Health expert takes GAAto task

A public health expert has accused the GAA of hypocrisy in relation to its acceptance of drink-related sponsorship. Dr Joe Barry, a member of the National Advisory Committee on Drugs, was commenting on the publication by the GAA of a club manual for dealing with drug and alcohol-related issues.

According to GAA president Nickey Brennan, the manual "and the roll out of the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) programme are part of the GAA's attempts to tackle what has unfortunately become an ever more obvious problem in Irish society".

Among the points made in the manual is the suggestion that clubs "not selling cigarettes or alcohol in the clubhouse" can contribute to the prevention of "the growth of drug and alcohol problems in the GAA".

But according to Dr Barry, there is an incompatibility between initiatives such as this and the sponsorship of the All-Ireland hurling championship by Guinness.

"You can't produce manuals at one level and accept sponsorship at another. It's hypocritical. The GAA don't see it as hypocritical but I think it is.

"The GAA is the premier sports organisation and you could argue that it's more than a sports organisation - it's a cultural organisation. To me, the Guinness sponsorship is not consistent with being concerned about the effect of alcohol."

He also rejected the perception he was disproportionately concerned with the GAA's sponsorship in the light of the significant alcohol-related sponsorships of other sports organisations.

"I have commented on other organisations. The FAI are about to renew their sponsorship with Carlsberg and I am concerned about rugby, particularly with the role of schools in the game, but the GAA is the only one with a drink policy. They said that they'd phase out drink sponsorship, which doesn't seem to be happening. It would be a leadership gesture to say that this sponsorship is not appropriate.

"I know Brendan Murphy (national co-ordinator of the ASAP programme and compiler of the GAA manual) very well and I know that ordinary club members do have a concern. Everyone's heard the stories about young fellas turning up too hung-over to train. There's a lot more acceptance in the clubs that this is a problem.

"The Government asked the sporting bodies to phase out alcohol sponsorship and my argument is that we have a strong economy and it should be possible to find other sponsors. But I don't think this is top of the Government list of priorities."

He did say, however the GAA deserved credit for their various initiatives in the area of alcohol and substance abuse.

"They do. Of course they do. No one wants to alienate the GAA on this but it's also important to speak out on the subject of the sponsorship."

The GAA's task force on alcohol and substance abuse, chaired by Joe Connolly, recommended in June 2004, in the aftermath of a new two-year extension to the Guinness deal, that the association should "ultimately phase out this form of sponsorship".

The sponsorship was extended again earlier this year.