Football

GAA to take a stand against “inexorable creep” towards payment and protect amateur values

Amateur Status Committee will investigate how core values can be promoted and protected

As children up and down the country returned to underage training with their clubs in the last couple of weeks, the true value of the GAA volunteer has been evident.  Picture by Mal McCann 
As children up and down the country returned to underage training with their clubs in the last couple of weeks, the true value of the GAA volunteer has been evident.  Picture by Mal McCann  The GAA want to protect and promote the value of their amateur status. Picture by Mal McCann 
By Andy Watters

THE GAA is to take a stand on the “inexorable creep” towards payment, says Director General Tom Ryan.

At the launch of the GAA’s review of 2024, Ryan said the time had come for the GAA to protect its core values by establishing an ‘Amateur Status Committee’ to investigate how they could be promoted and protected.

Pointing out how roles within clubs that were previously unpaid were increasingly costing money, Ryan wrote: “Nowadays even the smallest of clubs seem to be pressured (internally or otherwise) to appoint an external team manager in the hope of success.

“Of course, that makes for financial pressure but worse still is erodes who we are. And even worse again is the collective blind spot – any organisation that espouses one thing and does, or permits, another cannot prosper.

“What can we do? Well, we can either admit defeat and legitimise that which we previously resisted or denied or we can make a stand. My strong preference is for the latter. I don’t honestly believe that any of us want to be where we are on this issue. Collectively and honestly acknowledging that would be a great start.

“We have convened an Amateur Status Commission to consider this issue and I await their conclusions with great interest. I’ll certainly put my weight behind delivering on them.”

The GAA will also establish an ‘Ethics and Integrity Commission’ which will assess any issues concerning ethical standards or integrity in relation to Association activity which do not fall within the remit of the standard disciplinary process.”

Meanwhile, the revenue of the GAA increased by 19 per cent last year to a total of €132.9million – a surplus of €6.2million.

Director of Finance Ger Mulryan said the Association was in a “solid financial state” and explained that the total revenue came from: Croke Park Stadium intake (€46million – up by €15million on the previous year), Gate receipts (€39.1m), Commercial income (€24.9m, up €3m), state funding of €13.3m (down €1.2m) and other income of €9.5m.

Mulryan outlined that 83 cent of every Euro generated was ploughed back into GAA activity or projects.