Peter Quinn was the first GAA President of whom there is proper recollection in this seat. Perhaps obviously, because he was the first holder of the office I met. Since then, Jack Boothman, Joe McDonagh, Sean McCague (God rest all three of them), Nicky Brennan, Sean Kelly and Liam O’Neill have all been encountered along the way and found to be honourable, highly decent and well intentioned gentlemen.
It is a source of profound regret and incalculable personal disappointment that the same cannot be said about the current, soon to depart incumbent.
As you will most likely well know at this stage, this writer contacted Uachtaran CLG Mr Burns on two seperate occasions in the last 18 months with regard to disabled viewing facilities in Croke Park but it appears I may as well have sent the emails to Monty Burns. At least he might have said they were Eeeexcelllnt!
However, lest it be inferred I have a one itemed chip on my shoulder, it’s actually wished it was only thing which has disapponted me while the Silverbridge, Co Armagh native has been leading the organisation. Sadly, though, there has been a list:
* Yes, my Croke Park issue.
* His seemingly unwavering willingness to jump to every bark of the GPA dog.
* How he has allowed implimented changes to be re-changed even though they don’t make sense (the Hooter farce, doing away with group stages in football and the preliminary quarter finals in hurling).
- Not re-instating the All Ireland Minor Finals to Croke Park.
- Doing away with pre-season competitions and trying to do again.
- In fairness, Jarlath does deserve the utmost of praise for the inception of the Football Review Committee, but why no hurling equivalent?
- Why the arse dragging over integration?
- The same question with regard to Katie Taylor’s well publicised desire to end her remarkable career in Croker.
- The Allianz issue.
Now, before the keyboard warriors go into frenzy mode talking about ‘GAA Democracy’, ‘two thirds majorities’, things being voted on and the like, it is my steadfast belief that such things are actually the biggest part of the problem.
Again, no doubt, the soldiers of amateur destiny are probably sharpening their pikes for another rebellion.
But, whether they want to admit the following or not, those in most powerful positions in the GAA are fulltime employees thereof. Jarlath Burns and Tom Ryan to be exact.
Yes, the President is elected – and rightly so – but the current mechanics of GAA governance are akin to giving somebody a job and then dictating how they carry the role out.
Even if the bastions of craw-thumping amateurism don’t like the employee slant, there’s a clue in the name of what is the most important committee in any arm of the association – Central Competitions CONTROL Committee. Requiring votes to do almost anything is very much like electing a Government and then instructing them to do their job. If you believe individuals to be those best positioned to do a particular job – i.e. you elected them to do so – give them the autonomy and freedom to carry out the role as best they see fit.
Put it another way – a county board doesn’t appoint a manager and then tell them what players to pick and/or what training methods to use. Of course the same could be said of a new Uachtaran – they would undoubtedly have specific items which they will seek to prioritise during their tenure.
Sean Kelly’s abolition of Rule 42 – precluding the playing of ‘foreign’ sports on GAA grounds – is probably the best example there is of such an instance. And all of the preceding acts as a perfect segue into the election last weekend of Derek Kent as the 42u Uachtaran Cumann Luchleas Gael, a role which the Wexford native will assume at the Association’s Annual Congress this time next year.
At this point, I will openly confess to never having heard of Mr Kent until about a month ago. That said, a small amount of research has informed that the leader-in-waiting has amassed quite the GAA CV indeed. Having served as Chairman at county and provincial level and also headed up the aforementioned CCCC.
Having not seen much of an indepth interview with an t-Uachtaran tofa yet, who knows what he will prioritise. Are there issues that need tending to?
Absolutely. In an overall sense, the Allianz affair will probably need tending to first. It would be hoped that the new man might have a slightly different verdict on the sanctity of the sponsorship deal with the Germans.
I have absolutely no doubt the following will be put down to bias, but it’s actually just business common sense, it would be very easy to concur with Colm O’Rourke’s view that there would surely be plenty of other businesses chomping at the bit to be title sponsor of the two most important competitions in the GAA. I label them as such because they are the ones in which the most teams have genuine prospects of attaining silverware.
Furthermore, my conviction is steadfast that there needs to be Hurling Review Committee. An identical twin to the one chaired by Jim Gavin. Even off the top of my head, you’d be talking about populating it with people such as Liam Sheedy, Tommy Walsh, Willie Maher, Joe Canning, Neil McManus, Paul Kinnerk, a current players rep and somebody on behalf of referees. Just a thought.
There would certainly be plenty for a committee to look into as well. Foremost among which – and again, like the dictum relating to limiting consecutive hand passes in football trialled in 1994 – should never have been discontinued, the awarding of two points for scores executed directly from side line cuts needs to be reinstated. Sure they even the orange flags in official use now. As with football also, long distance points from play – in hurling’s case from, say, behind the 65m line, should also be classed as two pointers.
Outside of those few ideas, if, as appears to be the case, powerful elements within the GAA are too cowardly to look at professionalism in an overall sense, surely the possibility of players having sponsorship/endorsement deals in an individual capacity is worth exploring. It’s practically happening already – and has been from the time former Wexford star Paul Codd briefly had Paddy Power emblazoned on his hurl until the righteous craw thumpers had a seizure. Yet the same people at the same time had the hurling championship sponsored by Guinness. Go figure.
Now, there was nothing – or would still be nothing – wrong with the most famous product produced in the country sponsoring the most important sporting competition which takes place therein. Wouldn’t it be a damn sight better than the best and most important competition in English or perhaps world football – the FA Cup – being sponsored by an Arab airline.
Whatever about competition sponsorship, it would appear that, somewhat surprisingly, the GPA may actually have come up with a decent proposal with regard to the player sponsorship angle.
They actually wouldn’t have to look too far for an example which could work just as well for GAA players as it does in the example most pertinent here. In League Of Ireland football. Where, at some if not all of the clubs, players have their individual sponsors.
Look, as much as it sickens my gut that the GAA/LGFA either can’t or don’t want to make some attempt to incentivise players to stay at home, it seems to be the well trotted out line, as per Mary Kate Lynch, our latest departer that it’s “Hard to say no”. It doesn’t have to be and if the GAA/LGFA really cared, if they had structures in place to ensure players are properly looked after they wouldn’t have to leave the country to be so. We can but live in hope.
Fág freagra