government grants to GAA players -- not getting into prefessionalism etc

[orangeman]

Zulu...fair play to you giving that much time to your club....a massive contribution by any standards...repsect. A few questions for you......does no one else in your club want to take any of the teams, I am trying to understand why you are involved with so many teams within one club....do you actually do the coaching for all of these teams or are you the dreaded water man.....or are you the chairman (or chairmans son) who feels they can trust no one else to do the job. Loook forward to understanding why you have so much on your plate...amybe everybody in your club are lazy hounds and don't want to put the work in to see the club improving

Sorry MM for not replying to your post as I haven't checked in on this topic since posting that. To answer your questions, I coach all those teams largely because no-one else will do it, we are a dual club and the hurling side of things is in the acendency so most 'club men' are only willing to get involved in the hurling. I also love coaching teams so if I could I'd do it I'd do it 8 nights a week, however I'd like to see others take some of the teams as it is never good for one person (or a small group of people) to have too much say, for many reasons.
                           As for your posts OM, I wasn't boasting, in fact I feel it is the least I could do, but as usual you can 'read' between the lines of someones opinion/post and unveil the real meaning of their statements. Myself and Dessie will never be able to pull the wool over your eyes, so GAA men everywhere can rest easy that 'our' dastardly plans to destroy the GAA will never come to pass. 

Fair play to you and credit to you as well for spending so much time with teams - and I'm sincere about that.

Regarding your comment about how unhealth it is for one person or a small group to have so much to say, I think you have conceded there that Dessie and his small band have had a disproportionate say in the pay for play issue and in a strange way, you have actually proven my point about the GPA. I know you probably didn't intend for it to come across like this, but own goals count as well ! 

[cornafean]

Fair dues to the Irish Independent. After vehemently campaigning for the GPA Grants/Expenses Scheme for several months, it hasn't taken them too long to recognise the new reality of GAA pay-for-play - at least judging by their article today about the new Roscommon manager

His initial task is to complete his backroom team. Donal Casserly is already in place while his other selector will be confirmed later today. The likelihood is that Derek Thompson will team up with Ryan again after the pair worked together on the U-21 panel this year.

Ryan also faces early injury problems with his playing staff -- particularly ace marksman and freetaker Ger Heneghan.

The Castlerea clubman picked up a nasty shoulder injury in the heavy league defeat to Dublin and is in a race against time to be fit for their championship opener against Galway on May 18.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/rossies-boss-ryan-sets-his-focus-on-galway-1354841.html

[Uladh]

Have you no life? seriously?

[orangeman]

Fair dues to the Irish Independent. After vehemently campaigning for the GPA Grants/Expenses Scheme for several months, it hasn't taken them too long to recognise the new reality of GAA pay-for-play - at least judging by their article today about the new Roscommon manager

His initial task is to complete his backroom team. Donal Casserly is already in place while his other selector will be confirmed later today. The likelihood is that Derek Thompson will team up with Ryan again after the pair worked together on the U-21 panel this year.

Ryan also faces early injury problems with his playing staff -- particularly ace marksman and freetaker Ger Heneghan.

The Castlerea clubman picked up a nasty shoulder injury in the heavy league defeat to Dublin and is in a race against time to be fit for their championship opener against Galway on May 18.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/rossies-boss-ryan-sets-his-focus-on-galway-1354841.html

Do you think that reference to playing staff was deliberate ??

[Rossfan]

Now that Maughtan is gone we have loads of spare money.

[orangeman]

Now that Maughtan is gone we have loads of spare money.

Sure all he got was a pittance for diesel ! And a load of bad manners ! 

[cornafean]

Do you think that reference to playing staff was deliberate ??

Hardly, unless Donnachadh O'Boyle is a nom-de-plume for the over-exposed Martin "sign up for grants - or else!" Breheny.

Still, you know what they say about certain things being "stranger than fiction"

[thejuice]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/government-cutbacks-may-spell-end-to-grants-for-gaa-players-1430558.html

By Martin Breheny


Thursday July 10 2008

THE €3.5m grants scheme for GAA players could be under threat as Government cutbacks threaten a whole range of programmes in various sectors.

The Government gave a commitment to the GAA and the GPA early this year to pay the grants for this season, but whether they identify them as an area where savings can be made in 2009 and beyond remains to be seen.

The Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism declined to comment on the situation yesterday. But, with all Ministers under instruction to curb spending, the grant scheme - which was finally put together earlier this year after lengthy negotiations - could well come under severe pressure.

Under the scheme, more than 1,900 inter-county players will receive grants ranging from €1,400 to €2,500 per head, depending on how long a team survives in the championship.

The scheme is operated through the Irish Sports Council and is linked to various expenses incurred by the players in their pursuit of excellence.

The €3.5m commitment was given for 2008 but the agreement also noted that "the amount required for the scheme in subsequent years shall be determined by the Minister".

Doubt

That leaves it up to new Sports Minister Martin Cullen to decide if he will continue to provide funding from 2009 on. Clearly, there must be a serious doubt, especially as it is an area his department could identify as an easy target.

The GAA have stressed all along that, in the event of the Government withdrawing the funding, they would not finance it from their own resources. That could bring them into conflict with the GPA, who made the grants a key policy issue for the past few years and who would be dismayed if it were to be withdrawn after one year.

Meanwhile, tributes were paid by both the GAA and GPA to former Sports Minister Seamus Brennan, who died yesterday. He was centrally involved in the introduction of the grants scheme.

GAA president Nickey Brennan said that during his namesake's "all too brief tenure as Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, he was always courteous, understanding and helpful".

A GPA statement also acknowledged his role in the grants initiative, noting that he was centrally involved in bringing the deal into being.

Ironically, that deal could now be under threat even before the payments are made for the first year.

[Hardy]

Complete non-story based on nothing other than Breheny's imaginings. Can he come up with nothing better than this to prevent the sports editor kicking his chair from under him? And right in  the middle of the championship season.

[AZOffaly]

For what it's worth, he could be right, it's something we've said all along would happen if/when things got tight.


However,

a) There's no quote from anybody that even hints that this is the case. It's all just a non-story of Breheny's opinion. I could write one saying FAI may have fiunding for Lansdowne Road withdrawn, using the same premise, and it would be equally unsound.

b) The GPA have promised not to chase the GAA in the event that the Gov withdraw the funding, so that's a red herring. Surely. Isn't it? That's what we were told...

[Uladh]

A non story.

In other news.... next year's all ireland final may be under threat due to government cutbacks. it is not clear if garda policing of major sporting events will be included in the anticipated 2009 purse string tightening but if it is then the all ireland final will be only one of several major events scrapped for H & S reasons.

[magpie seanie]

Paper doesn't refuse ink does it. A sad excuse for journalism.

[LaurelEye]

A sad excuse for journalism.

The article, or Breheny in general?

[magpie seanie]

I was referring to the article. In general I wouldn't read Breheny a lot so you can take from that what you wish...

[cornafean]

In fairness to Breheny (whose opinions on this topic I have found bizarre to date), this same scenario was mentioned by someone else on radio (Newstalk Off the Ball possibly) last night.