ONE OF THE most interesting parts of the Gaelic Players Association (GPA)’s Strategic Plan (2017 – 2019) is the proposal to introduce a player passport system for new county panel members.
In light of Brendan O’Sullivan’s failed drug test in April 2016 due to a contaminated supplement, CEO Dermot Earley says the GPA’s focus is on educating its “members as quickly as possible.”
“I don’t think there is an issue with anti-doping in the GAA,” said Earley at GPA headquarters yesterday. “For us it’s all about education.
“It’s about educating the members as quickly as possible. New members that come onto a panel, it’s very important they get the brief around what they can and cannot take.
“And it’s very important that whatever they put in their body, that it’s cleared by their team doctor and their nutritionist. If they go with that route then I think they are safe enough.
“I don’t think there is a culture – 99 % of players will check with someone. They will go through their team doctor – so I don’t think that was a concern. I think players now know that whatever they put in their body, ultimately is their responsibility, but that they have to ensure it’s cleared by their team doctor and their nutritionist.”
How exactly would a player passport system work?
“It’s in project mode and the moment but the main thing would be around anti-doping education, concussion education,” said Earley.
“That’s one of the things we talk about in the Strategy, a player passport. Panels change a number of times during the year and it’s very important we highlight new members and that they get that education prior to even pulling on a county jersey.”
The GPA will meet with the GAA today where a number of issues are to be discussed, including the possibility of increasing the number of drug tests which are administered in the inter-county game. Earley says the GPA would support any such venture.
“I don’t think there would be any issue with that. Everybody wants to ensure our games are clean – yeah, absolutely.”
One topic that won’t be discussed today between both parties is the proposed restructuring of the All-Ireland SHC. The GPA is still awaiting feedback from all of its hurling county panels.
In the event they don’t receive the feedback in time, Earley will ask Central Council to postpone their decision until their next meeting which takes place in August.
“The hurling proposal – we only received it last week. Central Council is on Saturday, it’s a short time-frame for us to go and consult our members.
“We have to be mindful that our members are in all 32 counties, the go from the four corners of Ireland so it is quite difficult sometimes to get that information back in, in a short period of time.
“I have actually already said that to Paraic Duffy and I will be airing the views of whatever the membership want or respond to as regards the hurling proposal at Central Council.
“We only got it last Wednesday, so we have to consults all the hurling squads on this and that does take time. If we don’t have the feedback on time then I’ll be asking Central Council to postpone this and leave it until the next Central Council meeting.
“I have no qualms about making that public that it is not enough time for us to properly consult. We will get the information back in, but I think there is no point rushing this. Why not leave it for another two months and then have a look at the adjustment? Then we can make an informed decision before this goes to the floor at a Special Congress.
“The talk is a Special Congress will be called in November. I think the next Central Council meeting is in August, and another couple of months is not going to kill anybody.
“That allows for any issues or adjustments possibly that will improve on this that can be brought forward and we can make sure that whatever goes to the floor of Congress is the best possible solution at this particular time.”
Under the proposed structures, a round robin format would come into both the Munster and Leinster championships, in addition to a qualifier group which would feed into the All-Ireland series.
In the past the GPA had its proposals for a revamped hurling championship rejected by the GAA as it added extra games onto the inter-county calendar. Earley admitted it was “annoying” to then see the GAA propose a schedule which also puts more games on the agenda.
“I already brought that point to Paraic Duffy,” the former Kildare midfielder said. “I actually said that our proposal was rejected before it even got to Central Council on the basis that it has extra games. Now your new proposal has extra games.
“So yeah, I mean that’s obviously annoying but for us it goes back to the first part of our strategic themes. Over the next three years Super 8s are in. We have to accept that and we accept the mechanism of Congress within the GPA, but we can still work on developing something to improve that and to improve on everything.”
Earley, who was appointed CEO of the players body in January, says the GAA’s disciplinary process hasn’t been flagged as an issue by players.
Matthew Fitzpatrick, Evan Comerford and Diarmuid Connolly have all hit the headlines in recent weeks over disciplinary issues, but no member has expressed their concern to the GPA over the way suspensions and appeals are dealt with.
“(It) hasn’t been an issue, hasn’t been brought to our attention. Certainly, we are looking at it but if they do and are concerned about but the main thing is not to have to go through the disciplinary process. That’s what we’re all about.
“But if it becomes an issue and players are concerned about it we bring it directly to the hierarchy. We have a players policy forum as a result of last year’s agreement where we can bring issues that are directly affecting players right to Paraic Duffy and Aogan O Fearghail.
“If an issue comes up around a disciplinary procedure then we’ll bring it. Players are usually supported by their County Board in that procedure. If players were not supported, we’ll support them.”
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