O'Neill keeps calm and carries on

IT MUST be the start of the championship when the GAA president is talking up attendances, referees, and the state of play in general although Liam O’Neill is not fingering any panic buttons just yet.

With Euro 2012 coming down the tracks, then the London Olympics, the assumption is the championship will take a backseat this summer, attendances probably taking a hit, at a time when football in particular is struggling to maintain its audience.

“Well I don’t know, what’s a hit?” asked O’Neill. “We have capacities, but it’s not a numbers game. Who remembers how many went to a game three years ago? And at the end of the day, if you take away the doom and gloom last year, our championship attendances held up pretty well, and that was a surprise to many people. So a plus or minus of a few thousand isn’t going to make or break us.

“And I am relaxed about it, because I know we have a great product, I know we have great players, and I know we have great games in terms of fixtures set out. We’re happy that people will go and enjoy them, our hope is that they would.

“The thing about TV sport as opposed to live sport is that you can only watch so much TV sport, but at some stage, you’ve got to get out of your armchair and watch a match. That’s even the case if it’s the Olympics. There’s no better thing than to go to a game, that’s our slogan this year – go to the games – and we’re trying to encourage people to do that, because no doubt about it, when you look at all the other sports around the world, we have the fittest, sharpest players, in both codes.”

O’Neill was speaking at Croke Park at one of his first formal engagements as GAA president, the launch of the Opel GAA/Gaelic Players Association All Star scheme: it’s the second year the awards have been combined, and will retain a monthly award winner too – plus the annual All Star tour, which later this year will takes the successful footballers to New York.

O’Neill has already drawn attention to the current state of football with some unflattering comments following his inaugural speech to Congress last month, and while since clarifying those remarks, he made no apologies for his desire to give football some closer inspection – specifically through the new Football Review Committee he has charged with conducting a root-and-branch review of the state of football, chaired by former Offaly All-Ireland-winning manager Eugene McGee.

“We’re 128 years in existence, and we’ve never reviewed football. What harm can it do? We’ve put people there, probably the most independent people we could find, and I went for that, deliberately. I don’t want this to be a Liam O’Neill show, or a Croke Park show. I want it to be about people who know about football, and have a slightly distant view on it.”

The fact there are no players from the current decade among the nine committee members doesn’t mean current players won’t be consulted: “If the Olympic Council in any country in the world wanted to review athletics, they wouldn’t put people who were going to run in London on the committee, because that person’s focus is on London, his or her business.

“But we will consult with players, and players from women’s football, supporters, and we’ll set up an email address where people can put questions too.

“Every single section of our organisation with a stake in football will be asked and get the chance to give their opinion, and I’m sure nothing but good can come out of this. So of course players will be consulted, and anyone who wants to make a contribution will be listened to.

“All we ask is people focus on the solution, rather than the problems. If the committee deems that everything is fine then that’s alright too. Whatever we come up with we’ll debate and put to the organisation in a democratic way, But we’re looking to start at under-6, and under-8, and what sort of game we want them playing in 20 years’ time. Is it going to be attractive, and are the games still going to be manly, and skilful?”

One of the adjustments already made is the square-ball rule, and despite some players and managers raising concerns, O’Neill believes referees will be perfectly equipped to cope. “They’ve had a run at this before. It’s not that they are novices. We’ve good referees, we’ve good players, and the players will always seek to maximise their advantage in regards to the rules, but it’s up to the referees to call it when it goes beyond what’s deemed fair. They’re there to make calls and whatever calls they make I hope will be respected,” says O’Neill.

Finally, on the issue of a potential FAI joint Euro 2020 bid – which could conceivably require the use of Croke Park as a venue – O’Neill was again unruffled: “It’s only an expression of interest. I’ve heard nothing else about it. It might not happen, and until it lands on our desk, our only focus is next Sunday, getting our games going.”

Under the amended Rule 42, Central Council still has the power to open Croke Park to other sports as they see fit, without recourse to Congress.