BLACK AND WHITE…The figures were released by the GAA

“When the wealthy already pay the lion’s share, the wealthy will get the lion’s share of the relief. That’s just the way it is”.

BEING a club and county player, I read very intently to Ard Siúrthoir, Páraic Duffy’s Annual Report of 2015. Some of the facts and figures within the article are quite startling.

Firstly, the distribution of funds to county teams. Dublin received 47% of all available funding in 2015, with a whopping €1.46 million. Compare this Antrim (who have the second biggest population) who received a paltry €47,400.

Add in Dublin’s sponsorship with AIG for an estimated €4 million over five years and it’s easy to see how they can develop even further over the coming years. Will this lead to a case of the strong getting stronger and the weaker left to fight it out amongst the lowest echelons of League and Championship? Should there be a cap put on certain counties to keep our unique games competitive?

The International Rules series has been a strong topic of conversation over the past number of years. Some are in favour of keeping it, many are against it and most don’t even know the Hurling/Shinty series exists.

Whatever your opinion on it, there cannot be any justification for spending €400 000 in taking a team to Australia for one game. Just over 38,000 people attended the series in Dublin this year, with many of the tickets sold at subsidised prices. That money could be spent elsewhere within the Association.

This would go a long way in helping to promote hurling in Ulster, whether it be employing a number of new hurling coaches or putting together a long-term development plan. Take into consideration the cost of sending Dublin and Galway to a Super 11 ‘Hurling’ game played in Fenway Park in Boston and it’s clear to see that this money could be spent in a more beneficial way.

I was lucky enough to be named on the Ulster Interprovincial Hurling squad, which was due to play Connacht in Pearse Stadium Galway on the 5th December. However, storm Dessie had other ideas and the games where postponed. It now looks as if this will be the death knell of the Inter Pros.

Personally I feel this is quite a shame as the players really did enjoy this competition. It’s hard to finger who exactly is responsible for the decline in this once great competition. Is it due to the fact that there is no space in an already congested fixtures calendar? Do the hierarchy within the GAA not care about the competition? Do the fans not care? Or is it simply just another expense, which could be spent elsewhere? Whatever the reasoning, it is disappointing from a players’ perspective that the competition seems to have withered to a stuttering standstill.

Having touched briefly on the congested fixtures schedule, is now the time to do away with certain competitions or tweak the system slightly to accommodate players. The footballers have voted that they do not wish to play in a ‘B’ All-Ireland so it will be interesting to see the developments on this.

It has worked well in the hurling end, with Ring, Rackard and Meagher competitions being extremely competitive and it gives every county a realistic chance of silverware. However, I still feel these competitions could be sold better to the greater audience and played before a Liam Mc Carthy game to give these players greater exposure.

If a similar model was adapted in football, it could possibly work. Sigerson and Fitzgibbon games are being played at this time of the year alongside National League games. In an era where player burnout is a hot topic of conversation, is this the right time of year to be playing these competitions?

Some players will have three games in six days and being pulled all over the country. Physically, psychologically and educationally, these players will lose out due to being pulled from pillar to post by a number of masters. I believe the Sigerson/Fitzgibbon should be finished before Christmas to give the players the opportunity to give 100% to their county team. The weekend is always a great opportunity to really see the best in the boys, both on and off the pitch.

The u-21 championships are competitions which, again, the players enjoy playing in and can be seen as a stepping stone onto the senior stage. However I feel these are being played at the wrong time of the year.
These are being played alongside senior competitions and during the club season. Club players make up roughly 98% of the Association and they are the ones who mostly lose out. If the third level competitions are played before Christmas, this would leave ample time to run the National Leagues off and then play the U-21 Championship before moving into the senior competitions.

This would lead to a smoother transition from one competition to the next. Currently 17 – 21 year olds within the organisation are being asked to train too much at certain times of the year. Hopefully, this would go some way to eradicating some of these demands.

With a number of high profile concerts taking place in Croke Park over the summer, hopefully some of the revenue generated can be devoted to the developing counties in both hurling and football.

The structural imbalance and population of certain counties may always keep a division between top and bottom, but financial input in certain areas would certainly close the gap. Oh, and if anybody has a couple of spare tickets to the Croke Park concerts, send them this direction!
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