GAA ANNUAL CONGRESS:IN HIS farewell address to this year's Annual Congress, on the 125th anniversary of the association, held in Cork's Rochestown Park hotel, outgoing GAA president Nickey Brennan sharply criticised the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) for the failure to conclude talks on the official recognition of the players' body.
Talks between the GPA and Croke Park have been taking place for the past two years and Brennan described the failure as “the one regret” he had on leaving office. He said that the breakdown in talks had been over the issue of GPA funding.
“Negotiations with the GPA collapsed because they requested a specific percentage of GAA income to fund their activities and this was a scenario we were not prepared to contemplate,” said the outgoing president.
“We were prepared to offer funding towards specific projects and initiatives, but allocating a percentage of our income would ultimately result in reduced funding being made available for GAA projects plus a significant lessening of financial support to units at all levels.
“This would not have been acceptable under any circumstances to our association. In 2008, between the funds expended by counties and by Croke Park, in excess of €30 million was spent funding player-related activities of one kind or another. Regrettably, this level of commitment was never adequately acknowledged or appreciated by the GPA at any stage during our discussions.”
Brennan was also critical of the GPA intervention in last year’s contentious debate on the player grants scheme and also emphasised the responsibility of the Government in this matter.
“I must say our efforts to satisfy our own members that the scheme did not breach our amateur status was not helped by the labelling of some of our members by the GPA as ‘malcontents’. This comment was ill-advised, seriously offensive and most unhelpful at a time when concluding an agreeable mechanism for administering the scheme was in train.
“The Government has not indicated if the scheme will continue this year. My view is very clear. The Government initiated the scheme and it is their responsibility to maintain it.”
He did, however, go on to withdraw a charge he had made in his inaugural address in Killarney in 2006.
“Despite comments from individuals and some media commentators regarding a pay-for-play agenda from the GPA, I am satisfied that this is not the case right now. I admit to having held a different view three years ago.”
Dessie Farrell, chief executive of the GPA, was low-key in his response to the outgoing president’s remarks, defending the players’ role in the recognition talks and adding that he intended meeting new president Christy Cooney in the near future.
“I was expecting something like that,” he said of Brennan’s speech, “but I think in the overall context a lot of progress has been made and the framework document can be seen as the basis of moving forward. The funding mechanism was an issue but it wasn’t solely that.
“It was obvious that congress had been set up as a natural deadline but we felt it was important not to rush into anything and realised it would take a little bit longer. We’ll be meeting Christy in the next couple of weeks.”
In his address, the outgoing president also questioned the future of national lottery funds in the current economic crisis.
“Lottery sales will continue, albeit perhaps at a reduced level, so it is not unreasonable to ask where the funding will now go which previously went to the development of sporting infrastructure.
“I fully accept there are enormous demands on every cent of exchequer finance at this time, but complete abandonment of sports capital funding, even for a few years, will cause severe difficulties for many of our units who are in the throes of completing projects.
“When the scheme is reactivated, I believe the funding should also cover the purchase of land to provide playing facilities as only the funding of infrastructure is covered at present.”
Brennan went on to talk about the GAA’s role in the recession.
“I am aware that county and club officers are making every effort to find employment opportunities for players in particular. I have no doubt our association will develop initiatives in the future which will help to alleviate the difficulties being experienced by our members and players due to our current economic environment.”
On the issue of discipline he again emphasised the importance of changing current attitudes.
“We can change our disciplinary system all we like, but until there is a seismic change in attitude towards the issue of discipline and respect in our games at all levels, the difficulties we are experiencing will continue.”
In an emotional conclusion he went on to recall the personal highlight of a presidency that also involved handing over the Liam MacCarthy Cup to his own county, Kilkenny, in each of his term’s three years.
“The highlight of my presidency will always be a Saturday night in February 2008 when a small club named Conahy Shamrocks won an All-Ireland title in Croke Park. The emotions I felt that night were overwhelming.”
