Cooney: Welfare programmes can keep players at home

Uachtarán Chumann Luthchleas Gael Criostóir Ó Cuana is confident that the agreement reached between the GAA and the GPA will benefit players facing the prospect of emigration because of the dire economic circumstances.

The Uachtarán said that the funding for player welfare schemes outlined in the Recognition Protocol announced on Monday afternoon will help to stem the flow of GAA players leaving the country by offering them vital training and education opportunities.

“I think this will be an enormous support to reinvigorate players to get refocused – whether it is to start their own business or update their skills and certainly to help themselves to get jobs in the future,” the Uachtarán said.

“I think this will help them in a significant way. Hopefully you will create the situation that people won’t have to go away, to emigrate, and that we will be able to support them through extra training and the extra support they can get through this.

“Of course, the GPA and the GAA will be using all of our contacts to assist all our players and members to find employment.”

In 2010 alone, more than 600 players engaged with player welfare courses, and GPA Chief Executive Dessie Farrell says the numbers that will be able to avail of the schemes outlined in the agreement will continue to grow.

“I think one of the great causes for satisfaction, not only for the GPA but for the GAA too, is when you consider behind the stats and the facts, you realise there are real life stories here and there is a real, real impact on the players in all sorts of different ways,” Farrell said.

“Players who were unemployed and had no prospects, through consultation with our education programme, have now gone back to college.

“That may have been a bridge too some years ago for players like that, but with that sense of encouragement players are willing to do that.”

Meanhwile, Farrell said that while the potential remains to streamline player awards in the future, the ‘status quo’ will remain in 2011 and the GAA and the GPA will continue to have seperate player awards.

“We have been discussing that for some time now and for this year it appears the status quo will remain in place until we can get time to tease out and flesh out a little bit more,” Farrell said.

“One of the main concerns would be the commercial realities around, for example does it make more financial sense to have two sponsors involved in an awards scheme or just the one.

“Ultimately given the nature of this agreement and how it’s structured from a financial perspective that needs to be taken into account.”