GAA bosses to address 'unfortunate commentary' around GAAGO coverage this week

Former Cork hurling goalkeeper Dónal Óg Cusack, and others, sharply criticised the new setup earlier in the summer. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

It is unrealistic to expect every GAA intercounty match to be on television, GAA bosses will say this week as they defend the controversial GAAGO coverage of this year's All-Ireland championships.

According to opening statements due to be presented to the Oireachtas sports and media committee tomorrow, the GAA will address what it calls "some unfortunate commentary" around coverage of an intercounty match earlier this year.

GAAGO, a joint venture between the GAA and RTÉ, had the exclusive rights to some 38 live matches in this year's hurling and football championships, ostensibly filling the void left by the end of Sky's coverage of the two codes.

A pass for the season cost €79, with single matches available for €12, and bundles of three for €24. Saturday games have largely been shown on the platform, with RTÉ usually taking the Sunday clashes.

Former Cork hurling goalkeeper Dónal Óg Cusack, and others, sharply criticised the new setup earlier in the summer, sparking a national conversation following about how hurling and football should be broadcast to the masses. 

In its statement to the Oireachtas committee, the GAA is to say: "GAAGO has existed and flourished for eight years. The new arrangements and schedule were launched six months before a ball was even pucked. 

"But a date change for one game that was beyond our control, the fantastic match that followed, and some unfortunate commentary around coverage set us on a difficult trajectory for the summer.

It is great that people want to see our matches, and the hurling and football this summer have been remarkable. 

"But the expectation that every single game should be on television is just not realistic. It's not in our interest, and not in our plans."

GAA chiefs will say that more free-to-air games are being shown than ever before, and that games on GAAGO "would previously have been on Sky TV or more probably not shown at all".

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The GAA wants to "generate a fair return from matches", the organisation will say.

It will concede that it will "look to improve to communicate better and to learn" following the controversy generated by the GAAGO coverage throughout the summer. 

Meanwhile, the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland chairman John Purcell is due to warn TDs and senators at the Oireachtas committee that sports broadcasting on radio and independent radio is under threat of being forgotten in the bigger picture.

Mr Purcell is due to say: "We all need to ensure that sports broadcasting at county and at an even more local level is not forgotten...We cannot be complacent about sport on Irish radio, and increasingly increased competition and the advent of small scale pay per consumption will threaten the viability of maintaining what would be considered normal levels of free to air coverage."

Since the covid-19 pandemic, matches are being broadcast on social media platforms and cannot be accessed without payment, Mr Purcell will say.

"Let there be no doubt that continued unchecked, the era of truly comprehensive free-to-air coverage on radio that Irish audiences have become used to will be compromised and threatened."