O'Donoghue: 'Resolution needs to be found'

Former Minister for Sport John O'Donoghue has urged the Government, the GAA and the GPA to find a resolution to the issue of Government grants for GAA inter-county players, following on from the GPA's recent confirmation of strike action by its members from January 1.

"I sincerely hope that the GPA and the GAA and the administer are able to agree on the criteria we outlined but it is not as simple as it looks," O'Donoghue admitted.

"I've read in some publications a view to the effect that I was going to proceed on the basis that there would be no criteria and I thought that this could happen.

"At no stage did I think that - I'm not that foolish."

The Kerryman outlined that it was always the Government's intentions that certain conditions would be attached to releasing the grants so that it would minimise conflict from other amateur sporting bodies in relation to their players.

"I did promise the Gaelic Players Association that I would make €5m available when I was Minister for Sport," he said.

"I also made it very clear that the spending of that funding could only be subject to certain criteria and at all times it was understood that certain criteria would have to apply, because if they did not apply then unfortunately like it or not we would be opening a pandora's s box and all other amateur sports could make a similar application.

"Unless there were criteria applying to the dispensation of the grants, then quite honestly it would become almost unworkable from a Government perspective.

"That was my view on it, that we would need to put certain structures in place and that certain criteria had to be observed," he added.

The Ceann Chomhairle also believes that the GAA should never go down the route of professionalism as one of the fundamentals of the association is its amateur ethos.

"Contrary to what some people may believe, I do not believe that professionalism, in the final analysis, is in the interests of the GAA.

"I genuinely believe that the day that the Gaelic Athletic Association's games become professional, that the games themselves will suffer and I sincerely hope that it does not happen.

"I think that the parish, the county and the province are at the root of the Gaelic Athletic Association and that the hundreds and thousands of people who have given so much over the years to the Association did so in the belief that it would remain the most vibrant, voluntary, sporting organisation in the country - one which we could all be proud of."

However, O'Donoghue feels that the Gaelic Players Association are not keen to go down the professional route.

"I don't believe that the GPA are seeking to professionalise the game, but I would express the view as a fan and as somebody who has been involved with the association since I was a very small boy, that everybody should guard against any drift which would lead to professionalism in the Gaelic Athletic Association.

"It would neither serve the GAA, the games, the country or the sporting public well."