GAA PRESIDENT GUIDELINES FOR NEW OFFICE:NEWLY-elected GAA president Christy Cooney has done away with the Hurling Development Committee (HDC) and decided instead to give both main codes of the association equal attention during his three years in office.

It’s a slight departure from his predecessor Nickey Brennan, who rarely disguised the fact that he was a hurling man at heart, but Cooney believes there are weaker counties in football just as there are in hurling and both such issues will now be addressed under the National Coaching Games and Development Committee.

“We’ve done a lot of work on hurling over the last number of years,” said Cooney, “and will continue to promote hurling extensively. But in my thought process when deciding what committees were required, I felt this was the best way forward, because football needs its fair shake as well.

“It’s a question of putting both codes at the same level. We’ve always known that we had to do a little bit more for hurling, in the weather counties in particular, but there are weak counties in football as well, which we have to address and support.

“So we believe the structure we have in place now, the national umbrella body for both hurling and football, and also representation of handball, camogie and women’s football, is the way of promoting games, equally, as much as we can.”

However, Cooney has appointed what he says are “three hurling men” to that National Coaching and Games Development Committee – Galway’s Seán Silke, Cork’s John Fenton, and Antrim’s John McSparran.

“They will bring a balance to that process, and ensure that hurling gets its equal share and time at national coaching and games development. I believe that is the way forward.

“But I’m not having a hurling development committee. I’m bringing it under the guise of the structure that exists nationally, of national coaching and games development.”

At last weekend’s congress, Cooney announced that the new chairman of the National Coaching and Games Development Committee would be Liam O’Neill of Laois, who previously chaired the Disciplinary Rules Committee that came so close to securing the two-thirds majority necessary to bring the yellow-card experiment into rule.

As also stated at congress, Cooney expects similar rule proposals to be back on the agenda next year, although he wasn’t anticipating any change to the voting process or whether the GAA would consider a simple majority in instigating rule change.

“The bottom line is that there was very significant support for change, 63.8 per cent. So I think there is a responsibility on us to have a look at them again. We’ll do that over the summer, see how the championships go, and look at the options that we believe will best serve the association into the future.

“If we’re ready then we’ll come back to next year’s congress with recommendations to move forward. But we’ll take our time. We’ll see what the standard is like this summer, what type of fouling occurs, etc. But we’re not going to rush headlong into next week.

“But the two-thirds majority has served us well down through the years. Just because it didn’t work out for the disciplinary rules last weekend isn’t basis enough reason for changing. At all times we look at how the administration of voting works, but there’s been no cry from within the association for change on that.

“And it’s a true test, I suppose really, that there is significant ownership then for the changes that take place. So we’ll leave it stand as it is for the moment, unless there is some motion before congress next to say we should be changing the percentage.

“But we are going to look at the representation of delegates. That’s been coming for a while. Particularly as the overseas has expanded very significantly now. Frank Murphy’s committee is going to look at that over the next year and come forward with something for next year’s congress.

“I’m desperately keen on expanding congress to 1,000 people, and giving counties more votes. It’s really to make sure the democratic process is fair and balanced and gets a true representation at congress.”

Cooney was speaking at yesterday’s launch of the fourth annual VHI Cúl Camps, which this summer will see 83,000 children between the ages of seven and 13 participate in training camps, not only around the country but also in the UK, US and France.

Other priorities during his first weeks in office would be the kick-starting of his new club initiative, “Ag éisteacht”, which involves listening to the concerns of 40 clubs around the country every year – beginning with the Fingallians club in Dublin next Thursday.

Cooney also said he would be re-engaging with the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) after the collapse of recent efforts for formal recognition: “I’m sure I’ll be sitting down in the very near future with Dessie Farrell and having a chat about things.”

Finally, Cooney said the issue of maintaining the players grants scheme was “a matter for the Government” and also for the “GPA to deal with them on it . . . ”

Weekend Fixtures

Friday

Munster MFC Play-off– Waterford v Tipperary, Semple Stadium, 6.30pm, C Lane (Cork).

Saturday

NFL Division Three Final– Down v Tipperary, Longford, 6.30pm, C Reilly (Meath).

NFL Division Four Final– Antrim v Sligo, Longford, 4.30pm, M McGann (Clare).

Leinster MFC Losers Round– Wicklow v Carlow, Aughrim, 7pm, F Barry (Kildare); Longford v Offaly, Longford, 1.30pm, D Maher (Westmeath).

Camogie NL Division One Final– Wexford v Tipperary, Parnell Park, 3.30pm. F McDonald (Armagh).

Camogie NL Division Two Final– Antrim v Wexford, Parnell Park, 2pm. C Quigley (Kildare).

Sunday

NFL Division One Final– Kerry v Derry, Croke Park, 4pm, M Duffy (Sligo).

NFL Division Two Final– Cork v Monaghan, Croke Park, 2pm, S Doyle (Wexford).