Parsons vows to keep fighting for abolition of pre-season competitions if necessary

Gaelic Players Association head Parsons has promised to push Central Council hard to bin the January competitions which he feels are a burden on players

CEO of the Gaelic Players Association Tom Parsons and GPA Head of Equality & Player Relations Gemma Begley and Tyrone's goalkeeper Niall Morgan. Pic: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho

GAA players' chief Tom Parsons has vowed to return to the 'battleground' within weeks to fight for the abolition of pre-season competitions if necessary.

Annual Congress will vote on a recommendation to extend the inter-county season by a fortnight, and to chop away pre-season competitions at the other end.

But with Cork and Galway leading significant opposition to the motion, the potential for it to fail, and to leave pre-season tournaments like the McGrath Cup and Munster Hurling League in place, is high.

Gaelic Players Association head Parsons has promised to act in that event and to push Central Council hard to bin the January competitions which he feels are a burden on players.

Speaking at the launch of the GPA's strategic plan, The Playbook 2026-2028, Parsons also predicted that the Noel McCaffrey-backed motion on county player availability for clubs will fail, said he supports the motion on creating an inter-county licensing system and agreed with Paul Galvin's recent claim of an 'injury epidemic' in the GAA.

"It will be a motion I will bring to Central Council the following month about should we continue with the pre-season competitions," guaranteed Parsons, if Congress votes to keep them.

"They've become very untenable. I don't know, at this stage I am coming to the view that maybe even a Railway Cup competition is better than a pre-season competition because at least you are only putting 100 players through it, who are maybe knocked out with their clubs early and would benefit from the opportunity to play with their province. Would that be a better initiative than pre-season competitions?

Parsons blames lack of defined off season and the pre-season competitions for injury epidemic. Pic: Nick Elliott/Inpho

"Look, if it (the motion) is defeated it is another battleground that I will need to pick up with Central Council."

On the McCaffrey-supported proposal, which calls for a player to have featured in eight club games the previous season to be eligible for inter-county activity, Parsons said he supports 'the sentiments' but doesn't think it'll pass due to logistical problems.

"The unintended consequences for western counties, who have loads of players travelling back from the east of the country, would be high," said the former Mayo midfielder. 

"It could actually result in more players - if that is a rule, that you need to get eight games with your club, and it's unworkable to be driving back from Dublin to Mayo - would an unintended consequence be that a Mayo player says, 'Well right, I'll just transfer to a Dublin club, it would be easier to get my eight games in?'"

He is supportive of the proposal to bring in a certification framework, which would insist on various standards around county setups.

"Obviously the GAA are trying to put discipline on costs as well," said Parsons. "So look, I think it will be positive, I think it is needed."

Kerry great Galvin said on last week's Irish Examiner Gaelic Football Show that inter-county injury lists have hit 'epidemic' levels.

Parsons partly blamed the lack of a defined off season and the pre-season competitions, saying 'overuse' hip injuries have become common again.

"The off-season hasn't been implemented, so as long as you have the load that we have, we're going to see these chronic injuries," he said.