Costello turns guns on RTÉ

RTÉ conveniently believe that Gaelic games in this country are played over a four-month season, according to Dublin GAA secretary John Costello.

=In his report to the next week’s annual County convention, Costello dug the heels in on the national broadcasters and claimed the country’s indigenous games have dropped down Montrose’s pecking order behind rugby and soccer.

And while acknowledging that Croke Park has decided to cut live championships games in 2011 by 20 per cent, he is adamant GAA supporters are being short-changed by the national broadcaster.

“By 2013, RTÉ will screen more live games of League of Ireland soccer than Gaelic games championship action (hurling and football combined),” noted Costello.

“RTÉ screened 18 live domestic soccer games this year, a figure that is set to increase to 33 by 2013. Likewise, rugby will eclipse Gaelic games in terms of live coverage with our national broadcaster contracted to show Six Nations, autumn Test friendlies, as well as both the All-Ireland League and Magners League.

“I am aware of recent comments by the Árd Stiúrthóir (Páraic Duffy) that the GAA were ‘overdoing the live coverage’,” Costello continued.

“However, it is my contention GAA supporters are not getting a fair deal from the national broadcaster.

“The attitude towards Gaelic games in Montrose seems to be that our national games are only played during the months of June, July, August and September.

“For starters, RTÉ should have a preview style programme throughout the season, which framed that weekend’s action. But, unfortunately, Gaelic games seem to be slipping down the decision-makers’ list of priorities when it comes to scheduling.”

Costello has also come out with all guns blazing in response to Eamon Fennell’s controversial club transfer case earlier this year. A case that has rumbled on for a number or years.

After bringing his plea to the Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA), the inter-county midfielder was refused permission to switch from O’Tooles to rival club Parnells.

While not referring to Fennell by name in his report, instead acknowledging that they had to defend three adult transfer requests with the DRA, Costello makes a stout defence of the board’s actions in the case.

“The outcome of the DRA cases was that it confirmed Dublin’s transfer bye law was in order. Following this, the county committee reconfirmed its earlier decision to refuse the transfers.” He also calls into question the behaviour of the three clubs in question including St Vincent’s, home of Dublin football manager Pat Gilroy.

“There were a number of negative aspects of the DRA process. The process required a significant investment of resources by the county board, both in terms of personnel and legal representation and often ran into the early hours of the morning,” he stated. “The majority of the time in one of the hearings was devoted to considering issues that did not, in my opinion, fall within the remit of the DRA and which they should have ruled out of order.

“This was both unreasonable and represented an unfair demand on the limited resources of the county board.

“Perhaps more disturbing, however, was the role played by representatives of the clubs to whom the players in question had sought to transfer.

“Transfer decisions will always have the capacity to cause dissent within the county, but if clubs will not accept the democratic decision taken by the county committee, then the very authority of the county committee will be undermined.

Costello also took a broadside at “experienced members of Dublin clubs” whom he believed were acting “out of self-interest” and looked “to challenge decisions made by the representatives of a majority of Dublin clubs, without having cause to do so.”