GAA hope to future-proof ethos of volunteerism

By John Harrington

GAA Director General, Tom Ryan, believes the work of the GAA’s Volunteering Task Force can help future-proof the ethos of volunteerism so vital to the Association.

Writing in his Annual Report which was published today, Ryan outlined the significant work the Association is undertaking the make the volunteer experience a more rewarding one.

“In 2025 the GAA reaffirmed its commitment to volunteerism by taking a closer and more honest look at the modern volunteer experience. This has been an important exercise.

“Too often, we talk about volunteers in broad, celebratory terms without fully acknowledging the pressures they face or the expectations we expect them to fulfil. This work has required us to confront those realities and to think carefully about what future volunteerism in Gaelic games should look like.

“Insights from the 2024 Club Officer Survey – with more than 1,300 responses – provided unsurprising, but sobering findings. Volunteers continue to give extraordinary amounts of time, yet the roles have become more complex, more administratively demanding, and, in some cases, more difficult to fill.

“The resulting research report, More Than a Role, captured those pressures. While Officers expressed high satisfaction with their roles, it is obvious that goodwill alone is not a sustainable model.

“Volunteers deserve clearer expectations, better structures, and tools that genuinely alleviate their workload. This research has shaped the GAA Volunteer Strategy 2025–2030, which will be published in the spring.

“The strategy is not presented as a definitive solution, and I think that is appropriate. Instead, it offers a practical, grounded framework for how we can support, strengthen and sustain volunteerism over the next five years.”

The GAA Volunteer Strategy 2025-2030 will focus three core ambitions:

1. Future proofing volunteer structures and processes.
2. Better understanding and supporting the volunteer experience.
3. Building an engaged, equipped and inspired volunteer network.

Established in April 2025, the GAA’s Volunteering Task Force has already begun the process of achieving these ambitions.

“In 2026, we will place particular emphasis on advancing the Task Force’s proposals and on recognising the contribution of volunteers more consistently. In my view, this blend of structural reform and better appreciation is the right way forward,” writes Ryan in his report.

“The strategy gives us direction, but more importantly, it gives us the impetus to keep improving.

“Chaired by Colm Cummins, the Task Force has met more than 10 times reviewing a wealth of existing literature and information that has helped shape its course of action. Next for the Task Force, and indeed something that has already commenced, is a targeted consultation with the very volunteers the Task Force hopes to impact.

“This is all done with the purpose of recommending practical, workable changes that make roles like Club and County Officer more manageable and more sustainable. On that note, I would encourage all volunteers to engage with the Task Force in the coming months, when the opportunity arises, as your input will ensure those recommendations deliver on that purpose.

“The recommendations will be ready for consideration at Congress 2027. I believe this could be one of the most important governance conversations we have in the coming years.

“If we want volunteers to continue stepping forward, we must make these roles realistic. The proposed reforms have the potential to do exactly that, and I look forward to the debate they will generate.”

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You can view a flipbook version of the Annual Report of GAA Director General, Tom Ryan, here - https://online.fliphtml5.com/fhqhq/GAA-A_Rept-TYRAN-26/Y

You can view and download a pdf version of the Annual report below: