These are strange — but not unprecedented times — for GAA, writes Michael Moynihan.

IN early January, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest played out an entertaining FA Cup third round match at Stamford Bridge.

"In ancient Ireland, our athletic and sporting prowess was celebrated every summer by the staging of the Tailteann Games, a festival that some scholars date as far back as 1600BC."

Our writers look ahead to the major talking points ahead of the weekend's action at GAA Congress and in the Allianz Leagues.

Against Limerick on Sunday, Cork’s maor foirne Diarmuid O’Sullivan was dismissed after approaching referee Seán Cleere on the field.

At Congress two years ago, the GAA voted to prohibit the sponsorship of any GAA competition, team, playing gear or facility by a betting company.

O’Sullivan could face up to a 12-week ban, which would prevent him from being available for Cork’s Munster SHC opener against Limerick at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on May 10.

It was never really about the report. Nowhere in GAA director-general Tom Ryan’s annual offering was there a criticism of the Gaelic Players Association (GPA). Nowhere in those 60 pages was there a mention or a scintilla of evidence that the GAA consider the inter-county players’ body ‘a problem child’.

Our writers look ahead to the major talking points ahead of the weekend's Allianz League action.

The proposed national club fixtures oversight committee will be given the power to disqualify tardy counties from championships.

“An ultimate cost of €96m is reliably projected”, says GAA director general Tom Ryan, almost €20m more than originally envisaged and €10m more than suggested by Cork officials in 2018.

The All-Ireland football final replay, an increase in ticket prices for Allianz League and Championship games, and a general spike in gate receipts all contributed to a bumper 2019 financial year for the GAA.

At tonight’s Cork County Board meeting, secretary Kevin O’Donovan informed delegates that the executive has agreed repayments to Central Council for money that should have been handed over three years ago.

Waterford boss Liam Cahill believes that a sin bin in hurling would heap even more pressure on overworked referees.

The sin bin could be extended to hurling in time for this year’s Championship, the Irish Examiner has learned.

Before Fox Sports broadcast the All-Star National Hockey League game in the US in 1996, they pitched it to their audience as “the greatest technological breakthrough in the history of sports”.

Galway are opposed to their county senior hurling champions participating in one of the other three provincial championships.

Christmas has come early for the grassroots GAA in Munster with over €1.3m allocated in this year's development grant scheme.

Four-time All-Ireland hurling final referee Brian Gavin has urged the GAA to embrace a trial of a new yellow sliotar in order to assist umpires in spotting the ball.

Galway’s club gate receipts have dramatically risen by over €270,000 in the last two years.

The GAA’s response to the tragic events of St Patrick’s Day 2019, when three young people — Morgan Barnard, Lauren Bullock and Connor Currie — lost their lives in a crush outside a Cookstown hotel, was tonight hailed by Tyrone County Board chairman Michael Kerr.

Following an exhaustive eight-year process, the project is awaiting final approval from Central Council next month.

Former GAA president Christy Cooney is in favour of the minor age-grade at inter-county level returning to U18.

A new oversight unit favoured by GAA top-brass will penalise county boards should they fail to schedule games on weekends where county players are permitted to line out for their club.

Here's a summary of all you need to know...

Following a meeting with Mayo officials in Croke Park last Friday, the GAA leadership are now keen to speak to the Mayo International Supporters Foundation chairman Tim O’Leary about resolving the impasse.

The Club Players Association (CPA) weren’t sparing with their language last week, but then, they would have had reason. The description of the fixtures taskforce as “a Trojan horse” was the exact phrase used by Europe chairman Tony Bass at Congress last year when he dismissed their transparency motion, which was then defeated heavily.

The GAA’s national fixtures task force will meet again on Wednesday before their report is launched early next month.

The GAA’s national fixtures task force will meet again on Wednesday before their report is launched early next month.