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.