Analyst says Sky deal would not herald GAA pro era

One of the country’s leading sports business analysts does not believe that any prospective link-up between the GAA and Sky Sports would usher in professionalism.

An announcement is expected next week whereby Sky would take over championship coverage from TV3. Former Dublin footballer Mick O’Keeffe, managing director of Pembroke Communications, believes concern regarding the possibility of championship games being shown on a pay-per-view basis may prove unfounded, and professionalism is unlikely to become an issue.

“GAA people have a sense of ownership of the association and it can take a while for change to be accepted.