Farrell hopeful GPA will get formal GAA recognition

GPA chief executive Dessie Farrell is hopeful his organisation can soon achieve formal recognition from the GAA.

In what was a relatively low-key president’s address at Congress last weekend, Sean Kelly said the GAA was now in a position to sit down with the GPA “and either decide to ignore them, tolerate them or recognise them.”

Farrell yesterday expressed confidence that an agreement can be reached.

“I would be hopeful that a meeting can be arranged in the near future,” he said yesterday.

“We sat down with Sean McCague while he was president but, although I’ve talked to Sean personally a good bit over the last two years, he has yet to sit down with us on a formal basis.

“That’s obviously what we require. Hopefully, with Congress out of the way, we could be granted that now.”

The key issue in any talks will be with regards to commercial issues. Both have launched telecom deals in recent years while the GPA has enjoyed huge success with its Club Energise deal.

Such commercial activity has led to suspicion in Croke Park where some officials see it as an encroachment into their territory. “I am not 100% sure that we know, or that they know themselves, what their focus is,” said Kelly last week.

Farrell, who praised Kelly for his role in the Rule 42 saga, said dialogue would iron out most of the differences between the pair. “The fact that Sean mentioned the GPA in his Congress speech is very encouraging for us and I’m equally encouraged by the fact that he admitted players didn’t want anyone else to represent them apart from the GPA.

“I’m aware that Sean made references to demarcation lines being drawn up but we have always reiterated that the cooperative model is the way forward. We’re willing to discuss that and any others matter either party wants to address.”

Kelly also highlighted the giant strides in player welfare throughout the country last weekend, as well as the ever increasing benefits players are receiving for their roles in sponsorship and other commercial activity.

Said Farrell: “There has been a complete sea change in what players can expect from sponsors and other commercial opportunities in the last few years, but there is still a lot to be done on that.

“The GAA tried to engage with the players through Murray Consultants and that didn’t really work so well for them. There’s a lot more can be done in this area and I don’t know how much the GAA has engaged constructively in this over the last two years.”