Duffy takes on player welfare role with relish

Nickey Brennan had just concluded the press briefing for the new competition structures when he announced Páraic Duffy as the GAA's first Player Welfare Manager. This was greeted with stunned silence, followed by rapturous applause.

Duffy is widely known and widely regarded as one of the best GAA administrators of the modern era, yet he hadn't been linked with the position. Brennan later admitted he was "pleasantly surprised" when Duffy first showed his interest.

A former chairman of the GAC, the national audit committee and the coaching and games development committee, Duffy will leave his current job as principal at St Macartan's College in Monaghan, and will begin his four-year term as Player Welfare Manager on January 1st next.

Brennan had earmarked the position when taking over as GAA president back in April, and shortly after that Duffy decided he would go for it: "Of course player welfare is one of the major issues currently facing the GAA, and that's what sparked my interest."

Duffy played down the idea that he was taking on possibly the most controversial subject within the GAA, not least of all because it means running up against the Gaelic Players Association (GPA), who still haven't been formerly recognised by the GAA.

"Well it shouldn't be controversial," he said, "because all it's about is doing the best for our players. There are elements to that which are controversial, such as the GPA and that, but establishing a good player welfare structure for the GAA is not controversial. It requires efficiency and good organisation.

"I'm working for all the players, mostly intercounty players, but in fact there are elements of the job that will apply to all players, such as the medical side of the job, and injury schemes and that.

"And there are many basic things to work on. The GPA have said themselves that there's an information gap in certain things, that players aren't informed about certain entitlements, or anti-doping, or whatever. Improving that is one thing. There's the marketing side as well, so this is not a stand alone operation either."

Yet he didn't rule out working with the GPA when necessary: "I would certainly see myself working with Dessie Farrell. I know him well, and he's a member of Central Council. The GPA was set up initially because of concerns to improve player welfare. But Nickey Brennan is tackling this issue very seriously, and that's why I'm here. He wants us to develop a structure that will benefit all the players, and my job is to look on the positive side of that."

The GAA also announced the appointment of Joan O'Neill as their new Financial Accountant, Declan Fanning as a new IT Executive and Kieran Leddy as their new Organisational and Development Manager. Paudie Butler has already been confirmed as the new Hurling Coordinator.