Government to Fund GAA Player Wages?
Indo
Quote:
Government's €5m on table for players
Thursday January 18th 2007
THE GOVERNMENT will not budge on the issue of individual grants for GAA players, but their offer of €5million to Croke Park to fund them is still "on the table," according to Sports Minister John O'Donoghue.
The GAA and Gaelic Players Association (GPA) are due to take another vital next step next week when they resume negotiations on the thorny subject.
For the last two and a half years, the GPA has been seeking individual grant aid for their players and organised inter-county hurlers and footballers to stage a mass protest last March when delaying National League throw-ins. This action was taken to highlight their battle to be treated like Irish sports stars in other codes who get millions of euros per year in grant aid.
But despite a long-running campaign on the players' behalf, the Government and GAA have ruled out a similar scheme and the likely compromise is to allocate funding into players' team funds, possibly through county boards.
Late last year, it was rumoured that the GPA were contemplating running candidates in the upcoming General Election on this contentious matter. But that now appears off the agenda.
The sports minister has not changed his thinking, but he is willing to give the GAA a lump sum to fund the players as the Croker authorities see fit.
Agreeing
However, the GAA and players are still a long way away from agreeing the details of such a scheme.
The GPA were due to start their 2007 talks by meeting the GAA's new Players Welfare Officer Paraic Duffy last week, but that meeting had to be deferred because some key GPA personnel were unavailable and is now expected to go ahead early next week.
Minister O'Donoghue said yesterday that "my door is open to both organisations to come and see me in order to finalise arrangements. I am willing to see if we can make €5m available, that remains on the table."
But the Kerry native again ruled out any suggestion of players getting individual government grants, saying it was up to the GAA hierarchy to decide how to fund players.
"I've been quite consistent, I'm not getting involved in pay-for-play. Personally, I'm against it. I believe the amateur status of the GAA is paramount to its success," he said.
"But the whole question of the amateurism of the GAA is a matter for the GAA itself," O'Donoghue stressed.
"And no more than I would tell them what they should do with Croke Park, I will not tell them what they should do in relation to their players." Government's €5m on table for players
Thursday January 18th 2007
ADVERTISEMENT
THE GOVERNMENT will not budge on the issue of individual grants for GAA players, but their offer of €5million to Croke Park to fund them is still "on the table," according to Sports Minister John O'Donoghue.
The GAA and Gaelic Players Association (GPA) are due to take another vital next step next week when they resume negotiations on the thorny subject.
For the last two and a half years, the GPA has been seeking individual grant aid for their players and organised inter-county hurlers and footballers to stage a mass protest last March when delaying National League throw-ins. This action was taken to highlight their battle to be treated like Irish sports stars in other codes who get millions of euros per year in grant aid.
But despite a long-running campaign on the players' behalf, the Government and GAA have ruled out a similar scheme and the likely compromise is to allocate funding into players' team funds, possibly through county boards.
Late last year, it was rumoured that the GPA were contemplating running candidates in the upcoming General Election on this contentious matter. But that now appears off the agenda.
The sports minister has not changed his thinking, but he is willing to give the GAA a lump sum to fund the players as the Croker authorities see fit.
Agreeing
However, the GAA and players are still a long way away from agreeing the details of such a scheme.
The GPA were due to start their 2007 talks by meeting the GAA's new Players Welfare Officer Paraic Duffy last week, but that meeting had to be deferred because some key GPA personnel were unavailable and is now expected to go ahead early next week.
Minister O'Donoghue said yesterday that "my door is open to both organisations to come and see me in order to finalise arrangements. I am willing to see if we can make €5m available, that remains on the table."
But the Kerry native again ruled out any suggestion of players getting individual government grants, saying it was up to the GAA hierarchy to decide how to fund players.
"I've been quite consistent, I'm not getting involved in pay-for-play. Personally, I'm against it. I believe the amateur status of the GAA is paramount to its success," he said.
"But the whole question of the amateurism of the GAA is a matter for the GAA itself," O'Donoghue stressed.
"And no more than I would tell them what they should do with Croke Park, I will not tell them what they should do in relation to their players."
How can the State just give the GAA money to fund players wages? Surely if its good enough the GAA they can give same to the FAI to help subsidise eL player wages?
:o
