Mickey Harte has been appointed the new manager of Tyrone's footballers. He replaces the joint management team of Art McRory and Eugene McKenna, who were removed from office within weeks of being reappointed in an apparent misunderstanding after McRory temporarily stepped aside because of illness. McKenna was considered for the current appointment but was overlooked.

Although Tyrone won last season's National Football League - the county's first national title - they had to watch as Armagh became the third Ulster province in 11 years to win an All-Ireland for the first time.

Harte is expected to appoint Fr Gerard McAleer as a selector. Together the pair have been very successful at under-age level in recent years, winning one minor and two under-21 All-Irelands. Harte is engaged in the Ulster club battle between Crossmaglen Rangers and Errigal Ciaran, whom he coaches, which goes to a second replay this weekend.

Meanwhile, the Leinster Council has conceded there may be a case to move holiday funding for teams onto a formalised footing within the GAA. Secretary Michael Delaney was responding to the controversy, which arose with the news the provincial council had turned down an application for a holiday grant from Leinster finalists Dublin and Kildare.

"I think that it's certainly worthy of consideration to set aside a small percentage of gates for these purposes," he said. "You have to treat all the children equally - I'm not comparing the county boards to children but it's another question whether you factor in the size of the crowds following each county. Other players put in the same effort and it's in a way an accident of geography what county you play for."

According to Delaney there are no ground rules governing the disbursement of funds beyond the convention that if counties are involved in major money-spinners, some contribution will be made.

"Our precedent is based on making grants to teams involved in replays, like Dublin-Meath in 1991, Meath-Kildare (1997), and two years ago when Dublin and Kildare were in the replayed Leinster final and both sides got £30,000."

Dublin manager Tommy Lyons remains critical of the decision. "The GAA is too political at certain levels and this decision was the product of political rather than strategic thinking. My argument was based on ourselves and Kildare being the first to fill Croke Park. The previous attendances for a Leinster final were around 63,000 or 64,000. We raised that by 15,000 - calling on people to come out and support the team - and thought that out of the extra €300,000 or so that the counties playing might get €40,000 or €50,000 between them."

During the summer Lyons said he didn't want his players drawn into fund-raising ventures to try to meet the costs of a team holiday.

"No player - and I want to emphasise that - has been asked to do any fund-raising. We have a corporate dinner on December 2nd with Paul McGinley coming home specially to speak and great support from the county board and Arnotts, our sponsors, and O'Neills. And I still feel Croke Park will give us something, some small contribution to the fund."

In other provinces there are even fewer guarantees than exist in Dublin. Connacht secretary John Prenty says the provincial championship doesn't have the major fixtures commonplace in Leinster and Munster. "We don't make contributions beyond the €10,000 that provincial councils are asked to donate to the holiday funds of any of their teams who reach an All-Ireland final. Basically we don't have the funds to make any further contributions."

Ulster secretary Danny Murphy had a similar response. "As it stands the only funds collected are in line with association policy, the money allocated to provincial teams in an All-Ireland final."

Munster is more forthcoming. "We do normally give teams something for replays, more particularly the bigger replays," said provincial secretary Donie Nealon, "and we do get applications from other counties under various headings."

The money doesn't always go straight to team holiday funds, he said, and county boards sometimes receive the funds. "We also give a certain amount to provincial finalists every year. This summer it was €9,000 and it all comes out of our coffers."