They really don’t help themselves.
The lack of certainty and the slap-dash nature of fixture planning makes the fixture calendar the biggest problem facing the GAA right now.
Club pitches are empty in the middle of the summer because there’s no games and on the other end of the scale, inter-county players have too many games, the best players being pulled in all directions from January to December without a break.
So Roscommon CPA came up with a strategy to at least go about trying to improve the whole thing. They put forward a ‘blank canvass’ motion – formed after hours of work and plenty of meetings. It would basically mean the GAA would start from scratch and hopefully then get the balance between what’s important and what’s not right in regard to fixture planning.
Their motion was defeated at central council.
Roscommon CPA county coordinator Tommy Kenoy responded to the central council result in a statement on Tuesday night.
“We are utterly disgusted and disappointed at what we believe is a clear sign of contempt by our main governing body for a Motion deliberated, discussed and passed by the clubs of Roscommon at a time of great concern over the GAA’s fixtures crisis,” he began.
Kenoy feels that the GAA have lost touch with what matters.
“We can only draw the conclusion that those who lead the organisation have lost touch with the Association’s grassroots members who want a games schedule that will bring regularity and certainty to GAA fixtures at both club and inter-county levels.”
And so they are seeking a meeting with John Horan and Tom Ryan to thrash it out.
“We are seeking an urgent meeting with An Uachtarán CLG and An Ard Stiúrthóir Tom Ryan to express our anger and frustration on behalf of Roscommon CPA. We believe we are due that courtesy as long-standing GAA members with years of service as unpaid volunteers.
“Bringing this motion followed hours of work, discussion and meetings, all done to observe the GAA’s democratic structures,” he said.
And Kenoy feels that these hours of work were disrespected by the GAA, who didn’t give their motion any real respect or any chance to make an impression.
• Tom Ryan failed to send the motion to Co Board Secretaries in order to allow them to bring the proposal before their Co Boards for debate and decision.
• That the vast bulk of Saturday’s delegates were not mandated by their clubs.
• Co Board Secretaries did not get a chance to bring it before their clubs.
• Central Council members only received it on Friday, 23 November the day before the meeting
• The first agenda notification they got did not even include the Roscommon motion.
• It was only subsequently issued later that day having been “inadvertently” left out of the first email.
“Officialdom should get on the togs and try running their lives, family, work, social events, weddings, christenings and holidays amidst the chaos that is the GAA’s fixtures schedule.
“All that shows a most disappointing lack of respect both for ordinary G.A.A. members and for the democratic process. This tells us clearly that the Association is fast becoming a corporate elitist body whose leaders have lost sight of the GAA’s central ethos; a community based Gaelic games and culture organization with the club at its very core.”
Hear, hear.
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