Marsden welcomes ratification of player deal

FORMER Armagh attacker, Diarmaid Marsden, has welcomed Central Council’s ratification of the GPA’s formal recognition as a representative body of hurling and football players.

Council delegates voted in favour of the deal on Saturday by a margin of 39-5. The agreement between the GPA and GAA must still receive the approval of Congress in April but there is a strong will for the players’ organisation to be brought in from the cold.

Marsden is now a full-time regional development officer with the Ulster Council and having only retired from the inter-county scene two years ago, is fully aware of the demands on a player operating at that level, and the GPA’s role in ensuring that its members are well provided for.

“I’d always be a players’ man,” said Marsden. “It’s something we were lucky for in Armagh, we didn’t want for anything because we were well looked after but that wasn’t the case in a lot of places.

“The player union, to me, was the right thing to be formed in the first place. A lot of people would disagree with me on that and that’s fair enough. It’s better that everyone’s united – well, I say united; they’re all together, under the one umbrella now so that can only be a positive thing.”

Much of the suspicion surrounding the GPA has been based on a fear that it was pushing towards professionalism. The current deal has secured a definite commitment to retaining the GAA’s amateur ethos from the players’ group, but pay-for-play was never on the agenda according to Marsden.

“It could never be sustained. You can see that in other sports. But what people do need to realise is the efforts put in by county players these days. It’s unbelievable. A lot of people say ‘players should do this, and do that’ but they really have to live the life of a county footballer to understand that. Pay-for-play was never an option and it never will be an option. But certainly the players will do everything they can for their county and for themselves and if they can get any assistance in doing that, more power to them.”

This includes providing training courses or job opportunities for the increasing number of players finding themselves out of work during the recession.

“When I was growing up, football was about having two boots, it didn’t matter what job I was doing,” Marsden recalled. “I picked a job in the civil service with plenty of flexi-hours and plenty of holidays. And the reason I took the job was basically to play county football because that’s what you wanted to do. Players make a lot of sacrifices and if the GPA can help sort players with jobs and help them to play their county careers for 10 or 15 years, that can only be good in this climate.”

Meath target man, Joe Sheridan, believes that a cessation of hostilities will enable both sides to concentrate on what is important and believes that more progress can be made in the area of player welfare as a result of this agreement.

“There’s been a lot of aggro so it’s great (that it’s sorted out),” said the Seneschalstown clubman. “(The GPA) are a body for the players and they do a lot of work for us. Everyone’s involved in it and it’s great that they can come together with the GAA. Hopefully it’s a good sign of things to come. There’s no point having players and Croke Park against each other. We’re all the one organisation.”

Cork marksman Donncha O’Connor concurs.

“It has to be good. It’s always easier to win a battle if you’re working together, rather than fighting here and fighting there. It’s obviously going to be for the best if they work together.”