IN 2004 the GAA's task force on alcohol and substance abuse called for the limiting of alcohol sponsorship to two years and "ultimately to phase out this form of sponsorship". The recent renewal of a fruitful 14-year relationship with Guinness suggests this advice is being disregarded.
Yet the alcohol-and-substance-abuse-prevention (ASAP) group, now two-and-a-half years in existence, made a presentation to the media yesterday with continued support from the Minister for Health Promotion and Food Safety, Pat the Cope Gallagher; the HSE; and the GAA president, Nickey Brennan.
Several high-profile intercounty players, including Armagh's Aaron Kernan and Ross Munnelly of Laois, attended.
"We have taken away the Guinness sponsorship from the main title of the championship," said Brennan. "We have a two-year deal and the matter is being reviewed on an annual basis.
"Whether it ever goes forward after this I'm not 100 per cent sure. But there are ways and means that one has to deal with their sponsors. We have to be responsible from that point of view.
"When it goes down to club level the local bars and restaurant are probably the primary source of funding for a lot of clubs. That's just the reality. We're not going to issue a diktat in this regard.
"The Government of the day have a responsibility in this area. We've played our own part. It's for Government to lay down rules to what should or should not be allowed in sponsorship. Whatever they do we'll row in with anyway."
A six-figure sum has been invested in an educational DVD that warns against the pitfalls of alcohol and drug abuse.
Brendan Murphy, national co-ordinator of the ASAP programme, said: "If you look at sponsorship across most sports, GAA probably has a lower profile in terms of the new arrangement with alcohol companies than most other sports. We are deliberately saying what we are doing is taking it as a very serious issue and working around it."
Both men have lent their support to the motion from Heath (Co Laois) GAA club to this month's Congress, which calls for the filling of cups with alcohol for victory celebrations to be banned.
Kernan provided a player's viewpoint on the issue: "We don't want to be seen as angels but for long spells of the year you do go without drink or a social life. It means we are able to achieve the goals we set out to do. It is a minor sacrifice.
"I have no problem supporting this. I do take a drink myself, but it's not something I overindulge in. You wouldn't be out every weekend going mad on it. I'm happy with the GAA lifestyle that I live, the lifestyle I'm fortunate enough to get."
TIPPERARY (SH v Waterford):B Cummins; E Buckley, P Curran, C O'Brien; E Corcoran, C O'Mahony, S Maher; J Woodlock, S McGrath; S Butler, R O'Dwyer, J O'Brien; E Kelly, L Corbett, P Bourke.
MAYO (SF v Galway):D Clarke; T Cunniffe, T Conroy, C Boyle; D Heaney, T Howley, K Higgins; R McGarrity, T Parsons; J Gill, A Dillon, P Harte; C Mortimer, A O'Malley, A Moran.
TYRONE (SF v Derry): J Curran, M Swift, J McMahon, R McMenamin, D Harte, C Gormley, PJordan, C Holmes, S Cavanagh, R Mellon, R Mulgrew, E McGinley, N Gormley, C McCullagh, T McGuigan.
MONAGHAN (SF v Cork):P McBennett, D Mone, JP Mone, D Morgan, D Freeman, D Hughes, P McGuigan, D Clerkin, E Lennon, C McManus, P Finlay, S Gollogly, R Woods, V Corey, T Freeman.
