GAA chief backs inter-county season extension into August
Ard Stiúrthóir of the GAA Tom Ryan. Pic: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho
GAA director general Tom Ryan endorses the extension of the inter-county calendar by two weeks into August.
A motion by a committee led by Ryan’s predecessor Páraic Duffy has been put forward to stage the All-Ireland senior football final in the second week of August and the hurling decider at the end of July.
Currently, the finals are staged on successive weekends at the end of July and the recommendation would also disband the pre-season competitions permanently.
Ahead of the vote at Congress on February 28, Ryan in his annual report has asked delegates to keep an open mind about the motion, which if passed would come into effect from 2027.
“The proposal that is before this Congress is for consideration,” he writes. “But like most things in the GAA there is a compromise. In this case, it means discontinuing the pre-season provincial competitions in order to maintain a reasonable duration to the season.
“Care for our players means we can’t extend the year at both ends. That may prove contentious. I know the suspension of those matches even for one year did not meet with universal approval.
“Nevertheless, I like the idea and I think the compromise is worth making. Please give the idea serious thought. And whatever the outcome, I hope it will definitively conclude our adventures on this theme and see us move on with certainty around the shape and duration of our playing calendar.”
Ryan is also backing the amateur status review committee’s motion to introduce a GAA certification framework initially at inter-county level and their rewording of the amateur status rule in the Official Guide.
“I believe that these proposals can be the first steps to modernising GAA governance in this context. We can achieve a framework of significant protections for the GAA’s amateur status.
“I realise that these proposals may not eliminate all issues of concern immediately (such as unethical payments from third parties that violate the existing amateur status rule), but they are certainly an important first step for us in preserving what is possibly our most treasured value.”
He continues: “The overwhelming importance of our amateur status makes this a crucial ‘moment in time’ for the GAA. I sincerely hope we can seize it.” Ryan reveals a total of €2.3m has been paid by the 26 counties in voluntary tax settlements for the years 2021 to ’24 as part of the agreement with Revenue.
Ryan admits uptake in a new expense system for management and backroom teams has been “underwhelming”. He comments: “Doing nothing is not an option, and if this issue is not addressed urgently the financial consequences to our county boards from a tax perspective will be significantly higher.
“A similar risk exists for clubs. It is important that all clubs address this risk and conduct their affairs in a manner that is tax compliant and in accordance with our rules, I can’t put it any more plainly.”
Ryan mentions the combined €45m inter-county team expenditure as remaining “relatively flat” but remaining the “largest single expense line for all county boards.” Ryan also suggests the hand-pass in hurling should be reviewed.
“I think the hand-pass still merits some thought, and I wonder too if the trend towards even higher scoring rates in matches might need to be checked at some stage. But those are marginal.”
The viewing figures for last year’s All-Ireland SHC were higher than the football championship – over 7.8 million to football’s 7m plus. The average viewership for the Tipperary-Cork decider was 980,000 (excluding 400,646 on the RTÉ Player) to football’s 933,000 (378,229 on the RTÉ Player).
Regarding Casement Park, Ryan underlines planning permission which runs out in July this year “must be protected” as the GAA assesses alternative configurations for the stadium.
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