Team GB back again...

SLG · Team GB back again...

I see Walter has been doing his bit for a British team at the olympics. They really seem to be putting a big effort into it this time. Why anyone is surprised that he is keen on a British team is beyond me, he made his opinions very clear before the election.

As usual, they are trying to sell it as both sides of the OF, with Smith from Rangers, and they've tried to get Brown from Celtic. Reporting brown as being keen, when he said no such thing. I really think the SFA might end up crumbling on this with all the pressure. Although the fact that the SFA board are fairly anonymous helps.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/7067642.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/7069511.stm

sgmillerton

we have the britih lions, a british athletics team, why not a british team of under 23's as a one off for such a prestigious event. i personally would leave it to the players, i'm sure the best of scottish talent such as barry ferguson, alan hutton, kris boyd, craig gordon and scott brown would be love to compete at the olympic games.

get a legal papaer from uefa stating a one off event like this will not effect the individuals fa's current status. simple, all other sports do it, why not football? ii feel it makes us look incredibly narrowminded. go for it.

SLG

Celtic Indian

I'm comfortable with a GB & NI team for the Olympics.It used to happen,so why not again ? SFA being paranoid me thinks.

SLG

The thing is, what is the benefit to the SFA or Scots football? Pretty much nothing. So even if it is just a slight risk, why take it?

Celtic Indian

kevin04

sgmillerton

i'm sure there will be plenty of talented scottish under 23's at the time who would be glad to take part, many of whom will regard themselves as scottish/british.

SLG

azzuri

Dunno 'bout that SLG.

I've said for a while that 2015 is Independence year.

Of course, I'd welcome it before the 2012 Olympics... Very Happy

agentmancuso

Celtic Indian

sgmillerton

SLG

Celtic Indian

What benefit is the Commonwealth ?

Corby Boy

Don't give a rat's about the Olympics let alone the Team GB fitba team!

Scottish participation as independent nation would change my interest levels somewhat.

Maybe it's because the sight of the UJ always makes me want to spew all the time?

Rinty

Let's be clear about this, we are only talking about a team for a one-off at the London games of 2012.

In any other Olympics we couldn't take part as the UEFA U-21 tournament is used as the qualifying stage for the olympics, with the top four sides going through.

Are the London Olympics a GB event? Olympics are awarded to cities, not countries, it could be said, if you apply it to a country, then England are the hosts of the Olympics and so the English team should take part, I have no problem with that.

But we have to be careful as, unless we are talking about a one-off only, then participating in the olympics as GB would mean competing in UEFA U-21 tournaments as GB as well.

Personally I quite like the idea of playing off against the other home nations for the right to take part.

sgmillerton

the olympics were awarded to london but as part of gb events will take place all over gb including glasgow, that is why a gb team as a one-off is entirely appropriate.

Rinty

"the olympics were awarded to london but as part of gb events will take place all over gb including glasgow, that is why a gb team as a one-off is entirely appropriate."

Well that is a first, previously the Olympics are only awarded to a city and any events outside of that city must be approved on a case-by-case basis.

I hadn't heard about this "gb events" and thought that London won the olympics. In that case, if it is the UK that have won the right to stage the olympics, then it could be that a one-off team might be about right. But a paly-off among the home teams for the right to represnt GB would be better.

It makes more sense for the olympics to go to a country rather than a city though and this is a good development.

What events are taking place in Glasgow? I thought it was to be only one event, a football match at hampden. What others are there?

sgmillerton

the games weere awarded to london but events are being spread around the uk including scotland. at the olympics in sydeny there were events also taking place well away from ydeny itself. london is the host city but gb is hosting plenty of events. hence the justification of a gb team.

sgmillerton

aye, hampden, cardiff, newcastle,weymouth,manchester are all hosting an event. i've no desire to go to london but i will endeavor to get to an event in newcastle or glasgow, be cool to have been to an olympic event.

Rinty

So it is still just the event that was announced and not "events" as you said?

London probably couldnt provide the amount of venues needed and this doesnt add up to much of a GB approach, just throwing some crums north of watford or even assistance from the regions to make up the stadia requirements to host the tournament.

Are you sure that London was awarded the games as a "Gb event"? Since your post I googled it and cant see where you get this idea from and dont see any decision from The Olympic committee that changes the city approach to a country approach.

sgmillerton

SLG

sgmillerton

i feel very positive about the olympics overll, a prestigious event which will bring massive amounts of tourists to scotland b4 and after the event. if we market it properly.

Rinty

"no, there are events being held all around GB. technically london is the host but events are being held all over the GB, that is a good thing. other parts of GB have the privelage of hosting events for the olympics and we are getting all negative about it. i would hate to see the gumbumping if everything was based in london."

I know there are events to an extent all over the UK. What you said was that London was awarded the olympics as part of "gb events". Did you make that bit up?

It looks to me like it is still the same arrangement and that this is a London event. The govt can justify some spending of the national budget by putting asonm events elsewhere and, of course, it saves on costs to use existing facilities so the regions are assisting London in delivering the games.

I can see no evidence that staging the Olympics have ever done any good for facilities and sports in any country.

I'm not mumping or moaning about it, its just that I know that paying for the olympics will partly come from much needed facilities at grass roots level. So while there may be some short term tourist bucks, that will only be part compensation for the swimming pools or astroturf pitches that dont get funded as a result.

Scotland gets one football match at Hampden with no new facilities.

sgmillerton

but there are gb events as you now know. so london and parts of gb are hosting events. i don't mind paying a little extra to make the olympics go ahead.

Rinty

"i don't mind paying a little extra to make the olympics go ahead."

but some of the "Little extra" will come directly from funds that would otherwise support community sports facilities rather than large venues in London that will be used by the elite.

parkhead_rfb

sgmillerton

Blackleaf

If we don't have a united British team for the Olympics then how can we compete for medals in the football tournament? With all other Olympics up until now, other countries across the world compete for medals every four years in the football tournament in the Olympics, whereas the English, Scots, Welsh and Nothern Irish are always left out, watching from the sidelines.

In 2012 we must join in, and the Scots must be more outward-looking and support the English, Welsh and Northern Irish in creating a British football team.

Blackleaf

sgmillerton

shooting in fife, rowing at strathclyde park and i'm sure the diving is being done at the commonweath pool in embra.

Rinty

"In 2012 we must join in, and the Scots must be more outward-looking and support the English, Welsh and Northern Irish in creating a British football team."

In other sports, such as curling, teams compete for the right to represent their country. They dont pick the best curling players into a national team. I remember my grandfather reaching a final, in Aberdeen, for his rink to be the Scottish representatives in bowling for a commonwalth games in the 70's, they lost but it was his team that played for the right, not individuals being selected.

Likwewise outside of team sports. The Olympic athletics team, have to qualify, they are not selected on reputation.

I think we should have a tournament in the year leading up to the olympics, showcasing the stadiums and leading to one of the british nations representing britain. This would be more in keeping with how other sports people get to the olympics and it would be a great tournament and a good PR execrise in the build up to the games.

This is a one-off and we cant compete as britain in other years, we are in this tournament as hosts, if we want to. But in any other year teams qualify for the olympics through the UEFA U-21 tournament the year before. As riatin are not members of UEFA we dont take part other than as Scotland England Northern Ireland and Wales.

This happened at the last tournament. Engalnd reached the semi-finals which would have given them qualification for the olympics but ceded the place to Italy.

We should remember that up until the 60's Britain DID have an olympic team. The tournament was for amatuers and that distinction made it easier to separate from the four nations playing the professional game. The former Celtic keeper Ronnie Simpson played in the olympics in the 50's.

In 1984 the OIC changed the rules to allow professional players and the tournament became, and still is now, an under-23 professional tournament.

"I'd love to see how many events in the 2014 Commonwealth Games are held outside if Glasgow or, indeed, outside of Scotland."

Not that many, that's my point! These games are awarded to cities, not nations. There are no doubt some spin-off benefits for some other parts of the country but it is essentially the London Olympics and the Glasgow Commonwealth games, not the British Olympics and the Scottish Commonwealth games.

As far as football goes, since the professionals have been allowed in it means that more big stadiums are needed so every city that has hosted the olympics has needed to draft in help from other cities for this sport. This bid is no different and they are not sharing the benefits as much as seeking support because they need more top class stadiums with travel and parking infrastructure and dont want to build them for a one-off event.

Cymro

RadgeJougal

I hope not, it would be bad for both our countries.

Tartan Tam

Cymro is right, the SFA, IFA and FAW are all against a Team GB as are ALL the fans from all the home nations (the FSF had a vote and it was 60% against) all the other fans groups were unanimous.

This is not out of spite or to somehow p1ss off our southern big cousins, there is a real threat against our football independence and has been for the last 20 years.
There is a special dispensation within the FIFA constitution which allows Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales to compete in world football and to compete in the current climate as a Team GB would play right into the hands of those who think these 4 nations have too much power.

Preserve our independence........www.NoTeamGB.com

Cheers,
Tam