THE GAA's president, Jack Boothman, has announced the composition of the committee to review the association's rules and regulations on amateur status. It will be chaired by Boothman's predecessor as president, Peter Quinn, a financial consultant whose expertise was much in evidence during the financing of the New Stand in Croke Park.

Joe McDonagh, the president-elect who takes up office next April, is also included - predictably as he will have the task of enforcing whatever new guidelines on amateurism are adopted. The 12-man committee has a wide range of expertise and is expected to hold its first meeting next week.

Submissions are likely to be invited from the Players' Advisory Committee which was established by Boothman during his first year in office. He stated that the new committee had "no specific time scale in regard to presenting a report, but that he was confident that a committee of such vast and varied experience would be in a position to report to him at an early date".

It has yet to be decided whether the recommendations of the committee will require the approval of Congress before being adopted, but Boothman has indicated that he expects such a reference will be necessary. Consequently, the findings of the committee may be expected by February '97.

Other members of the committee are: Noel Walsh, chairman of the Munster Council and also chairman of the current standing committee on amateur status. He has been involved with Clare and Munster football teams for over 20 years and pioneered the open draw in the province's football championship.

Sean McCague is currently Monaghan's delegate to Central Council and was runner-up to McDonagh in last April's presidential election. He is better known as a manager and guided Monaghan to three Ulster titles and a National League. He is currently joint-manager of the Monaghan team.

Pat Fitzgerald is Clare county secretary and father of David Fitzgerald, goalkeeper on All-Ireland winning teams at both county and club level Paddy Moran was corner back on the Dublin team which won last year's All-Ireland. An accountant, he was prominent in the fund-raising arrangements for the team's holiday in California. Mick Leahy, a former Tipperary footballer, played midfield on the Kilmacud Crokes side which won last year's club All-Ireland football title. He works for AIB, one of the GAA's biggest sponsors.

Shay McKeown is chief executive of the successful engineering firm Powerscreen International, which sponsors the Players' All Stars awards and was a previous sponsor of the Tyrone footballers. Nicky Brennan is a member of a number of Croke Park committees. He won an All-Ireland with Kilkenny, is a former chairman of his county board and as is the current manager of the Kilkenny hurlers.

Fr Dan Gallogly is a former chairman of both the committee on amateur status and the Ulster Council. Jim Treacy is Tyrone's delegate to Central Council and Christy Cooney is chairman of the Cork county board.

Sean McCague said he was unaware of the committee's terms of reference as he had only just accepted Boothman's offer of a place on the committee. He was also cautious in his expectations: "I don't know how it will go. When you open a can of worms, it's not always that easy to close it. Until we sit down and see exactly what we're attempting to do, we won't have an idea of our chances of success. Arriving at a position where we can say, `that's that settled and nailed down for good' - I don't think that's on.

"We're not at the stage where we can afford `pay for play'. There will be concern in weaker counties and clubs that a situation can be reached where players can be lured away by big cheque books. That would definitely work against the long-term interests of the game.

"It's an area that needs to be looked at because the amateur status rules at the moment are having a coach-and-four driven through them. I've no hang-ups about endorsements. It's already allowable for a player to endorse products in his line of work. Just because a fella works in a certain trade shouldn't mean that he can't endorse a product relevant to some other trade.

"I'm glad the agents thing came up (the announcement by the Pro-Active management agency that they hoped to represent GAA players commercially). Something needed to bring it to a head.

"In the last five years, All-Ireland winning teams have self-destructed over individuals making more money from promotions than team-mates. I don't know what guidelines can be erected to deal with this, but there have to be checks and balances. It's common sense that corner forwards are better known than corner backs. Teams have to be careful."

According to reports it appears that the Barry's Tea sponsorship of the Cork football and hurling teams will not be renewed before next year's championship. However, sources in the Cork County Board have expressed confidence they will be able to find a suitable new sponsor before then.