GAA grants exclusive global digital highlights rights to The Sun newspaper

[Pangurban]

Absolutely disgusted by this decision. I am sure it contravenes the Official Guide but dont have a copy at hand to check the relevant rule. Whatever about that, lets not get mad,lets get organised and let Croke Park know exactly how the grass-roots feel about this decision. This is the equivalent of selling ones soul to the devil

[orangeman]

Absolutely disgusted by this decision. I am sure it contravenes the Official Guide but dont have a copy at hand to check the relevant rule. Whatever about that, lets not get mad,lets get organised and let Croke Park know exactly how the grass-roots feel about this decision. This is the equivalent of selling ones soul to the devil

Official Guide ? No disrespect of offence intended to your reference to the OG but do you really think that the lads in Croke Park give a fiddlers about the OG, or who they might offend by selling rights to an English rag ? It's time we all woke up and smelt the coffee. The lads in Croke Park are unaccountable to most. They certainly aren't being made to be accountable and the suits don't feel that they have to account to anyone. The past number of years and months have clearly demonstrated that they are running the show and feck the begrudgers.

BC Barrier and HS are spot on. Money is money and it doesn't matter a jot where it's coming out of. Once you take money from one, it doesn't really matter where the next money comes from. Move on. Nothing to see here. They landed Sky on us and they told us it was good for the game, good for the diaspora and a positive development. This new deal with the Sun is the same thing. Mc Kenna says it's a good deal and a positive development. Lap it up. Money is money.

[Pangurban]

The day the G.A.A. becomes all about money, will be the day that begins its decline

[orangeman]

The day the G.A.A. becomes all about money, will be the day that begins its decline

The money is rolling in. Some would say that the Gaa has never been as strong. The Peter Mc Kenna's of the Gaa would tell you with a lot of justification that they have set the Gaa on solid foundations and that they are simply now building sound structures both in terms of organisation, playing rules, media coverage, PR and sponsorship deals which leaves the Gaa much stronger now than it ever was. Just because some of us have age old differences with the Sun newspaper doesn't mean that this isn't a good deal for the Gaa. In everything the Gaa do, there will be an element who won't like what is done and will throw the head up. But those objections won't even be given a second thought. You'll be told again what a good deal it is, how much the Gaa value grass roots, how this is such a positive development etc etc. time was the ordinary Gaa member had a say. He/she hasn't a real say anymore. There is a well paid county secretary in most if not all counties steering the ship and ensuring that when awkward questions are being out at county committee meeting, those questions are out in the bin or batted away. The same man will be there on the day of the county convention to ensure that awkward motions don't get through to congress. The modern day county secretary has a direct line to Croke Park where awkward situations are "managed".

That's the Gaa we live in now whether we like it or not. It's one like the banks - too big to fail.

[thejuice]

There seems to be scant detail on what this deal actually means. In a sense I don't care as I never have and never will give a cent to the sun paper which is a degenerative and vulgar purveyor of demotic waste.

It remains unclear as to what avenues for watching highlights are now closed? Will the delayed Sunday game highlights show be no longer available to a global audience?

[Zulu]

That's already the case, we haven't been able to access it this year.

[fearsiuil]

http://youtu.be/C14U7JYGRgA

[thewobbler]

I had a "GAA just play" app last year which showed loads of clips of games which I thought was a great little app. Why couldn't the GAA develop this, their own digital app, charge £3.99 or so themselves and sell a load of advertising space on it. Surely the difference in revenue wouldn't be that huge in comparison to selling the rights to such a controversial organisation, which they must have known would further alienate the average GAA person. I'm actually a supporter of the Sky deal, but this is more due to my frustration at RTE and the relatively poor coverage I've felt people like me, living in England, have received of games. However, the Sun deal just doesn't seem to sit right with me.

You shouldn't underestimate just how much effort is involved with providing such a service; it's a damn sight more expensive to build and maintain than everyone seems to think. Or to put it another way, it would be a significant risk to GAA reputation and manpower to assume responsibility for providing this service. It's an unnecessary diversification in which the risk stymies the reward.

Getting

[BennyHarp]

I had a "GAA just play" app last year which showed loads of clips of games which I thought was a great little app. Why couldn't the GAA develop this, their own digital app, charge £3.99 or so themselves and sell a load of advertising space on it. Surely the difference in revenue wouldn't be that huge in comparison to selling the rights to such a controversial organisation, which they must have known would further alienate the average GAA person. I'm actually a supporter of the Sky deal, but this is more due to my frustration at RTE and the relatively poor coverage I've felt people like me, living in England, have received of games. However, the Sun deal just doesn't seem to sit right with me.

You shouldn't underestimate just how much effort is involved with providing such a service; it's a damn sight more expensive to build and maintain than everyone seems to think. Or to put it another way, it would be a significant risk to GAA reputation and manpower to assume responsibility for providing this service. It's an unnecessary diversification in which the risk stymies the reward.

Getting

I appreciate that but who was operating the GAA just play app - which seemed pretty good? Was that haemorrhaging money for the organisation and providing great risk it's reputation?

[orangeman]

The day the G.A.A. becomes all about money, will be the day that begins its decline

Have a quick look up the yard there and see if you can find that horse.

She's not there anymore. She's away. Is there any point closing the door ?.

[IolarCoisCuain]

The head of media relations of the GAA is Alan Milton. He's been head of media relations for a year, having been promoted from Communications Manager.

Alan Milton was GAA Editor of the Irish Sun for eight years before he was appointed Communications Manager with the GAA in 2009.

I wonder who else tendered for the digital rights? Did RTÉ? TV3? Newstalk? The Irish Times or the Indo? Any other body? What are they worth? Did the Sun get them cheap? Is it a loss-leader deal for the Sun? There's an awful lot about the business side of all this that we don't know. It'd be nice to hear some of it.

[orangeman]

The head of media relations of the GAA is Alan Milton. He's been head of media relations for a year, having been promoted from Communications Manager.

Alan Milton was GAA Editor of the Irish Sun for eight years before he was appointed Communications Manager with the GAA in 2009.

I wonder who else tendered for the digital rights? Did RTÉ? TV3? Newstalk? The Irish Times or the Indo? Any other body? What are they worth? Did the Sun get them cheap? Is it a loss-leader deal for the Sun? There's an awful lot about the business side of all this that we don't know. It'd be nice to hear some of it.

We don't need to know. We'll get told what we need to. It could well be another one of those "cost neutral" exercises.

[Dubh driocht]

This stinks. What does 'money is money' mean ? There is a culture of denial about money in the GAA, from lack of oversight and accountability for gate receipts, through underhand payment to managers to this sordid deal with a paper which is the antithesis of GAA principles. We all have a duty to question and change this if possible.

[muppet]

The day the G.A.A. becomes all about money, will be the day that begins its decline

Agreed, it is hard to insist all players remain amateur when the association overtly hoovers up money from everywhere possible, no matter how disagreeable the source.

[Catch and Kick]

There was a right witch hunt over payments to managers a short while ago and how important it was that this cancer was cut out.
But now it seems it's all about money. Money for Corporate park. Far too many salaried types in Croker now who can justify all these deals while keeping a straight face as they advise clubs that all goods and juries must be Irish made. Thus ensuring Clubs pay over the top for their gear.
Talk of the money filtering back down is a big lie. It doesn't. it's absorbed by the full time structure in the Association now - Games Development Officers, Administrators etc.
The GDO's are playing a numbers game too; no of school visits, no attending summer camps but in reality are they strengthening our clubs? In many counties they are not.
We are slowly watching the death of grassroots games and the creation of an elite status.
It won't be too long before our clubs become like your local rugby club; struggling to put bodies on the field while the Provinces continue to grow in a professional era.
It ain't he GAA anymore.