Ulster GAA secretary takes major swipe at GPA 

In his annual report, Brian McAvoy also said that redevelopment of Casement Park will cost nowhere near the reported figure of £400m.

Ulster GAA secretary Brian McAvoy (left) and GPA CEO Tom Parson (right). Pictures: Sportsfile

Ulster GAA secretary Brian McAvoy has taken a significant swipe at the GPA over their silence on counties returning to collective training long before the prescribed December 7 return date.

While ignoring the role of Croke Park, provincial councils, and county boards in monitoring when inter-county teams return to collective activity, McAvoy landed all blame at the doorstep of the players' body.

The Ulster secretary’s ire with the GPA stems from the latter’s role in advocating for the suspension of pre-season competitions, a decision which saw the return to training date for the 2025 season pushed back to December 7 of last month.

As the body responsible for championing player welfare, McAvoy insisted that there was an onus on the GPA to ensure their members adhered to the ‘return to train’ date. Instead, he accused the GPA in his annual report of having “zero contact” with the players they are supposed to be representing.

“The GPA issued a strong statement highlighting that November should be ‘a zero contact’ month. If even a fraction of the reports of inter-county collective training sessions taking place in November are true, then the December 7th date was flouted high and wide across the country,” McAvoy wrote.

“[What] did the GPA say or do during this time to call this out? I’m not sure if they did or said anything. It seems as if they were true to their word and had ‘zero contact’ with their members on the issue during this time. It seems as if the argument of abandoning the pre-season competitions in order to save inter-county footballers from collective training in November was a fallacy.” 

McAvoy continued that there were no winners, “only losers”, from the decision to suspend pre-season competitions.

“County players seemingly still trained in November, supporters missed out on pre-season competitions, inter-county football teams missed out on an opportunity to trial the new rules in a semi-competitive environment, fringe county players missed out on the opportunity to represent their county, referees on a development pathway missed out on the opportunity to officiate at a higher level, Provincial Councils lost out on a significant revenue source and had the unenviable task of explaining to sponsors how competitions could be removed at a whim.

“Ultimately, clubs and young people lost out due to a reduction in both grants and programme delivery due to the associated revenue loss. One can but hope that the pre-season competitions will be restored to their rightful place in 2026.” 

Elsewhere in his report, while acknowledging a significant funding gap remains to deliver the proposed rebuild of Casement Park, McAvoy said the final bill will fall well below the “wildly exaggerated costs of £400m-plus” reported in recent months.

McAvoy wrote how it came as no surprise to anyone when the new Labour Party Government blew the final whistle on the ambition to have Casement Park funded and built in time for the 2028 Euros.

“As others have stated elsewhere, it seems that in the North of Ireland, we never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” 

Once it became clear that any redeveloped Casement Park would not be part of the 2028 Euros, McAvoy said full Ulster GAA focus returned to delivering a more modest 34,500-capacity stadium. The cost of this project will, he added, go nowhere near the reported figure of £400m-plus.

“We have made clear our intention to build what has been promised to us in successive Programmes for Government, and for what we eventually secured planning approval for in July 2021. That is a 34,500-capacity stadium, a more modest stadium that would have been necessary to enable the hosting of Euro 2028 games.

“While some £120m has been secured for delivery of the stadium, a significant funding gap remains. Current estimates are that the final figure will be well below the wildly exaggerated costs of £400m plus, which were reported a few months back.

“Ulster GAA has recently met both the DfC Minister and the new Secretary of State, Hilary Benn, MP, and we have made clear the GAA’s intentions and our members’ right to see the delivery of what has been promised consistently for well over a decade. A clear strategic case has long been made for a provincial sized stadium in a city that has not hosted an Ulster Football Final since 1971, and an updated delivery plan is being progressed.

“Central GAA, Ulster GAA and Antrim GAA are absolutely aligned on the need to finish what was started at Casement Park. Promises made must now be delivered upon.” 

In a year where Ulster counties secured a clean sweep of major football trophies - including the All-Ireland senior, U20, and minor football championships, the Tailteann Cup, the All-Ireland senior, intermediate, and junior club championships, and the Sigerson and Hogan Cups - McAvoy labelled 2024 a “annus mirabilis” for the province.