Pay For Play Proposal for GAA from Indo article today

Pay for play?
The Proposal
* John O'Brien believes it is hypocritical to exclude players from payment if other aspects of the sport are increasingly professional and that they will eventually demand it.
* He says it would be possible to pay a small weekly allowance (with performance bonuses) and still make big profits for the organisation.
* This would give players a real incentive to put in the massive effort and sacrifices now involved and also stop them going to other professional sports.
* Each player on a panel is treated equally so there is no 'star' system and payment costs do not spiral with increased profile.
How to do it
* Counties names 30 'contracted' players at the start of a season and make them play for their clubs on alternate weeks. A balance must be achieved between club and county.
* Players could get a weekly allowance depending on their division, plus expenses - Division 1, �200; Division 2, �150; Division 3, �100.
* Everyone on the squad is paid the same, thereby maintaining strong team ethic. Each player's money increases by 10 per cent each year he is on the panel, thereby rewarding longevity of service.
* Play-offs: Give weekly bonuses that increase with each round of the playoffs reached.
Division 1: �500/�600/�700/�1000; Division 2: �300/�400/�500/�750; Division 3: �200/�300/�400/�500. Thus a Division 1 player earns a minimum �4000 (20 weeks x �200) and a possible �6850 from the play-offs.
The costs
League section: with 990 players (33 teams by 30 players) getting an average of �150 a-week, the league section will cost �2,970,000.
Play-offs: Totals should be �726,000 each for hurling and football.
Week 1: 24 teams at �330 pp averages �238,000. Week 2: 12 teams at �430 pp averages �155,000. Week 3: 12 teams at �550pp averages �198,000. Finals: 6 teams at �750 pp averages �135,000. Totals: �3,696,000 each for hurling and football. Overall: �7.392,000. Totals will increase slightly as players increase years but there should be an incremental rise in gate receipts to meet this.
The profits
* At the most conservative estimate, a game in the league section (with a 5,000 crowd paying �10 each) will bring in a minimum of �50,000.
* Two All-Ireland finals alone (average ticket price of �45) will bring in �7.2m.
* 160 matches a year in one code = 320 matches minimum per annum at �50,000 each gives �16m minimum in gate receipts.
Profits: Minimum of �16m minus players' fund (�7.39m) = approx �9m.
A new look All-Ireland?
The Proposal
* Replace the National Leagues with a Champions League style format, played across three seeded divisions, culminating in three All-Ireland finals.
* Three divisions of 11 teams. Each team plays all others in their division once (home or away), resulting in 10 games each. These alternate weekly for hurling and football, therefore the league section of the championship needs just 20 weeks to complete.
* At the end of the league section, finishing positions on each table will be decided on points or percentages. Where you finish (position) decides who you meet in the play-offs and at least one, and possibly two, will be relegated so there is incentive in all league games.
The play-offs
* Either six or eight teams of the 11 go through and should include a promotional element from the next lowest division. There will be four rounds in the play-offs.
* Round 1: 5v8 and 6v7. Winners go through, losers eliminated. 1v4 and 2v3. Winners into semi-finals, losers to round 2.
* Round 2: Winners of 5v8 and 6v7 versus losers 1v4 and 2v3. Winners go to semi-finals, losers eliminated.
* Round 3 (Semi-finals): Winners of Rd 2 v Winners 1v4 and 2v3. Winners go through to All-Ireland final.
* Extra-time if needed in all play-offs and if there is a draw the replay must be midweek or the following Saturday.
Provincial Finals?
Get rid of them as they have no relevance for the All-Ireland. Or could be played for at the end of the league section by the two teams from a province that finish highest on league tables.
Time Scale
* Football season starts on March 2. League section ends July 6. Play-offs begin August 3 and finish on September 7 or 21 (depending on whether six or eight teams go through).
* Hurling season starts on March 9 and league section ends July 13. Play-offs start August 10 and finish on either August 31 or September 14.
* This system needs just seven months to complete and it includes a possible two-week break to allow anyone involved at inter-county level to holiday with their family.
* It also allows for provincial finals and plenty of time for players to play with their clubs on alternate weekends, one of the big bugbears of the modern GAA.
* It should also facilitate the use of local, county grounds for more games.
* Minor, U21, colleges and provincial games would have to be built into this calendar but O'Brien suggests the hurling Railway Cup should be played in conjunction with the International Rules series to act as a marketing tool for hurling, especially abroad.

If the GAA want to pay their players thats their right but obviously it would be taxable income.

All this talk about special government grants for GAA players is ludicrous too as if GAA players are any different from any other amateur sports people.

well they should get tax exemptions on that income as per other sports people no?
what should deffo not happen is that the government gives them anything unless the GAA are giving them something first. why should tax payers pay for what the GAA wont.

There is a tax rebate for pro athletes for best 10 years of earning. I suppose its similar to artist tax exemption to encourage people to earn their living from the arts or sports.

If you give a tax rebate to amateur GAA players then you would have to do so for all other sports from athletics to judo. Why would the GAA be any different?

I don't think the GAA will pay players as will create a gap between those paid by the GAA & all the volunteers which seems to be its biggest draw.

The obvious solution is compo for loss of earnings for having to take time off to play and train.

I read the article but only saw this thread now. Shocking that the Indo could get two full pages out of barmy pub talk:rolleyes: . Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this guy just some normal punter - so it's not even crazy talk from someone in a position of authority.

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* Everyone on the squad is paid the same, thereby maintaining strong team ethic

LOL - possibly in the land of NARNIA where European contract laws do not apply and all agents have been locked away in a far-off tower.:D

I don't think players should be out of pocket and some already do very well thanks to the opening up of the endorsement market but anyone who suggests the GAA could bring in direct compensation/salary, specifically for playing, and avoid full-blown professionalism is fooling themselves. You only have to look at the transfer situation that already exists with certain clubs in Dublin and indeed some counties (Kildare, I'm looking at you:) ) to see that pay-for-play will break up the traditional structure with top talent being drawn to counties willing to pay for it.

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* Counties names 30 'contracted' players at the start of a season and make them play for their clubs on alternate weeks. A balance must be achieved between club and county.

Good luck getting counties to release under-contract players for club games - how many games do rugby's provincial stars play for their clubs these days?