Fogarty Forum: Fault on both sides in GAA-GPA row

The question is who is being fairer to the player? The GAA or the GPA

4 March 2022; Players from all across Ireland were today at the announcement of scholarship funding of close to €800,000 provided to inter-county players through the Gaelic Players Association. Pictured speaking is Gaelic Players Association chief executive Tom Parsons during the GPA scholarship announcement event, at the Radisson Blu Hotel at Dublin Airport in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

TRUE to form, the GAA and GPA have fallen out again over expenses. Like two of his predecessors Dessie Farrell and Paul Flynn before him, the players body’s chief executive Tom Parsons has broken off negotiations with Croke Park.

The former Mayo footballer’s point that the GAA get “a very favourable deal” out of the championship is a strong one. There’s the €13.5m surplus in the 11-month financial year of 2021. As much as that covered two championships, one of them was behind closed doors. The GAA at central level stress they only subsidise the mileage rate, roughly to the tune of 27% in the 26 counties and 6% in the six counties and the boards pay the rest.