Pay~for~Play

[ziggysego]

Credit to those who fought the payments to the end
Player payments.... I can hear the chorus from here... 'not that again!' The passion that took the grassroots to the Elk in Toomebridge before Christmas was eroded over the months with a handful left to fight for the GAA's amateur status come April.
The masses horrified at the prospect of pay-for-play grew weary of the debate or gave up when confronted with the minutiae of the detail. Leading opponent Jarlath Burns soon towed the GAA line while Joe Brolly capitulated at the eleventh hour telling us the 'vouched expenses scheme is entirely unobjectionable.' Aye right Joe.
It is credit to Mark Conway, Donal McAnallen aided by Fahy solicitors of Omagh who gave their service free of charge to oppose the payments.
The Tyrone county board too fought to the last bell. Derry chairman Seamus McCloy also spoke with great conviction at Congress despite the slings and arrows of the GPA.
Whatever the sound bites from the GAA brass, the fact is the amateur status of the association has ended. Never again can we push our chests out with pride as we tell our visitors from abroad at Croke Park, 'Those boys don't get paid. They only do it for the love of the jersey and county."
A romantic ideal but with the GAA bosses and the GPA eyeing the pot of gold there was a sad inevitability the Celtic Tiger mindset would envelop the association. There are proponents of the grants/expenses, or whatever they're called, who have admitted their ambition is pay-for-play.
Dessie Farrell is on record stating that is his goal although he won't say so publicly now. For those who admit that is what they want, good luck to them as they are being honest. It is this pretense that our amateur status has not been threatened that is an insult to our intelligence.
Make no mistake, this project is a form of semi-professionalism that was railroaded through Congress by cute hures we elected to safeguard the GAA. They changed the name from 'grants' to 'expenses' while the make-up and distribution of the payments remained the same. You say po-tato, I say pot-ato. It is not expenses, it is payment.
The scheme was pushed through by a hierarchy who cowed to the threat of a players' strike - a threat that was one of the most shameful episodes in the history of the GAA and an insult to the thousands of club members and supporters who for years have spent their hard earned money following their county teams.
The players will receive the payments in October. They won't amount to very much and will be calculated according to how far their team progresses in the championship. In other words performance related payments. It is not the amount of euro is the issue. A two tier club-county system has been established.
The most telling contribution of last weekend came from Dessie Farrell who said it will be incumbent on the GAA in three years time to continue paying the 'grants' after the government scheme is completed.
The door to pay-for-play is opened and we can look forward to future negotiations on the amount. As Seamus McCloy said of the payments, "The only way is up." The GAA will literally pay for the chicanery and weakness of their leaders.
It is unlikely, the opponents of the payments will walk away. They can't. Exchanging banter with opposition supporters on summer afternoons on Fermanagh Street in Clones, the colours on Liberty Square, Thurles and searching for friends among the throngs outside Quinns on the Drumcondra Road is a way of life. It's what we are.
Of-One-Belief did not lose at Congress, the GAA did. It is a source of pride Of-One-Belief originated in Tyrone and our county board stood firm. Well done to the other counties who voted against the payments. They were Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Donegal, Down, Fermanagh, Longford, Louth and bless their hearts, Dublin.
The deal is done and dusted. Time will prove the anti-payment lobby called it correctly. As another Tyrone supporter Bernadette McAliskey once said, "It's all over and the good guys lost."

Sourced: Tyrone Herald - Ronan McSherry

[rosnarun]

"It's all over and the good guys lost."

bye then see ya
jeez get over it  an irish solution was worked out for an Irish problem passed by the democratic vote of the assocation .  what part of democracy do you have a problem with

[AZOffaly]

Whatever about the rest of the article, is this quote not an outright lie? I thought Dessie Farrell, my favourite person, said exactly the opposite?

The most telling contribution of last weekend came from Dessie Farrell
who said it will be incumbent on the GAA in three years time to
continue paying the 'grants' after the government scheme is completed.

[zoyler]

He continues to say it.  The problem is very few of us believe him.  Rosnarun , everybody has accepted the democratic decision - that does not mean people are not entitled to continue to state their point of view and when the time comes that the damage done to Rugby in this country by pay-for-play is replicated in the GAA I and many others will be fully entitled to say ' You can't say you were not warned'

[AZOffaly]

Oh, whether I believe him or not is fairly well documented on these type of threads , but in fairness if you lie about what he actually said, rather than what you see are his private opinions, you are making an eejit out of yourself.

[Hound]

Apart from the lies and mistruths in his article, he's some neck claiming that being a Tyronie, he and his county collegaues have the moral high ground. Should he not be focusing first on his own turf, and demanding the accounts of the secret society that is Club Tyrone be revealed, to determine the truth of whether players and coaching staff benefit directly or indirectly from the tens of thousands of pounds this organisation raises each year?? Or do "under the table" benefits not count?

BTW, my own opinion is that a private organisation can give money to whoever it wants, whenever it wants, without impinging on the amateur status of any receipienets. Just like the Irish Sports Council can use taxpayers money to pay grants to amateur sportsmen, without impinging on their amateur status.

[tyrone86]

Apart from the lies and mistruths in his article, he's some neck claiming that being a Tyronie, he and his county collegaues have the moral high ground. Should he not be focusing first on his own turf, and demanding the accounts of the secret society that is Club Tyrone be revealed, to determine the truth of whether players and coaching staff benefit directly or indirectly from the tens of thousands of pounds this organisation raises each year?? Or do "under the table" benefits not count?

They are revealed and I answered you this on another thread which you ignored. The Tyrone County Board control every penny raised by Club Tyrone.

[tyrone86]

From the Tommy Kenoy thread

6 - His comments about the Tyrone County Board seem quite libellous, unless he has some proof. It's the first time I've heard this allegation.

Have you been living under a rock? Club Tyrone are a superbly run organisation 1. (BTW - they are 100% independent of the Tyrone County Board). They collect tens of thousands of pounds from Tyrone business interests to assist Tyrone. 2. Where does their money go? No idea, they are under no obligation to disclose, they are a private organisation who can spend their money whatever way they want. I do know they managed to persuade one player to continue playing rather than head off for something else, and I'm sure they've helped plenty of "good causes". I can guarantee there will be no libel action taken against Mr Kenoy!!

1. Wrong. Every brass penny earned by club Tyrone is under the control of the county committee.

2. Amongst other things;
Coaching and Games Development - Club Tyrone fund the football summer camp in the county as it was the benchmark nationally before this VHI sponsored one came about.
Physical Development - The bulk of the Club Tyrone money raised for the next 5 years will go toward the physical development of County Offices, pitches, Handball and Hurling Alleys and training facilities in the county.
Culture - They also provide assistance for any club in the County competing in a Scor All-Ireland at both Senior and Junior levels

[/quote]

[Hound]

They are revealed and I answered you this on another thread which you ignored. The Tyrone County Board control every penny raised by Club Tyrone.

Didnt see it.

1. Wrong. Every brass penny earned by club Tyrone is under the control of the county committee.

You know and I know that its not "every brass penny", but I don't care either way. They do an excellent job in persuading players to prolong their time in GAA, so kudos to them.

[tyrone86]

The accounts are available to all members of Club Tyrone and unless you have proof otherwise that's a very serious allegation

[rosnarun]

They do an excellent job in persuading players to prolong their time in GAA, so kudos to them.

so is stephen o'neill coming back then? or mark harte?

[Hound]

The accounts are available to all members of Club Tyrone and unless you have proof otherwise that's a very serious allegation

I agree 100% that the members know where their money goes.

so is stephen o'neill coming back then?

That's between mickey and himself - nothing anyone else can do

or mark harte?

everyone knows that's complicated

[tyrone86]

The accounts are available to all members of Club Tyrone and unless you have proof otherwise that's a very serious allegation

I agree 100% that the members know where their money goes.

No need to be pedantic, you knew exactly what I meant. I can state with a fair degree of certainty that no-one - players, management, backroom team or anyone else - gets "under the table" benefits from Club Tyrone or Tyrone County Board

[magpie seanie]

Hound - you should know better than to take the word of an out and out advocate of professionalism trying to do a hatchet job on a few guys. Unless you (or O'Rourke) have proof I suggest you drop this line of attack because it makes you look silly.

[ONeill]

The passion that took the grassroots to the Elk in Toomebridge
before Christmas was eroded over the months with a handful left to
fight for the GAA's amateur status come April.

That's usually what happens when the sky is falling arguments are used.

It is credit to Mark Conway, Donal McAnallen aided by Fahy solicitors
of Omagh who gave their service free of charge to oppose the payments.

Why, who was going to pay them? Who could've paid them? Why would they want to be paid?

Never again can we push our chests out with pride as we tell our visitors from abroad at Croke Park,
'Those boys don't get paid. They only do it for the love of the jersey
and county."

Why is there this manic need for the admiration from 'foreigners'? Did you actually do that in the past? Best to sit back and enjoy the game instead of worrying if foreigners know the financial background of the players on show

A romantic ideal but with the GAA bosses and the GPA eyeing the pot of
gold there was a sad inevitability the Celtic Tiger mindset would
envelop the association.

It's called 2008. At least this time expenses are above the table.

Dessie Farrell is on record stating that is his goal although he won't
say so publicly now.

So it's on record, in private?

They changed the name from 'grants' to 'expenses' while the
make-up and distribution of the payments remained the same. You say
po-tato, I say pot-ato.

You know, you're probably right. It shows how shallow the original argument was.

The scheme was pushed through by a hierarchy who cowed to the threat of a players' strike - a threat that was one of the most shameful episodes

You're right. It was ridiculous and would never have come to pass from what I'm led to believe. If you honestly believe a strike would've taken place then you must not really know our county players. (although to be fair, it has been a while since Coalisland had one)

in the history of the GAA and an insult to the thousands of club members and supporters who for years have spent their hard earned money following their county teams.

What bollocks.


The door to pay-for-play is opened and we can look forward to future
negotiations on the amount. As Seamus McCloy said of the payments, "The only way is up."

Crystal ball time again. Those 'the end is nigh' fellows in the city centre come to mind.


It is unlikely, the opponents of the payments will walk away. They
can't. Exchanging banter with opposition supporters on summer
afternoons on Fermanagh Street in Clones, the colours on Liberty
Square, Thurles and searching for friends among the throngs outside
Quinns on the Drumcondra Road is a way of life. It's what we are.
Of-One-Belief did not lose at Congress, the GAA did.

Nothing has changed. Of one belief now look like a bunch of witch-hunting reactionists (my opinion).

It is a source of
pride Of-One-Belief originated in Tyrone and our county board stood
firm.

Starting to feel sick.

The deal is done and dusted. Time will prove the anti-payment lobby
called it correctly. As another Tyrone supporter Bernadette McAliskey
once said, "It's all over and the good guys lost."

Jaysus. Bernadette.