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Believebelieve - so you are saying that in each of them votes every individual memeber of the GAA had a vote and the totals were combined? That is different to being consulted.

No im not saying that and you know it - when did i say their totals were combined- think this through for a second - Cork have around five times (conservative estimation) the clubs that Leitrim have so by your logic they should have five times the say when it comes to congress - but that is not how it works and you know that.
The three incidences that i spoke about were opened to the grassroots members which meant that each club were instructed to debate the issue and come up with an opinion that reflected the majority of the members who attended their meeting - as a result at county board meetings club delegates went to the meeting and voted, not how they felt individually, but the way in which their club had voted - in turn this meant that those county delegates going to congress voted not how they wanted but how the majority of clubs in their county wanted. - its called democracy and every time the grass roots have been asked their opinion on major issues it has differed with the opinion of Croke Park Chiefs - Now, do you acept that!!!

[Name any other issue that there has been a "referendum" on with every member voting? Do you not trust the GAA officials to do what is right for the GAA???]

Seriously - is that the best you have - what you would expect from a soccer fan? Coming from you Dessie I though you'd be a bit more aggro. If there was (and indeed should be) a GAA 'referendum' with every member voting, you and your ilk would be sitting on your holes outside county grounds with pathetic little placards demanding money - the mandate for the type of change grubby little gits in the GPA want should only from come from the grass roots - we will than see how many of them support ye

Stephenite - I feel sorry that in your sad mind you can't tolerate someone having a different opinion to yours...I have no connection to the GPA , I would get no benefit or anything out of it....Name any other issue that there has been a "referendum" on with every member voting? Do you not trust the GAA officials to do what is right for the GAA???Why don't you demand that every club/county that pay any players/administrators be kicked out of the GAA??
I have done my share for building up the GAA both in a playing, coaching, team setup and administration role so I have as much right as anyone to have my view...

Sorry Dubs but there you go again - the clubs have been canvassed on three occassions as to their opinions on major issues effecting teh association - one was in in 1971 when 30 counties out of 32 voted to lift the ban on foreign sports - this was in contrast to 80% of congress delegates who previously voted to keep the ban -
the issue of rule 21 where clubs and members were once again balloted - the rule was deleted.

And finally rule 42 where congress voted against opening up Croke Park twice - when the debate was finally opened up to the grassroots a majority of us decided to open it.

So there is three examples where membershave been asked their opinion and funnily enough it did not actually reflect Croke Parks position in those votes.
But hey why let facts get in the way of a rant

[The GPA-GAA document provides €2,800 for each squad player in the All-Ireland senior football and hurling finals, right down to €1,650 for Tommy Murphy Cup first round losers.]

Believebelieve - Why don't you actually wait till you see the detail rather than just complaining about it.....The GPA/GAA put forward a proposal last year as to how the money would be distributed - and here is a summary - I will find the detailed listing when I can......


The GPA-GAA document provides €2,800 for each squad player in the All-Ireland senior football and hurling finals, right down to €1,650 for Tommy Murphy Cup first round losers.
Said a GPA-GAA statement: "It has been indicated that Government funding would be made available in the event that the GPA and GAA could agree terms on the utilisation and distribution of any funding provided. The proposal is under consideration."
The document reveals that the proposed scheme will be administered by a national committee which will consist of the Player Welfare Manager and the players' representative at Central Council, ie Farrell.
According to the GPA-GAA proposal, funding would be distributed in a number of ways:
75% to cover players out-of-pocket expenses arising from their participation on intercounty senior football and hurling panels.
A dual player will only be eligible for expenses in respect of his participation with either the senior hurling of senior football panel.
25% for the National Player Welfare programmes which will cover player insurance, scholarship, education/tuition/ distance-learning and such other programmes as may be considered appropriate.
The document contained a detailed breakdown of out-of-pocket expenses highlighting the special dietary needs of players, their training gear, motor expenses, communications and gym equipment.
The agreement would apply only for so long as government funding is made available for player welfare and will cease when and if government funding ceases. In this event there will be no responsibility on the GAA to continue funding and no such request will be made to it by the GPA.

The initial proposal contained only a small difference in payments from All-Ireland winners to Tommy Murphy first round losers....
25% didn't even go to the players but rather for a welfare programme...

AND THE MONEY WOULDN'T BE COMING FROM THE GAA IF HTE GOVT FUNDING CEASED...

you see there you go again - talking when you don't actually know the detail. I have said that we do not know the detail of this latest deal but that in my opinion i think it will be even more elitist than the last proposal in april of this year.

on your point relating to the initial proposal - you said there was only a small difference between the All Ireland winners and first round losers. Sorry but I am afraid I am going to have to pull you up on that. The difference between All Ireland winners and those who lose in the second round of the qualifiers and before is roughly 20 euro a week. To spell it out for you that means that when both were still involved in the championship the eventual All ireland winner was entitled to 20 euro more per week. or 80 euro per month while they were both involved. I don't class 20 euro a week to be a small difference.
If you want the details on this I will email you the joint document.

Can I ask you one simple question. Supposing I agreed with all these grants; would it not be fairer to provide each inter county footballer and hurler with the same grant aid per week and then simply stop the aid once your knocked out - wud this not be fairer? Or is it a case that the harder to train the further you get. Try telling Bryan Cullen that James Masters trained harder than him in 07.

First point means that players who are in teams that get further in the championship etc and therefore have incurred higher costs are targetted seperately to the other counties.

But that sort of shite sickens my hole! this aid only comes into play after the league - it does not take into consdieration the efforts from october to may -

The Tommy Murphy Cup ended on the 4th of august last year - the fist 1/4 finals took place a week before - galway were out at the last 12 in the middle of July - so how in the name of blue jesus can this be for teams who get further in the championship and incurred higher costs - or are u saying that cos the tommy murphy cup is not important u just dont count that

Gnevin, Can i ask you why you think teams below the top 12 get a fixed fee and the rest get more because of their time in the competition? did u just make this up?

That was the original proposal was it not?

No - that was never the original proposal - the original proposal was a four tiered system ranging from 1650 to 2800 depending on how far you got - it was elitist too.
We don't know how elitist this new one will be yet as the figures are not out yet but I have a feeling that it will be a hell of a lot worse than even the first one.

Gnevin, Can i ask you why you think teams below the top 12 get a fixed fee and the rest get more because of their time in the competition? did u just make this up?

This document is a disaster!

I thought one of the aims of the GAA was to lessen the committment, both in terms of time and physically, of the inter county player. Yet this document sees the county player having to do more to get the grant - there is no element of choice there anymore - player works 40plus hours a week, trains possible 8 hours a week and now has to coach as well. Im not saying that players should not give back to the clubs but it should be a personal choice - not a bribe.

I bet there are a hell of a lot of players wishing they were from Cork - seeded in the Munster football championship and a clear ride into the last 12. And another thing what about the poor so and so who trains from October to Feb then gets dropped - he gets nothing.

And as I said from day one the GAA wil be signing the cheques - and to think there were people who considered this issue not important enough to open up to the grassroots for their opinion.

Next we will have pay per view tv and then we will have wholesale transfers of players to other counties to increase their income or more worryingly brown envelopes to those players in order to stop them transferring.

End of the GAA as we know it!!!!!

I think they get a fixed fee while the teams that give up more time by being the championship longer get more.
[/quote]

And how do you know that - has dessie told you. There is no concrete infomation concerning this yet so don't try and muddy the waters - and by the way those who reach the tommy murphy cup final give up as much and in some cases more time than the counties who get to the last 12, quarters or semis.

Just read the proposals and there is some strange stuff in them - i think it could cause uproar in the weaker counties.
Oh and despite all the talk that the GAa will not administer the funds it looks like they will. Sports coucil to gaa to county committee to players seems to be the route.

No matter what way it is worded, what spin is put on it, this is players getting money for playing the GAA - over and above legitimate expenses. In ten years just imagine what the young inter county player who is in his first year this year will be looking for. Man being man he will want more and we will give it to him.

Sad day in my book.

In the fullness of time this will be remembered as one of the biggest mistakes in the GAA's history.

Short answer Hardy is no. However as GPA membership is free to county players I am sure that most are members. All they have to do is sign a bit of paper and pick up their free top. The GPA take their membership out of central sponsorship. The one year that the GPA did actually ask players to pay a subscription there was a dramatic fall in the numbers of members.

I think the following would happen if the GAA allow themselves to be put in that position.

I am on a go slow today so maybe im just being stupid but what position are you talking abour AZ?

It might go the wrong way for the gaa ?

Out of interest what would the wrong way be?

Central Council supported the idea of grant aid for players. The GPA and the GAA issued a joint document in April stating exactly how the grants would be distributed to the players. It is all there in black and white. The bottom line is that the GAA bosses agreed that the players should receive grant aid from the government. I think that the ordinary members should get the chance to say what they think.

Tyrone86 is spot on.

I'm not 100% sure but in the GAA when a meeting is held it normally needs 20% of members present to be a valid meeting. I wonder will even 20% of the 2000 players vote. I now the GPA has its own rules but is there a copy of their constitution anywhere? I wonder will 400 players vote? I doubt it. In my mind only the most militant will vote and they are always going to vote for a strike. Those who are apathetic or simply do not give a shit will not vote.

I have to say that I think there is more chance of Spurs winning the premiership than there is on dessie telling us how many people voted. Indeed I think it is all rather suss? Why put the voting back cos a postal strike. It has been over for weeks. Perhaps dessie got fock all votes back and is now going to send the message around to his lieutenants in each county to get their fellow players to vote.