€2m in funding part of GPA demands

GAELIC PLAYERS ASSOCIATION:THE GAELIC Players Association have stated their intention to escalate the current recognition dispute with the GAA, which includes a demand for more than €2 million in funding from the association.

At a press conference in Dublin yesterday, GPA chief executive Dessie Farrell outlined plans for further action as well as explaining why players have decided to boycott national broadcast coverage of Sunday week’s Munster hurling and Leinster football finals.

The action will affect both RTÉ and TV3, who will be transmitting live coverage of, respectively, the Tipperary-Waterford and Dublin-Kildare finals. RTÉ radio, as the national rights holder, will also be affected.

Farrell said that the GPA had received a letter of complaint from one of the broadcasters (believed to be an RTÉ reporter) complaining about the action. “I made the point that it was unfortunate that broadcasters and sponsors should be caught in the crossfire, but that their complaints should be directed to the GAA, who have entered into contracts of a commercial nature while taking for granted that players will always participate in any activity that’s required to fulfil those contracts. We’re saying that that day is gone.”

Stating that the national broadcasters and sponsors, whose branding is displayed during post-match interviews, had been targeted because their valuable contracts with the GAA “get to the very heart of it”, Farrell mentioned that other unspecified activities were in the pipeline.

“This first phase is obviously targeting the Munster hurling final and Leinster football final. After that, the nature and level of that activity will vary every week, but I’m not prepared to be specific on what that might entail. Suffice it to say that it will vary from week to week.”

Player unrest over what is perceived as the GAA’s dragging of feet on the issue may even lead to strikes. Asked about the possibility, Farrell refused to comment, but revealed that the organisation is considering convening an extraordinary general meeting.

“I’m not prepared to go down that road . . . I can’t rule anything in or out and I’m not prepared to comment any further beyond saying that we’re under increasing pressure from players to organise an egm to address certain issues.

“Obviously there are difficulties at this time of the year in doing that, but the national executive committee are considering that at this moment.”

It was also confirmed that the talks on recognition of the GPA as the official voice of players had largely broken down on the issue of funding with the players’ union looking for a minimum of five per cent of the association’s national commercial income.

“I think that is an issue that was one of the stumbling blocks,” said Farrell, “but there were others. Obviously to provide the level of services we want to for our players funding is an issue.

“There’s also an issue around questions of control and responsibility for player welfare and who actually assumes responsibility for the player welfare function.

“This agenda wasn’t about creeping professionalism, but providing for players in a way we need to off the field particularly. We’ve outlined to the GAA that the minimum percentage we’re prepared to accept is five per cent of commercial income, which revolves around gate receipts, TV rights and sponsorship monies.”

In 2008, those income streams totalled €43,214,768, five per cent of which would amount to €2,160,738.40. According to the GPA, this type of percentage is at the lower end of the scale when compared with funding for players’ organisations in other sports, such as the PFA in England and the AFLPA in Australia, which typically runs from five to 15 per cent.

Recent talks on recognition broke down when the GPA was unwilling to wait until after a specified management committee meeting later this month for a response to a document detailing their issues with proposals drawn up by former GAA president Nickey Brennan.

“There was an exchange of documents and we stated our position very, very clearly both in the document and at the meeting.

“We outlined that our position was of a very serious nature at this stage and that we needed some movement. Unfortunately, they weren’t prepared to agree to that within the specified time allowed.

“The huge levels of frustration and anger amongst the players at the delay in recognising the GPA. We’re 10 years in existence and we’ve negotiated under five different presidents and still no real progress has been made. Players feel and have indicated very clearly to us that enough is enough and it’s time to take some action.”

The players present at the conference, John Doyle (Kildare), Ger Brennan (Dublin), Shane McGrath (Tipperary) and Ken McGrath (Waterford), all expressed their support for the recognition campaign.

In an official reaction yesterday evening, the GAA said that it was “disappointed by the action planned by the GPA” and said that it would give a briefing on its position next week.