Tom Parsons says he is not surprised 75 per cent of Gaelic Players Association (GPA) members believe intercounty managers should be compensated.
The findings on the issue of payment to managers is one of the more eye-catching figures from the GPA’s annual membership survey.
A total of 3,676 players responded to the survey, which is broken down between 2,320 male players and 1,356 female players. The data will be used to direct GPA policy for 2026.
Some of the other standout findings include:
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- 64 per cent of male players are content with the current amateur status of Gaelic games.
- 92 per cent of GPA members believe the intercounty season should run for a maximum of seven months from the first collective training session to the last game of the year.
- 71 per cent of all male footballers want the All-Ireland football final to be played in July.
- 48 per cent of all male players want to see both intercounty senior finals (Sam Maguire and Liam MacCarthy Cup) played by the end of July.
- 89 per cent of players support the split-season model.
- 94 per cent of footballers believe their experience has been improved by the new football rules.
- 92 per cent of male players believe that male and female players should be receiving the same travel-expense rate from the three national governing bodies.
- Nearly one in five (19 per cent) players believe recreational drug use is an issue among intercounty players. Extending on this theme, 20 per cent of male players said they were aware of a teammate who has struggled because of drug misuse, compared to 4 per cent of female players.
However, with the payments of managers at all levels of the game continuing to be a thriving underground economy, the majority of intercounty players now believe a formal system should be in place where managers at the elite level are compensated.
Some 75 per cent of male respondents believe intercounty managers should receive payment over and above expenses; 41 per cent saying it should be through a fixed stipend payment, while 34 per cent believe it would be better as a full annual salary/contract.
Parsons, chief executive of the GPA, was not taken aback by the findings.
“I’m probably not surprised, to be honest,” he said. “Any conversations I’ve had with players, the vast majority are aware that there’s some form of payment happening at intercounty level. And they’re very aware of what’s happening on the club circuit too. And they [feel] we are as well to be transparent about it than not being transparent about it.
“So I think A, it’s transparency, and B, obviously there are a lot of professionals in Gaelic games already. The GAA pay for professional coaches at development level, there are 350 of them.
“And the better the coaching in terms of their skill set, their accreditations, etc, the better the playing environment.
“So, is it crazy that we have coaches that are trained or are professionals that are coaching a lot of kids at underage level and are actually setting out the development pathway in the GAA, but then at senior level, when clubs have invested so much time in these players, that we hand it over to somebody that has no qualifications and isn’t given the adequate time to do it?
“I think from speaking to players, they’re looking for the best playing environment. The introduction of S&C (strength and conditioning) and performance coaches who are professional have helped with player welfare because they’re managing the load and they’re pushing back on managers.
“And then I suppose, from a GPA point of view, I think for managers to have more KPIs (key performance indicators) beyond just winning at all costs – that you’re looking at KPIs such as player retention, player welfare, player load. Can that be achieved through some more formal structure?
“So look, I’m not surprised by the findings. Players obviously see the time, the energy, the commitment. They have perspective in the wider landscape of what’s happening with managers, club and county.
“They’re looking at transparency and they’re probably being pragmatic to say there should be something formally in place.”
Furthermore, 56 per cent of players believe a cap should be placed on the number of backroom personnel permitted on intercounty management teams.
On the matter of All-Ireland finals taking place in July and sticking to a seven-month intercounty season, Parsons feels that window could be moved by having a later starting date.
[ Seán Moran: GAA rule on amateurism is a busted flush, so let’s change itOpens in new window ]
He said: “A lot of teams don’t get to an All-Ireland final. So, a lot of the activity that players are facing is heavy training loads in December, heavy competition and multiple competitions in January. And then a shotgun start to a National League campaign that’s like a championship with the games at the minute.
“There are a lot of individual conversations I’ve had with players who would love the National Leagues to start mid-February and to be returning to training in January and remove this huge load of training over the Christmas period when pitches are poor and we’re not in the new year.
“So, you can have a seven-month season going into August, but you’re going to have to take it off the other end.”
