Balancing act big issue for GAA

Jim O’Sullivan

He was speaking in Croke Park yesterday after the launch by Association President Sean Kelly of a new club manual and the announcement of the first club forum in Killarney later this year.

Mr Kelly said that the Association had reached the "optimum level" of inter-county activity with Mr Mulvihill agreeing there were "problems" in some counties with regard to the neglect of club programmes during the summer months.

"There are solutions but they are not being implemented and we suspected that would happen. Every county now is guaranteed to be involved in the championship well into June and that's changed circumstances for half our counties which in the past were out of the championship in the month of May," he pointed out.

"These counties need to come to terms with the issue and learn from those which can run successful club programmes. If we don't do that, it's going to be very serious for the games at club level."

In his view, the "real issue" was the insistence by county team managers that all (club) games were postponed while they were still involved in the All-Ireland championships. He expressed further concern about such scenarios also developing at minor level in a number of counties.

The President agreed that County Boards had to take responsibility for their clubs not getting games, pointing out that counties used to success at inter-county level were able to run their championships "concurrently."

He said that this issue would be addressed at the forum, to be held in the Gleneagle Hotel in November but in the meantime, it's being examined by a committee at national level.

"Someone has to take hold of it and ensure there is a programme for players during the summer," Mr Kelly said. "It can be done, with planning. Inter-county players should be "reasonably free" to play with their clubs. At the same time, clubs must understand that they can't have their county players all the time either. You're talking of 2% maximum playing inter-county hurling and football. In terms of games, the other 98% are equally important.''

Tipperary vice-chairman John Costigan commented that a lot of fixtures planning "could go up in smoke" with draws in the provincial series and he wondered if extra-time could be introduced.

After the Munster SHC draw with Limerick, they had to defer their fixtures until June 12 and since then they have had to "suspend operations" until August.

Kerry vice-chairman Jerome Conway remarked that if there was a draw in the Munster SFC final on Sunday they would have to "tear up" their fixtures schedule.

Mr Kelly welcomed the launch of the club manual, produced under the chairmanship of ex-Limerick chairman Pat Fitzgerald, saying it demonstrated their commitment to clubs.

This and other features such as the organising of the first All-Ireland club competitions at junior and intermediate level proved that people in the "higher echelons" of the Association were genuinely serious about the club being "the bedrock."

Mr Fitzgerald referred to the manual as a "A to Z" of everything which voluntary officials would need to do to know about club activities the "bible of the Association" in organisational terms.

He added that the need for more volunteers was all the greater given the greater scope of the GAA.

"The burn-out factor is bigger and we need to properly structure our organisation at club level, and indeed all the way up, to take account of those changes.

Certainly the day of the one-man club is gone, as is the person giving all their time. The day of delegation and involving more people in decision-making has to be here now.''

Recalling that the Munster Council had organised an "open day" in Croke Park for clubs during his time as chairman, Sean Kelly said that the planned club forum was "an expansion" of that idea.

"I see it as an 'information giving' opportunity for the Association, where we will tell them what is happening at club level. Equally importantly, it will be an 'information gathering' opportunity for us where we will be able to hear the concerns of clubs and do something about them.''

Social Awards Chairman Jim Forbes said they were hoping that over 2,000 clubs would be represented ideally by an administrator and a player.