Newton's laws: February 2008

People have to decide now on what sort of GAA they wish to have in the future, those of us old enough to remember the set up of the premiership or the Kerry Packer rebel cricket will have no problems figuring out where it's currently heading, the real debate is about what our national games should look like in 10 years time, and we should all be smart enough to see the importance of the current Cork dispute in that context.

When I was a young player there was no money in the GAA, players were treated like crap, and the administrators were legendary, nothing unusual to see them dining out while the players ate sandwiches, there was no balance and the situation needed to be redressed.

Later on as a club chairman I witnessed the latter part of an era where players began to be appreciated, where Liam Mulvihill and others like Peter Quinn introduced a much more commercialised GAA, where sponsors were involved but did not necessarily call the shots, the establishment of the GPA which led us to small elite player payments, and a recognition that the players were as important as the administrators. The majority of income is still ploughed back into clubs, but the players are well looked after, you might call it balance.

You ask country players privately if they'd like a semi pro game, or even a professional one and they would take your hand off for it, the idea of playing and getting well paid for it is music to the ears of all these very dedicated lads, as it would be to any of us of we were 19 again and good enough, but is this really the way people think the GAA should go? We've seen the effect of professionalism in soccer and rugby over the last 15 years, thinking we are immune to this is ostrich strategy, the TV companies and sponsors call the shots now, the administrative bodies will do what they are told, and the players will benefit hugely, what's wrong with that you ask.

What's wrong is that the club scene will slowly die, as the funds are sluiced away to elite players who are no longer available to their clubs, the senior club scene will give way to underage and school competitions, which will be important as the breeding grounds for the next superstar, like the United States in baseball, you will have an elite professional scene, and a strong schools and college scene (as everyone wants to make the pro's)

Cork players expressed surprise that their respective Club delegates appear to be supporting the executive of the Cork county board in this dispute, but the truth is that there is now a considerable distance between the elite player and the average club delegate, in times past the selection of players on county squads was seen as a major benefit by clubs, they continued to represent their club in league games and often trained and socialised within the club structure.

Modern day country set ups demand that players rarely play with their clubs, are typical unavailable for almost all league games and don't socialise at all except with other elite players on "bonding" weekends in Malaga. The gap between the modern elite player and his club has widened considerably, it's little wonder that the Cork players are having trouble getting their views represented via their clubs.

Is this the future we want? A semi pro premiership of 10 - 12 elite county squads, with a fluid transfer market ensuring the weaker counties lose their finest players and never have a chance to break through, a club scene which will thrive at Bord na n'og level but will die at senior and intermediate level into Sunday league pub competitions. I don't propose to tell people what they should want, simply to point out the I believe this is the direction we are inevitably heading unless someone shouts stop.

It’s time for an extensive debate into the future structure of the GAA, this is an issue that is far bigger than either Donal Og Cusack or Frank Murphy, as GAA people we are arrogant beyond belief if we think that our organisation would be immune to what's happened in soccer and rugby, and if we decide this is the direction we want the organisation to go in, then fine, but to wake up one morning and see wealthy elite players, no volunteers bar selfish parents who want their kid to make it, TV companies and sponsors calling the shots and clubs reduced to soulless shells with liquor licences. With "free to air" a thing of the past we'll end up paying Setanta to watch Sean Og. That's hardly what the founding fathers envisaged, I wonder is it what Irish people want now.

The GAA has been a major force for good in modern Ireland, a major part of the social fabric, yes in the past it was unbalanced, these days we have a reasonable balance between the interests of clubs, sponsors, players, communities and county boards, if we are going to unbalance it lets be careful about where the end game is at, in ten years time we want a GAA that retains it's ideals.

Those marching on the streets of Cork in the last week would do well to remember that.