Funding:Minister for Sport Martin Cullen has denied he has axed funding due to inter-county GAA players and insisted he will address the issue in meetings with the Gaelic Players' Association (GPA) in the coming months.
While it is highly unlikely his department will part with the €3.5million paid to players through the Irish Sports Council (ISC) last year, Cullen insisted today he is committed to sustaining the scheme in the long-term and is open to exploring alternative ways of supporting the players.
The minister was today expected to confirm the cessation of the funding scheme that was agreed upon in 2007 and introduced for the first time last November, after yesterday telling the Dáil the money was not available and the tax payer should no longer have to carry the burden in the current economic climate.
However, he dismissed such reports today and said there was time to come up with an alternative, given the 2009 funding is not due until November.
A tax relief/exemption scheme for players, which the GPA had at one stage appeared agreeable to, may now be an option.
The minister was speaking at Croke Park after announcing his department’s financial package for major field sports.
With the ISC's budget cut by 10 per cent on last year, a total of €9.9million was divided up between the GAA, IRFU and FAI.
The latter got the lion’s share of €3.5m, the IRFU was awarded €3.07m and the GAA received €3.29m.