GPA slams Congress vote to cull panels

THE GPA last night criticised GAA authorities for voting to reduce inter county squads.

Delegates at the GAA Annual Congress were almost unanimously in favour of cutting county panels from 30 to 24. However the GPA said the move was “logistically, morally and culturally wrong”.

“Just weeks after the introduction of significant price hikes for tickets was specifically attributed to the increasing cost of squad preparation, the GAA has chosen to penalise players,” GPA chief executive Dessie Farrell said. “In an era of unprecedented commercial opportunity and revenue within Gaelic games, this cost-cutting policy can only be construed as ill-conceived and discriminatory against fringe players.

“These squad members contribute as much to the team unit and its success as any individual. It is inconceivable that any body purporting to represent the democratic wishes of the GAA membership should condone a motion that will rob players of their just entitlement.

“Injuries and suspensions place a constant strain on a squad’s resources. This motion can only exacerbate the challenges faced by managers.”

He added: “It would be naive of the GAA to assume that this would achieve anything other than a widening of the gulf between players and administrators.”

His sentiments were shared by Tyrone manager Mickey Harte, who claims the organisation has taken a step backwards with the move.

“It is poor form,” Harte said. “And I don’t think there is much sense in it, trying to bring a county panel down to 24 players. It is putting unnecessary pressure on people. With the way the game has gone, most teams will need to be working off a panel of 30 or more to survive.”

Harte is angered by this retrograde step, but concerned about the effect culling panels will have on players.

“I can see how this might be used to create, effectively, a two-tier system, with those who are inside the panel of 24 and those who are outside. If you had 30 players in your panel, you would have cover for every position.

He added: “We only had 23 players available to us for the Galway game, and we saw how that affected us.”