"The best days of their lives - before it becomes so competitive they stop enjoying it."
The GAA is under a lot of scrutiny recently - mostly because its players are under too much scrutiny.
It seems that nowadays you come through the system, you come through your club, you grow up and the joy has to end once you hit senior.
Young men are leaving, running away from the intensity of it all, and the days when it was just about kicking ball with your friends are but a distant memory. In a lot of cases anyway.
https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/721615803964133376
It's not all doom and gloom though, it's not all life or death, and sometimes it takes a group of under-14s to remind you of that.
The Féile finals in Derry took place on Monday and some of the scenes were just so pure. They were bloody beautiful. They are what the GAA is all about. What its supposed to be about at least.
And photographer
Mary K Burke was there to capture these stunning moments to make sure they last forever. Like they should.
Look at these young lads from Castledawson celebrating their C final win and drinking it in like nothing else in the world matters.
But the under-14 goalkeeper still found time to console his opponent in a moment of pure class.
And the joy just gets more euphoric.
The full list of photos are available
here.
Hopefully when these lads are older, they won't forget these moments and they won't lose that innocence.
