Is the GAA's tail wagging the dog?

Within the last couple of weeks two county GAA team managers have threatened to resign. Michael "Babs" Keating and Brendan Lowry had different reasons for feeling frustrated about what had happened to them but, for the moment at least, those reasons are not the subject of this article.

The question, however, which should be asked and addressed by the GAA is: "Who is running this organisation? Is the tail wagging the dog."

The GAA has come a long way since an entire county board meeting would have to be held on the sideline before a change could be made on the pitch. Important matches were won and lost as arguments about tactics and substitutions went on. It's not that long ago either since club affiliations and interclub politics influenced team selections. Thankfully those days are gone and, to some extent, we must be thankful to people like Mick O'Dwyer of Kerry and Kevin Heffernan of Dublin who made it clear that a more progressive and efficient way of preparing and selecting teams would have to be adopted if success was to be achieved. But, has the transition gone too far? What is known for certain is that county managers and players now have greater powers and are, by and large, being treated better.

There are, nevertheless, dangers involved in the transfer of certain powers to team management and players and away from elected county board officers. The GAA is, and hopefully, will remain an amateur organisation depending on voluntary effort for its very existence.

The most recent "spat" in Westmeath between Lowry, his selectors and the county board is interesting because it is something of a microcosm of the problem. For such a problem to arise in Westmeath makes it all the more interesting.

The problem arose, partly because they won two Leinster championship matches (against Carlow and Longford) and now find themselves facing a critical match against Laois tomorrow week.

Lowry and his back-up team felt that beating Laois was now the priority and they wanted their players to be excused from commitments to their clubs for the first round of the county championship. A stand-off of sorts was inevitable but, happily, commonsense prevailed and the county board agreed to a postponement of the club matches.

The problem now is what happens if Westmeath advance to the following round. Will the same problem arise?

One must also have sympathy for the county board in this dilemma. They have a responsibility to all players registered under their jurisdiction. The many players not involved with the county squad cannot be all that pleased with having their match postponed just because others are more talented and successful than they are.

One of the county board's concerns is that players such as those could be lost to the game completely if they are not catered for properly. The problem of fixtures is perennial in both football and hurling and there doesn't seem to be any easy solution. Lowry put the matter succinctly during the week when he said: "The county team is the shop window for the county." The increased coverage of games in recent years, added to massive sponsorship, has driven up public interest resulting in a rise in attendances and income for the GAA.

In those circumstances it is inevitable that people will strive for bigger and better things. The success of counties like Laois and Westmeath at minor level in recent years has raised hopes of further success and put more pressure on team mentors to make ever greater efforts to tap whatever potential they have.

A clash between the interests of club and county will always bring tension and that is what has happened in many counties. It will continue to happen as long as the GAA remains as popular as it is and long term planning seems to be the only solution. Mind you, there are many counties in the country who would be delighted to have Westmeath's problem.