Republic of Ireland international makes eye-opening claim about professionalism in GAA

Bailieborough's favourite nomad still likes to get home to Cavan during the summer.

When he does, Cillian Sheridan likes to scratch his GAA itch and catch a few games - the former Bailieborough Shamrocks man is struck by what he sees on his trips home. The National League is not a possibility for the proud Cavanman, due to his work commitments with Cypriot side Omonia. While Cavan were hosting Dublin in Kingspan Breffni Park last Sunday, Sheridan was starting up front against Aris in a league match that Omonia won 4-2. The attendance in Breffni Park: 16,331. The attendance in Limassol: 2,000. Still just 27, Sheridan has enjoyed an interesting career. Beginning at Celtic before moving on to CSKA Sofia, Kilmarnock, APOEL Nicosia and Omonia. Having played in the top divisions of Scotland, Bulgaria and Cyprus, Sheridan is well-placed to assess the levels of professionalism applied to the preparation of teams in the GAA. https://twitter.com/SportsJOE_GAA/status/785776328700260353 In an interview with the Sunday Times, the striker who won three caps under Giovanni Trapattoni noted the dedication of most intercounty teams, suggesting Gaelic games are reaching the point where players will need to be compensated for their efforts.

"I get the argument for keeping the sport amateur and for what it is all about, but the majority of county teams will have a much more professional set-up than the majority of soccer clubs which I have been at. "It's hard to get the balance right between the running of the whole thing and the players."

We may not consider the Scottish Premiership, Bulgarian or Cypriot leagues on the same level as the Premier League of La Liga, but Sheridan has played for teams that frequently qualify for the Champions League group stages and for him to place county teams' preparations above them in terms of professionalism is a hell of a statement. The hoary issue of professionalism and pay-for-play has been raised time and again, with no widespread support out there for the abandonment of one of the cornerstones of the GAA. However as the budgets of teams grow, the alleged payments to managers get bigger and bigger and the commitment demanded of the players increases, we can expect the topic to be raised time and again.