Backing for amateur status

THE preservation of the GAA’s amateur status was the abiding message from speakers at Saturday’s discussion forum of county chairmen, secretaries and Central Council delegates.

Little if anything was said in favour of paying managers at the Croke Park summit as county boards now have until February 24 to submit written submissions on the contents of GAA director general Páraic Duffy’s discussion paper.

Speakers aired concerns such as not being able to afford paying managers even if they so wished, the possibility of professionalism taking over in the GAA, and the more prevalent occurrence of unregulated payments to managers at club level.