Last weekend marked a historic event in GAA history as the GPA staged their protest at games all over the country, delaying the start time of matches by 15 minutes.
The action appeared to be a successful one, as it was largely adhered to by most counties and seemed to attract widespread public support from the fans in attendance.
At McHale Park, Castlebarr, the delay was observed with little fuss and a small section of the 8,000 fans in attendance for the Mayo-Tyrone game applauded the PA announcement of the delay.
The only game not to follow the 15 minute delay was the NHL Division 1A clash between Down and Wexford, though the game was however reported to have been delayed by eight minutes.
Mayo manager Mickey Moran sent out a strong message following the delay.
“We are family,” he said. People have a commitment they truly believe in, and we honoured that. We sat in and adhered to their protest in a dignified manner. We are family and we face everything together.”
Prior to the action on Sunday, the GAA had sent a statement to the various grounds to read out which said: “We want to apologise to patrons for the inconvenience caused by the delay to the commencement of the game. This is due to action organised by the Gaelic Players’ Association.”
However, in a bitter blow to the GAA, most fans applauded the statement which was aimed at chastising the GPA.
The protest by inter-county players was called following last week’s EGM of the player’s body as a mark of solidarity, the first large-scale action of its kind in GAA history.

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Croker Naming Rights

By Paul Withers

Outgoing GAA President Sean Kelly has played down any chance of the naming rights for Croke Park being sold.
Stadiums are being named more now after products or companies (Emirates Stadium, JJB Stadium, Reebok Stadium etc), with millions of euros being involved in the deal.
However, only Kingspan Breffni Park in Cavan has followed this route, and Kelly insists this is not about to be added to.
“There has been a lot of talk about the value of naming rights for stands and stadiums,” he said.
“But the naming issue can go too far. Is it not better to go to the Cusack Stand or Croke Park rather than the Reebok Stadium or the Telstra Dome? It’s better to go somewhere named after heroes or names that resonate.
“We’ll never go too far down that road in this Association and it will certainly never happen in Croke Park.”
Kelly was speaking at a ceremony to rename parts of Croke Park after famous figures in GAA history. The Canal End was renamed the Davin Stand, after the Association’s first president and Hill 16 is now known as Dineen Hill 16 Terrace, named after Frank B Dineen, the man who purchased the ground in 1908 and sold it to the GAA five years later.

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Big Screen

By Paul Withers

The GAA are planning to install a second giant screen at Croke Park in time for the National Football League finals at the end of the month.
The screen is currently being installed at the corner of the ground where the Hogan Stand and the newly named Davin Stand meet. The screen will be suspended from the roof of the stand, ensuring everyone in attendance can see a screen.
The largest screen in Europe is currently situated at the Hill 26 end and has been operating since last year.

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GPA Strike

By Paul Withers

The GPA has made the dramatic move of sending text messages to its 1,400 members asking them to consider strike action because of the ongoing issue of sports grants, a development that has sent shockwaves through the GAA.
The issue was discussed at an executive meeting on March 29, and could prove to be the most controversial stance the players’ body has taken since its formation seven years ago.
The text message was sent following the meeting and said: “A no. of squads suggest players should boycott all league fixtures on April 8/9 as once-off protest 2 demonstrate how serious we are. R u in favour? Txt Yes or No.”
If players vote in favour of a strike, it would see them pull out of the final round of National Football League games as well as the last round of Division 1A of the National Hurling League, causing major disruption to the GAA fixtures programme which is already behind.
The rumblings have come to a head following the failure of the GAA to send a representative to a meeting with the Minister of Sport John O’Donoghue to discuss the sports grant issue.

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Is It Time To Rip Up The Rulebook?

By Paul Withers

Cast your minds back to the opening round of the Allianz National Football League on Sunday 5th February and the game in Omagh between Tyrone and Dublin. The All-Ireland champions against the Leinster champions promised to be something special. Unfortunately, not many of us remember the score and only know what has happened since.
Last week the debacle came to an embarrassing and calamitous end. The suspensions originally handed out by the CDC to the four Dublin and three Tyrone players involved in the disgraceful scenes on the pitch were rescinded by the CAC, ultimately causing an earthquake through the foundations of the GAA.
They said they made the decision out of fear that procedures that led to the suspensions would not survive Disputes Resolution scrutiny, but it has ultimately caused huge embarrassment for the GAA rules and procedures on discipline, making them out to be shambolic.
Ultimately, this whole debacle in freeing the ‘Omagh Seven’ has caused shockwaves throughout the sport and has brought into question a lot of serious and worrying issues.
Firstly, it showed how incapable the top brass at the GAA are when it comes with dealing in matters of indiscipline. The CDC found these players guilty and no doubt the public will have as well after viewing video footage, so why have they been allowed to get away with it?
Many within the sport and in the GAA felt that the players should have taken their punishments like men but sadly, manliness in the GAA has been disappearing at a worrying speed.
When the referee is unable to send a wrongdoer off, the CDC usually uses video footage to catch the culprit and punish him. However, this recent ruling showed that video evidence is a waste of time because nowadays, it seems easier for inter-county players to escape suspensions. I saw a poll on the Internet that asked the following: “Should counties attempt to get suspensions overturned on technicalities?” Unsurprisingly, 72 per cent said, “No, it goes against the spirit of the games.” So, its not only the people connected in the GAA that are losing faith in the system, us, the fans are also in the same boat.
Even Paddy Russell, the referee on the day, who has been officiating at the top for the best part of 20 years, described it as “the most disappointing and upsetting day of my years of refereeing”.
However, it doesn’t matter which was we look at it – the GAA rulebook isn’t in place to transfer eyewitness accounts into worthy punishments.
A big debate has gone on for some time as to the use of video evidence in sport, but this latest ruling has shown it’s a waste of time unless the referee actually catches the player in the act.
Relating back to the game itself, take Colin Holmes. He was the only one caught by Russell and was effectively sent off and his name will be the only one in the history books that say he was dismissed.
The accumulation of these problems really does border on the utterly ridiculous. Compare it to this – guards would have to see a crime committed themselves before punishing the offender. Effectively, that is hat has gone on here.
What kind of example does this all set to underage players or youngsters looking to get involved in the sport? What are coaches supposed to say to their charges about indiscipline? How can fair play and sportsmanship be thread though to these players after what they’ve seen go on?
Effectively, it could cause parents to prevent their children from becoming involved in the sport, which could then possibly lead to long-term damage in the sport, in relation to getting players involved at grass roots.
Referees have undoubtedly being hit hard by the weeks since the fracas on the pitch, with leading official John Bannon saying that appeals against suspensions will “erode confidence among referees. He also added that he sensed a growing disregard for discipline, referees and the rules of the association.
Overall, the GAA have been left embarrassed and humiliated. Then president Sean Kelly will also have been hit hard as well and he has been quick to try and calm the situation. He admitted that the situation reflected badly on the GAA but amendments to the rules would have to be made before next month’s Congress, where a number of motions will be submitted with a view to addressing potential loopholes in the rulebook.
This seems a simple enough solution and one that can be done with the minimum amount of fuss. However, the implications of this recent ruling mean that the cracks cannot be papered over the rulebook yet again; a more radical solution is needed.
Tyrone v Dublin on the 5th February in Omagh became the day that the rulebook died because it’s got many people asking: Are there any rules left?
It may seem like an outrageous move, but let’s tear this rulebook up and start again. A new set of rules is needed because the current set are bringing more controversy on to the game than is absolutely necessary.
Another poll I spotted on the Internet asked: “Following the successful appeals of the Omagh brawlers, does the GAA need to ‘rip up’ the rulebook?” 89.4 per cent agreed that it should be ripped up, with one voter calling the current rules “a complete joke”.
I’ve got to say, I’m totally in agreement with these 89.4 per cent. If the current set remain in place, you can only see this situation repeating itself.

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History At Croke Park

By Paul Withers

It has been announced that Ireland’s three major sporting codes will unite for one year and join forces to make Croke Park a fortress for visiting sports stars from all over the world.
It’s great news for the players, coaching staff, fans and the owners of Croke Park. Financially, it’s a massive boost for the GAA, who are in need of an injection of revenue to pay off existing debts.
The GAA will make millions of euros and the other two codes have eased their worries of not finding a home for their international matches, so on the face of it, everyone’s happy, right? Apparently, this is not the case.
Whilst rebuilding work is being carried out on Lansdowne Road, which judging by the plans, will become one of the best sporting arenas in the world, the GAA will rent Croke Park out for the use of soccer and rugby internationals.
For the players representing these teams, it’s a deal made in heaven. Growing up, most of them would have followed and played football or hurling regularly, and walking out in front of 82,500 passionate fans at the home of Gaelic sport is only something to be dreamt about.
Compare it to a young English child dreaming of making it as a soccer player, and one day walking out in front of a packed Wembley Stadium. Or perhaps a lifelong golf fan making his debut in the Ryder Cup. The meaning and importance for the players is clear for everyone to see.
Newly appointed Ireland soccer boss Steve Staunton epitomises this thought. He was one of the first people to come out and express his delight and excitement over the prospect of leading out his team at Croke Park, because he knows that a packed and passionate stadium will be like a twelfth man to him in his quest to qualify for the European Championships in 2008 and will put the frighteners on any team.
It means that little bit more to Steve because of family ties to the famous venue. His father once played minor football at Croke Park, his brother represented Louth there and his bother-in-law represented Wee County for over a decade.
Staunton himself knows of the Irish sporting history that Croke Park is steeped in because of his huge talents as a footballer when he has growing up.
One of Staunton’s first duties will be to visit the great ground with his coaching staff and decide where they want to position the soccer pitch and how big they want it to be.
FAI Chief Executive John Delaney will no doubt have a smile as big as the pitch itself. Delaney finalised the deal with the GAA and IRFU hours after securing the services of Staunton as manager. It could be a 24-hour period that may never be topped in Irish sport.
The same principle can be applied to the rugby players. A day in rugby history has been pencilled in for Sunday 11 February 2006, when France becomes the first opposition team to run out to what should be a packed Croke Park.
Looking at the whole situation, the grass could not be greener on the other side. However, like most big business deals in sport, there’s already trouble in paradise.
The path to the historic first rugby international has almost hit a dead end. The game falls on a Sunday, clashing with the Allianz National Football League, which is traditionally played on the same day.
The GAA agreed to the deal with some idea of possible repercussions it could have, and this could be a massive one. For them to go into competition with one of the biggest sporting occasions in recent years is sporting suicide.
It’s likely that more people will tune into the rugby, so it seems the only logical solution would be to switch the GAA games to a Saturday.
The GAA have handed the IRFU a lifejacket in a potential in what could have been a sinking situation because without a home, they’d have to play their home matches at grounds like Twickenham, which could prove disastrous to their Six Nations campaign. So why should the GAA let these outsiders dictate their sport? It smells like a bit of a sell-out to me.
If they do switch their games to a Saturday, they wont lose out attendance wise and in marketing terms but will look like money grabbers by letting the IRFU control them. However, playing their games on the same day will put a financial hole into their pockets so it seems they’re in a no win situation. It begs the question: Was the GAA’s intentions just to make money from the deal or to help Irish sport?
As a lot of you would agree, money doesn’t always bring happiness and that is definitely the case here, as well as the row that has now erupted between the GAA and the Gaelic Players Association (GPA).
The GPA want the players to get a financial slice of the Croke Park cake or risk a furious backlash from players, because they’re argument is that they are the ones who fill the stadium on a consistent basis.
The GAA have stood firm, saying that the money made from the rental of the ground will be invested back into the sport at grass roots level. They’ve also said that the GPA seems to have forgotten the fact that the GAA is crippled with 35 million euros of debt.
This seems like an argument that looks like it will rumble on and on because now the issue of ‘pay to play’ and professionalism in the sport has been raised, a subject that has often proved delicate in the past.
The GPA and former players have fairly valid points in regards to Gaelic sports being almost professional, but GAA President Sean Kelly’s comment that “semi-professional is professional” is totally inaccurate in my eyes.
There are huge differences between the two levels, both in how the sport is run and the large influx of money that could be pumped into all areas of the sport, which is why it is such a delicate issue, moving from one step to another.
GAA players should be treated just the same as the rugby and soccer players playing at Croke Park in 2007. They deserve some financial gain because it is the GAA players that have made Croke Park what it is today, no one else.
However, it shouldn’t be based on a transition from semi-professional to a professional standard. Such a massive move is dangerous in such a short space of time. If such a move was to be made, the dominance that money could have on GAA sports is scary to even think about.
The GAA and GPA need to stop this bickering and put their differences aside. Everyone within Irish sport needs to take the whole deal into perspective and realise that this is a deal that could put Irish sport firmly on the map.

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Rules Toughened Up

By Paul Withers

Officials from the GAA and the Australian Football League (AFL) have met in Melbourne to discuss ways of toughening the rules.
GAA President Sean Kelly, in-coming President Nickey Brennan, Director-General Liam Mulvihill and Head of Marketing Dermot Power spent two days locked in talks with AFL officials to discuss ways of avoiding the shameful scenes that marred last summer’s series in Australia.
The disgraceful incidents that occurred in the second test in Melbourne had threatened the end of the series, with many countries demanding an end to the competition.
The two bodies did agree that the International Rules Series had been a great success since 1998, with the two teams tied 7 matches apiece with two drawn games and attracting an average of nearly 47,000 people per game. However, the issue of unsporting behaviour was one that had to be addressed urgently.
It was agreed between the GAA and AFL that the following rules, which are similar to today’s soccer laws, would be implemented into future series:
- Any player shown a red card would be sent off without a replacement coming on and not allowed back onto the pitch for the remainder of the game. As a result, a penalty kick would be awarded to the opposition team. A tribunal hearing would then follow to determine any further punishment, with a guilty verdict carrying a minimum one-match ban,
- Any player shown a yellow card would be sin-binned for 15 minutes, without a replacement coming on. No penalty kick will be given and a second yellow card for the same player would result in a sending off for the player, without a replacement. Again, a tribunal hearing would then decide on further punishment.
Meetings between the two bodies will take place in May to discuss how the rules will be arranged and to look at the training and recruitment of referees.
Meanwhile, the AFL have said they will stem the flow of footballers and hurlers under the age of 21 being recruited by Australian clubs on international rookie contracts.
In the last two years, Setanta and Aisake O hAilpin, Colm Begley and Brendan Quigley were all under 21 when they made their move to Australia.
The AFL have also agreed in principle with the GAA to fast track measures that would prevent their clubs from taking on Gaelic footballers under the age of 17.
It remains to be seen whether this decision will be challenged in the courts by the AFL’s clubs.
Meetings between the two bodies will take place in May to discuss how the rules will be arranged and to look at the training and recruitment of referees.

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Referees Doing A Good Job

By Paul Withers

Referees generally acquitted themselves well in 2005, according to the GAA’s annual report to the upcoming Congress.
This comes despite officials coming in for heavy criticism from managers, players, supporters and some members of the media.
Only one out of the 94 assessment reports on refereeing performances in last year’s championships was deemed by assessors to have been ‘poor’.
Nearly half of the 63 assessments in 65 football matches were rated as ‘very good ‘ with just five considered to be ‘fair’ and one ‘poor’.
From the 31 assessments in 26 hurling games, over half were rated as ‘very good’ whilst only one was considered to have been ‘fair’. According to the assessors, there we’re no poor refereeing performances in last year’s hurling championships.

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Mulvihill Makes Drugs Warning

By Paul Withers

The GAA has to be watchful on the possible use of performance enhancing drugs, according to Director-General Liam Mulvihill.
He stated that any member of the Association who tested positive would be a “really make things difficult for everyone”.
A motion is being put forward at Congress next month that would mean that the Disputes Resolution Authority would not hear appeals against drug convictions, but instead go straight to the Irish Sports Council.
However, Mulavill stated that he finds it difficult to believe that a player would use a performance-enhancing drug.
“Thankfully, we haven’t had a positive test, but all the indications from the general sporting landscape are such we cannot be complacent,” he said.
“In fact, it is almost certain that a GAA player will be tempted to utilise substances that are readily available and which get a lot of publicity.
“If GAA players partake in such drugs they will inevitably be caught and we will have an outcry about lack of knowledge and blame will be apportioned to everybody except the person in whose body the substance was found.”
The motion that will be brought forward at Congress is aiming to bring the GAA Drugs Rule into line with the requirements of the Irish Sporting Council. It proposes that appeals by their own Doping Disciplinary Committee would go to the Sports Council. Following this procedure, appeals will then only be able to be taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

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