Hogan put in charge of GAA discipline

GAA president Seán Kelly has appointed Con Hogan as the chairman of the new central disciplinary committee (CDC), which takes charge of all national disciplinary issues after the recent splitting of functions within the Games Administration Committee.

Another eight committee members will be finalised over the coming days, with their duties set to begin with the official start of the championship on Sunday week.

Hogan thus becomes the new face of GAA discipline, which has undergone a major overhaul as a result of proposals passed at Congress, and includes the establishment of a new central appeals committee and a special arbitration panel. Hogan previously served as chairman of the Tipperary County Board, and more recently on the GAA strategic review committee.

Kelly gave further details on the new committee at a special press briefing in Croke Park: "Con was our first choice," he explained, "and we definitely feel we have the right man for the job.

"As chairman of the Tipperary County Board he would have dealt with similar disciplinary matters. With his work on the SRC he would also have been dealing with all the rules and regulations. So I certainly think he's well qualified. He's fresh and he's certainly got no baggage."

It was agreed that all CDC members would be appointed rather than elected and there would be provincial balance. Although initially appointed for one year - up until next year's congress - Kelly indicated it would, in fact, be more likely a three-year term.

The nine-man committee will have responsibility for all disciplinary matters, including misconduct and breaches of match regulations arising from games under the jurisdiction of Central Council, and from the senior provincial intercounty championship games.

Kelly also formally launched the integration task force report yesterday, which provides a new framework for increased co-operation between the three associations - the GAA, the Camogie association, and the women's Gaelic football association.

The task force was set up in 2002, and the members included Kelly, the GAA director general Liam Mulvihill, Geraldine Giles and Helen O'Rourke from women's football and Síle Wallace and Jo Golden from camogie.

The key finding of the report was that integration, rather than amalgamation, was the way forward: "We all came to the same conclusion," said Kelly, "that amalgamation was too big and too unwieldy, and just wouldn't offer the same sort of opportunity at national level, in areas such as sponsorship.

"This will still require some rule changes over the next few years before it can be fully implemented. But we're also conscious that none of these three organisations are professional, and the main support comes from the family, which is everybody. And to give some reality to that expression is what much of this is about."

A pilot scheme involving eight counties helped develop the integration model. It was agreed that integration should continue at club level, with closer working relationships at county, provincial and national level, and that an overall fixtures schedule should be drawn up at county board level.

Miriam O'Callaghan, president of the camogie association, explained that total amalgamation was never a real option: "Quite the opposite," she said, "because we always believed that autonomy should be retained, while also trying to pool our resources in some areas. I know that 20 years ago there was a real fear that we would be swallowed up by the GAA, but that is clearly not the case now."

Adding to those sentiments was Geraldine Giles, president of the women's football association. "We'll continue to work on our individual aims, which is to promote our games and our culture, and continue to take them to new heights."

The task force will continue to oversee the integration process up to 2007, while a change will be made to GAA rule 82 (a) to allow for the inclusion on the GAA Central Council of a representative of the women's associations.

Finally, it was announced yesterday that John O'Leary would be surrendering his position as one of the selectors on the Irish International Rules management team, which travels to Australia this October.

O'Leary informed Irish manager Pete McGrath that he wouldn't be able to travel for personal reasons. As a result, McGrath has chosen former Dublin manager Mickey Whelan to take his place.