Kerry stars must join insurance plan

PLAYERS who represent Kerry at inter-county level in the coming year will be required to join the GAA's Voluntary Insurance Scheme, board chairman Seán Walsh said at last night's convention at the Gleneagle Hotel.

Medical expenses had cost the board over 60,000, with three players having undergone major operations. "We cannot sustain that," he said.

Mr Walsh said the figure quoted related to what had been paid out in professional fees and was "not recoverable." The actual amount paid out to players who were injured was 162,000.

Secretary Eamonn O'Sullivan provided some interesting figures in relation to "team" cover under the Coyle Hamilton insurance scheme. While Kerry had paid 100,000 in fees, actual claims from clubs amounted to 170,000.

The chairman said that the executive succeeded in its aim in reducing training expenses for the senior football team from 124,664 to 99,604 in 2003 and would continue to prune costs where possible. However, he said that travel expenses will rise by a third next year once the higher rate of mileage is paid.

Fundraising activities were down approximately 140,000 on the previous year, with delegates being informed that the failure to qualify for the All-Ireland final cost them about 100,000. This money could be raised through the organisation of golf classics, corporate functions and church-gate collections.

Receipts from the AIB county senior football championship, at 175,000, showed an increase of 25,000 on the 2002 figure.

Almost half the total was produced by the draw (42,905) and the replay (36,955) in the final between Gaeltacht and Laune Rangers.

Board vice-chairman Jerome Conway made a strong plea to the hurling clubs to devote more attention to coaching. He complimented Austin Stacks on the work they are doing, adding that if other clubs did not take up the cudgel, they might have to revert to having one team in Tralee.

Cumann na mBunscol chairman Maurice O'Mahony made a heartfelt plea for more support for the promotion of the games at primary school level. The number of people involved at administrative level was dwindling and a further fall-off could result in the committee failing to exist, he said. Mr Walsh promised that the executive would help in whatever way it could, saying that it was committed to a grant of 70,000 to the schools' body.

The chairman drew the attention of delegates to warnings from Kerry colleges' secretary George Dennis of the danger of young players suffering burn-out from over-activity. This stemmed from the combined fixture programme of Munster Council, county board and second level schools at provincial and national level during March, April and early May.

"It is leading to a situation that could be considered to be the abuse of players in the U18 age group," wrote Mr Dennis.