Cooney: GAA-GPA agreement ready in February

GAA president Christy Cooney says there is no serious reason for the delay in the official GAA-GPA agreement. The new five-year deal was supposed to have been signed off before October 31 but now won’t be unveiled until early next year.

“We’re just finalising the document now and I expect that’ll be before our management committee in January. It’ll be put before Central Council next month and then out to the counties, so I expect by February that it will be approved and moved on a five-year situation and that’s the intention. There’s nothing sinister in any delay.”

There has also been a delay in the publication of GAA Director General Páraic Duffy’s discussion paper on payments to managers, which is believed to have been circulated to members of the Association’s management committee over the weekend.

“I expect it will be discussed in great detail by management and they will decide what are the next steps to take,” said Cooney. “We want to give the matter due consideration and take our time on any outcomes.

“Of course, we will go to Central Council with it but we need to tease it out fully and go forward with something which we believe is right for the Association.

“If we do come up with a formula to manage the whole manager situation per se we want to make sure it’s right and that not alone is it something practical but that it is going to be delivered upon by everybody.”

Cooney has also given a tentative nod to the possibility of Croke Park’s underground heated pitch hosting Leinster club finals in the future. Three senior club showdowns — one in Munster and two in Leinster — won’t be played until the new year because of the recent cold weather.

“It’s something you’d always be open to looking at if it was the right thing to do and feasible, particularly around Leinster,” said Cooney, who ruled out the possibility of provincial grounds getting underground heating on the basis of “enormous” cost. “For Ulster and Munster I don’t think it’s a practical situation because you’re dragging patrons all over the country.”

Cooney has revealed though that Croke Park is likely to be a venue for some of the Dublin footballers’ NFL games next year. Dublin are scheduled to stage a Saturday evening double-header at Headquarters on February 19th with the footballers facing Cork and hurlers playing Tipperary.

Kerry’s footballers travel to the capital a week later and Cooney said: “We would hope that would be finalised before Christmas, which games would be played here.

“We are keen to do that and hopefully it will come off. We are just discussing the arrangements, the cost and the practicalities around that with the Dublin county board at the moment.

“The thinking behind it is that they would be very attractive games. Croke Park is, from a spectators’ point of view, a lot more attractive than Parnell Park. And it may encourage more people to come to the game and support the home and away teams.”

nDONEGAL’S Tom Daly has joined the race to take over from Christy Cooney when his term as President of the Association ends.

Daly, a former Ulster Council member, was nominated by his club Aodh Ruadh at the Donegal County Convention and his candidacy was endorsed by Donegal GAA.

Daly is the third man to enter the race, joining former Leinster Council President Liam O’Neill of Laois and former Munster Council President Con Hogan of Tipperary.