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I think that the grants issue in its present format is largely irrelevant. Whether you are paid directly e.g. holiday fund or grant it's either payment or benefit in kind - same thing. I take the revenue here. It may even be the strict legal view i don't know. What I do say is that we should be looking out for the next train coming down the line. I seem to recall some years ago that the sponsor of a county team wanted to take over the complete running of the team. Wisely the County Board in question would have nothing to do with it. This really would have been the thin edge of the wedge. These type of people don't go away you know but tend to rear their head in another form with a revised strategy. Watch this space

The rubicon has been crossed a long time ago. It started with advertising hoardings at Croke park and other GAA venues. Then came the Kerry washing machine fiasco. Next we had the advertising on jerseys. Players were then allowed to advertise products if it was in connection with their work. I'm not sure that I have these in the strict chronological order but no matter. Money was creeping more and more into the association. Now we have players threatening to strike grants etc. I remember a time not so long ago when it would have been unthinkable that the GAA would have been so unpatriotic as to not give unfettered rights to any media outlet other than the national one. ( Let us not forget the large part played by the predecessors to RTE i.e. Radio Eireann Telifis Eireann in popularising Gaelic Games during the last century) But eaten bread is soon forgotten. Now we sell them off to the highest bidder notwithstanding th fact that he does not have coverage for the whole of the national Territory. You cannot expect that the higher echelons of the association can be seen to have such dedication to filthy lucre and that these values will not filter down to the players.
Over the holiday period I watched the programme on the richest people in Ireland. Many of these have sporting interests including GAA interests. Most as you would expect are solid citizens and could be trusted not to use their money to corrupt sport. But let's say somewhere down the line some of this money falls into the wrong hands and some entrepreneur decides that instead of leading the winner in at Cheltenham or taking over a premiership club he would like to sponsor his or some other county winning an all Ireland. He might allocate a few million of small change to giving nominal jobs to prospective players both from inside and outside the county, allowing generous time off for training etc. In effect they would become full time professionals. At this point our 1500 euro would become small beer. Could you see the GAA take him on.

Who is the guy McCombe on the Armagh Panel