Walsh questions five-year turnover

GAELIC GAMES/GAA Fixtures:This year's county convention season is proving particularly dynamic as several of the GAA's most experienced administrators are forced to vacate their offices under the five-year rule. Introduced under the Strategic Review in 2002, the rule was designed to instigate some turnover at a time when many officers were being reappointed for several terms.

Among those now affected by the rule is the outgoing Kerry county chairman, Seán Walsh, who was replaced at Monday night's convention by Jerome Conway.

Walsh has in fact occupied the Kerry chair since 1998, and while in theory he supports the five-year limit, he has questioned Kerry's sudden and dramatic turnover, which has seen seven new officers elected for the coming year.

"I'm not against the five-year rule per se," says Walsh.

"The problem is we let everyone run for the five years. I'm just sorry that we didn't change a few officers over the last year or two, instead of letting all of them run for the whole five years, and then seeing everyone go together. We should have changed some of them after three or four years.

"Maybe our situation was a little different, in that all our main officers had to leave together. But I think five years has effectively become the minimum now, instead of the maximum. In other words, we should have staggered things a little bit.

"Then let people run for five years if they so wish, but at least they'd be leaving at different times.

"But the way things are, the same thing could be happening in five years' time, and all these officers will go again at the same time. So I would suggest we make some changes again in three or four years' time, and the rest of them after five years.

"Right now, though, it's a very big change for Kerry, with too much moving around really."

Among the other counties forced into change under the rule is Kilkenny, which has both chairman Ned Quinn and secretary Pat Dunphy stepping down at tomorrow's county convention.

Quinn has served as chairman for the past nine years, and while he vacates that position under the rule, he will remain on the executive as he is the only nomination for the secretary's post vacated by Dunphy.

Likewise, Dunphy steps down under the five-year rule, but he is still in the running for the role of chairman, to replace Quinn, along with the current vice-chairman, Paul Kinsella.

Walsh, meanwhile, moves on to his next position, vice-chairman of the Munster Council, following his election last March, and after serving three years in that role he will become Munster chairman for a further three years.

Among the issues raised in his last address to the Kerry county board was the building of artificial GAA pitches, which Walsh reckons have no real future.

"These pitches are costing about €1.3 million each, and for that same money you can create three all-weather pitches. But the big difference is you can play matches on these regular pitches. But there'll never be competitive matches played on the artificial pitches. They're basically just for training, or else renting out for five-a-side soccer and that."

Walsh leaves the Kerry County Board in good health.

The board reported a surplus of €84,517, with the overall team expenses similar to 2006, with a slight increase of €16,956 in the expense and preparation of the county senior football team.

This was largely explained by the cost of a team holiday to Australia earlier this year, which at €322,711 was an increase of €110,788 on the 2006 holiday to Mexico.

"We did manage to keep those costs more or less in check," added Walsh, "but that was difficult. Looking forward, the relocating of Austin Stack Park is the big focus, and all that should be up and running within a few years."

In September, the county board secured a deal with a property developer for the exchange of Austin Stack Park for a new 48-acre development close to Farranfore, which will see the building of four training pitches, two playing pitches, and a training academy, and will be the future home of Kerry football as well as hurling.

One of Walsh's final announcements as chairman concerned this year's team holiday, which will see the entire All-Ireland-winning football panel leave Ireland on December 28th for an 11-day trip to San Francisco, Hawaii and Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, the Leinster Council has announced extra time will be played in next Sunday's Leinster club football final between St Vincent's of Dublin and Tyrrellspass of Westmeath.

The game has been fixed for Cusack Park in Mullingar with a 2pm start, the allocation of extra time having been agreed upon to help ensure the outcome is decided this side of Christmas.

Saturday

Leinster Club JF final: Clanna Gael, Meath v Rosemount, Westmeath, Navan, 2pm (Extra time if necessary).

Sunday

Leinster Club SF Championship final: St Vincent's, Dublin v Tyrrellspass, Westmeath, Mullingar, 2pm.

Munster Club JH Championship Final: Barryroe (Cork) v Moyle Rovers (Tipperary), Fermoy. 2pm.

Munster Club JF Championship Final: Canovee (Cork) v O'Callaghan's Mills (Clare), Askeaton, 2pm.