NEWS OF THE Gaelic Players’ Association (GPA) making their pre-budget submission to government was welcome.
For one thing, it was a timely reminder for those as one-eyed as The Beat that there are, in fact, other sports out there putting their best foot forward to get a share of public funds in the coming months.
For those on the coalface working towards League of Ireland academy funding, it feels like they’re doing so with one arm tied behind their back.
On Tuesday, senior figures from the FAI will appear in front of an Oireachtas Sport Committee meeting relating to their safeguarding policies and procedures.
It comes at a time when association CEO David Courell will meet Siptu representatives about concerns relating to the planned redundancy programme, as well news emerging from the Sunday Independent of a legal case taken by former women’s senior team manager Eileen Gleeson citing gender discrimination against her employers.
No wonder, then, there are now fears among some in Abbotstown that the academy funding could fall victim.
It was only last month that LOI academy director Will Clarke, along with the Belgian firm Double Pass, provided the stark reality for the academy set up in this country, and the need for a scaled funding programme over the next 11 years that would lead to a top end figure of around €8m per year before reducing from 2030.
Shelbourne’s U17s also did their bit to show the good work being done under immense strain on resources when they beat North Macedonia’s Rabotnicki 5-0 in the Uefa Youth League
Just like the GPA detailed their submission in meetings with the Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers and the Minister and Junior Ministers for Sport Patrick O’Donovan and Charlie McConalogue before releasing their plan publicly yesterday, there have been similar meetings taking place with those driving the League of Ireland academy funding case.
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Still, it was no surprise that the GPA have been equally forthright.
The Gaelic players’ body is seeking an increase of 1.5% in the grant that was first introduced for inter-county players in 2008. Currently, male footballers get €1,471 on average, with €920 going to female players.
The GPA want that to become an average of €2,500 per year, with this public investment totalling €10 million - coincidentally the same amount the State is providing to help bring an NFL game (to Croke Park).
A key driver of the GPA’s strategy, and confidence, is the Indecon Report on the Social and Economic Impact of GPA Players from February of this year which found that €591 million was “the total economic impact generated by inter-county players annually.”
The League of Ireland brought out a similar report in October 2024, produced by BDO Ireland, that concluded it contributed €164.7m to the Irish economy, an estimated €40m to the Exchequer though taxes.
“We feel strongly that the time to act is now to show the state truly values our inter-county players,” GPA CEO Tom Parson said.
This is when The Beat, to put it bluntly, had to have their hand held by a learned colleague in all matters of the true Gael. They were able to explain why the responsibility to show inter-county players are valued to the tune of €2,500 per year does not, in fact, lie with the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).
Were the GAA to be the ones to pay these grants that would go against the amateur ethos of the association and continue the slippery slope to a form of professionalism that could not be countenanced – so long as the public were the ones footing the bill, of course.
This is not the place to discuss the merits of these grants given Croke Park is mostly appreciated in these parts for staging Oasis, even if just a cursory glance at the GAA’s accounts for 2024, released in February of this year, shows that they could easily contribute to such a fund using just a slice of the €69 million surplus from total revenues of €132m that was up 19% from 2023.
To the immense credit of the GAA and how it operates, these increases were managed at a time when attendances dropped by 10% but gate receipts rose to €39.1m after ticket price increases for the first time in five years, according to Sport for Business.
Strategically, the GAA operates in a different stratosphere to the FAI, with commercial income touching €25m, part of which includes media rights income from RTÉ, TG4 and GAA Go (now GAA PLUS). Renting out Croke Park for music and rugby also added another €6.4m, yet what was most impressive of all was how much of all this was used to go back into the grassroots of the game.
The largest expenditure was some €28.1m on games development and player welfare, with just over 90% of that €69m surplus actually being provided to provincial councils and county boards of the association.
For the League of Ireland, you only have to check the archive of parliamentary questions on Oireachtas.ie to see on the record responses from Minister McConalogue to various funding enquiries from five TDs (Paul Murphy, Joanne Byrne (twice), Mark Ward, Pádraig O’Sullivan and Séamus McGrath) between March and July.
Each time, it was stressed that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Government and the FAI provided €5.8m over a four-year period up to 2023 for football development. A new MOU was signed on 17 December 2024 which also increased State funding to the FAI to €6m per annum until 2027.
“In 2024, the Government provided an additional funding grant of €1 million to the FAI to, inter alia, produce a detailed report on the development of football academies,” Minister McConalogue said replied to Deputy Mark Ward on 8 May of this year.
“The report will include a deep baseline audit of existing academy structures and needs, which will inform the development of an academy development plan. I look forward to receiving the FAI’s report which will inform the development of academies that will maximise the potential of Irish Football.”
The outcome of the next couple of months will go some way to shaping that potential for the future.
Fixtures
Premier Division – Tonight (all 7.45pm kick-off): Bohemians v Waterford, Cork City v Shamrock Rovers, Derry City v Shelbourne, St Patrick’s Athletic v Galway United, Sligo Rovers v Drogheda United.
First Division – Tonight (all 7.45pm kick-off): Bray Wanderers v Finn Harps, Treaty United v Athlone Town, UCD v Kerry, Wexford v Cobh Ramblers. Saturday (7.3opm): Longford Town v Dundalk.
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Gaelic players put best foot forward for State funding while LOI has one arm tied behind back
NEWS OF THE Gaelic Players’ Association (GPA) making their pre-budget submission to government was welcome.
For one thing, it was a timely reminder for those as one-eyed as The Beat that there are, in fact, other sports out there putting their best foot forward to get a share of public funds in the coming months.
For those on the coalface working towards League of Ireland academy funding, it feels like they’re doing so with one arm tied behind their back.
On Tuesday, senior figures from the FAI will appear in front of an Oireachtas Sport Committee meeting relating to their safeguarding policies and procedures.
It comes at a time when association CEO David Courell will meet Siptu representatives about concerns relating to the planned redundancy programme, as well news emerging from the Sunday Independent of a legal case taken by former women’s senior team manager Eileen Gleeson citing gender discrimination against her employers.
No wonder, then, there are now fears among some in Abbotstown that the academy funding could fall victim.
It was only last month that LOI academy director Will Clarke, along with the Belgian firm Double Pass, provided the stark reality for the academy set up in this country, and the need for a scaled funding programme over the next 11 years that would lead to a top end figure of around €8m per year before reducing from 2030.
Shelbourne’s U17s also did their bit to show the good work being done under immense strain on resources when they beat North Macedonia’s Rabotnicki 5-0 in the Uefa Youth League
Just like the GPA detailed their submission in meetings with the Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers and the Minister and Junior Ministers for Sport Patrick O’Donovan and Charlie McConalogue before releasing their plan publicly yesterday, there have been similar meetings taking place with those driving the League of Ireland academy funding case.
Still, it was no surprise that the GPA have been equally forthright.
The Gaelic players’ body is seeking an increase of 1.5% in the grant that was first introduced for inter-county players in 2008. Currently, male footballers get €1,471 on average, with €920 going to female players.
The GPA want that to become an average of €2,500 per year, with this public investment totalling €10 million - coincidentally the same amount the State is providing to help bring an NFL game (to Croke Park).
A key driver of the GPA’s strategy, and confidence, is the Indecon Report on the Social and Economic Impact of GPA Players from February of this year which found that €591 million was “the total economic impact generated by inter-county players annually.”
The League of Ireland brought out a similar report in October 2024, produced by BDO Ireland, that concluded it contributed €164.7m to the Irish economy, an estimated €40m to the Exchequer though taxes.
“We feel strongly that the time to act is now to show the state truly values our inter-county players,” GPA CEO Tom Parson said.
This is when The Beat, to put it bluntly, had to have their hand held by a learned colleague in all matters of the true Gael. They were able to explain why the responsibility to show inter-county players are valued to the tune of €2,500 per year does not, in fact, lie with the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).
Were the GAA to be the ones to pay these grants that would go against the amateur ethos of the association and continue the slippery slope to a form of professionalism that could not be countenanced – so long as the public were the ones footing the bill, of course.
This is not the place to discuss the merits of these grants given Croke Park is mostly appreciated in these parts for staging Oasis, even if just a cursory glance at the GAA’s accounts for 2024, released in February of this year, shows that they could easily contribute to such a fund using just a slice of the €69 million surplus from total revenues of €132m that was up 19% from 2023.
To the immense credit of the GAA and how it operates, these increases were managed at a time when attendances dropped by 10% but gate receipts rose to €39.1m after ticket price increases for the first time in five years, according to Sport for Business.
Strategically, the GAA operates in a different stratosphere to the FAI, with commercial income touching €25m, part of which includes media rights income from RTÉ, TG4 and GAA Go (now GAA PLUS). Renting out Croke Park for music and rugby also added another €6.4m, yet what was most impressive of all was how much of all this was used to go back into the grassroots of the game.
The largest expenditure was some €28.1m on games development and player welfare, with just over 90% of that €69m surplus actually being provided to provincial councils and county boards of the association.
For the League of Ireland, you only have to check the archive of parliamentary questions on Oireachtas.ie to see on the record responses from Minister McConalogue to various funding enquiries from five TDs (Paul Murphy, Joanne Byrne (twice), Mark Ward, Pádraig O’Sullivan and Séamus McGrath) between March and July.
Each time, it was stressed that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Government and the FAI provided €5.8m over a four-year period up to 2023 for football development. A new MOU was signed on 17 December 2024 which also increased State funding to the FAI to €6m per annum until 2027.
“In 2024, the Government provided an additional funding grant of €1 million to the FAI to, inter alia, produce a detailed report on the development of football academies,” Minister McConalogue said replied to Deputy Mark Ward on 8 May of this year.
“The report will include a deep baseline audit of existing academy structures and needs, which will inform the development of an academy development plan. I look forward to receiving the FAI’s report which will inform the development of academies that will maximise the potential of Irish Football.”
The outcome of the next couple of months will go some way to shaping that potential for the future.
Fixtures
Premier Division – Tonight (all 7.45pm kick-off): Bohemians v Waterford, Cork City v Shamrock Rovers, Derry City v Shelbourne, St Patrick’s Athletic v Galway United, Sligo Rovers v Drogheda United.
First Division – Tonight (all 7.45pm kick-off): Bray Wanderers v Finn Harps, Treaty United v Athlone Town, UCD v Kerry, Wexford v Cobh Ramblers. Saturday (7.3opm): Longford Town v Dundalk.
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