Sean Og wants pay for play

[Lar Naparka]

I wonder if anyone here would consider it a possibility of IC teams being adopted by a commercial sponsor or indeed a number of sponsors would come to pass.
I'm not advocating it but I can see the current basketball model of sponsorship being adapted in some shape or form by the GAA. I have been told that there are some counties that already have such deals in operation even if they are of the under the table variety. Like the payment, as opposed to legitimate expenses, of managers, is rumoured to be widespread.

But of course I don't believe a word of any such payments being made by anyone to anyone else. 
All the same, I'd love to know what Sean Og would make of such scurrilous rumours.

[Bud Wiser]

Lads, lads, are ye still at this.  Would ye not leave the poor old GPA alone?

[Milltown Row2]

it really is a non starter lads, there is no real money about. we play this sport cause we love it, not for money. if your one of the lucky ones to be playing on the big stage then you really are blessed.

think of the lesser lights playing on shitty council pitches were the motor bikes have ripped up the pitch, dogs chasing the ball or cold showers after a rained soaked game. training gear is never available and the rig has not been washed since the last game as the managers washing machine is broken!!

but you know what, none of that would ever put me off going to these games, putting petrol in my car picking up mates and heading down the Glens to play hurling/football matches, or the expense of training gear boots helmets hurling sticks and whatever else the common player needs.

the IC players have it all and still want more. well they can go and fook themselves. they wont get any of my money should it go that way

[dowling]

it really is a non starter lads, there is no real money about. we play this sport cause we love it, not for money. if your one of the lucky ones to be playing on the big stage then you really are blessed.

think of the lesser lights playing on shitty council pitches were the motor bikes have ripped up the pitch, dogs chasing the ball or cold showers after a rained soaked game. training gear is never available and the rig has not been washed since the last game as the managers washing machine is broken!!

but you know what, none of that would ever put me off going to these games, putting petrol in my car picking up mates and heading down the Glens to play hurling/football matches, or the expense of training gear boots helmets hurling sticks and whatever else the common player needs.

the IC players have it all and still want more. well they can go and fook themselves. they wont get any of my money should it go that way

There's maybe not as much money about millltown row2 but two points to bear in mind. It's a question of redirecting monies and/or adding a little, be it to gate money at all levels and club affiliation fees.
Someone already asked if we would mind if a small percentage of gate money went to players. To my mind that will be the way it's addressed, only for 'that percentage' to be added to charges somewhere.

Sure the conspiracy lads have  to have something to keep them moaning about those nasty Inter County and player  types -- with of course an Inter County Player being the Devil incarnate altogether.

Think you mentioned earlier on this thread that you play a biteen of music. Pity you have only the one tune!!!

I'm responding to posters who have one tune ( nasty greedy inter co/GPA etc etc etc).

And sure we're only responding to players who keep bringing up that they should be paid.


Zulu I suppose between us it comes down to how we read the whole situation. For me Hardy's post put it better than me. There's little point in us going over old ground but in that post it's clear to me that the gpa have an objective of professionalism but have decided to take a certain route to get there rather than a direct route.
I don't think for one minute that the gpa take the wider support into account. To deal with Croke Park is all that matters and in all honesty ther's very little that Croke Park reccomends to Congress now which doesn't get carried.

One thing that gets me in all this is that people say supporters demand ic players lead a certain lifestyle. Bollocks. It's the players and managers who do the pushing.

[Premier Emperor]

Dessie Farrell on professionalism, 2002:

"We need to crawl before we can walk and also in the current climate the expense rate is more acceptable in media circles as how we are perceived is very important at present."

"Having said that, it should not prevent us from harbouring private opinions on this with long-term objectives. At the moment though, let's take it one battle at a time until the war is won".

That it some gem of a quote!
Farrell has learned to keep his keep mouth shut since then.

[heffo]

Interesting article in the Indo this morning with Donal Og flogging his book:

"The attrition in the Cork dressing- room has abated, the boardroom of the GPA no longer bristles with ideas on how best to agitate"

Were they two sides of the same coin?

[orangeman]

Interesting article in the Indo this morning with Donal Og flogging his book:

"The attrition in the Cork dressing- room has abated, the boardroom of the GPA no longer bristles with ideas on how best to agitate"

Were they two sides of the same coin?

Je ne regrette rien.


No regrets. Won't read any KK books cos they're not honest like he is. 

[sheamy]

Dessie Farrell on professionalism, 2002:

"We need to crawl before we can walk and also in the current climate the expense rate is more acceptable in media circles as how we are perceived is very important at present."

"Having said that, it should not prevent us from harbouring private opinions on this with long-term objectives. At the moment though, let's take it one battle at a time until the war is won".

That it some gem of a quote!
Farrell has learned to keep his keep mouth shut since then.

Exactly...I knew I heard that fecker say that before. He said it more recent than that too. Lads, if If it looks like shit, smells like shit...it's probably shit...I cannot believe how stupid and short sighted these people are.

[Zulu]

Nonsense, if the GPA say they don't want professionalism or anything to that effect some of you just dismiss it as the GPA being cute and playing us all for fools. Yet you constantly rehash these quotes, which is 8 years old now, as proof of their ultimate goal. Some of you have your minds made up and only evidence that suits your argument, regardless how out of date it is, is valid, anything that doesn't suit is dismissed as propaganda.

[sheamy]

From the (new) GPA website:The mission statement of the organisation reads "The GPA is committed to protecting and promoting all aspects of player welfare and to the provision of a collective voice for inter-county players."

By focusing solely on inter-county players, the GPA completely contradict the very ethos of the GAA. Why single out one tiny percentage of people playing gaelic games? You seriously have to ask yourself why this is the case.

Even the name is a misnomer. It should be called inter-county gaelic players association. If it were for all players, I would have no problem with it whatsoever. Its stated aims seem noble. However, when you get into the segregation of "elite" players getting special treatment, you need to begin to question the motives.

There is no doubting the huge sacrifices that players make. However, there are huge sacrifices made by many in the association including reduced time with family etc but we do it for one reason and one reason only. I am personally out of pocket for time I spent on GAA matters. However, I would not want one single penny for it. Call it a grant, call it whatever you want, I personally wouldn't take it.

I mean, they demanded a percentage of GAA income in recent negotiations. I just cannot fathom that. If you do that, you take money from our clubs, you take money from our youth development projects. Who exactly benefits? and is the wider goal of the GAA served?

Players should be well looked after but ALL players equally.

[Reillers]

From the (new) GPA website:The mission statement of the organisation reads "The GPA is committed to protecting and promoting all aspects of player welfare and to the provision of a collective voice for inter-county players."

By focusing solely on inter-county players, the GPA completely contradict the very ethos of the GAA. Why single out one tiny percentage of people playing gaelic games? You seriously have to ask yourself why this is the case.

Even the name is a misnomer. It should be called inter-county gaelic players association. If it were for all players, I would have no problem with it whatsoever. Its stated aims seem noble. However, when you get into the segregation of "elite" players getting special treatment, you need to begin to question the motives.

There is no doubting the huge sacrifices that players make. However, there are huge sacrifices made by many in the association including reduced time with family etc but we do it for one reason and one reason only. I am personally out of pocket for time I spent on GAA matters. However, I would not want one single penny for it. Call it a grant, call it whatever you want, I personally wouldn't take it.

I mean, they demanded a percentage of GAA income in recent negotiations. I just cannot fathom that. If you do that, you take money from our clubs, you take money from our youth development projects. Who exactly benefits? and is the wider goal of the GAA served?

Players should be well looked after but ALL players equally.

I agree that all players should be looked after from club to IC players, but in reality they're not, while it's not ideal, I'm not going to be bitter like a lot of people because the IC players are trying to get themselves looked after, and the "special treatment" I wonder what you think this special treatment is, because certain people on here are under the illusion that they get treated like professional soccer players, when they don't.
At the end of the day. The GAA have a long history of treating people and clubs like crap. With the GPA, that's one less group that are being mistreated. And I'm not going to be bitter and jealous because of that, unlike a lot of people.

And I'm not going to get absolutely hysterical if they get a car out of it, or say get a nice sponsorship from the likes of Adidas out of it, or whatever. You get by how you can. And I'm not going to begrudge them for that just because I don't get the "special treatment" so many of ye fantasise about.

Instead a lot of people have that attitude of..why should they get it when we don't. Times are hard enough as it is.

[sheamy]

From the (new) GPA website:The mission statement of the organisation reads "The GPA is committed to protecting and promoting all aspects of player welfare and to the provision of a collective voice for inter-county players."

By focusing solely on inter-county players, the GPA completely contradict the very ethos of the GAA. Why single out one tiny percentage of people playing gaelic games? You seriously have to ask yourself why this is the case.

Even the name is a misnomer. It should be called inter-county gaelic players association. If it were for all players, I would have no problem with it whatsoever. Its stated aims seem noble. However, when you get into the segregation of "elite" players getting special treatment, you need to begin to question the motives.

There is no doubting the huge sacrifices that players make. However, there are huge sacrifices made by many in the association including reduced time with family etc but we do it for one reason and one reason only. I am personally out of pocket for time I spent on GAA matters. However, I would not want one single penny for it. Call it a grant, call it whatever you want, I personally wouldn't take it.

I mean, they demanded a percentage of GAA income in recent negotiations. I just cannot fathom that. If you do that, you take money from our clubs, you take money from our youth development projects. Who exactly benefits? and is the wider goal of the GAA served?

Players should be well looked after but ALL players equally.

I agree that all players should be looked after from club to IC players, but in reality they're not, while it's not ideal, I'm not going to be bitter like a lot of people because the IC players are trying to get themselves looked after, and the "special treatment" I wonder what you think this special treatment is, because certain people on here are under the illusion that they get treated like professional soccer players, when they don't.
At the end of the day. The GAA have a long history of treating people and clubs like crap. With the GPA, that's one less group that are being mistreated. And I'm not going to be bitter and jealous because of that, unlike a lot of people.

And I'm not going to get absolutely hysterical if they get a car out of it, or say get a nice sponsorship from the likes of Adidas out of it, or whatever. You get by how you can. And I'm not going to begrudge them for that just because I don't get the "special treatment" so many of ye fantasise about.

Instead a lot of people have that attitude of..why should they get it when we don't. Times are hard enough as it is.

Hand on heart, there is no bitterness or jealousy involved (on my part anyway). I don't begrudge people doing deals with sponsors either. If the demand is there, fair play and more power to those lads.

My only concern is the future direction of our association. Perhaps some of the "anti-GPA" reaction is over the top, but it's only a sign of how much people care and want to preserve the unique organisation that we have.

It's up to each county board and club to look after their own players. There are insurance schemes already run by Croke Park for Club players. County Boards pay medical and physio bills for intercounty players. There is a healthy supply of training gear. Players are fed and watered after training etc etc. If that's not the case in all counties, it should be, and should be policed by central council.

What else do people want?

Now let's look at what the GPA state that they provide:

"Career Development & Interview Preparation"
"Educational Advice"

Lads, I don't mean to be flippant but jasus christ! what are schools for? what are universities for? what are government employment agencies for?

"Personal Counselling"
what are health services for?

I know plenty of intercounty players who physically cringe when they read this stuff. It treats them like some poor critter who, because he spent his whole youth playing Gaelic Games, is fit to do nothing else.

Does anyone really buy into this bullshit?

[Zulu]

By focusing solely on inter-county players, the GPA completely contradict the very ethos of the GAA. Why single out one tiny percentage of people playing gaelic games? You seriously have to ask yourself why this is the case.

Because no players body could look after all players, so they representing the IC players who are raising huge sums of money for the GAA and for many years were treated abysmally. The GPA have stated that they would like to expand their remit to club players also but I'm not sure what they could do as every county runs its affairs differently.

If it were for all players, I would have no problem with it whatsoever.

So you object to a section of the GAA playing population being looked after rather than embracing that and looking for it to be expanded to more players, a strange attitude.

There is no doubting the huge sacrifices that players make. However, there are huge sacrifices made by many in the association including reduced time with family etc but we do it for one reason and one reason only. I am personally out of pocket for time I spent on GAA matters. However, I would not want one single penny for it. Call it a grant, call it whatever you want, I personally wouldn't take it.

I'm not sure you'd hold the same attitude if there was 80K going to your matches, anyway the players aren't getting money but simply improved welfare issues, they deserve that at least.

I mean, they demanded a percentage of GAA income in recent negotiations. I just cannot fathom that. If you do that, you take money from our clubs, you take money from our youth development projects. Who exactly benefits? and is the wider goal of the GAA served?

If welfare issues are to dealt with then money will have to be spent and if you want to question GAA spending, county grounds developments would be a more sensible target for a start.

[sheamy]

Because no players body could look after all players, so they representing the IC players who are raising huge sums of money for the GAA and for many years were treated abysmally. The GPA have stated that they would like to expand their remit to club players also but I'm not sure what they could do as every county runs its affairs differently.

And every county runs the affairs of its intercounty teams differently. What's your point?

So you object to a section of the GAA playing population being looked after rather than embracing that and looking for it to be expanded to more players, a strange attitude.

Read my later post. There are already welfare schemes run by Croke Park for Club players. Players out injured are currently entitled to claim some money in compensation for want of a better word.  You seem to suggest that county players are currently badly treated. Hands up all those that are...

I'm not sure you'd hold the same attitude if there was 80K going to your matches, anyway the players aren't getting money but simply improved welfare issues, they deserve that at least.

Well if you're not sure, let me reassure you. I wouldn't and I know many lads who don't.

If welfare issues are to dealt with then money will have to be spent and if you want to question GAA spending, county grounds developments would be a more sensible target for a start.

County ground developments? So you think these are needless wastes of money? You have obviously not read too much about health and safety criteria in modern stadia. Granted it's not the most sexy topic in the world but some eejits need to think about this.

Personally I'd like to see more money spent on youth development schemes, coaches and promotion of our games but that's just me.

[Zulu]

And every county runs the affairs of its intercounty teams differently. What's your point?

No they don't. All county teams play in the same competitions and have the same season, more or less. At club level the club season in Kerry is vastly different from Tyrone for example and there are over 100,000 club players of varying standards and giving widely different levels of commitment. If your complaining about the money given to the GPA to deal with welfare issues for IC players can you imagine the money they would require to deal with 32 separate controlling bodies?

Players out injured are currently entitled to claim some money in compensation for want of a better word.

If you think the injury scheme for players is fine you are living in cloud cuckoo land. Did you read the article about Bernard Flynn and his injury troubles since he retired. We have a huge amount to do in that area still.

Well if you're not sure, let me reassure you. I wouldn't and I know many lads who don't.

Nonsense, you can't be sure, none of us could. I'm also out of pocket from my involvement with the GAA but that doesn't stop me from being happy that our star players are being looked after much better now. hopefully some of the young lads I train will grow up in a better GAA that looks after its players better. It didn't do a great job when I played and that is the reason the GPA came into existence.

County ground developments? So you think these are needless wastes of money? You have obviously not read too much about health and safety criteria in modern stadia. Granted it's not the most sexy topic in the world but some eejits need to think about this.

Ah will you stop it, we have more white elephants that a zoo. Ask the Mayo clubs about the redevelopments at McHale Park or the Cork clubs about the need for a 60K stadium in Cork.

Personally I'd like to see more money spent on youth development schemes, coaches and promotion of our games but that's just me.

So would I but that doesn't mean IC player welfare has to suffer.