GAA Congress vote in favour of Govt grants

GAA Congress in Sligo has voted for the Governments scheme to reward inter county players.

A majority of hands were raised in favour after the motion was put to the floor with the speakers

against all from Ulster.

Proposing Tipperary's Con Hogan said the initiative would recognise the unique contribution

of the associations players to Irish culture and life but Seamus McCloy of Derry dismissed it as "grubby cheap and wrong."

While Joe Conway of Tyrone described the move as a drop of poison on the road to professionalism.

But delegates voted in the plan to reward GAA players who line out for their county after assurances from the Director General Padraig Duffy and GPA boss Dessie Farrell that it would not lead to pay for play or contravene European legislation on amateur status.