Seán Moran asks Dessie Farrell where the GPA are coming from and, more importantly, where they're going to

Tonight at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin, the Gaelic Players Association marks a year of considerable progress with a major awards ceremony, sponsored by the car firm, Seat.

It is an evocative moment for the GPA because, a year ago, their previous awards night was shrouded in controversy caused by the Footballer of the Year presentation, initially announced as being to Padhraic Joyce, but revised in favour of his Galway team-mate Declan Meehan.

That night in Laois, there was an attendance of 150. This evening around 800 people will converge on a gala night to rival the GAA's flagship event, the All Stars - being held at the same venue in a couple of weeks.

It symbolises the transformation in the fortunes of the players' union. From the PR fiasco of the awards and a widely remarked-on poor turnout at its a.g.m., the GPA has grown and consolidated its position.

During 2002, the GPA has secured Government recognition, a sponsorship funding deal with the Carphone Warehouse, expanded its membership and begun to engage with a previously reluctant Croke Park.

The outgoing Government's Finance Bill was the beginning of recovery. A provision that provided tax breaks for professional sportspeople was criticised by the GAA and against the background of this perceived hypocrisy - given the GAA's refusal to countenance paying an allowance to players - the GPA recovered ground.

Dublin footballer Dessie Farrell became the association's chief executive last summer. He says there was no specific turning point in the year.

"There were a couple of things. For a start, the growing unrest among players that wouldn't die down and the extra demands being placed on them. Then you had the Finance Bill, followed by a players' poll conducted in the Sunday Independent which showed overwhelming numbers of players supported what the GPA was about and also our call for a flat rate of expenses.

"This was important because there had been a lot of sceptics not willing to accept that we had that support.

"Our e.g.m. at the end of April was also important because there had been media comment about the small numbers attending the a.g.m. But we had 170 at the e.g.m. plus letters of support and apologies from 10 county teams who had training commitments.

"We also had two high-profile speakers. Charlie McCreevy outlined the situation concerning tax breaks and how his hands were tied because we were amateurs. Brendan Batson (from the English Professional Footballers Association) who outlined the importance of an independent players' organisation."

There was also controversy. Shortly after the e.g.m. some Cork and Kilkenny hurlers staged a protest before the National Hurling League final in Thurles. It involved no more than a refusal to adhere to a dress code for the pre-match parade.

Despite the widespread ridicule triggered by the gesture, Farrell doesn't regret it.

"No I don't. I believe it was a very courageous thing to do. Actions speak louder than words. It's easy to sound off making a speech at a meeting but it's different when it comes to doing something about it.

"The GPA took encouragement from the fact that the players were willing to contemplate such a protest. Initially, there was a plan to boycott the official photograph, but there was a huge amount of phone calls behind the scenes because this would have affected the sponsor and I suppose money talks.

"Rather than cause mayhem, it was decided to go with the socks down and jerseys not tucked in, which was symbolic in nature."

Nor does he believe the protest owed more to poor relations between Cork players and their county board than a desire to affirm the aims of the GPA.

"That obviously played a role, but that disillusionment in Cork was a microcosm of a lot of other situations. For a long time they had remained out of the loop so it was significant that they got involved."

More recently, the special congress to consider the report of the Strategic Review Committee featured comments during debates that were very hostile to players. Farrell says it's symptomatic of the administration demographic within the GAA.

"I can't imagine how frustrated the people involved, like Peter Quinn (SRC chairperson), must feel. But that's what you're dealing with. It's very conservative and bringing about change is very difficult."

Finally, he signs off on an optimistic note about the ongoing negotiations with Croke Park that began this summer.

"Obviously, I'm bound not to talk about the discussions, but a broad overview would be that up until the last meeting the whole thing seemed futile, but after the last meeting I came away with more optimism that a better deal for players is possible."