GPA Goldrush or Government Grants Ghost-town?
Talking Balls
The GPA has not made any comment on news that Martin Cullen, the Minister for Sport has made no promises that the controversial inter-county players’ grants will be available in 2009. Nor indeed for that matter have the One True Belief faction.
Many football and hurling panelists are rubbing their hands and looking forward to their cash windfall in the autumn for all those interminable nights of training, unwelcome dietary advice, psychobabble about inches, abstemiousness from alcohol and sex (ok maybe not). But, reading between the lines of the Minister’s statement, the Goldrush may soon be over. What then of the GPA’s very public campaign that wasn’t about pay for play but was reliant on a rich seam of public funds.
Says Minister Cullen: “There’s a commitment there. The money was provided this year. I didn’t cut back that money and it will be paid out. Obviously we’ll have to enter a process now with the Department of Finance and the Minister for Finance to look at all the budgetary issues for next year and I will consider everything in that context.”
He continued, ominously so for Dessie, Donal Óg and the lads: “I want to obviously not discuss this in a public sense. I want to have full discussions with the Department and see exactly where we’re going; see what the overall envelope is, the overall figures and then I’ve got to decide how best to allocate the resources.”
The Government has commited itself to paying out approximately €5 million this year via the grants scheme agreed with the GPA, the GAA and the Irish Sports Council.
Wherefore then for the GPA, if the seam runs dry? Need to uncircle the wagons and strike out for the next Klondyke, wherever that might be!