Dispute requires mutual trust instead of clever PR
THINGS are moving on at pace between the GPA and the GAA.
As I predicted here last week, the charm offensive through the media has begun in earnest. While this approach may initially be good public relations it won’t help to solve problems between the organisations.
Be that as it may, the GAA issued a detailed press release yesterday outlining both the historic and current positions of the association with regards the recognition and funding of the GPA as an official body.
There is no doubt, now, that the days of the GAA either hoping that the GPA would die away or self-destruct are over. The idea, that prevailed initially, that the GAA could bury the GPA either through kindness or though strangulation are also at an end.
The statement that “the GAA has long recognised both the validity of a players’ representative body and the potential value to players and association alike of a partnership in such a context” may come as a surprise and, perhaps, a disappointment to some members but is a clear statement of the official position of the GAA as agreed by its highest ruling body, Central Council. And the statement further gives weight to this position by stating that “the GAA wishes to re-state unambiguously its determination to continue genuine and good faith discussions with the GPA with a view to the earliest possible agreement on the recognition and funding issues”.
It then outlines the moves to bring this situation about by giving the history of these discussions during the final months of Nickey Brennan’s Presidency and the moves to further the process under new President, Christy Cooney.
At the end, the axe of blame fairly falls on the GPA for “embarking on the course of action in which it is currently engaged”. Whether the GPA issues a counter-statement to refute this apportioning of blame and try to regain the moral high ground remains to be seen.
But ultimately a continuous stream of public statements is not going to bring a resolution one iota closer. In fact, it could be counter-productive as we saw when this was the modus operandi in the Cork players standoff last winter.
The best course of action for both sides would be to stop issuing public statements, to get round a table, with or without a facilitator and stay at that table until a resolution is found or talks break down.
Public statements damage trust and without mutual trust it’s very hard to see a solution.
The GAA’s statement does seem to contain the genesis of a resolution. It speaks about providing administrative funding for the GPA, providing office accommodation for them, ensuring GPA representation on national bodies and developing joint GAA/GPA sponsorships and opportunities for the benefit of players and the wider association.
These are all fundamental points and they show how far the GAA has developed in recent years. Six or seven years ago if a Croke Park official proposed those suggestions they’d have been run out of town pretty quickly. So, perhaps, both sides have made more progress than they realise.
The GAA, as I predicted, are standing firm on not granting a 5% return to the GPA on annual income stating that “the GAA cannot provide funding for any unit or body based purely on a fixed percentage of annual income”.
But is this such a major stumbling block? Income can go up as well as down. For that reason, if the GPA can agree on an annual figure as opposed to a percentage, they might be far better off and more secure financially.
There is certainly plenty of room for manoeuvre through discussion in the GAA’s statement. Both sides should now sit down and work out the details in the salient points. And while those discussions are ongoing, both sides should give their PR gurus their summer holidays!
