GPA's 'groundbreaking' report hits all the wrong notes

Remember that infamous Big Red Bus from the Brexit campaign? The one that boldly claimed the NHS would save £350 million per week by cutting ties with the EU. 

It was a masterclass in selective statistics – taking a complex economic relationship and reducing it to a headline-grabbing number that captured public imagination, if not the complete truth.

Turns out, the Brexiteers just took Great Britain’s overall monetary contribution to the EU and divided by 52. Last week, the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) rolled out their own version of the Big Red Bus with their latest ‘groundbreaking’ report on the economic impact of inter-county players. 

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Their magic number? €591 million in "economic impact." It's the kind of figure that makes headlines, stops conversations, and demands attention. But like that Brexit bus, a closer look would reveal a different story. 

The GPA's report paints a picture of players struggling financially, with claims of €4,602 in average annual net expenses per player and projected lifetime earnings loss of up to €127,000. 

They've wrapped these findings in impressive-sounding terminology – "direct, indirect and induced" economic impact – but it has failed to take into account the nuances and complexities behind it all.

First, let's acknowledge some basic truths we can’t argue with. Inter-county players do make enormous sacrifices to play for their county. They juggle careers, education, and family life for the greater cause.

Nobody disputes this reality. But here's where the GPA's argument starts to unravel… and why it was received so badly by the general public. 

The report speaks of players losing €3,500 annually in potential overtime earnings, yet fails to acknowledge the significant benefits that come with being an inter-county player.  

Where's the mention of sponsored vehicles that many county players receive? These same county players, and I know this for fact, are now actively chasing sponsored cars from local garages. 

Fair play to them – I would do the same myself. What about the lucrative summer stints in America, where top inter-county players can command at least $10,000, accommodation and flights for a few months of football or hurling. That 5-figure sum can be much, much bigger too. 

It’s a huge elephant in the room neither the GAA or the GPA refuse to touch…. For obvious reasons. The report's emphasis on financial hardship seems particularly tone-deaf when you consider the broader GAA community. 
We're talking about 1% of the GAA's playing population – the elite tier of our games.

I refuse to believe that in modern Irish society, any sound and smart inter-county player cannot or does not try and leverage their inter-county status to improve their livelihood. 

Again, so they should. The GPA does valuable work in supporting players' welfare, mental health, and career development. 
These efforts deserve recognition and support. But their latest campaign for increased funding feels like a misreading of the room. 

They are beginning to sound like the Teachers Union of Ireland and their efforts to paint the conditions of their members like that of a war-torn country. Narratives like that lose the dressing room very fast. 

Particularly a time when many families are struggling with basic living costs, advocating for additional state funding for inter-county players – who are really well-supported compared to their club counterparts – seems disconnected from reality.
And I don’t believe in turning this into a club v county debate. It’s not that. It should be so much more. 

Because let’s be clear: choosing to get involved in the GAA – whether you are volunteering, coaching under-10s on a Saturday morning, playing Junior B or travelling across the country to play club championship – is a choice. No one has a gun to our heads. 

Playing inter-county GAA is a choice, too. It's a privilege that brings with it not just challenges, but also significant opportunities and advantages. 

The networks built, the doors opened, and the profile gained through inter-county careers carry immeasurable value that can't be reduced to simple economic calculations.

This narrative that was also put forward by the GPA that there will be an accessibility issue with inter-county GAA was laughable. 

Meanwhile, hundreds, and maybe thousands of children across Ireland can't afford basic GAA equipment or club membership fees. That's the real accessibility crisis in our games.

In Ladies football and camóige, there are many threats and from all angles, of course. But in the male game – it’s a different world. 

The real concern here isn't that inter-county players are being priced out of the game – it's that the cost of running inter-county teams has spiralled to unsustainable levels. 

Seeing another cent of state funding go toward that juggernaut and not to grassroots development, coaching education and making the GAA truly accessible to all, makes me feel terribly uneasy. 

Although well intentioned, this report misses the bigger picture entirely. Not to mention how much it cost. Given the scope of work, time, and the expertise needed - experienced economists, data analysts and researchers – €100,000 or more is a good estimate. 
Money that could have been well-spent elsewhere. Our focus should be on ensuring the GAA remains a community-driven organisation that serves all its members, not just the elite few.

If we're going to have a conversation about state-funded financial support in the GAA, let's start with those who really need it: the grassroots, the struggling clubs, and the children who can't afford to play our games.

That's the real economic impact we should be talking about.

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