No problems with GPA, says new player welfare boss Duffy

THE GAA’s newly-appointed player welfare manager, Pauric Duffy, is confident of establishing a good working relationship with the Gaelic Players Association.

In making this appointment, the GAA was showing that they take the issue of player welfare very seriously, he said in Dublin yesterday.

In turn, he hoped that the GPA would be pleased to see that there was someone now in Croke Park working for the players.

“It’s a huge area and a huge challenge for the association. I am pleased that they have confidence in me to try and do the job,” he said.

“I would hope that some of the work I will do will benefit all players, on issues such as how we deal with injuries and the whole medical side of things. Obviously the focus will be on our relationship with our players.

“I have no problem in dealing with the GPA. I know Dessie Farrell very well and I know that a primary goal from their foundation was the whole issue of player welfare. I hope that we will build up a player welfare service that is second to none.

“That is my goal — and that is for all inter-county players. Whether players are members of the GPA or not is irrelevant to me. I’ll be happy to talk to Dessie Farrell at any time, but my goal will be to serve all my players as well as I can and I intend to put structures in place to ensure that we do that.”

Mr Duffy said he could not comment on the grant issue, which is a central plank of current GPA negotiations, both with the Government and with the GAA, pointing out that he was not privy to those negotiations.

Mr Duffy is one of the most respected officials in the GAA. He is a former Monaghan chairman and a former chairman of the Games Administration Committee (GAC).

He will take up his job in January on a four-year contract, which means he will be leaving his job as principal at St MacCartan’s College in Monaghan. He is a former student of the college, taught there for all his teaching life and has been principal for 10 years.

“I would not have left it, except to go to the GAA,” he said. “In the end, it was not a hard choice. The GAA is my life, apart from my family.”

* The GAA also announced the following appointments: Joan O’Neill from Galway as financial accountant, former Westmeath player Declan Fanning as IT executive and Corkman Kieran Leddy, as organisational and development manager.

* Elvery Sports have been appointed official Croke Park “retail partner” and are to open a 15,000 square foot superstore in the stadium in two weeks’ time. They will also launch an official online GAA shop. Elvery Sports currently sponsor the Mayo team.