GPA to receive GAA+ subscriptions cut and dividends in newly-agreed deal

REVENUE STREAM: GAA+ pundits, from left, Paddy Andrews, John "Bubbles" O'Dwyer, Richie Hogan and Marc Ó Sé at Croke Park. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

The Gaelic Players Association (GPA) will receive a cut of GAA+ subscriptions and dividends as part of their new funding deal.

While they will face greater oversight from Croke Park about how they spend Central Council funding, the agreement represents a departure as inter-county players’ image rights have been formally recognised by the GAA.

Thirteen months after negotiations commenced, the GAA and GPA announced the four-year recognition protocol at Central Council in Croke Park on Saturday.

As previously reported by the Irish Examiner, the GPA were keen to strike a deal on image rights and this will manifest itself in the Le Chéile initiative The absence of such recognition created headlines last year when hurler of the year Shane O’Donnell revealed his permission had not been sought by GAAGO (now GAA+) to use his image in promoting to pay-per-view streaming service.

Now that the GAA+ is fully in the ownership of the GAA, the GPA will receive 15% of the platform’s licence fees and 15% of dividends annually. The GPA will have editorial board representation. Also, all players will receive free access to GAA+.

The recognition protocol, which runs from 2026 to ’29, will see the GAA provide the official inter-county players body with 15% of its gross commercial revenue at central level as opposed to net revenue as was the case previously. In 2024, the GPA received €3,170,328 in core funding from the association.

A reshaping of the parties’ joint Le Chéile commercial model has been agreed with the GPA receiving 95% of profit after tax to a maximum of €800,000 and 75% thereafter of funds considered to be player-generated revenue.

The GPA will have to publish an annual reporting showing where the funding has been spent in its organisation. Commercial properties to be pursued include the development of a “championship ball” property for senior inter-county football and hurling championship fixtures.

The increased core funding to the GPA will go towards a joint bursary fund of €300,000 annually on top of existing GPA awards. The funding will be ringfenced for students who do not receive any other forms of college financial aid related to their educational support.

Another annual sum of €40,000 will be issued by the GAA to inter-county players for cardiac screening and dental protection on a vouched basis, double the amount that was available previously.

The GAA will retain audit rights for all aspects of GAA-provided funding and any monies from Sport Ireland allocated to the GAA and distributed via the GPA. The independence of the GPA as a representative body was also reaffirmed in the document.