The medias relentless push towards professionalism in the GAA....

[Jinxy]

in conjunction with a few high-profile twitter devotees.
Does this represent the harsh reality as far as you and the GAA members you know are concerned?
I think it's all a bit daft to be honest.
Typical silly season stuff.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/momentum-towards-professionalism-looks-irresistible-3031834.html

[ck]

I wouldn't blame the media on this issue, i'd blame the hypocracy in the GAA from top to bottom. The media cannot help but pick up on it. My club chairman was on a local radio station recently stating how no manager or coach should be paid... the same man recruited a manager for our club team about 10 years ago and paid him and his coach an annual fee for 3 years! The same man was on the county board for a while and was involved in appointing a fully paid management team for the county.

One line for the radio, another behind close doors. Fair play to the media for exposing it and the sooner its sorted and made transparent the better.

[Jinxy]

So let me get this straight, if the GAA legitimises payments to managers then it's a fait accompli that players will have to be paid?
And yet, managers have been paid for donkeys years, with the full knowledge of players, and they've never expressed any real problems with this.
The reason why I think the media are so important in this debate is they are actively seeking out opinions from players and asking them leading questions, the answers to which are then packaged together to fit the 'if they're getting paid, we better get paid' agenda.
There was a good discussion on this yesterday on Newstalk.
Anthony Moyles, who is a rock of sense in general, was very honest and forthright.
I got the impression from him that he just wanted to be looked after better when he was a player.
Not chasing county board secretarys for mileage or physio bills etc.
Put a central fund in place that makes sure all the player welfare needs are met and I think the professionalism agenda will die away.
Make the players feel like they are valued.

[eviemonkey]

I don't see how any move towards professional inter-county managers could even be a realistic runner. Even outside of any damage to the amateur ethos of the GAA is it even financially viable in the current economic set-up with County Boards struggling to make ends meet as it is.

If managers were to go professional would the monies be ring-fenced and made available from GAA central funding? Even if such funding exists how would you even bench-mark an appropriate salary for an inter-county manager? Should all managers receive the same or should county boards decide themselves how much they want to pay?

If you leave it up to County Boards themselves to decide an appropriate salary, you risk creating additional issues. In a dual county, how would the hurling fraternity feel if they knew the hurling manager was being paid significantly less than the football manager? What kind of message would that send out about where priorities lie? Would dual counties be disadvantaged if they had to financially compete on two levels if other counties can concentrate on one code?

The current set-up, the brown envelope culture is hardly ideal but as messy as it is it seems to suit all parties. Such is the imperfect world of the GAA.

[RealSpiritof98]

I wouldn't blame the media on this issue, i'd blame the hypocracy in the GAA from top to bottom. The media cannot help but pick up on it. My club chairman was on a local radio station recently stating how no manager or coach should be paid... the same man recruited a manager for our club team about 10 years ago and paid him and his coach an annual fee for 3 years! The same man was on the county board for a while and was involved in appointing a fully paid management team for the county.

One line for the radio, another behind close doors. Fair play to the media for exposing it and the sooner its sorted and made transparent the better.

Although I agree with you regarding the hypocracy with our association, how can you dismiss the argument that this is not being driven by the media. I know last night in my club this issue was not being discussed and im sure it wasnt on the tongues of our members up and down the land.  The Irish sporting media have feck all to write about at the minute and its dead easy to manipulate any tom dick or harry players that has an us and them opinion on the matter.

With the country on its knees financially how could we even contemplate turning our most popular sporting pastime professional, imho it would be kill the association.

[Hardy]

Definitely silly season shite. Only the Indo could interpret a mandate from county boards to enforce strictly the rules on amateur status as evidence that the "momentum towards professionalism looks irresistible".

[Jinxy]

What proportion of club and county managers are being remunerated outside of the standard expenses regime?
Would we say it's a majority or a minority?

[ck]

What proportion of club and county managers are being remunerated outside of the standard expenses regime?
Would we say it's a majority or a minority?

I would say a majority. It has steadily increased here in Sligo at club level but the last 2 years has seen a levelling off. Personally I don't think the GAA could sustain the costs of paying managers.

[Sidney]

64 inter-county teams. I'd like to see where they'll find the money for that. Sure why stop at inter-county?  Crossmaglen would beat at least half the inter-county teams out there. And then what about the women? They put in just as much effort. People would want to think this through for more than five seconds.

Legitimising payment for managers = payment for players = the end of the GAA as we know it. It really is that simple.

[ck]

I would have to agree with that Sidney but the reality is we are already on that road... Most people out there probably would say that managers deserve payment but whether they should is a different argument.
Many clubs are paying coaches already behind closed doors and will continue to do so, most of the college managers would be getting a fee too. I even know of a school team manager who lifts a few quid. It's rife already it's just that it's all behind closed doors, hush hush.. the same people calling for managers not to be paid are paying their own managers. Hypocracy of the highest order.

The same process began in Rugby untill Rugby legitimised everything. The GAA needs to make a hard call here or continue to bury their heads in the sand. I personally believe the only way forward is to place a cap on managers expenses. Anything over and above that should lead to suspension, which must be ruthlessly upheld by the GAA. Just my thoughts.

[Hound]

Most people out there probably would say that managers deserve payment but whether they should is a different argument.

This is a key point. You don't deserve payment for managing a GAA team at any level. You do it for free as a hobby -that's the whole ethos of the GAA. Every county and club should find the best man they can who'll do it for nothing. That's the rule we should get back to enforcing.

I'm sure some might say that would set us back years, but I don't really buy that. Gilroy doesnt get paid by Dublin. Kerry and Cork don't pay their managers. Does Mickey Harte get paid? You ensure they are not out of pocket and are well looked after when on duty with meals, facilities, etc.

I wonder how many clubs/counties could look back at wedge they handed over to a manager and think that would have been better spent on a longer term development project rather than it being wasted on short-termism. A high percentage I think.

[Premier Emperor]

The media want professionalism so they can start writing lurid stories about the private lives of gAA players.

[behind the wire]

http://www.derryjournal.com/sport/gaelic-games/brolly_s_bites_who_is_the_gobshite_1_3557614


Interesting piece from Joe Brolly on the media's pursuit of professionalism.

Not his greatest fan but spot on here i think.

[Croí na hÉireann]

Most people out there probably would say that managers deserve payment but whether they should is a different argument.

This is a key point. You don't deserve payment for managing a GAA team at any level. You do it for free as a hobby -that's the whole ethos of the GAA. Every county and club should find the best man they can who'll do it for nothing. That's the rule we should get back to enforcing.

I'm sure some might say that would set us back years, but I don't really buy that. Gilroy doesnt get paid by Dublin. Kerry and Cork don't pay their managers. Does Mickey Harte get paid? You ensure they are not out of pocket and are well looked after when on duty with meals, facilities, etc.

I wonder how many clubs/counties could look back at wedge they handed over to a manager and think that would have been better spent on a longer term development project rather than it being wasted on short-termism. A high percentage I think.

I seem to remember Jack O'Connor talking about taking time off from the school before and the county board reimbursing him for wages lost, does that count as payment?

Great article from Brolly by the way.

[shawshank]

Why are ye happy to pay the county boards Secretary, pay the school coaches, pay the county groundsman, never mind the president, I could go on, but I'm sure you get my drift, so whats the problem with paying the county manager? There is no logical argument to defend the difference in this roles. Infact my logic would be if the president can take a three sabbatical from his career and his salary paid for him by the GAA, why can't the manager, anyone care to logical explain why this couldn't, shouldn't happen?