BY TONY TIGHE
GAELIC Players Association (GPA) chief executive Dessie Farrell believes “a better future” has been secured for players after the GAA formerly granted official status to the Association 10 years after it was set up.
The historic announcement means that the two bodies will work more closely to rectify player welfare problems and has been hailed by president of the GAA Christy Cooney as a positive development.
He said: “This is an important day for the Association and one that I believe will lead to a brand new working relationship with the GPA. Our exchanges with the GPA have been frank and cordial and I think the progress that has been made is reflected in the agreement that we have reached.”
There was more good news for the GPA with the announcement that the GAA will give it €1.1million to finance its activities in 2010.
The GPA had previously asked for a 5 per cent cut of the GAA’s entire commercial income which would have equated to €2million a year.
Amongst those to applaud the decision by the GAA to give the GPA official status was former Kerry, Westmeath and Clare boss Paidi Ó Se who said: “There was a lot of dead weight in County Board officerships and in recent years some of their failures on player welfare issues were compensated for by the GPA.”
The GPA is currently looking at a number of player welfare issues regarding the London footballers which they hope to address fully in the coming weeks.