Farrell is unhappy with vote

As the Gaelic Players' Association (GPA) announced plans to establish a new student scholarship fund yesterday, their chairman Dessie Farrell said there was general disappointment among players with the decision not to open up Croke Park to rugby and soccer.

"It is difficult to comment from an overall GPA perspective because we haven't done any official poll of players." said Farrell. "But I would say from a personal point of view and with anecdotal evidence that the mood is one of disappointment. "At ground level, that is not what the organisation is about. But something we've been talking about for a while now is trying to get some influence on Congress, which is something we feel very strongly on."

In the long term, Farrell hopes the GPA may eventually carry some weight at GAA Congress. "I would have liked them to try and open up Croke Park on an experimental basis, say for two years. If there were big problems and it wasn't working out then they could shelve it for once and for all.

"But of course a lot of people did vote in favour of the motion so we mightn't be that far away. Change is imminent but it is disappointing that it didn't happen this year, and (the decision) ended up sending out the wrong signals about the association."

Waterford hurler Tony Browne, who also attended yesterday's announcement, agreed that the decision did not seem to reflect the average opinion of the players. "Most people involved with GAA love all sports. So it doesn't really matter what people are playing as long as it's good sport. But Croke Park is a fantastic stadium for anyone to play in and that makes it disappointing for the other sports as well."

The GPA's deal with Carphone Warehouse establishes a student scholarship fund estimated to be worth £24,000 a year. It will be divided into eight scholarships worth £3,000 each over a three-year period, and will be open to intercounty minors intending to start third-level education.

The financial amount will be determined by the total scores from all games in the hurling and football championships this summer, with £100 donated by the sponsor for every goal and £1 for every point. Average scores per game last year puts that figure at around £24,000.

According to Farrell, the scheme was one of the original initiatives of the association but it has proved difficult to set up. However, with membership now over the 700 mark, he says it is becoming easier to attract endorsements.

Farrell also said he sat down with Croke Park's Players Advisory Group (PAG) chairman Jarlath Burns for the first time last week. "We have a lot of common ground and we are not as far apart as some people might think. And we're looking forward to another series of meetings over the next few weeks, and maybe establishing some sort of agreement by the end of the year."

Applications for the scholarships and further details can be obtained from Carphone Warehouse and directly from the GPA from June.