A VISION of what the future holds for the GAA is outlined in detail by the association's director general, Liam Mulvihill, in his annual report to the congress of the association which will take place in London next month. The report was released yesterday.

His review of the year touches on the victories of Clare in hurling and Dublin in football, which helped to generate record-breaking gate receipts, and focuses also on the continued plans for the development of Croke Park.

The report is significant in that it reveals a view that Croke Park can be used, given commitment to development, for international athletics events and that income from events other than football and hurling will be expected to increase in the years ahead.

Mulvihill outlines the continued increase of coaching structures at under-age level, as well as the initiation of serious debate in regard to hurling at inter-county level. He also mentions the securing of major sponsorship frog Guinness for the hurling championship and Powerscreen for the All Stars scheme, and the completion of the first phase of the development of Croke Park, on schedule and within budget.

The tenor of Mulvihill's report is very much up-beat, but he outlines a number of matter on what he calls the "debit side" of the year's workings. He mentions the lack of loyalty among players to their county and refers to players opting for "other codes" after major competitions have been completed. This is an obvious reference to players who opt for part-time professional soccer once their championship commitments have been met.

He criticises some counties for failing to provide enough competitive competition for club players. The one-sided nature of some matches within the provincial and inter-provincial championship structure is also mentioned.

Mulvihill reveals that a major review of the structure of annual congress is under way to make it more relevant to delegates. A proportional representation voting system is under consideration for all elective offices filled at congress.

Concern is expressed in the report about the proliferation of steam managers and the possibility that such a development might harbour dangers for the amateur status of the association.

In this regard, Mulvihill reports: "The personalisation of the role of the individual manager puts the person involved under enormous pressure to achieve success and this can (in turn) lead to excesses on the part of those involved.

Not least of the excesses is the use of negative, safety-first tactics which concentrate on the negativing the strengths of the opposition rather than allowing the players to express themselves in a positive way. It would seem also that many managers are not instructing players on how to tackle properly and so avoid the pulling and dragging which afflicts football in particular. This striving for success could lead to units exceeding the association's standard rates of expenses to attract higher profile personalities."

On the question of the association's finances, Mulvihill touches on the amount of money spent by teams on preparations for important competitions. He says that such expenses have become a "major burden for our association at county level". He points out that, in spite of the growth of income to counties from sponsorship there is a growing pressure on "central funds" for survival.

Mulvihill says that, last year, every county affiliated to the GAA received a minimum of £24,000 at a cost of more than £750,000 to the central GAA fund. Counties which were successful in the National Hurling and Football Leagues received much more than this, with funds barely short of £1 million distributed to counties after their involvement in the National Leagues.

In his several references to coverage of the affairs of the association in the media, he records the GAA's regret at the "demise of the Irish Press newspaper group, which had pioneered large scale coverage of GAA games on its foundation, and kept loyal to its traditions up until to time of its unfortunate collapse".

Mulvihill also refers to problems created by the association's innate conservatism. "There are many within the organisation who are suspicious of change", he says. "There is an ingrained conservatism in many of our office holders. They tend to be slower to accept change and our organisation is a most difficult one in which to sell any new ideas."