Biggest threat to GAA is the organisation itself, board hears

THE greatest threat to the GAA is not soccer or rugby but the GAA itself two former inter-county players, both of whom are now senior club managers, told last week’s special meeting of Clare GAA.
Donal Madden, a native of Tulla, who manages Clonlara and Tulla’s Jim McInerney were speaking during a two-and-a-half hour debate on the proposed masters fixtures schedule for 2013. Both wanted a round of the championship to be scheduled for June.
At the end of the debate, delegates voted to have a round on June 28/29 in the event of Clare qualifying for the Munster Senior Hurling Final. Otherwise, the schedule will remain as proposed as presented to delegates at a meeting a week earlier.
“The impression I get from the master fixtures plan is an overwhelming bias towards the inter-county player, players involved in the county panel. I appreciate it’s an extremely difficult job that Padraic Boland and his committee had to do. We have 20 senior clubs in Clare plus intermediate and junior teams, roughly 1,000 club players and still we are focusing on the 30 players on the county panel. At a time when employment is so low, depression is so high, suicide rates are so high, the level of alcoholism is so high, we are only adding to the problem by not giving our club players something to do,” Madden told the meeting.
“The GAA was set up many years ago to provide entertainment for the young people of Ireland. We launched an initiative last year to get our club players to abstain from drink for the month of January but it’s now ok, as of this plan, to go drinking in June and July because they have nothing else to do. We are constantly discussing falling revenue and poor attendances at our club games when the answer is before our eyes. Families find it very difficult to bring out kids in bad weather and interest in our club championships is diminishing all the time. Players want to play and they want to play club championships in the summertime when the pitches are good,” he added.
He continued, “This is not to favour my own club. We have lost eight players since we last won the championship. We have six on the county panel, we have college exams, we have guys going to America, we have lots of players and we have other guys who want to play for the club and in the summer time,” the Clonlara manager said, proposing that Round 1 goes ahead as scheduled (May 18/19) with Round 2 on June 8 and 9 if Clare lose to Waterford in the Munster Championship or on June 28/29 if Clare beat Waterford.
Sixmilebridge man PJ Fitzpatrick who is the Cumann na mBunscoil delegate to the board, said scheduling a round for May or June when lads are doing exams is asking clubs to play without some of their best players. “We are leaving the whole summer without championship year after year. If clubs have to vote tonight, they will vote for a proposal that nobody agrees with, that everybody thinks is a farce but the players have given up the ghost. We can’t do a whole lot about it this year at this stage but it’s outlandish to be asking lads to play during their final exams. The championship should not start until after the Leaving Certificate is over and then it should be played off as the Sundays become available. It’s Tipperary and other counties, they send out messages to say that the games are on the following weekend after the county teams play. If a county team is on a winning run then the 14 days free can be applied but it they are in the qualifier then six or seven is enough. It’s a joke of a system. I have met nobody who says it’s acceptable to play a round in May and then wait 14 weeks for the next round.”
Crusheen’s Tony O’Donnell expressed “total opposition” to a gap of 13 weeks between Rounds 1 and 2 “and there is a danger it will be longer. There has to be a compromise. This can’t continue.”
Cratloe’s Tim Danagher reminded delegates, “We played two senior championship games in four days last year. That’s not sustainable and Cratloe will not be doing that this year.” He proposed that “the first round of the football be played in May as is the case in hurling. You can then start the intermediate and junior competitions. It is impossible to run off the two when starting in August.”
Board chairman Michael McDonagh, who stressed at the outset that “it is the clubs of the county that will make the decision”, told the meeting that from his contact with the football clubs, “they are happy with the proposal to start in August”.
Noel Walsh (Miltown St Joseph’s), Pádraig Conway (Doonbeg), Colm Browne (Kilrush), Eamonn Finnucane (Lissycasey) and Noel Crowe (Ennistymon) all said their clubs were happy with the dates proposed for the football championship.
Joe Kelly (Wolfe Tones) stressed dual clubs must be considered.
Sixmilebridge chairman Paddy Meehan told the meeting, “We have 10 players doing third-level exams in May and it’s not a reality for us to play without them. We have to find a date in June when the exams are over.” He supported the proposal for a round on June 28-29.
Broadford chairman Danny Chaplin strongly opposed the suggestion for a round on June 8-9. “We have a panel of 19, three of whom are doing the Leaving Cert. That would leave us with 16 and we would have to give a walkover. This is a huge year for the B teams in particular as four are to be relegated. That’s 50%. If June 8 and 9 is fixed for a round, we will have to give a walkover,” he warned.
Feakle’s Mike Daly also opposed June 8 and 9 for a round of the championship saying “the footballers are happy but the hurlers are getting the raw end of the wedge here.”
Joe McNamara (St Joseph’s) told the meeting, “Both of our managements have endorsed the plan and are happy to go along with it.”
Newmarket’s Michael Clancy said, “We don’t see an alternative but we should reconvene in July and review the position at that time. Early June is not possible as clubs need their Leaving Cert players.”
Clooney-Quin’s John Condon said “the gap is not ideal but there isn’t an alternative”.
Tulla’s Ray Stewart asked for two games in the summer with a third round in August, as his clubmate Jim McInerney noted “the 13-week gap is likely to be 15 weeks”.
Bord na nÓg hurling chairman, Martin Reynolds, pointed out. “We have the opening round of the Minor Hurling Championship at the end of June.”
“We need to get Croke Park and the Munster Council to condense the All-Ireland series,” Michael McDonagh observed but Munster Council delegate John O’Sullivan said, “Munster Council and Croke Park are not the problem, it’s TV that’s deciding and that’s where the money is”.
The suggestion that not starting the senior championship will delay the intermediate and junior competitions drew this response from Tubber chairman Michael Lee. “No club regrades players to strengthen a junior team. That’s an argument that won’t stand up. It’s a myth and not a reality.”
Padraic Boland, chairman of the committee which put the masters fixtures document together said, “Our hands were tied before we sat down with the conditions and rules that are in place. There is no doubt there is a problem with the hurling but it’s the clubs that must bring about change,” he said.
Commenting on the suggestion to have a round on June 8 and 9, he noted, “There are five dual players part of the county football panel and clubs affected include Ballyea, St Joseph’s and Éire Óg”.
St Joseph’s delegate Pat Frawley then told the meeting “we will not be playing championship without our players on the county panels”.
“Clubs and players want certainty. If you go back to pre ’95, there was no certainty as to when the championships would start,” commented Michael Curtin from O’Curry’s.
Proposing that Round 1 go ahead on May 18 and 19 with Round 2 on June 8 and 9, Éire Óg’s John Russell said, “The games have to be played and it’s up to ye up there to promote them,” directing his comments to the top table.
Whitegate’s Denis Tuohy, also a member of the committee which drew up the plan, reminded clubs, “Five teams will be relegated this year and if you have two rounds played early, the year will be over for some clubs.
“Remember the 13 day rule general rule specifies that senior inter-county players are entitled to 13 days free prior to inter county championship, tied our hands.”
At this stage, the meeting was adjourned for 15 minutes to allow the executive meet with the masters fixtures plan committee and also the CCC to see if they could come up with an alternative proposal.
On their return, board chairman Michael McDonagh told the meeting that if they didn’t accept the plan, they could leave it to the CCC to make the fixtures.
St Joseph’s delegate Pat Frawley proposed that the masters plan be ratified, seconded by Noel Walsh, Miltown.
Jim McInerney didn’t agree and argued that June 28-29 could host a round depending on how the county team results go. This was supported by Danny Chaplin and Donal Madden.
By 29 votes to 19, the meeting supported McInerney’s proposal and Round 2 of the senior championship will be on the final weekend in June if Clare reach the Munster Senior Hurling final.
Surprisingly, nobody questioned how many delegates were each club entitled to for this vote. A number of clubs had more than one delegate in attendance and all voted.