GAA planning 'high performance licence' over team costs

The Gaelic Athletic Association is aiming to introduce a "high performance licence" with a view to controlling the amount of money being spent by inter-county teams, president Jarlath Burns has revealed.

Burns was appearing at the Joint Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport to discuss progress in respect of the integration of Gaelic games, but was also quizzed on a number of other issues.

Labour TD Alan Kelly referenced the rising costs involved in running inter-county set-ups, with no sign of a slowdown.

While it will need to be passed at GAA Congress, he hopes the new methods will control costs, as well as satisfying the Revenue Commissioners.

Mayo GAA made a voluntary disclosure of €119,778 to the Revenue Commissioners last year around Cúl Camps and a wider review is ongoing.

Several other counties are also undergoing a review by the Revenue.

Burns said: "At Congress we have a new proposal that will redefine what it means to be an amateur athlete at elite level. It is also going to obligate counties to apply for a high performance licence to run their county teams.

"Under that, it will be populated with lots of things.

"There will be a greater framework around the close season, around the amount of money being spent, particularly given with the interest the Revenue have shown in matters around the payment of people who are around county teams.

"We hope by that evolutionary process that we start to get costs down."

Burns did warn committee members that there is no guarantee the measure will be implemented as the motion must be passed by the GAA's members.

"Everything that we do, it’s not like a company where the CEO says this is the way it is going to be, we are a democratic organisation," he said.

"I can’t predict what the outcome will be but that is how we’re going to address that."

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