How professionalism would reduce GAA grassroots to just another accounting phrase

Australia is a sports mad nation. With a population of 24 million, it is home to an extraordinary 90 professional men’s and women’s teams.

To sustain themselves in a highly competitive domestic market, Australian sports have become the most sophisticated in the world in terms of commercialisation and marketing.

The best known Australian sports body in Ireland is probably the AFL. The AFL’s commercial dominance over its rugby union, league and cricket rivals in Australia can be seen by the fact that its current TV deal, running from 2017 to 2022, is worth Aus$2.5billion (€1.6bn). Given Aussie Rules limited international appeal, this is a remarkable figure.