GPA issues members with a ballot for strike!

[behind the wire]

you looking back on past experiences there drici?

[Bogball XV]

The Derry team went on strike (probably justifiably) back in '95, they ended up winning the league!!

[oneillcup2007]

Im actually a GPA supporter but I dont approve or  trust their anti pay for play stance, as I believe that there is an agenda there for that.  Does anyone know of any GPA personnell who got paid to play their club football in Dublin?  Where these just rumours not based on fact? 

[Bensars]

From this mornings Irish News:

However, McCusker now insists that the union he helped to establish bears little resemblance to the organisation that exists today.

The GPA yesterday decided to ballot its members on whether to strike over a dispute relating to a E5m grants scheme. While the Irish Government has agreed to release the funds, it has failed to devise an agreeable method of distributing the grants to the players. All inter-county footballers and hurlers would receive approximately E2,000 if the scheme gets under way.

McCusker believes that by adopting such an ardent position, and by threatening to strike over this issue, the GPA has alienated itself from the rank and file members of the Association.

"They paint a picture of the GAA player as someone working down a salt mine in Siberia,'' he said.

"It's not like that. The role of a GAA player is enjoyable. Yes, you do have to make all sorts of sacrifices, but there are loads of benefits.

"There is no doubt that playing for the county helped me get my first job. The rewards far outweigh the drawbacks,'' said the 37-year-old bank official.

And the former Derry footballer was particularly keen to point out that the welfare of players has improved dramatically since the GPA was formed.

"As a founder member of the GPA, we were reacting to the conditions which existed back then.

"Nowadays free boots, free training gear, and meals after training are taken as given. None of that really existed when the GPA started.

"Expenses were the main complaint. Players got 12p a mile, if they were lucky. Some players didn't get paid at all.

"The mantra at that time was that players shouldn't be out of pocket for playing for their county.''

To illustrate the plight of the inter-county players in the 90s, McCusker pointed to some of his own experiences with Derry.

"When we reached the All-Ireland final, we asked the county board to buy us boots. They refused.''

On another occasion, when the team reached a National League final, the players were given one complimentary ticket each "in some of the worst seats in Croke Park''.

McCusker added: "That was the time Joe Brolly said to the county chairman: 'Who told you we were all from one-parent families?'''

The former GPA member also claimed that Association spokesmen are continually painting a picture that doesn't reflect reality.

McCusker referred to a recent statement from Enda McNulty in which the Armagh player claimed the grant "would barely cover the purchase of the sufficient hydration necessary for an athlete on a yearly basis''.

McCusker said: "Kieran McGeeney got an allowance from the Armagh County Board for every player to pay for their fruit and water. For Enda McNulty to insinuate that he was out of pocket in one of the most professional set-ups ever known to Gaelic football is a bit disingenuous."

While McCusker was scathing of the direction the GPA has taken in recent years, he stressed that he could understand why young players would be eager to gain access to the grant money.

"When I was in my early twenties, if someone offered me E2,000 to play football, I would have taken it.''

But McCusker said that since retiring from inter-county action and returning to his club, he now realises why it's so important for the GAA to maintain its volunteer ethos.

"It's only when you go back to your club that you appreciate that the Association has become a success because of its amateur status.

"There should be some things in life that can't be bought and aren't for sale."

Excellent article and Mc Cusker articulates the feelings of most on this board.

Note the advantages and job oppurtunities.

Let them strike. Interesting to see how many actually have the gaul to do it !!

[Captain Scarlet]

Lads was just thinking the same with kildare and mcgeeney. some craic if the boys refused to take part in training for a few months and got hammered by wicklow in the leinster!!
i've no problem with the grants as long as its a government initiative, the economy gains millions from the GAA every year with matches. an AI final brings something like 20m to dublin over the weekend.
the gpa want money but will they give grants to local clubhouses on spend thousands on coaching seminars which cost €15k a pop. NO WAY!
they have been on the go years and are still as vague as ever.

[oneillcup2007]

No Dublinfella I would have GPA tendencies and I wouldnt see it as that,  by the very nature a strike is about employment.  GAA players arent employed contracted and are free to do as they please, walk away and play Irish league infornt of 150 townies if ya want paid. Thats your own loss.  The pleyers union represents a band of opinion if they withdraw their services who the hell is going to brush the dressing room floors or cut the pitches? All they will be doing is prematurely ending their own intercounty careers.  I hope it dosent come to pass.  Im sure the clubs will allow them back regardless but I know county boards will not no matter what their profile was.  There are 2.5 million star in the GAA in Ireland not 2,500.    

[his holiness nb]

He doesnt play or watch football, he is a soccer fan.
He joined here to argue Shamrock Rovers case against the GAA.

[lynchbhoy]

Do you mean to say that other players who aren't permitted to have access to the Union are going to allow the Union to stop them fulfilling the long held ambition and dream of wearing the county jersey. A baseball bat across the kness is what they'd get if one of them tried to stop me either playing for my county or going to support my county. Although the first option is not (nor ever was) very likely

this made me laugh stephenite -
you've spent way too long arguing against the IRA etc and have turned into an RSF style vigilante 

[his holiness nb]

I say let them "strike", if anything it will bring in the guys who play for pride in their jersey and parish or county, thats what makes the GAA the greatest sport in Ireland.

Maybe these players need reminding of that.

[stpauls]

He doesnt play or watch football, he is a soccer fan.
He joined here to argue Shamrock Rovers case against the GAA.

its easy to see that cause i would jump at the chance if Peter McDonnell came to me tomorrow and asked me to step in for Paul Hearty or Ciaran McKinney!! and i am sure it would be the same for many other GAA men around the country!!!

[lynchbhoy]

if there was a 'strike' (how this could be so without being an actual union, and without it being a 'paid profession' is beyond me ! ! !)

Counties only need 20- 25 players to field teams and carry on with fixtures as normal, and you will find players would bo only too delighted to get the chance, hope to impress and remain in the county squad when the rest return - like some of the american footballer replacements did when the teams went on strike in 1987.

I wouldnt be worried at all that teams wont be fielded. thats what the general public will want, as these county teams are OUR teams and it is a priv for lads to be selected to play for them, not the other way around.

The GPA have hit upon some good points though.
Player welfare, disability payments etc - maybe even a GAA credit union for players needing loans etc
These things should be what the GAA addesses rather then wasting money paying players (not talking about expenses here).

[small white mayoman]

as someone who's brother has played for the county i can say that he would never want any payment for playing Gaelic football as others have said earlier it's his choice to play nobody is forcing him. The reason he plays is because of his love of the game, the chance to play in front of a packed Hill 16 with the Dubs hurling abuse at ya the chance to bring the SAM maguire home to your county the chance of winning a connaught title these are the stuff of boyhood dreams. Of course you don't want the players to be out of pocket they are entitled to milage even though if sean Feeney had his way he would have you cycle to training and give you a ham sandwich afterwards to keep the expenses down  so they shouldn't be loosing money playing for they county and any player that gets injured on the playing field should be suitable reimbursed as quickly as possible.However what makes the GAA special is that these lads don't get paid, on sunday your playing in front of 84000 people and come Monday your back to work .Sure there are some negatives people think its their right to hurl abuse at you or when you go for a pint there is allways some high stool footballer who reminds you off the missed tackle or the missed free but overall my brother wouldn't change it for anything and as a family member nothing gives you more pride or makes the hair stand on the back of your neck than to see them there on AI final day walking behind the Artane Boys Band .I don't think the magority of footballers would go on strike there seems to be a few lads at the top table who seem to be making a lot of noise.

[amallon]

I was so pissed off last night when I read the gpa's site (www.gaelicplayers.com) that I went and bought the domain www.gaelicsupporters.com with the intent of starting some anti GPA campaign.  Today I'm not too sure what to do with it, all the great ideas I had last night seem like they'd be pretty much a waste of time.  It seems from reading this board that there is little support for the GPA's actions.  Anyone any ideas of what could be done?  I'm still waiting on the registration of the site to complete.

[dublinfella]

He doesnt play or watch football, he is a soccer fan.
He joined here to argue Shamrock Rovers case against the GAA.

are you still following me around? are you ignoring the ticking you got from the mod for bullying tactics?

[his holiness nb]

He doesnt play or watch football, he is a soccer fan.
He joined here to argue Shamrock Rovers case against the GAA.

are you still following me around? are you ignoring the ticking you got from the mod for bullying tactics?

I didnt get a ticking off from the mods for bullying tactics 
Strange thing to say.
pm me if you want to carry this on, Stpauls asked a question, I answered it.
I'm not getting dragged into another feud.