Páraic Duffy speaks out!

[Sandy Hill]

From this morning's Irish Times

Top GAA official criticises covert payments
by PATSY McGARRY

THE GAA'S most senior official has spoken out strongly against under-the-counter payments to county team managers.

He said he believed Gaelic football had become a mainly a middle-class sport in Dublin and that he is "very comfortable" with sports sponsorship by drinks companies.

Páraic Duffy, director general of the GAA, was speaking at a NUI Galway Alumni Association event in Dublin last night.

He said "the biggest, the single most difficult issue we face are under-the-counter payments" to football managers. He quoted the example of an Ulster county where "a well-known mercenary manager'' was being paid £30,000 "by two very well-known businessmen'', who he described as "fanatical GAA followers''.
The manager was once asked by the county board "if the 30p per mile driving expenses was okay? He said 'Yes'. Everyone knew but no one said anything,'' Mr Duffy said.Where the issue was concerned, "Ulster counties are the biggest culprits".

Referring to the capital, he said: "I suspect that the GAA in Dublin has become a very middle-class sport. We have found it difficult to establish in working-class areas, where it is weak and there is a real threat from soccer.'' Working-class Ireland was proving "a huge challenge", he said.

Asked by Senator Ronan Mullen, a NUI Galway graduate, whether alcohol sponsorship was proving a problem for the GAA and whether "a little bit of help from Kildare Street" might be required, Mr Duffy said he felt the GAA was "being held to a higher moral standard than most'' on the issue.

Speaking as a Pioneer, he said he was "very comfortable with Guinness's as they currently are. Guinness's sponsorship has been very positive for hurling.'' Meanwhile, the GAA had a full-time substance-abuse officer who was working very hard to promote a positive attitude to alcohol, he said.

Commenting on recent education budget cuts, he said they had made it very difficult to provide substitution for teachers involved with away games. "Some schools will have to withdraw from competitions as a result.''

He predicted that "the growth in ladies football will have an enormous influence on GAA, especially in management roles".

Mr Duffy made his comments when responding to a lecture by Prof Gearóid Ó Tuathaigh of NUI Galway on The GAA at 125 – the Challenge of Change .

In the course of his talk, Prof Ó Tuathaigh said he felt the GAA had lost out by encouraging schools committed to the GAA to accommodate other sports. This had not be reciprocated in schools devoted to rugby and soccer. He attributed this to "a residual element of snobbery".




The sentence in bold is interesting but hardly a surprise!
As far as the last paragraph is concerned, I wasn't aware that the Association encouraged GAA schools to provide other sports; I'd thought that it had tacitly accepted that other sports were on offer.

[T Fearon]

Who is the "well known mercenary manager in Ulster"? I didn't know Micko had been appointed manager of an Ulster County

[shark]

Who is the "well known mercenary manager in Ulster"? I didn't know Micko had been appointed manager of an Ulster County

Maughan in Fermanagh??

[The GAA]

He could start in his own county

[Main Street]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0513/1224246388742.html

He said "the biggest, the single most difficult issue we face are under-the-counter payments" to football managers. He quoted the example of an Ulster county where "a well-known mercenary manager'' was being paid £30,000 "by two very well-known businessmen'', who he described as "fanatical GAA followers''

Duffy has opened his mouth way too far on this.  What has the NUI Galway Alumni Association got to do with the GAA?
If Duffy has evidence that a manager has breached the rules, then he should follow proper GAA disciplinary procedure for dealing with that issue.

Instead he gets on some platform and indulges in gossip about the internal workings of the GAA.
Since when has it it been decided by the GAA that "the biggest, the single most difficult issue we face are under-the-counter payments" to football managers"?

[Zulu]

Since when has it it been decided by the GAA that "the biggest, the single most difficult issue we face are under-the-counter payments" to football managers"?

I agree with you Main Street and I know GAAboard has discussed this before but I'd go as far as to say that payment to managers is one of the least of our problems and top officials bringing it up serves no good whatsoever. On the thread about 'the Rocks' retirement the lack of promotion and razmatazz in the GAA is being discussed and this is something which needs to be addressed far more urgently than alledged payments to managers, likewise the championship and league formats need a major overhaul, yet I see no leadership from the top table in this respect.

[magpie seanie]

It shows how outr of touch these Croke Park boys are with reality if he thinks this is the biggest problem. Yes - it is a problem and probably a bigger drain on club and especially county finances than it should be but lets be honest - if the top brass really wanted to solve it they could. Maybe they will do something about it but until they do the words ring hollow.

[T Fearon]

Surely the manager he is talking about is current? The only one currently who has jumped around a few counties (and would therefore be considered to be "mercenary") manages an Ulster county that plays in blue and has won 5 all irelands?

In any event when the average gael considers a "mercenary manager" surely there's only one legendary figure that springs to mind and he has never managed an Ulster or Connaught county?

[Zulu]

The worst thing they could do is to try and tackle payments to managers IMO, while there are undoubtedly lads out there taking the piss, the fact of the matter is most clubs don't have top quality coaches or managers and the job is a very very time consuming one now. The best lads aren't going to travel to coach other clubs/counties for the good of their health, however clubs do need to be careful about who they pay and how much, there are some gangsters out there. But if the GAA try and hunt down clubs or counties that pay coaches they may only force the best of these coaches to remain with only one club and/or county and that doesn't serve the GAA overall.

[BallyhaiseMan]

Only 30 Grand!!
You should have seen what we were paying our managers a few years ago lads  
Its great to have benefactors whom are loaded  

[Main Street]

It looks like Breheny's article http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/10-things-that-the-gaas-new-directorgeneral-paraic-duffy-should-do-1229596.html  from Nov 2007 picked up a subtle change in emphasis between Mulvihill and Duffy.

Duffy  'DG's role as being very much pro-active where policy would be initiated by him and his senior managers'
whereas
Mulvihill  'his responsibilities involved suggesting the way forward and then leaving others to decide if it were appropriate'.

On the evidence of this "speech" to a private unrelated GAA function, General Duffy has decided himself that it is his job to convince the GAA world that payment to managers is the biggest issue today.

[AbbeySider]

Who is the "well known mercenary manager in Ulster"? I didn't know Micko had been appointed manager of an Ulster County

Maughan in Fermanagh??

I doubt that considerably. I was told from a good source that he is not taking a penny. Which surprised me and obviously surprised the guy that told me.

[Sandino]

I wonder how some of the media and powers that be would have reacted if this claim had been made by a poster on a GAA discussion board. No doubt they would have been asked/told to back up these remarks or shut up!

[JohnDenver]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8048473.stm

The BBC weren't so slow in reporting something like this.  They must have a lurker.

[Logan]

There's a few things here

1. Should managers be expected to do it for free?
2. Can you manage a team now and not be financially in debt?
3. Should managers be paid/employed by the Co. Boards?


Well, like someone said he should start at home ... look at Monaghan and I don't mean the Banty.



And - I don't know how Ulster are worst - look at Wicklow and Kildare!

He had to be talking about current, Of course no one knows - but look at the list below and correct it if you want - they're just my opinions ....

Down - Doubt it, travelling expenses
Armagh - Hardly - perhaps a player or two a year ago
Tyrone - Don't know - doubtful
Donegal - no
Monaghan - not the manager, but the trainer certainly (50k)
Antrim - possibly
Fermanagh - I'd be surprised if not
Cavan - not doing it for nothing I'd say
Derry - no, but certainly travel