GPA chief Farrell hits out at Heaney’s ‘extraordinary attack’

THE GAELIC Players Association has hit back at columnist Paddy Heaney’s remarks in yesterday’s Irish Examiner, describing it as an “extraordinary attack”.

In his piece Heaney said the GAA should not be responsible for finding players jobs and asked why the GPA was going “in this direction”. Last night GPA chief executive Dessie Farrell responded with a detailed rebuttal.

“Paddy is perfectly entitled to his opinion and to disagree with the GPA’s core activity,” said Farrell. “But he is not entitled to twist fact and rhetoric to tarnish the reputation of the players’ body. Following his now frequent lecture to the rest of us ill-informed Gaels on what the GAA is about, he fails to reference that the GAA has agreed to fund a Development Programme for county players.”

Farrell also responded to Heaney’s criticisms of the GPA regarding its website: “Strip away the rhetoric and the thinly veiled suggestion that the GPA’s governance is somehow not up to scratch, the premise for Heaney’s extraordinary attack appears to be that the GPA’s website does not provide ‘advice’ and that the annual gear entitlements for county players are one dimensional.

“Last year, between national and provincial inter-county games, the value generated was worth over €55m to the GAA. We believe the GAA’s investment in a detailed welfare service for its county players as an investment in the future of the Association itself.”

Farrell also pointed out detailed accounts are presented to Croke Park on a quarterly basis and the player body’s annual accounts are presented to the membership at its AGM, adding the GPA enforces strict procurement procedures for its service providers, has established a finance and remuneration committee, chaired independently, and its staff is performance managed “rigorously”.

Farrell also outlined the GPA’s player development activities: “He (Heaney) bemoans the fact the GPA used to be about ‘medical treatment’. Under our new ‘Health and Wellbeing Programme’ the GPA has introduced a new enhanced injury scheme for all county players that confers extra benefits on injured players, in particular an increased allowance for injured players who miss work.”

Farrell also cited a new process to monitor insurance payments, a national cardiac screening service for all county players, mouthguards which were provided to all footballers, and a counselling service with a team of psychologists positioned nationwide, a service with which over 30 players have already engaged.

“To this end we have also teamed up with Headstrong and Aware to engage in a formal mental health campaign in 2012. It’s our responsibility, as was agreed by the wider GAA body via Congress in 2010, to assist players with their lives off the field to enable them to be the best they can be on the field. Since April last year, over 500 players have received personal assistance with their careers.”

The GPA boss also referred to almost 1,000 scholarships paid out to student players over the past two years. “Tell the students, Paddy, that we shouldn’t provide them with this support as they try to juggle careers with Fitzgibbon, U21, club and county sides.”

Farrell also described the “continued attempt” to drive a wedge between the GPA and grassroots voluntary GAA activity as “most insulting”.