Seán McCague's address to congress on Saturday was marked by a stern defence of the association's amateur status.

"Our retention of our amateur status is envied around the world by other organisations that have seen their sports enveloped by greed and selfishness. Of course there are those amongst us who question whether or not maintaining our sports as amateur in the future will be possible. Let us be quite clear in emphasising that Cumann Luthchleas Gael owes its very existence to the voluntary efforts of its administrators, organisers, mentors and, most importantly, its players . . .

"Let us be equally emphatic in stating that it is this philosophy of community spirit and voluntary endeavour that has been the cornerstone of our continued development. One only has to look at the professional sports around Europe and the crisis that has befallen them because they have allowed professionalism run out of control. TV money allowed for a boom period during the 1990s, but with that resource drying up many sports are in desperate financial straits with some participants threatened with extinction."

He went on to address the matter of the weekly allowance of €127 being sought by the unofficial players' union, the GPA.

"I, along with Jarlath Burns (chairman of Croke Park's Players' Committee) have held discussions with the Gaelic Players' Association. Our objectives are substantially the same and I believe that working together within the association we can make progress.

"However, their much publicised demand for a defined weekly payment for players is ill-conceived and fails to take in reality. It is a direct path to professionalism and does not take into account the enormous changes in our structures that would inevitably follow . . .

"The international experience in professional sports has been that they have been manipulated for profit and profit only by the owners, the impresarios, the TV barons who increasingly control what we get and what we see . . .

"It's not a question of whether we can pay for it or not. It's the right thing to do and it's the way we're going to be."

On the question of the report of the Strategic Review Committee that he appointed to draw up a blueprint for the next 10 years, McCague had the following to say: "I want to remind you that this is not an academic exercise but that it is a deadly serious debate with regard to the future direction of our association and that the decisions taken will have a major impact on our development - or otherwise - over the next decade or so.

"The next few months will be a time for people to put the overall good of the association ahead of personal or petty issues, to think long-term rather than short-term, to think strategically rather than on an ad hoc basis and to face the future with a renewed energy and vigour and a clear set of objectives to implement."

He also said that payment of last year's £60 million was on schedule and he rejected any conspiracy theories connected with the grant. "The reality is that we received a Government funding commitment with no conditions in regard to the use of our grounds. The reality is that we could not give any such commitments without approval from you (Congress delegates). The reality is that there is no connection between government funding, use of Croke Park or any of our grounds."