GAA seek clarification over use of grounds

THE GAA are seeking full clarification on reports that certain club grounds around the country are making their facilities available to other codes, in direct breach of the rule concerning control of association property.

The Nemo Rangers club in Cork is known to be among them after the Irish rugby team trained at the facility last month, but, according to GAA president Christy Cooney, that wasn’t the only incident of late, and the issue is now being fully investigated by the management committee.

This may yet result in a motion being brought to a future congress calling for a further softening of Rule 44 – formerly Rule 42 – which states that all GAA property can only be used for games controlled by the association, the only exception being Croke Park, where Central Council have had the power to allow other codes, during the period of the Lansdowne Road redevelopment.

That exception expires this year with the completion of Lansdowne Road, although there are five motions at congress in Down later this month, looking to extend that agreement indefinitely.

In the meantime, however, all other GAA grounds remain strictly out of bounds when it comes to use by other codes, which has forced Croke Park to look into exactly what went on in Cork – and elsewhere – in recent weeks.

“It wasn’t the only club that was discussed at management committee,” said Cooney, “or the general concern about it. There was an overall discussion on this issue and there are some issues that we’re looking at and we’ve asked people to look at and in due course we’ll be bringing out our recommendations for where they should go.

“Cork County Board have been asked, like another county has been asked, to raise an issue with a club and to come back with some details on the facts of the situation.

“There was a similar line of a club being used, by another code, and a complaint came in about it, so we have asked the county board to have a look at that as well.

“That’s why we’re looking at the overall policy situation around it because we hear stories about it happening in different clubs so we need to be clear in exactly what we’re about, how we can make sure that we’re treating clubs fairly and respectfully and that it’s not just rumour and hearsay and that we’re balanced and fair to everybody.

“We’re not going to jump to conclusions. We want to hear an explanation from the club, an explanation from the county board involved, and then we’ll review it and make a decision.

“We have to listen to the issues that have come back from the club, but are looking in the overall context of the situation. We have to.

“We’re in changing times, different challenges, and we have a rule there that we expect members of our association, and our clubs, to adhere to. But we’re not saying there won’t be challenges within that.”

Cooney said it was too early to say whether this might result in the GAA further softening Rule 44 in the future, but either way it wouldn’t happen this year: “The only way there’ll be a review of policy is a motion to congress. There’s no motion to congress this year.

“So we’ll wait and see when we carry out our own review, see if there’s a need for it. My hearings on the ground at the moment from the majority of clubs I’ve visited is there’s no appetite for any change in that area.

“That’s being honest. It’s not a personal view, because in the majority of cases, clubs are struggling with the facilities they have to manage their own teams and the shortage of facilities.

“There are few exceptions, clubs that have significant facilities like Nemo Rangers. The majority of clubs are struggling with their two or three pitches to keep up the standard for their own teams and also to cater for the support of ladies football and camogie as well.

“What we’re talking about is a number of clubs maybe that have extra facilities above and beyond what the normal GAA club would have. I was in a club last night in Laois, they have three pitches and a club house.

“Their three pitches are used by the school, by ladies football, by their own teams and they can just about cater for what they have themselves. They have no desire to utilise their fields for any other sports because they just couldn’t cater for them.

“So we’re talking about maybe a small number of situations that there maybe is a problem with. It’s not the norm throughout the association and it’s important that people understand that.

“We get massive headlines when there’s a situation with one and we never think about the clubs that are struggling to provide facilities for even themselves for their own games. We have to be conscious of that as well.

“Let’s wait and hear and we’ll deal with the situation the way the association should deal with it. And it’s an internal matter for the association to deal with. We’ll do that as we should do and listen to what Nemo have to say to us and what the other club have to say to us as well.”

It is well known that certain GAA clubs make use of facilities of other codes, such as rugby and soccer, but that, said Cooney, was not an issue.

The only issue as far as he was concerned was other codes using GAA grounds: “The bottom line is that my job is to implement the policy of the association as president. We have a rule in our book that outlines our position very clearly.

“What other sporting organisations do isn’t of concern to me. All I can do is implement the policy of the association. It’s my responsibility to do that irrespective of whether I’ve a personal view on it or not.

“And that’s the job I will do until there’s a change in the policy, whatever type of policy it may be in whatever sphere of the association it is.”