Questions for men who would be president

THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE: SEÁN MORAN interviews the candidates

THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE: SEÁN MORANinterviews the candidates

Seán Fogarty

Age:61

Club:Moyne-Templetuohy, Tipperary

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Occupation:Farmer

Experience:Tipperary chair (1994-97); Munster chair (2004-07); member of Management Committee (2004-07); chair National Post-Primary Schools body (2006-09).

What do you believe is the main asset you would bring to the office?

I believe I have the experience, courage and energy to lead the association after 30 years' involvement at all levels of administration. I'm decisive when needed but I also have a great capacity to listen and bring about consensus. Even when I held high office in Tipperary and Munster I always tried to play a huge part in my own club and I'm currently vice-president.

I'm also national chairman of the post-primary schools and have very close links with the grassroots, because you can't get any closer than an intermediate club and schools.

What is the greatest challenge facing the GAA in the next three to four years?

The greatest challenge facing the GAA is the imbalance between urban and rural Ireland, population-wise and keeping the GAA strong in rural areas. The GAA have been very slow to move on this issue. There's been relentless urban development without putting sufficient pressure on local authorities and government departments to provide proper amenities. We've also been quite slow in engaging with other sporting organisations in those urban areas in ground sharing.

There have been arguments that the grounds would have to be vested in the GAA. I feel in urban areas where land is scarce and prices at a premium that to secure reasonable tenure we should be prepared to engage with other sporting organisations. Draconian planning laws are also having an effect not just on the GAA but on rural Ireland in general.

How would you address the increasing alienation between club members and the national administration in Croke Park?

I think it's a communication problem, a PR problem, from within Croke Park. Most members at club level are going around with some sort of a raffle ticket in their pocket and they can't understand that with the vastly increased income from sponsorship and TV money why some of it isn't finding its way down to the grassroots because every year they see increased insurance premiums and increased affiliation fees.

I know the money in Croke Park is being put to good use. We're spending the guts of €20 million on re-developing Semple Stadium and a lot of people in Thurles wouldn't even know that's going on. We should launch such initiatives with major fanfare. When people selling raffle tickets are asked, 'what's the GAA doing with all the money' we're not providing the answers. That's causing huge alienation.

What is your view of the proposed players' awards scheme?

I think we're going down quite a dangerous road. I would be much happier if this money was paid to a panel where every player would benefit equally. I believe the current format of distribution has the potential to cause jealousy within panels.

The expenses for a student getting the train (which he'll be paid for anyway) would be different than those for someone with a high-powered car. Now that the DRA has ruled that it doesn't breach amateur status I would run with the current arrangement but I'd be very watchful as to what's coming down the line.

What is your opinion of the GPA?

I'm slightly disappointed to see the other two candidates for the presidency saying they'd recognise the GPA, which I think is an elite organisation. An organisation for all adult players would be far more acceptable to me. If the GPA re-formed along those lines, had a proper constitution so that we would know what their real agenda is and membership fees so that we could gauge their actual membership, I'd propose that they be recognised in the morning.

Has the association become excessively commercial?

It has but it's probably necessary to live in the real world and to invest like they did in Croke Park but I feel there's a danger of taking our eye off the ball in games development. It's necessary for us to become more commercial but we have to keep the balance right and I don't think we're doing that at present.

Nickey Brennan has said that he believes the presidency should become less of an executive office and more of an ambassadorial role. Do you agree?

I've been saying that since I threw my hat in the ring for this contest. I said it a couple of months before Nickey said it and I think he's completely right.

It's part of the problem between clubs and Croke Park in that clubs view the uachtarán - not specifically Nickey - in recent years as living in an ivory tower in Croke Park. The organisation is basically Páraic Duffy's; the job of selling the organisation is the uachtarán's of the day. Nickey was caught a bit in that there were major changes taking place in the staffing from Liam Mulvihill down and he got tied up in that

Should the GAA continue to lease Croke Park to the IRFU and FAI when Lansdowne Road is completed?

I don't think this is going to be an issue. With the amount of money the IRFU and FAI are putting into Lansdowne Road it would be an admission of defeat if they're not able to play their games there. However, on a match-by-match basis I'd have absolutely no problem in letting out Croke Park - provided it's not at the expense of our own games. This year we had to move the All-Ireland Colleges and Vocational Schools finals out of Croke Park to allow remedial work to take place because of the amount of rugby and soccer games that were played.

What is your happiest GAA memory?

I have three of them. First and most abiding was my own club winning their first and only senior title in 1971. My brother was captain and another brother played on the day. Secondly, the ending of the famine in Killarney in 1987 and third, the day I was elected chairman of the Tipperary County Board. It was some honour to bestow on an ordinary guy from a small club.

Liam O'Neill

Age:52

Club:Trumera, Laois

Occupation:Gaelscoil principal

Experience:Laois county secretary (2001-03); Leinster chair (2005-08); member of Management Committee (2005-08); chair Urban Development work group (2000-03).

What do you believe is the main asset you would bring to the office?

My experience. For instance, everyone is concerned about hurling but I've been involved in doing something about it through the re-organisation of the club championships and the staging of a hurling forum in Leinster as well as putting pressure on central authorities to release funds - €3,000,000 - to progress the recommendations of the Strategic Review Committee. I come from a county that knows what it's like to struggle. I've chaired the national committee on urban development and have a range of broad and relevant experience.

What is the greatest challenge facing the GAA in the next three to four years?

Holding on to, developing and empowering our volunteers. We should be able to take a club official or county official and direct them to where people can help with whatever difficulties they have. I'm talking about bringing headquarters closer to people. We have to marry the two levels. Employees are there to do what volunteers can't do because of the way in which society is changing. We have to protect the balance between the volunteer and the full-time staff, a balance that's needed to energise the organisation.

How would you address the increasing alienation between club members and the national administration in Croke Park?

The above proposal for a Club Liaison Unit in Croke Park would be a start. It's only when you start addressing a problem that you see the size of it. Maybe after a year or so of taking queries we might see how better to expand that unit or to change it so that it can actively engage with people on the ground.

I envisage it based in Croke Park but maybe we would find that people are better served by moving it to the provinces. For instance, a club in Laois had a boundary removed by a bulldozer working on behalf of the NRA. It exposed the whole pitch and the club had no one to turn to. They should be able to ring a number in Croke Park and find out who can help with a crisis like that. The situation was sorted out through personal contact but there should be organisational help available.

What is your view of the proposed players' awards scheme?

No matter which way we solved this we were going to be in difficulty because it wasn't our idea. I'm still concerned that Rule 11 is in difficulty with this. I made my position known at Coiste Bainistí (Management Committee) but the vote was carried at Central Council and as a democrat I have to accept that. The DRA was never going to be a panacea to all our problems. All it could do was give a legalistic answer to a question. But we have to ask ourselves questions about Rule 11 and the expenses we continue to pay to club and county managers.

What is your opinion of the GPA?

County players have concerns but I've always said that all players matter to the association. All intercounty players are the product of a regime that we implemented when they were children 10 and 15 years ago. The association set aside its resources to make them the best players they could be. We've always managed our resources for the development of players; we don't exist for any other reason. No player is more important than another and in our negotiations with the GPA they have to be aware of that.

Has the association become excessively commercial?

No. You have to keep a balance. If we're going to live in the real world and pay for the building of all-weather facilities, if we're going to buy land in urban areas and going to develop new clubs and coaching structures we need money. We are, however, a games and cultural organisation and increasingly, people are talking about business men being brought in to run the organisation. What we need to do is do what we do in a business-like manner but there are more important considerations than money. We've managed so far to keep the balance right but we have to be mindful that the challenge is ongoing.

Nickey Brennan has said he believes the presidency should become less of an executive office and more of an ambassadorial role. Do you agree?

It will be up to whoever wins. When Nickey said that, he had a chief executive and a director of operations in mind. The director of operations hasn't been put in place yet and we don't know what the full package is going to be until that number two appointment is made. Clearly the fact that that appointment wasn't made, shows the vision for it isn't the same as outlined at that particular time.

The president will always be responsible for co-ordinating the policy and voluntary side of the organisation. The executive staff is there to increase the efficiency with which policy is implemented but ultimately, the association will be ruled by Coiste Bainistí, Árd Comhairle and congress.

Should the GAA continue to lease Croke Park to the IRFU and FAI when Lansdowne Road is completed?

It's hypothetical. The first full season in the new Lansdowne Road will be 2011, a season we play England and France at home. The IRFU are unlikely to come looking for Croke Park in the first season with their new stadium just open. Should a request come in for once-off events we have shown we have the ability to make the correct decision and have the ability to do so again. If they thought they had wanted a reciprocal arrangement with Croke Park they would have agreed to make Lansdowne Road available for Gaelic games. By not doing that they were declaring their hand and relieved us of any moral responsibility.

What is your happiest GAA memory?

The moment when I realised Laois were going to win the Leinster senior final in 2003 - when I saw your man reaching for his whistle! We had so many near misses. One definition of happiness is expectation bordering on realisation.

Christy Cooney

Age:55

Club:Youghal, Cork

Occupation:Fás assistant director general (human resources/organisational development).

Experience:Cork county chair (1995-98); Munster chair (2001-04); member of Management Committee (2001-04); chair National Coaching and Games Development Committee (2006-09); Member Strategic Review Committee (2000-02).

What do you believe is the main asset you would bring to the office?

My experience and understanding of the association over 30 or 40 years now. I've held administrative positions at club, county and national level and contested the presidency three years ago. I've an understanding of the people and the whole ethos in the GAA. I'd add to that my senior position with a state organisation and my understanding of the business world, which I believe would be an asset as is my ability to think things through.

What is the greatest challenge facing the GAA in the next three to four years?

There are a number: the shift from rural to urban populations is creating bigger cities, not just Dublin, and creating a need for strong clubs and better school liaison in these areas; that we increase our level of volunteers in the light of social changes. More parents are working and we're asking them to create a niche in their busy lives so we mustn't overburden them and ensure that administrative workload is supported.

How would you address the increasing alienation between club members and the national administration in Croke Park?

The blueprint that Páraic Duffy is drawing up will give us a good view of where things are on the ground.

Already we've had a national club forum that was very well attended and a very worthwhile exercise. I think the president can play a significant role in communicating with the association at large, ensuring that we get the message both up and down - what our grassroots need to know about and what we need to hear from them.

What is your view of the proposed players' awards scheme?

The Disputes Resolution Authority made a decision confirming that the GAA is not breaking any rules. The government made €3,500,000 available and in fairness to the uachtarán, Páraic Duffy, Con Hogan and Central Council, they made sure the money was utilised in such a manner that didn't interfere with Rule 11. I would have preferred it didn't go directly to individuals but went into a players' fund for holidays or maybe some kind of a support for training funds.

What is your opinion of the Gaelic Players Association?

My opinion of the GPA has moved somewhat in the past year or two. A couple of years ago I wouldn't have been sure where the GPA were coming from or exactly what they wanted to achieve and there would have been concerns about pay-for-play. Since then the GPA have come out and said that pay-for-play isn't an option. I believe a players representative body is going to be there and it won't go away so I think we have to develop a protocol as to how we can work with them effectively within our association. We're recognising the GPA already because we're negotiating with them. It's only a matter of crossing the 't's and dotting the 'i's and agreeing their role and how exactly it fits within the association.

Has the association become excessively commercial?

Inevitably, because the world has become more commercial the, GAA has to respond and try to secure its share of the funding that's out there. The development of Croke Park as a venue for non-match days means it has become part of the business reality. Our fundamental activity, however, is the development of our games.

It's a question of managing that and ensuring what funding is available to us through commercial reality is used for the benefit of the association and increases participation in our games. An organisation of our size needs money to run it.

Nickey Brennan has said he believes the presidency should become less of an executive office and more of an ambassadorial role. Do you agree?

I agree with it to a significant extent but I would also say that view is a bit simplistic. The president is the chairperson of Central Council, the chairperson of management and the office that represents the volunteer side of the association. So the president has a major role in sponsorship and commercial decisions and a major role in games policy. You still have a role in determining policy and ensuring our association is safeguarded going into the future.

The structures that are available in Croke Park and the staffing that is there give more freedom to the uachtarán to play the sort of ambassadorial role that Nickey would have spoken about. But you cannot totally separate them because you still have a significant role in the whole decision-making process, albeit maybe not on a day-to-day basis.

Should the GAA continue to lease Croke Park to the IRFU and FAI when Lansdowne Road is completed?

I don't believe this is an issue. The FAI and IRFU have decided as part of their planning process that they need a 50,000-capacity stadium. If a situation arises and they request the use of Croke Park on once-off occasions it can go before Central Council and Congress and I think it would get a fair hearing but I don't believe that it will happen. The FAI and IRFU are going to develop a very modern venue and they will have their own commercial sponsorships around that and they will also be selling a significant number of seats. I can't see the point in disrupting their patrons to take games to Croke Park, paying significant rent when their own stadium will be suitable for 99 per cent of their needs.

What is your happiest GAA memory?

My club winning an intermediate county final in 1988. I was a selector on the team and had a brother playing in goal. We had started off very shakily as a club that year in intermediate and we made tremendous progress. We got a commitment second to none and won despite not being expected to do very well. That's an abiding memory.