Duffy: We must tackle payment for managers
The Monaghan man makes the stark prediction in his thoroughlycomprehensive discussion paper on the thorny subject, which was finally published by the GAA yesterday. As a means of controlling the slide, Duffy outlines two of three options in the paper, the latter the establishment of a system of paying managers.
As Duffy acknowledges in thepaper, that suggestion will “create the greatest apprehension among many members of the Association and that will surely be met with outright hostility and resistance by some”.
However, the most workable model of options under the option of paying managers appears to be the possibility of them invoicing county boards for the provision of services.
Similar to professionals like doctors and physiotherapists, no formalcontract would exist between county boards and managers but they would be remunerated for work done on agreed rates.
Duffy highlights the advantages of such a mechanism would make the whole area transparent with managers obliged to organise their own tax obligations arising from theagreement, while it would also be easy to administer.
However, like he does with the other options and models he outlines, Duffy also brings attention to apossible drawback in Revenueauthorities viewing such a relationship as an employer-employee one.
Option 2 pertains to the GAAexercising all its power to enforce its amateur status. A vigilant registration and audit board would be formed to oversee the payments of fees and expenses to inter-county teams and managers.
Duffy appreciates the success of such a committee would be largelydependent on “the integrity and vigilance of all our officials” and would not apply to the club scene until a policy acceptable to the GAA membership was formulated atinter-county level.
While listing the pros and cons of options 2 and 3, it’s Duffy personal belief that option 1 — retaining the status quo and tolerating breaches of the GAA’s amateur rules — shouldn’t be considered.
“Even if the Association somehow found the continued rule-breaking and the unconvincing claims toamateurism acceptable, it should not delude itself that this will be the extent of the damage: it is virtually certain that, if we continue to do nothing, the GAA will fall victim to a creeping professionalism that will eventually thoroughly undermine and erode its amateur status. A stance of passivity and inaction, in other words, will function as an implicit invitation to the further professionalisation of our games. This is exactly what has happened up to now — why should it change in the future?”
While Duffy makes it clear in the report he is not siding with either option 2 or 3, in his conclusion he intimates the GAA now have an opportunity to renew its allegiance to its amateur status, which mightsuggest he favours option 2.
“We have it in our hands to solve this problem if we wish to do so. This is the challenge to all of us: to do something rather than do nothing, and to make an honest attempt to be true to the ideals of the Gaelic Athletic Association.”
If that is the case, it’s entirelyhonourable of Duffy to put forward a case for the payment of managers in such a plausible and dignified manner.
Interestingly, no suggestion was made about restricting managers to taking charge of their own counties, as had been mooted last year.
However, Duffy has left it open to county boards to come up with their own proposals to add to those he has compiled.
Kerry’s legendary manager Mick O’Dwyer, who has also taken charge of Kildare, Laois and Wicklow, supports the idea of managers being remunerated for their services.
“I’m not involved in management at the moment and no matter what I’d be saying it will be taken under the wrong way,” remarked O’Dwyer yesterday.
“It’s a sensitive issue. The GAA pays officials and managers could come under that agreement as well.”
A private meeting of all county chairmen, secretaries and Central Council representatives will be held next Saturday. A working group will then be established to evaluate the options available to the GAA to address the matter before recommending one to the Association’s management committee and Central Council.
Duffy hopes the majority of the process will be accomplished within six months, although it had been previously reported it could be concluded by the end of Christy Cooney’s term as GAA president in April.
County chairmen and secretaries will travel to Croke Park for the second time in seven days after attending a best practice and performance methods meeting there last Saturday.
At the meeting, a number of them expressed disquiet among themselves at the level of income received by Croke Park officials. The GAA have stated they will be free to air their views at the forum in three days’ time.
IN HIS discussion paper, GAA Director General, Páraic Duffy, spells out four models by which the Association could regularise payments to team managers. They are:
1. A welfare scheme similar to the one in place for players, though Duffy raises doubts about its adequacy.
2. Increasing the mileage rates for managers, although Duffy also highlights drawbacks in such an initiative.
3. Managers invoicing county boards for services rendered via invoices akin to other figures, such as physios and nutritionists.
4. County boards becoming employers of managers, which raises issues of terms and contracts.
What is the discussion paper?
First drafted by GAA director general Páraic Duffy in 2010, the document was finally released yesterday by the GAA ahead of it being debated at a private meeting of county boards in Croke Park on Saturday. In it, Duffy outlines three options to deal with unregulated if unproven payments to team managers at county and club level.
Why has it been created?
According to Duffy, the GAA is creeping its way to a form of professionalism if it continues to do nothing about payments of managers at club and county level. The director general believes the issue has to be debated after which affirmative action must be taken.
What are the options laid out in the paper?
There are three options: to retain the status quo, 1) accept rules are being broken but tolerate it; 2) to implement fully the GAA’s existing policy, rules and guidelines pertaining to its amateur status; and 3) to establish a system of regulated payments to senior inter-county managers.
Why did it take so long to come to light?
While it’s a sensitive issue that goes to the very core of the Association, it’s remarkable that it has taken until now to be released. Since it was first released to management committee in late 2010,it has been redrafted on a number of occasions, while there were Croke Park officials who were uneasy about the idea option 3 being considered. Still, it shouldn’t have taken this long.
What are Duffy and GAA president Christy Cooney’s personal views?
Duffy makes no bones that something has to be done on the matter, which rules out option 1, although he states he does not advocate one of the other options over the other. Cooney has openly expressed his opposition to outside managers, which would suggest he is more amenable to option 2.
What happens next?
The county chairpersons, secretaries and Central Council members will meet in Croke Park next Saturday at which a task force will be established to conduct a consultation process before delivering a recommendation from either one of Duffy’s proposals or county boards. That proposal will then be put to the GAA’s management committee and Central Council to vote on.
What is likely to happen?
Debate — and plenty of it. The idea of paying managers will be met with derision in the traditionally successful counties, who have generally recruited natives as managers, as well as in the majority of Ulster. But will they have enough support for something along the lines of option two at Central Council? One thing’s for certain — whatever is recommended won’t be unanimous.
Words: John Fogarty
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