Our DRA hearing took place on Friday night last in The Raddisson Hotel, Dublin Airport. The DRA Tribunal was Michael O’Connell (Kerry, and son of the legendary Mick O’Connell); Damian Mahon (Derry, City Solicitor to Derry City Council); and Mick Loftus (former GAA President). In true GAA fashion these men are volunteers … putting their time and their huge expertise at the disposal of the rest of us. No word of grants there!As a result of the DRA process the GAA’s representatives made it crystal clear that:

• There never was any agreement
• There certainly is no agreement at present
• There will be no agreement in future without the full and proper approval of Congress

It’s a huge turnaround face from what we were all presented with as a “done deal” back on 8 December. In one of the night’s more bizarre moments, the GAA claimed during the hearing that “any reasonable person” reading their press release of 8 December would have had no doubts that the whole issue would have to be decided by Congress.

That saw virtually every eyebrow in the room hit the ceiling! If that had been the case, Ireland’s clearly full of “unreasonable” people. One of these is evidently our President, Nickey Brennan who as late as 13 January in an interview with The Irish Mail on Sunday was clear that only if (other) people submitted motions, would the issue “get an airing” at Congress.

One of the other sad experiences of the night was the GAA’s refusal to give the Tribunal an undertaking that it would actually do what it promised to do. Because of that we sought an adjournment of the hearing so that the case could be re-opened if the GAA didn’t live up to its promises. The DRA ruled in our favour on that issue. That means our claim that giving money to GAA players breaks Rule 11 is still alive … and it remains and will remain our contention that any approval of a grant scheme at Congress requires a change to Rule 11.

We’ve attached a press release on the DRA hearing, you can download it from the link below:

grants_agreement_in_tatters.doc

Someone aptly described the whole grants/awards debacle as “the-deal-that-never-was”. Our task is now to make sure it’s “the-deal-that-never-is”!!!

There’s still plenty of work ahead.

In the Meantime … Be Afraid … Be Very Afraid!

Part of the argument in favour of the scheme-that-never-was but which was nonetheless launched on us on 8 December last, was the claim that the payment of money to elite players for playing gaelic games actually copper-fastened our amateur status.

That claim certainly flummoxed the plain people of Ireland!

But it would equally hold no water at all as far as some very “un-plain” legal people at the heart of the EU are concerned. Following a case taken to the European Court of Justice by Christelle Deliege, the Court ruled in December 2005 that since Mme Deliege received money, including some from her own judo federation as grants to improve her sporting performance (now where have we heard that before?) as a result of taking part in judo, her sporting activity actually constituted an economic activity … and therefore enjoys the full protection of Community law.

On that basis, if we give money to our players then all our tried-and-tested GAA rules and understandings about registrations; transfers; and even the management of our games immediately go out the window to be replaced by EU work/employment-related rules and regulations about restraint of trade; image rights; access to GAA income; and so on.

It would never happen?

Try that one with someone you know in any other sport that’s gone down the pay-for-play route! In the meantime, enjoy the last remaining kick of the “old” GAA. It isn’t going to be there for much longer!

Going to Congress: Can You Get Your Head Around This?

We understand that Saturday’s Central Council meeting, at the request of Management, voted to send a motion to Congress seeking approval for its grants scheme. (This was despite GAA press officer Feargal McGill being quoted in last Thursday’s Irish Times as saying the grants issue would not be discussed at the meeting because its only order of business was the Special Congress the same day … but then positions here do seem to shift on a daily basis!)

Now tell us if we’re wrong on this but here’s our understanding of the current position:

• On Friday night at the DRA, Central Council confirms there is no agreement nor was there ever any agreement
• On Saturday morning Central Council votes to send a motion to Congress about a grants agreement (that they’ve told us doesn’t exist)
• Central Council is therefore backing a motion on a scheme that doesn’t exist and to which it’s not committed
• Even better, Monday’s Evening Herald (28 January) has a GAA spokesperson telling us that on Saturday past, the motion that Central Council voted to submit to Congress has yet to be framed by Management

So there we have it. Central Council is committed to nothing except to a motion that Management has yet to draft on an agreement that’s yet to be framed.

And in all of this, still not a word for us ordinary GAA people (who keep the whole show going) on “our” GAA website.

There is in life something known as The First Law of Holes. It states: “When you’re in one … stop digging!”

Sounds like very good advice here!

And Finally … Keep This Issue Alive!

The mantra for opposing pay-for-play in the GAA remains the same:

• We work within (and want to protect!) the GAA’s structures and systems
• Bring the issue up in your Club
• Bring it to the National GAA Club Forum on 9 February
• Bring it to your County Committee and swell the growing tide of County opposition to it
• Make sure your voice is heard when it reaches the floor of Congress
• Ask your Central Council delegate just what went on at the 8 December and 26 January meetings
• Make sure your Central Council delegate reflects your County’s feelings the next time this issue is debated at Central Council
• Talk to people about the damage pay-for-play will do to the GAA … and how Ireland will suffer as a result
• Keep hammering home the point that nobody in the GAA has to do anything: we’re all volunteers … and if the burdens are too much we should just walk away or reduce our input

• Above all, in the GAA we don’t pay people to play our games!

This past week has seen huge progress in the campaign against pay-for-play in the GAA. The DRA has delivered a major result. But we’ve still work to do.

Let’s finish with another wee bit of Churchill (well, Viscount Brendan Bracken, a member of Churchill’s wartime cabinet was the son of JK Bracken, one of the founders of the GAA!):

“This is not the end.

This is not even the beginning of the end.

But it may perhaps be the end of the beginning!”

Beir bua!

To its eternal credit the Dublin County Board, as we reported in an earlier circular, asked its Clubs to discuss and vote on the November agreement. We understand Naomh Olaf was the first to do so, last Thursday night. The result? A whacking 74% to 26% AGAINST!The discussion then moved on to the meeting of the Dublin County Board on Monday night. The result here? Another resounding rejection of the scheme with at least 35 delegates speaking out against it. Dublin’s Clubs were very clear about two things. They don’t want the scheme and they were bitterly disappointed that the whole thing had been handled as a “done deal” at a high level and they had not been consulted.

A very consistent pattern is emerging here. When ordinary GAA people have their say, they’re very strongly against this move to pay-for-play. So far that’s been the case with votes in Armagh; Derry; Down; Dublin; Fermanagh; Mayo; and Tyrone. In fact the only vote we know of that’s gone in favour of the arrangements was … yes, you’ve guessed, the fateful 8 December one by Central Council! Surely it’s not a case of everyone being out of step but “Our Johnny”?

We also believe that the GAA’s Management Committee was by no means unanimous when it voted on this issue. But convention evidently is that Management votes as one when it goes to Central Council … so a small majority translates into a unanimous vote. It all seems a wee bit Stalinist! But if we add the Management Committee dissenters to those Counties which have clearly set their faces against the agreement … then surely Central Council’s true position on the arrangement should be far from the near-unanimity we were told occurred back on 8 December? If it’s not, then our GAA systems are worryingly dysfunctional.

DRA Affairs

We’ve formally gone back to the DRA asking it to hold a hearing on our submission. It’s now been lodged for over a month and with the deadline for motions to Congress fast approaching we feel it’s reasonable that our case should be heard by 24 January. We’ll keep you posted.

The GAA’s “Iraq War” …? Are There Certain Similarities?

A small, remote group of high-powered people enter into a secret arrangement with third parties … wave a nonsensical threat (Weapons-of-Mass-Destruction/GPA Strike) … refuse to consult the rest of us … insist on committing us to something we neither needed nor wanted … break the fundamental rules … shift the rationale after it happened (waving UN motions and phrases like “no binding decision”) … leave the subject (Iraq or the GAA) in far worse shape than they found it …effectively create a civil war … but continue to insist they did nothing wrong.

It’s enough to make you cry!

Well, You Have To Laugh!

Following Central Council’s clear confusion about what it actually decided on 8 December, one of you came back to us with the following:

“The situation gets more bizarre by the day. I think between “It’s not binding!” and “It’s not pay for play …and never will be!!” I have to share with u now, encouraged by this novel approach to logic, that when I approached my wife last night to tell her that I considered our marriage vows no longer binding and wished to have a meeting at another date to ratify that “decision”, if it was a decision … or perhaps not, she planted her very nicely rounded knee in my groin … but, said later that it never happened … and in any case if it did happen it was only a matter of showing me how much she loved me … or not … and whatever ur having urself !!”

Yes, They Said It!

Some words of wisdom from a variety of sources:

“The reality is that this issue (ie grants) requires the collective decision of the Association through Central Council following consideration and debate, particularly at county level”

Nickey Brennan 22 April 2006 (Hmmmm!!!)

“The GAA should maintain its position as the country’s leading amateur sporting body and should continue its policy of not paying its players for playing, whether directly or indirectly: this should include not paying any form of reimbursement for wages/salaries for time lost as a result of either playing or training.”

The often referred-to but rarely-quoted CLCG Amateur Status Report 1997, Paragraph 2.8(a)

“What makes the GAA so great is the fact that you have to sacrifice so much to play football matches. I would never like to see that change and I think the grants could be the start of something bigger.”

Philip Jordan, Double All-Ireland winner

“Paying players, by whatever devious means concocted, is dangerous and ultimately self-defeating as far as the amateur ethos of our great association is concerned.”

Paddy Buggy, past-GAA President, in January 2008

“What used to p*** me off was players, young fellas, telling you how to play the game – telling you the sacrifices they’d made. Telling you that there should be a government grant at the end of it. How they felt their image rights were being infringed on and all that. You’re playing for your county, like. There are kids out there who’d love to do it. Kids who can’t get out of bed in the morning who’d love to be there. That’s not grá mo chroí stuff – it’s a fact. I hated that attitude of these people who were giving the impression it was a chore, that being a modern day inter-county footballer was tough and ‘I’m missing out on overtime here’ “.

Dara Ó Cinnéide, All-Ireland winning Captain

“Our clubs want the amateur status of the GAA protected and are opposed to the grants scheme. Delegates at our meeting let it be known in no uncertain manner that they had no hand, act or part in the (grants) decision making”

Dublin County Chair Jerry Harrington

And no, that first one doesn’t change the second time you read it:

“The reality is that this issue (ie grants) requires the collective decision of the Association through Central Council following consideration and debate, particularly at county level”

Nickey Brennan 22 April 2006

And Finally … Keep This Issue Alive!

The mantra for opposing pay-for-play in the GAA remains the same:

• We work within (and want to protect!) the GAA’s structures and systems
• Bring the issue up in your Club
• Bring it to the National GAA Club Forum on 9 February
• Bring it to your County Committee and swell the growing tide of County opposition to it
• Make sure it reaches the floor of Congress: it’s becoming increasingly clear there’ll be a Congress debate on all this … but we need the motions submitted!
• Ask your Central Council delegate just what went on at the 8 December meeting
• Talk to people about the damage pay-for-play will do to the GAA … and how Ireland will suffer as a result
• Keep hammering home the point that nobody in the GAA has to do anything: we’re all volunteers … and if the burdens are too much we should just walk away or reduce our input

• Above all, in the GAA we don’t pay people to play our games!

Thank you again for your support!
There’s a growing bit of light at the end of the tunnel!
Thank you for lighting the torch!
Beir bua!