Sin bin goes down fighting and may return

News: Players issued with a yellow card during the coming National Leagues will be dismissed for the remainder of the match but may be replaced.

This proposal, the amended experiment of the football and hurling task force, was accepted by the GAA's Management Committee and on Saturday afternoon's in camera session of the association's Central Council.

If there was a surprise it was in the volume of support for the experimental sin bin proposal that had been hastily disowned by the task force after only a few weeks in operation, during which time the trial had been roundly attacked by several intercounty managers.

In a straight choice between the sin bin option and the new proposal, announced last week by GAA president Seán Kelly, Central Council chose the latter by five votes, 19-14. Nonetheless the sin bin hasn't been entirely left out, as Kelly indicated afterwards.

"Some people felt that the sin bin, given more time, would have worked and that they hadn't seen enough of it, and others were in favour of the sin bin with modifications - going off for a second rather than first yellow - but at the end of the day we had to make a decision and we endorsed the new proposals."

Asked was there any regret that the sin bin had been dumped a little hastily, Kelly agreed but said that the door hadn't been closed on it just yet.

"That view was expressed but the point to be made is that this is only an experiment and it's what happens at Congress that matters and I pointed out to the counties today that there's noting stopping any one of them putting forward a motion.

"Based on what I heard today I expect motions and hope there'll be motions because the more choice we have at Congress the better chance we have of making the right decision."

The debate had first to come to grips with some procedural points. "First there was an element of confusion over whether we had passed these to run in the National League at the last Central Council meeting or not. That had to be clarified for a start."

Another point raised was that the proposed experiments with the playing rules included what are strictly non-playing rules - those published in Part 1 rather than Part 2 of the Official Guide. Kelly overruled these objections on the grounds that the sections on foul play and discipline had to be taken together. To ensure clarity each proposal was voted on separately.

The proposal that sailed closest to the wind was that concerning the mandatory use of a kick-out tee in football. It was only narrowly carried in the face of a suggestion that it be made optional.

In open session, Tommy Moran, chair of the football task force, recapped on the experimental proposals that would apply during the National Leagues. With the exception of the yellow card provision the trials will be as announced before Christmas and six replacements will be allowed during matches.

Meetings to brief county managers and officers will be held this week in Thurles (The Anner Hotel) and Cavan (The Kilmore Hotel) at seven o'clock on Tuesday and Thursday respectively.

An important issue surfaced during the open session when director general Liam Mulvihill drew the meeting's attention to a warning from the Health and Safety Authority concerning voluntary work on club premises.

The HSA has put the GAA on notice that anyone injured in the course of building or maintenance work will be treated like an employee, regardless of the fact that they are working in a voluntary capacity.

On another issue it was revealed that the GAA was now recommending that the "relevant portion" of referees' reports should be made available when requested by either the police or a court. Tyrone county secretary Dominic McCaughey told the meeting that PSNI members had arrived at his house at 7.15 a.m. with a warrant to search for a referee's report.

Grant aid for the development of floodlit venues was also announced. Mulvihill said that each province would be expected to have one ground for such development and that they would have to have television-quality lights and playing surfaces suitable for the winter. The GAA would hope to have 10 or 12 floodlit grounds coming on stream over the next few years.

A grant of 1,500 will be forwarded to each county board to assist in the purchase of defibrillators, a precaution advocated by the Cormac Trust, established in memory of the late Tyrone captain Cormac McAnallen who died of cardiac arrest nearly a year ago.

The GAA will mark the centenary of founder Michael Cusack's death next year by making a donation to the Clare County Board, which has drawn up plans to mark the anniversary.

Finally it was announced that there will be no ticket price increases across the board this year.