Congress in Down could make a mark
With a record 123 motions down for discussion, it promises to be a long and eventful Congress. There are so many motions on the Clár for two reasons.
This year, being divisible by five, means that the rules of play for hurling and football can be discussed and amended. As a result of the experimental rules operating during the national leagues, there are no shortage of playing rule proposals.
The second reason is that after all motions in relation to the opening of Croke Park were deemed out of order in 2002 (even though a debate was allowed), 2003, and 2004, the terms of the motions committee were altered which allows counties a second chance. If the motions committee deems a motion out of order now, they must give the reason and the motion goes back to the county to be corrected. That happened in the case of many motions this year so the campaign for the opening of Croke Park had wider ramifications for future congresses than most people realise.
The playing rules will command much attention. Motions about the introduction of the ‘mark’, the square ball and the hand-pass will be of special interest. But I don’t anticipate wholesale changes. Indeed, as I watched the league go by and especially watching the Kerry-Monaghan game Sunday in Killarney, I wondered if somebody who hadn’t attended a match for six months and who wasn’t aware of the experimental rules would have noticed anything different. Quite frankly, I’d say not. It’s all now about the running game, supporting the man in possession and holding the ball. Whatever happens next weekend is not going to alter that too much. Nevertheless, I expect delegates to argue each proposed change as if the future of Gaelic games depended on it. But will we see many changes? Some definitely but nothing too radical.
The format of competitions will also be discussed and the abolition of some is being proposed. It will be interesting to see if Congress adopt motions to abolish the intermediate inter-county hurling and the junior football championships. In years past, these motions were rejected but now with more emphasis being put on the erosion of calendar time for club competitions, these long-standing competitions might finally get the chop.
The format for the Liam MacCarthy, Christy Ring and Nicky Rackard competitions comes before Congress again even though they were discussed at Special Congress last October. The proposal now is that there be no relegation from the MacCarthy Cup in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and that the winners of the Christy Ring gain promotion to the Liam MacCarthy if they so choose. This is something I agree with as it would be ridiculous and damaging to force counties who always competed at the highest level out of the MacCarthy Cup.
Modern day concepts such as scoring average and the hearings committee will also be discussed by way of motions.
I feel the proposal to formally recognise the GPA will be a mere formality. Ever since Dessie Farrell was elected onto Central Council in 2005, the formal recognition of the GPA was only a matter of when rather than if. The softening up process is now complete and it will be a major surprise if there is any great opposition to it, especially as Farrell has stated consistently since 2004 that the GPA are not about pay for play.
Of particular interest also will be the motion to keep Croke Park open permanently. My own club Kilcummin put forward this motion to the Kerry Convention and it appears as No 87 on the Clár. Roscommon, Clare, Meath and Westmeath have similar motions. This is hard to call but with the Cork County Board coming out in favour, I feel the success of the venture over the past three years may convince enough delegates to keep Croke Park open and so avail of any opportunities that may appear in the future.
While the FAI and IRFU have understandably said their commitment from now will be to Aviva Stadium, ponder this thought: the difference between 82,300 (Croke Park) and 50,000 (Aviva) is 32,300 fans. That’s an awful lot of disappointed supporters who have got used to going to internationals. At a minimum of €80 per ticket that comes to almost €2.5 million. That’s a lot of lolly. Mark my words: if Croke Park remains open, down the line there will be scope for business between Croke Park and other bodies. Then, of course, there’s always the possibility of World Cups, European Cups and other major one-off events. It would be unwise of the GAA to deny itself the opportunity to avail of such future possibilities.
The final motion, no 123, on the Clár states the following – “A cup or trophy shall not be filled with any alcoholic beverage – all cups or trophies shall be altered to prevent the placing of any liquids therein.” Now there’s a novel solution and not before time. And it could create a job or two for some enterprising individuals.
