PLAYER GRANTS:GPA jumps the gun on announcement as player grants get the go-ahead, writes SEÁN MORAN

THE STATE-funded player grants for Gaelic games have got the go-ahead for a further year. Although the Irish Sports Council (ISC), which has oversight of the scheme, has yet to review the details, the payments have been authorised by outgoing Minister for Sport Mary Hanafin.

There was some confusion yesterday when the Gaelic Players Association issued a press release welcoming the scheme’s renewal just as the ISC and newly-appointed chair Kieran Mulvey were launching the major funding packages, worth €25.6 million, for the year, and was evidently unaware the news had been made public.

The GPA confirmed they had contacted the Sports Council to clear up any misunderstanding.

“We were in touch with players last week,” said GPA chief executive Dessie Farrell, “and decided to issue a statement, but unfortunately it coincided with the Sports Council launch.

“We’ve been in touch to explain the situation. It’s probably in all our interest in future that our communications department and theirs touch base to avoid clashes like that and take a more co-ordinated approach to publicity.”

It’s nearly three years since the then controversial grants scheme, agreed with the government at the end of 2007, was ratified by the GAA’s congress, and the initial, three-year agreement expired on December 31st last.

Yesterday’s one-year extension comes as a welcome development against the backdrop of the economic crisis and the slashing of public expenditure.

In 2009, the first year of the grants, their total value was reduced from €3.5 million to €1.1 million.

“You’d have to be very encouraged for the future by Fine Gael’s support for the scheme,” said Farrell when asked about the long-term viability of the grants.

Although the Dáil won’t convene until a few weeks after next week’s general election, there is cross-party support for the scheme among the parties likely to be involved in the next government.

John O’Mahony, the Fine Gael spokesperson on Sport and former manager of Mayo, Galway and Leitrim footballers, has been a consistent advocate of the grants and criticised the government for reducing the value of them two years ago.

Although the Labour Party didn’t refer to the scheme in its recent policy document on sports, the party’s former spokesperson on sport, retiring TD Mary Upton, has also supported the grants in the Dáil.

The grants have been a political issue since their inception. After a long campaign to secure some form of material recognition for its amateur players, the GPA finally secured a deal with the late Séamus Brennan, who was appointed Minister for Sport after the last election in 2007.

It is known the Irish Sports Council, which disburses the funds intended to contribute to the expenses of intercounty players on a sliding scale from senior championship to the lower levels, has not been unanimously enthusiastic about the scheme, which was seen to have been imposed by the minister.

Originally the Department of Sport raised ISC funding from €54 million to €57 million to take care of the grants allocation, but in the years since money to the council has either been frozen or reduced and it’s no longer clear if separate provision for the grants has been maintained.

The decision by the outgoing minister to extend the grants came after a period of months in which she hadn’t given any firm indication of her intentions. The ISC received a letter from her at the beginning of this month in which she said she was going to agree to authorise the maintenance of the scheme.

This was passed on to the GPA, which was under pressure from members and media anxious to know what had been the outcome of the ministerial deliberations.

Sources within the ISC were non-committal yesterday on whether last year’s formal integration of the GPA with the GAA and the latter’s recent agreement to fund the players’ body to the tune of €8.5 million over five years would make a difference to future grants, which could be allocated under the one Croke Park umbrella.

Farrell, however, doesn’t see a problem.

“I don’t think that necessarily comes into play. We were part funded by the GAA last year and yet continued to receive the government funding.

“How the mechanism works in the future remains to be seen, but in terms of the principle you’d feel very confident.”