Congress set for largest number of motions since 1995

DELEGATES at next month’s annual GAA Congress in Down face a mammoth session with 123 motions down for consideration.

The biggest number of motions submitted since 1995 (when there were 111), they chiefly relate to the experiments carried out during the National Leagues along with the subsidiary provincial competitions earlier in the year.

One of the motions, supported by several counties, relates to the mark, about which Director-General Páraic Duffy spoke enthusiastically at yesterday’s release of his report. A call for the introduction of match bans (in place of time-based suspensions) will be made by the Grattan Óg club from Longford. They propose, for instance, that a two-week suspension should be replaced by a two-match ban, with a 24-week suspension incurring a 10-game ban.

Central Council favour the abandonment of the All-Ireland championship grades in junior football and intermediate hurling, as well as the discontinuance of All-Ireland quarter-finals in minor football.

There is also a proposal from the Central Council dealing with the structure of the All-Ireland senior hurling championship. This follows the controversy last year when the DRA ruled that in accordance with a Westmeath motion passed in 2008, promotion and relegation should be permitted – resulting in the format having to be altered.

Not surprisingly in view of the controversy created by the awarding of the late penalty in last year’s All-Ireland hurling final, a motion calling for the use of ‘video referees’ has been submitted by a club from Tipperary (Fr Sheehy’s). Another Tipp club, Toomevara want two points to be awarded for scores from sideline balls in hurling while Glen Rovers from Cork want a change in the rule governing the use of yellow and red cards, proposing that they should not apply in hurling.

Another motion calls for a hooter system to signal the end of games, while a call will be made for the compulsory use of gum-shields.

Meanwhile, with Association policy on the use of Croke Park for rugby and soccer due to revert to its original format following the re-opening of the new Aviva stadium, long-time campaigner Noel Walsh will make another bid to give Central Council discretion to decide on the use of the stadium for other sports. A motion from his club, St. Joseph’s, Miltownmalbay, was submitted to last year’s Congress but, it was agreed to defer it for a year.

Several other counties have proposed similar motions this time, including one from the Kilcummin club in Kerry, the home club of former President Sean Kelly, the man who spearheaded the drive to open up Croke Park for ‘foreign’ games.