GAA chief fights for provincial system
Mr Murphy’s report to Sunday’s county convention says it would be a serious and a fundamental error if this was to happen.
He is also critical of the new round robin system in the hurling championships which has proved a disaster from the point of view of attendances and finance while taking up a very valuable period of the year.
And he called for a re-examination of the system where the winners of the Munster and Leinster hurling championships receive no reward for their efforts. Currently provincial winners are being put on a par with other qualifiers for a quarter-final position.
“It’s not unfair to say that at this stage the eight counties that will qualify for the All-Ireland quarter-finals in 2006 can be easily predicted. This takes from the value and prestige of the provincial championships which have stood the test of time in terms of quality and support.
“While there is a second year to run in the All-Ireland hurling championship format, it must receive very critical review at the end of the experimental period. The inter-county programme at senior level is top heavy and at the expense of club activity.”
Mr Murphy is also very critical of the 30-man panels which currently operate at inter-county level, and takes issue with the various selection committees. He wants the selection committees to declare in good time what 24 players from the 30 will be utilised for any given match.
“It is totally unfair that the clubs from which the 30 players are drawn should be at a standstill for weeks on end. Accepting that 30-man panels for training etc. will remain, ‘the 13-day avoidance of games’ for inter-county players must be confined to a maximum of 24 players.”
Concern is also expressed in the report about the enforced overcrowding of county fixtures into the concluding stages of the year which is most unfair on clubs. “In some cases, clubs were being asked to play twice a week to make up lost ground, at a time of inclement weather and poor conditions. One would have to ask, however, why clubs would not be prepared to try and meet this type of scheduling in the more benign summer months.”
In the annual report, it emerges that Cork GAA spent a total of €1.17 million on its eight inter-county teams for 2005, an increase of €160,000 on the previous year.
Catering for teams amounted to €184,000; travelling expenses totalled €155,000 while travel and overnight came to €140,000. A contribution of €201,500 was made to the players’ tour funds while a total of €368,000 was spent on gear, equipment and medical expenses.
On the commercial front, the Cork Board scored heavily. Their association with O2 was worth €264,787; sponsored gear and equipment came to €156,000; sponsorship of the county champions by the Evening Echo amounted to €85,000, while Guinness contributed €70,000.
One of the most lucrative fund raising schemes the county board operates is the members’ draw. Gross income came to €2.25 million. Clubs benefited to the tune of €1.17 million while the overall profit on the draw amounted to €778,666.
Surprisingly gate receipts for the year were down close on €110,000 on the previous year. A total of €893,000 was taken in, in the year under review. Cork’s share of the National Leagues came to €101,809.
The board spent €282,000 on the various coaching schemes it operates and on grants to the schools and colleges. Overall the county board is in a very healthy state with total assets of €16.4 million.
Páirc Ui Chaoimh and Páirc Uí Rinn are to have new playing surfaces, similar to Croke Park, next year.
Work has already commenced on the main stadium pitch and according to county secretary Frank Murphy is expected to be ready to play on by next April.
“Once we complete the work on Páirc Uí Chaoimh we’ll turn our attentions to doing a similar job on Páirc Uí Rinn and the intention is to have that venue up and running by early autumn”, said Mr Murphy.
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