Paul Rouse: The GAA still firmly holds the belief in evolution not revolution

It will be interesting to watch how the GAA’s new Strategic Plan – to be launched shortly – will position the role of provinces. This is no straightforward matter. The provincial councils obviously do hugely important work in the organising of schools competitions and in coaching officers. But the long term evolution of the structural organisation of the GAA in terms of flows of money are clearly moving more and more towards direct relationships between Croke Park and individual counties. 

Ard Stiúrthóir of the GAA Tom Ryan. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

The launch of the GAA’s annual report and financial statement in the Museum at Croke Park on Thursday was an understated event. Tom Ryan’s opening address was wide-ranging, but cohered into one clear organising principle: the GAA believes in evolution not revolution.

It was spelled out in plain language in the section of Tom Ryan’s report where he considered the prospect of a new format for the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. Noting that the last two football championships had been thrilling, he nonetheless said there were still obvious shortcomings (“imbalanced matches, counties without realistic incentive or prospect of success, and so on”). The solution to this situation was not going to be any form of “emergency intervention”. Instead, it would involve “delivering change via incremental progression”.