If it’s not broken, don’t fix it, is Longford view

Longford will be the only county in Ireland who want nothing done on the issue of payments to inter-county managers.

County board delegates spoke strongly in favour of option one in GAA director general Páraic Duffy’s payments to managers discussion paper, which is to accept the status quo.

They strongly oppose the idea outlined in option two, which could see an audit and registration committee given access to managers’ PPS and National Insurance numbers. A Longford official said the message being conveyed from the county is they have nothing to hide from the Revenue and neither should other counties.

However, the vast majority of counties are supporting option two (see graphic) and the GAA using all of its power to enforce its amateur rule.

Dublin, meanwhile, have become the fourth county to back the idea of managers being compensated by increased expenses, a model included under option three. They join Clare, Tipperary and Westmeath who have all expressed their interest in managers being rewarded as much as possible within the amateur parameters of the Association.

“We want the amateur ethos upheld but to look at ways where it would be possible to increase expenses to the maximum possible,” said Dublin chairman Andy Kettle.

He feels paying inter-county senior managers would set a worrying precedent and give grounds for underage county bosses to be remunerated.

“Managers give an awful lot to county teams but it’s natural progression that if the senior manager is getting something, the U21 manager will want 75% of that and the minor maybe 50%.

“If you interfere with the amateur status you’ve a huge problem. The likes of county chairs like myself put in as much time as county managers. Maybe not as much expertise but certainly time and we don’t look for and expect payments. We do it for the love of the game.”

Cavan have wholeheartedly endorsed option two. “We will be strenuously stressing to Croke Park the need for a stringent policing plan to be put in place alongside these directives, and that counties must be continuously monitored,” said PRO Declan Woods.