County players becoming less content with GAA's amateur status

A survey by the GPA shows support for the GAA's amateur status is dropping.

In a 2024 survey, just 59% of players responded that they were 'content with the amateur status' of the GAA. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Players chief Tom Parsons has revealed that support for the GAA's amateur ethos among inter-county players is dropping year on year.

Just 59% of players responded that they were 'content with the amateur status' in a 2024 survey conducted by the Gaelic Players Association.

Crucially, Parsons noted a significant 'drop' from 71% support in 2023 and said it will be a 'completely different conversation' if a significant majority were to express their dissatisfaction in the future.

"You're bringing that back to the GAA (then), you have unwilling participants in something that is generating this amount of economic activity," he said, outlining a potential 'revolt' scenario.

The GPA chief was speaking at the launch of a new report which revealed that whilst inter-county players are generating a total economic impact of €591m annually, 'individual players incur an average net expense of €4,602'.

The report, an 'Assessment of economic and social impacts of inter-county Gaelic football, camogie and hurling players in Ireland' also found that, compared to five years ago, players are €1,499 worse off annually as a result of their inter-county activity.

Players are also 'losing out on €3,500 annually in potential overtime earnings' with the overall hit to their yearly salary priced at €5,200.

Parsons gave a personal example of receiving a €1,900 government grant for playing for Mayo in 2008 and said that the figure for 2023, the year explored in the report, was €1,471.

"Look at the carded athletes, the Olympic athletes, that's increased by 200% over that period," he noted of corresponding funding.

Parsons also pointed out that a weekly nutrition rate for county players of €20 agreed in 2016 is still in place.

"We all know that €20 in 2016 and €20 in 2025 is very different," he said.

The GPA is currently in negotiations with the GAA regarding the funding it receives from Croke Park and the report will inevitably buttress their argument for more money.

Parsons said it's about 'fairness' for county players who should be able to arrive at a 'net zero' cost for representing their county.

Linking it back to the amateur status issue, Parsons claimed that players will ultimately start to think, 'If I'm going to give so much, what's the return?'

He believes it's important to look after players' needs now and not be left with a much bigger problem further down the line.

"If we want to protect the amateur status in 10 years' time, this is an important juncture where the government and the governing bodies really need to look at, how can we create a value proposition where players are net zero?" said the former Mayo midfielder. 

"So it's not costing them. So it's net zero and we've created an environment where there's an investment in their careers, their education is thriving. For example, that student athletes don't have to have a part-time job in a bar on a Saturday night if they're going to be playing in front of 82,000 people in Croke Park."

Parsons said the answer is to make players feel like they're valued and properly catered for.

"You want players to say, 'Do you know what, I'm happy, this is a fair deal, I'm happy with this equation'," he said. "But at the minute, I don't know."

Parsons suggested pooling the money generated from sponsorship logos on the sleeves of jerseys and ring-fencing it for player welfare.

He also responded to criticism from various provincial councils of the GPA's role in having pre-season competitions postponed for 2025, and the issue of some inter-county teams still apparently returning to collective training before the agreed December 7 date.

He said the GPA had 'evidence' of various teams breaching the rules 'but not facts' and that they will 'do a full review after the league'.

On GAA Director General Tom Ryan's remarks last week that there is 'a gathering mood to shuffle the (All-Ireland) finals back by a week or two' into August, Parsons said this would require 'a mandate from players'.

"I think what would be a disaster is reinstating the pre-season competitions, stretching to August, putting more load on players again, taking three steps backwards," he said. "The key stakeholder here has to be the players that are involved in this."

Parsons said that pushing the All-Ireland finals back into August would mean a later start to the National Leagues.

"If we want a seven-month window and if you want to stretch to August, then you'll need your National League starting the end of February or the start of March and players returning to training in January."