The last week has been a difficult one for the Gaelic Athletic Association. The recent controversy over the branding of players' hurleys during an All-Ireland semi-final embarrassed the leadership in public and distracted attention from what had been the best hurling match of the championship.
The announcement on Tuesday of a sponsorship deal for players negotiated by the Gaelic Players' Association was not as vexatious as the previous week's events but it demonstrated that the GPA - the independent players' union with whom Croke Park has at best an uneasy relationship - is going to be around for the conceivable future.
Where is it all leading? The question might have alarmist overtones but there are serious commercial issues for the GAA to consider, and the sooner the better. Over the past 10 years the association has moved like a crab into the commercial era. Half of its progress has suggested a well-run modern organisation whereas the other half remains disorganised and thrown back on reactive strategies.
The achievement of rebuilding Croke Park into a modern stadium before, during, and after the economic boom (and the exponential rise in construction costs) reflected well on the GAA's vision and perseverance. But in other areas, such as the rules and regulations governing commercial activity, there is still much work to be done. And in its dealings with the rising discontent of inter-county players, the association has at times been clumsy and ill-judged. Although there is undoubted goodwill towards players, it has tended to exist in a paternalistic context rather than treating these elite athletes as partners in developing the GAA. Even the recent insistence on trying to recruit an official players' body - subsequently put on the long finger - ignored the clearly stated wishes of the GPA.
Stalking the whole area of commercial activity is the question of amateurism. The association is divided between those who believe the erosion of amateurism would have catastrophic consequences and those who feel that players are entitled to material recognition for the sacrifices involved in competing at the top of the inter-county game. The current president of the association, Sean Kelly, is a firm advocate of the former view while acknowledged to be sympathetic to players' concerns. His term of office will be crucial to how the GAA deals with these issues in the longer term. Finding an accommodation with which everyone can live will not be easy.