Clubs question board in hunt for secretary

THE Cork County Board has contravened GAA rules by appointing a sub-committee to deal with replacing current county board secretary Frank Murphy, according to clubs within the county.

Last Tuesday, Cork County Board chairman Jerry O’Sullivan told delegates at a board meeting: “There is a sub-committee working away on the issue (of the new secretary) and they’ll continue to work on that. We’ll be letting you know in due course.”

However, the Cork GAA Club Forum pointed out that under the general rules of the Association, a sub-committee must be “established by the county board as a whole”.

“We were told that a sub-committee was looking at this,” said one county board delegate.

“Who set up the sub-committee? Who is on it? What powers do they have?

“The GAA rules require that sub-committees be established by the county board as a whole but delegates were never consulted about this. The GAA rules require the executive report to the county board delegates about what they have been up to between meetings, but it took a question from the floor for us to be even aware that there was a sub-committee in place.

“The delegates made it clear two weeks ago in relation to the appointment of the committee to choose the next minor hurling manager that they wanted a real say in decisions and were not just willing to rubber-stamp the executive’s decisions. But we weren’t even consulted about the most important sub-committee of all.”

Another delegate said: “The current secretary has been in the job over 30 years and it was announced two years ago that he was leaving in September this year. What have they been doing? It’s the most important position in Cork GAA.

“We have a strategic plan with important changes to be implemented to make sure that we get competitive again at all levels and to drive the county forward. But instead of putting in place a proper system to appoint someone who the clubs have faith in to see that through to completion, we are being told they’ll tell us when they are ready. It’s a joke at this stage.”

Concerned delegates referred to Rule 3.23 (ii) of the Official Guide, which requires the chairman of every sub-committee to present a progress report on the work of the sub-committee at county board meetings. They added that the executive’s recent reports to the county board made no mention of the establishment of a sub-committee on the issue.

Delegates have also queried the basis on which the executive established the sub-committee without referring back to the county board, pointing to the official guide rule that the executive is responsible for running the affairs of the county only “between meetings of the county committee”.

A club forum spokesman added: “We wrote to the county board on Tuesday asking for an update on this matter, because we had been approached by a number of clubs in the county looking for clarity. We asked for confirmation of the date on which the current runaí (secretary) will retire, the process for the appointment of his successor and the timing for that.

“We think it is very important to de-personalise the issue. What is at issue here is the filling of a vital role for the future of Cork GAA. It’s about the right of the clubs who make the appointment and ultimately pay the salary out of monies raised from members to have a proper input into it. It is not, and should never be confused with, a commentary on the many years of service Mr Murphy has given to Cork GAA.

“However, the appointment of a county administrator is expressly reserved to the county board and not to the executive. Why then did the executive proceed without consulting with the county board? Why are the members of the sub-committee and its terms of reference known only to the executive?”

Meanwhile, admission prices for the All-Ireland SHC Qualifier between Cork and Offaly tomorrow at 2.30pm in Páirc Uí Chaoimh are as follows: stand €15, terrace €10 and U16s free.