Compo for trips abroad urged

CONNACHT’S participation in the Railway Cup competitions cannot be guaranteed unless there is financial compensation for any trips abroad.

Council secretary John Prenty makes this clear in his report to the annual convention in Castlebar, pointing out that it cost €60,000 to fund the hurlers' trip to Rome for the final against Leinster last October and suggesting that it was money that was badly spent.

He also takes issue with "ill-informed" criticism of the team selection, on the basis that it did not include any players from the weaker counties.

He points out that the better players from these counties had been unavailable for the semi-final because they were selected on the Irish senior and U21 shinty teams which travelled to Scotland that weekend. And he says he wouldn't agree with a situation whereby such players were given "token" representation on a Connacht panel.

He points out that the province has been successful in its own efforts to promote hurling in the weaker counties. The establishment of the Knock Airport.com league has proved to be a resounding success, he says, doing much to improve the status of the players from Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo especially.

A "Rest of Connacht" selection has qualified to play a British selection in the final in Birmingham and 'to those who have been at the coal face of the promotion of hurling in the weaker counties, this success has been a huge boost."

He says the 2003 inter-provincial campaigns placed a huge financial burden on the council, with the trip to Rome not being budgeted for.

"One has got to ask the question, has this money been money well spent. Because of our meagre financial resources in the province, this money has had to be diverted from games development in the five counties and long term will prove to have been money badly spent

"If as appears likely that finals in hurling and football are to be played abroad on a rota basis, then it is reasonable to expect that those who want the competition to continue will provide the finance through sponsorship or otherwise to cover the full costs of those who have to travel.

"Otherwise, this province will not be able to afford to compete in the competition.

Again dealing with finance, the Connacht secretary is critical of the way the Sports Council disburses funds to sporting organisations.

Such funding is usually based on the premise that there will be increased participation. But this has not been to the GAA's advantage, he points out.

"As an established organisation, we have reached maximum participation in many parishes and many of our projects are designed to maintain our support and participation at the high level, which it is presently at.

"We have also, in Connacht especially, been denied funding for our full-time employees, but as I have already pointed out in the past, other sports organisations have received funding to employ development officers, while the GAA has been penalised for having them already in place.

Looking ahead to the coming championship season in football, Mr Prenty expresses the hope that the game will be more attractive for people to watch "without massed defences and excessive hand-passing, and refereed according to the rules."

"If 2004 gives us more of the same as 2003 I fear our patrons will quickly lose interest, stop coming to our games while the TV audience may reach for the remote control. Let 2004 be a year of fast, open, attractive games.'' On the Croke Park issue, he says the association must ensure that it is not coerced into making a decision to open it up to other sports.