football team though.

Quite, because the GB Olympic Football team would be nothing like the Lions. That was my point.

 

Apart from as you agreed there being pretty much no difference between them and there being no real reason against it (for anyone but accounts and lawyers anyway).

Edited by Fop
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"The first official tour by the British Isles Rugby Union Team, selected by a committee from all four Home Unions, was to South Africa in 1910. But the idea was not a new one, as combined British & Irish teams had been heading for the southern hemisphere since 1888."

That's off the official Lions site btw fop.

 

Yes and those combined teams initially only had the 3 countries mentioned (although at the time Ireland was of course part of the Union anyway).

 

Still got absolutely nothing to do with NOT having a GB Olympic football team though.

Quite, because the GB Olympic Football team would be nothing like the Lions. That was my point.

 

Apart from as you agreed there being pretty much no difference between them and there being no real reason against it (for anyone but accounts and lawyers anyway).

No I didn't. The main differences as I see it are: The Lions (now) tour abroad every four years. They play club sides from the country they tour then the National side of the country they tour. The GB side would play in one competition - as a strict one off (should it happen at all). They won't play in any future tournaments as a combined side since they would have to qualify via the European U21 Championships and there is no chance of the four separate FAs forfieting the right to put four separate teams into those competitions. The Lions don't have to qualify for a tournament since they don't play in a tournament. This makes the logistics and practicalities of organising a GB & NI Olympic football side totally different from a UK and Ireland touring side.

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"The first official tour by the British Isles Rugby Union Team, selected by a committee from all four Home Unions, was to South Africa in 1910. But the idea was not a new one, as combined British & Irish teams had been heading for the southern hemisphere since 1888."

That's off the official Lions site btw fop.

 

Yes and those combined teams initially only had the 3 countries mentioned (although at the time Ireland was of course part of the Union anyway).

 

Still got absolutely nothing to do with NOT having a GB Olympic football team though.

Quite, because the GB Olympic Football team would be nothing like the Lions. That was my point.

 

Apart from as you agreed there being pretty much no difference between them and there being no real reason against it (for anyone but accounts and lawyers anyway).

No I didn't. The main differences as I see it are: The Lions (now) tour abroad every four years. They play club sides from the country they tour then the National side of the country they tour. The GB side would play in one competition - as a strict one off (should it happen at all). They won't play in any future tournaments as a combined side since they would have to qualify via the European U21 Championships and there is no chance of the four separate FAs forfieting the right to put four separate teams into those competitions. The Lions don't have to qualify for a tournament since they don't play in a tournament. This makes the logistics and practicalities of organising a GB & NI Olympic football side totally different from a UK and Ireland touring side.

 

The only issues you've come up with are purely procedural matters for accountants, lawyers and the people that worry about celebrating a goal too enthusiastically and deeming it necessary of a yellow card.

 

Nothing else against it.

 

And much like the British (and Irish) Lions (of which there is no REAL difference - as much as you try to put on your pedantism hat :rolleyes:) such a thing can (and could) be done without the world as we know it ending. :D

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I think most fans would share those concerns actually, along with people in all areas of the game.

 

Yes I'm sure loads of football fans would worry themselves SICK about those exact same financial and technical matters. :D

 

There's even precedents within such competitions with the Commonwealth games etc.

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I think most fans would share those concerns actually, along with people in all areas of the game.

 

Yes I'm sure loads of football fans would worry themselves SICK about those exact same financial and technical matters. :D

 

There's even precedents within such competitions with the Commonwealth games etc.

I'm not alluding to financial and technical matters, I'm talking about the potential loss of seperate identity to the Home Nations by extending A GB & NI team beyond the 2012 Olympics.

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I think most fans would share those concerns actually, along with people in all areas of the game.

 

Yes I'm sure loads of football fans would worry themselves SICK about those exact same financial and technical matters. :D

 

There's even precedents within such competitions with the Commonwealth games etc.

I'm not alluding to financial and technical matters, I'm talking about the potential loss of seperate identity to the Home Nations by extending A GB & NI team beyond the 2012 Olympics.

 

Of which there would be NONE (other than financial and technical issues), as there isn't in any of the other sports where GB teams perform along with separate Union teams.

 

Currently we have NO identity in this context.

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I think most fans would share those concerns actually, along with people in all areas of the game.

 

Yes I'm sure loads of football fans would worry themselves SICK about those exact same financial and technical matters. :D

 

There's even precedents within such competitions with the Commonwealth games etc.

I'm not alluding to financial and technical matters, I'm talking about the potential loss of seperate identity to the Home Nations by extending A GB & NI team beyond the 2012 Olympics.

 

Of which there would be NONE (other than financial and technical issues), as there isn't in any of the other sports where GB teams perform along with separate Union teams.

 

Currently we have NO identity in this context.

I disagree Fop but I don't see much point in repeating myself. I'm fairly confident I've outlined a number of reasons why the Lions and a proposed GB & NI Olympic football team are very different.

Edited by alex
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I think most fans would share those concerns actually, along with people in all areas of the game.

 

Yes I'm sure loads of football fans would worry themselves SICK about those exact same financial and technical matters. :D

 

There's even precedents within such competitions with the Commonwealth games etc.

I'm not alluding to financial and technical matters, I'm talking about the potential loss of seperate identity to the Home Nations by extending A GB & NI team beyond the 2012 Olympics.

 

Of which there would be NONE (other than financial and technical issues), as there isn't in any of the other sports where GB teams perform along with separate Union teams.

 

Currently we have NO identity in this context.

I disagree Fop but I don't see much point in repeating myself. I'm fairly confident I've outlined a number of reasons why the Lions and a proposed GB & NI Olympic football team are very different.

 

It's a completely nonsensical argument in any context other than lawyers and accountant being worried about financial issues and whether they get to keep their ruling clichés in all contexts.

 

It wouldn't erode anything, it would ADD to the sport - as most anyone without a vested interest in the organisational side of the game (or arguing with me :rolleyes:) would agree.

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I'm happy to let others be the judge of that tbh. I stand by what I said.

 

The reason it probably won't happen is purely a "suit" one, no other real or good reason.

I wasn't even discussing that though. However, I'll have to disagree with you again as I think the reason it will happen (only as a one-off for 2012) will be for financial reasons.

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I'm happy to let others be the judge of that tbh. I stand by what I said.

 

The reason it probably won't happen is purely a "suit" one, no other real or good reason.

I wasn't even discussing that though. However, I'll have to disagree with you again as I think the reason it will happen (only as a one-off for 2012) will be for financial reasons.

 

We'll have to see. Personally if it does happen I think we'll somehow avoid a apocalyptic break down of all things football within the UK.

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I'm happy to let others be the judge of that tbh. I stand by what I said.

 

The reason it probably won't happen is purely a "suit" one, no other real or good reason.

I wasn't even discussing that though. However, I'll have to disagree with you again as I think the reason it will happen (only as a one-off for 2012) will be for financial reasons.

 

We'll have to see. Personally if it does happen I think we'll somehow avoid a apocalyptic break down of all things football within the UK.

I never said there would be such a break-up if there's a one-off team for 2012. Are you suggesting I did? If not, what point are you making?

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