Dessie Farrell: Here's why players deserve a rise in funding

Information relating to the GPA’s negotiations with Government on a new funding scheme for players was

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published in this paper a fortnight ago, prompting subsequent commentary high on populist outrage but, strikingly, short on historical fact and respectful deliberation.

The principle behind Government funding for inter-county players hasn’t changed since it was first agreed in 2007. The State provides financial support for amateur athletes in a variety of codes and tax exemptions for retired Irish professional sports people. What the players successfully lobbied for was, quite simply, parity of esteem for hurlers and footballers, a status commensurate with those recognised in other circles.

The State, in certain circumstances, provides tax exemptions for artists, composers, writers... even for historical publications; in essence for people who enhance our lives and contribute to our society in an extraordinary way.