The GAA has never been stronger, but it needs to change if it is to consolidate its unique place in Irish folklore, argues Seán Kelly
The GAA has never been stronger. It has never been more central to Irish life. It has never attracted a more enthusiastic following. So why are we holding a special congress this coming weekend to discuss the Strategic Review, Enhancing Community Identity, which calls for fundamental and far-reaching changes?
Because I believe that those changes are essential. First, though, I'd like to justify the bold claims I just made.
In the course of this season, over 1¼ million people have attended matches in the football championship alone. If all the attendances in both codes are added up, the total is an astonishing figure.
The numbers attending GAA matches this year equal almost half of the population of this island. Even though, of course, that's only a statistical average, there is no other country in the world where such a claim can be made.
And this is happening at a time when there is more competition for people's attention than ever before. Television has given everyone access to sport from all over the globe, and sporting heroes to follow and admire, whether they are athletes, golfers, grand prix drivers or professional footballers.
But it is our own we want to follow. The stories of club and county footballers and hurlers are the ones which fill the sports pages, and the ones we read most avidly.
There's a secret ingredient behind all this. This secret ingredient is a national organisation which still has its roots in every local community.
An organisation which is based on tradition, yet has the vision to build one of the great stadiums of the world. An organisation which spans the entire island and yet gives autonomy to clubs and counties to do their work.
An organisation totally committed to the amateur status, which gives everyone a special pride in their own place, yet insists on the most professional approach to the management of the game.
These are not contradictions - they are the complementary elements which have given the GAA, over nearly 120 years, a central place in the culture and folklore of Ireland.
The players and the games are at the heart of the GAA. We need to develop an adequate games programme in every county which will provide a minimum of 20 games for every player over the course of a year. We must also ensure that the games programme is properly structured - not crammed into a three-month or four-month period, but spread out over an eight-month season. If this could be achieved, players of all ages could meet their club commitments while also being available for county selection.
Amateurism and volunteerism is a core ethic of the association and it is my view that this should continue so as to give all players equal status and to fulfil our commitments to our communities. However, in recognition of the time and effort they devote to GAA sports, players should be treated well in terms of expenses (not pay), medical support etc.
There is, I know, a tendency to differentiate between "them" and "us" where the GAA is concerned. There is a myth that, somewhere at the heart of the organisation, a fat, bloated bureaucracy is soaking up the resources while clubs and players struggle to keep the heart and spirit alive.
This is a myth, because one euro in every seven we raise goes towards the cost of administering the organisation, while one-third of the revenue is spent on grants and games development.
Our money is spent on club and county grounds, on coaching and games development. And an increasing proportion of our funds goes into promoting the GAA at school level to ensure that we develop the next generation of players and supporters.
We make no apology for using funds to develop our people at club and county level. We also spend our money on marketing and promotion, and on handball, Camogie and ladies' football as well.
Unlike many of our sporting competitors, we do not have access to the large revenues generated by TV rights based on international audiences. Therefore, we need to be efficient, effective and transparent. Our members need to see clearly where our money goes. We cannot have a concentration of power or decision-making at central level without our grassroots support having the opportunity to provide an input
But if things today are as good for the GAA as I said at the start of this article, why change? And in what direction should we change?
In order to protect everything that's good about the organisation, we have to invest, to grow, to learn. Keeping the organisation local means more clubs. Keeping the organisation young means giving younger people an opportunity to play a role.
Keeping the organisation vibrant means investing in skills and talent. Equipping the organisation for the future means investing in facilities. Keeping strong roots in the community means investing in the family ethos of the organisation.
Change, of course, is never achieved without some sacrifice. For example, if we need to attract young people into the running of the organisation, we have to be prepared to ensure that there is a steady turnover in officerships at every level. We have to put management committee structures in place which will add to the dynamism of a modern and progressive organisation.
We have to encourage the development of new clubs, even if that means restricting the size and catchment areas of some of the existing clubs.
At our congress this weekend we will be debating a wide range of motions designed to give effect to the recommendations of the Strategic Review. They won't all be popular, but I would urge everyone associated with the GAA to see them as a coherent package.
I hope and believe that within our organisation there is a sufficient degree of mutual trust and respect to ensure that we are given the authority to move ahead with the necessary changes to our rules and structures.
• Seán Kelly is the president-elect of the GAA