Financial worries led to stalling of integration

GAA president Jarlath Burns has admitted that the stalling of integration is due to financial concerns at the top level of Gaelic games in equally funding male and female teams.

Dr Mary McAleese, the former President of Ireland, yesterday stood down as chairperson of the Integration Committee overseeing the amalgamation of the GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association.

McAleese cited changes to agreed timelines, a GAA management committee that she described as "less than impressive", and her feeling that there were "people who are not entirely happy about the idea of including women in decision-making at the top level of Gaelic sports" who were holding the process back.

GAA director general Tom Ryan earlier rejected accusations of misogyny "in the strongest possible terms" in an interview on RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland.

The organisation's president expanded on that view on News at One, describing her comments as "very regrettable."

He revealed uncertainty over how they can fund the top level teams in the inter-county system to the same degree is at the heart of their concerns.

He also defended the GAA’s management committee, which has nine female members out of 19.

Burns said: "I just hope that in the fullness of time, Dr McAleese will reflect on that part of her remarks yesterday and maybe clarify them because it is quite offensive to the people who are on that committee.

"Every national committee has significant female representation. And in fact, five of our national committees are chaired by women

"The GAA Management Committee that I chair is one of the most wonderfully dynamic, intelligent committees that we have in the GAA."

The GAA have said they wanted to put more focus on equity than equality, something which the president explained in greater detail this afternoon.

He said there is uncertainties over spending money preparing male and female teams at inter-county level.

Burns explained: "I want every single girl who plays the game to feel the same way as every boy playing. And I think that there was a lot talked yesterday about the word equity and equality. I feel that equity is a staging post on the road to equality.

"The GAA has committed significant infrastructure resources to ensuring that that happens with all of the hubs that are being built all around the country and virtually maybe in a third of the counties.

"It's the high-performance county level [where the biggest issue lies]. And you have to remember that GAA county secretaries reside in the world of logistics and GAA treasurers reside in the world of invoices. And we have to be respectful of those volunteers.

"So if you look at the main areas of high-performance, development squads, gear, nutrition and catering, gym membership, size of panels, number of sessions per week, travel and expenses, transport of teams, team holidays and training weekends, we already operate an equitable model within the GAA where maybe in a county where football might be the developing code, the hurlers get maybe more resources presented to them. And it's the same with the opposite.

"We actually have a poor record in the GAA of controlling expenditure currently.

"If we go straight into equality, the €45m which we currently spend preparing county teams goes to €90m. We just simply cannot sustain that.

"It’s about resources and the allocation of resources and fundraising that our county volunteers have to do.

"I have to remember that I'm the president of the GAA and I'm accountable to the membership of the GAA. And in every county I go into, I hear the same thing from county treasurers and county chairs that say 'we have to be very careful that we don't just double our expenses on county teams'.

"That is why I have set up a certification committee to ensure that we try and regulate county expenses in the interest of whenever we move towards integration that we can do a better job of it.

"But it is not a question of trying to create a two-tiered approach. It is a graduated response depending on the development of the county team that is in a particular county."

Burns will meeting with Minister for Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, this afternoon with Dr McAleese and representatives of the Camogie Association and LGFA also set to meet the Government representative.

He said he will not go looking to the Government for more financial backing in the bid to ease concerns over funding top-level football and hurling teams.

"The GAA doesn't like running to the government for money," he stressed.

"I think there is an onus on us to provide a new organisation that is self-sustaining and that it is not asking for the government support to prop it up.

"I think that's one of the things that we have to gain consensus on."

The GAA chief said he has a lot of sympathy for Dr McAleese following the resignation.

"I feel really sorry for her in many respects," he revealed.

"We approached her to take us on this journey. She didn't come to us and say that she wanted to do it.

"And I've said to her many times at meetings, 'Mary, I know this must be really frustrating for you, but please just be patient because we have to get consensus of our members before we do anything’.

"I have the utmost respect for her. I think she did really, really well, outstandingly well as chair.

"I will miss her personally because outside of the meetings, she always gave me great insights and great wisdom, which I always benefited from.

"I think the timelines actually held us back more than anything else because we seem to be racing towards timelines.

"Because you have to remember that when we do it, we will be voting two wonderful organisations that have served so well, LGFA and Camogie Association, into oblivion.

"We have to make sure that we do it in a way that respects the structures of both of those organisations and makes them feel they can be a full part of it."

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