GAA Director General Páraic Duffy has called on its members "to ensure that the GAA remains a strong, inspirational and vibrant force in Irish life" in his extensive report to Congress released today.
Duffy strikes a confident, if somewhat cautious, tone throughout a wide-ranging document amidst what he calls "a time of national pessimism".
The report points out that although Association revenues have increased by €1 million to €64m, there was concern about falling gate receipts.
Duffy writes: “Our financial performance in 2008 was encouraging. I am conscious, however, that the country’s current economic situation will pose difficulties for the Association: our gate receipts have already fallen substantially from 2007 levels, and are further threatened this year.
“While I am confident that our games continue to represent an attractive, value-for-money proposition for our supporters, we cannot take continued support for granted. It is for this reason that, in 2009, we are maintaining our admission prices at 2007 levels”.
Moving on to disciplinary matters, Duffy commented on the Experimental Disciplinary Rules that were rolled out in early-season provincial competitions.
“As one might expect, there was a mixed response to the trial period, but few would dispute the need for a review of the disciplinary playing rules in light of the systematic – and occasionally dangerous – fouling that tarnishes our games.
“The members of the Task Force responsible for introducing this scheme deserve credit for the manner in which they undertook their task: they ensured that a comprehensive education and information process preceded the beginning of the new season.
“Congress will now decide whether the experimental rules will become a permanent feature of the playing rules, beginning with this year’s championships. I fully support proposals that seek to eliminate negative play in our games – pulling down, tripping, illegal body collides, tackling around the neck and aggressive remonstration with match officials.
“Regardless of the outcome of Congress’s deliberations, I have no doubt that the experimental period was worthwhile and that, in the longer term, it will influence our perceptions of obstructive fouling in our games.”
Duffy also commented on the Cork hurling dispute, again reiterating the need for all parties to learn from the affair.
Writing before Gerald McCarthy’s decision to step down as hurling manager and the return of the 2008 panel to action last weekend, Duffy remarked: “It has been a most unsatisfactory episode for the Association at large, but particularly for everyone involved in Cork GAA.
“At various moments throughout the dispute commentators called for intervention from the GAA at national level. Our position in this respect was quite straightforward – it was an issue for the Cork GAA Board and their players and management personnel, but, if any of the parties felt we had a role to play, we were prepared to intervene…As February moved on, however, it became clear that we might indeed have a positive role to play.
“We met the various parties and outlined what we saw as a potential solution, one that demanded significant compromise and sacrifice from all parties involved. We believed that this document “distributed the pain” equally and would have established a way forward had all parties been in a position to accept it.
“Unfortunately, this did not prove possible, and while we were very disappointed, we were not greatly surprised, given the complexity of the problem and the deeply entrenched positions of the opposing parties.
“I will say no more on the matter for the moment, except to reiterate our hope that the GAA in Cork recovers and that, in the aftermath of this most damaging affair, will learn from it and gain renewed strength”.
In his report, Duffy records his enthusiasm towards the return of the International Rules series, but offers little hope that the Interprovincial competition will continue in the future.
Commenting on the increased disciplinary measures enacted after what he describes as “unsatisfactory second test” in 2006, Duffy writes: “The result was a hugely successful series in Australia this year. Both tests were played at an exceptional tempo and some of the skills on view were of the highest order…While the success of the games in Australia last October cannot be taken as definitive evidence that all of the problems of the past have been put to bed, it has nonetheless offered a ray of hope to a Series that at one point appeared to have little future”.
On the issue of the Interprovincial Championships, he was far less optimistic.
“We are obliged yet again to consider the viability of these competitions. During 2000-2003 I chaired the Games Administration Committee that proposed to Ard-Chomhairle that the competitions be discontinued. I supported that proposal and am even more convinced today that the competitions have no future.
“Our members and supporters have voted with their feet. They see the competitions as glorified exhibition games and as competitions that have had their day… the competitions are expensive to stage and, in a time of recession and cutbacks, competitions that are not, at the very least, self financing must be questioned.
“A proposal to end the competitions would understandably generate a lot of emotion but surely it is time for a realistic debate on their future to take place”.