GAELIC GAMES GPA AGREEMENT: CORK BECAME the latest county to accept the agreement between the GAA and the Gaelic Players Association. At last night's county committee meeting the decision was taken to endorse the deal ahead of tomorrow's Central Council meeting in Croke Park.

Delegates voted by an overwhelming margin, 96-12, to support the motion being placed before next April’s annual congress due to be held in Newcastle, Co Down.

There was some surprise amongst delegates that county secretary Frank Murphy spoke in favour of the agreement, details of which were announced two weeks ago.

Murphy emphasised the commercial value to the GAA of not having two organisations chasing sponsorships in the same area.

Another Munster county, Clare, discussed the same issue at a county committee meeting on Wednesday night and voted in a similarly emphatic manner, approving the agreement with only three votes among nearly 50 delegates going against the deal, which provides recognition for the GPA as well as allocating funding of €1.1 million for player welfare projects and an administrative grant of €250,000 for this year and 2010.

The agreement is almost certain to receive the imprimatur of Central Council and go forward to congress.

Monaghan will be voting in favour of the proposed agreement after the county’s clubs voted unanimously at a special county committee meeting on Monday evening.

Croke Park official Fergal McGill attended the meeting to brief the clubs and the management committee on the key points of the agreement and following a fairly lengthy question-and-answer session, during which Fergal McGill fielded many inquiries, the recommendation was unanimously approved.