Pay-for-play: the GAA’s death knell

THE impact of any form of professionalism on the GAA would have a “catastrophic” effect on the promotion of their games, the GAA’s Director-General Liam Mulvihill insisted yesterday.

Wondering if advocates of the policy “really understood” what they were seeking, he said it would totally alter the structures on which games were based and weaken them so seriously as to damage the Association and the games irreparably.

Another effect would be to prevent most counties from fielding teams in both codes - because they would have neither the resources nor the will to do so.

The most senior official in the association, Mr Mulvihill airs his views on the subject in his annual report with the same conviction with which he argued the issue of opening up Croke Park to rugby and soccer last year.

At yesterday’s briefing in Croke Park, he refused to be drawn on the implications of a possible strike threat emanating from the emergency meeting of the Gaelic Players’ Association called for April 1.

“That is hypothetical and I am not going to get involved,’’ he said.

“We are not slow to take decisions when the need arises. We are not anticipating what anybody is going to do. We will work ahead and see what happens.’’

In relation to the thorny issue of Government grant aid, he said President-elect Nicky Brennan had given a commitment to meet with the GPA to “thrash out a number of concerns that had been expressed”.

Pointing out that a high proportion of GAA counties were operating at a “an unenviable level”, he states that they would not be existing at all but for the support of Central Council.

And with a reduction in the finance generated by the qualifier competitions, counties had been warned to expect reduced grants this year.

While conceding that a minority of their units did not take the issue of player welfare seriously, Mr Mulvihill states that major improvements have taken place over the last decade.

Minimum standards were set and expenses increased dramatically.

Returning to the theme of pay-for-play, Mr Mulvihill warned that the creation of “an elite” would result from the introduction of professionalism. And, it would deprive Gaelic games of the “unique flavour that makes them so special”.

“The whole ethos of our games is a pride in place, a familiarity with those who represent us, a sense of belonging and being part of the adventure. There is no place for elitism in that sense.

“Pay-for-play would inevitably lead to an open market in which players become products to be used at the whim of merchants. I don’t believe that would be attractive to our supporters. I don’t believe it would be attractive to the players.

“There are irrefutable arguments for caring for our players as best we can. But I cannot find any argument in favour of pay-for-play.’’

Mr Mulvihill spoke of a recent ERSI report which made reference to the volunteerism at the heart of the GAA.

The message was that a lot of that would be lost if the games were to go professional.

“Other organisations have the name of having a lot of people, but in effect they are drones. They are not people who are actively involved. We have a tremendous network of active people and we cannot afford to lose that commitment.”

References to having a professional staff to administer the association were “spurious” in the context of the argument for professionalism, he said.

They have had a core of professional people working for them for almost 100 years and this element had been accepted as a necessary part of the mix to keep them to the forefront as a national amateur organisation.

“Those who are paid for administering the organisation are relatively few in number by comparison with players and membership, and many of them give outstanding voluntary service which is way beyond what they are paid to do.”

He added: “Indeed it may come as a surprise to many that Central Council staff working in Croke Park on match days do so on a voluntary and unpaid basis.”