We could be in for a strike this year lads, things ain’t looking good. What would you do if they all went on strike, it would be some embarrassment.
I’d love to clock Dessie one, he’s some idiot in all fairness.
Ger Brennan was very poor on tv as well, why can’t they find articulate guys to talk for them, it seems a major problem for them.
€50 to join
is it worth it
12 months membership costs only €50 and entitles you to:
GPA Polo Shirt
Membership of the GPA Group Affinity Scheme offering wide variety of discounts to GPA members
25% off Car Insurance with INSURE.IE
Health Insurance discount with insure.ie and VIVAS
Exclusive significant discounts on OPEL cars
Receive Official GPA Press Releases in REAL TIME
Regular Member exclusive eZine
Discounted Admission to designated GPA events
Opportunity to purchase Official GPA merchandise
Regular Sponsor Offers
Opportunity to win All Ireland Tickets and VIP tickets for the OPEL Gaelic Players’ Awards
[quote=“caoimhaoin”]We could be in for a strike this year lads, things ain’t looking good. What would you do if they all went on strike, it would be some embarrassment.
I’d love to clock Dessie one, he’s some idiot in all fairness.
Ger Brennan was very poor on tv as well, why can’t they find articulate guys to talk for them, it seems a major problem for them.[/QUOTE]
What are the grounds for the strike?
[quote=“The Puke”]50 to join
is it worth it[/QUOTE]
A raffle for tickets and texts from Dessie. I’ll pass thanks.
The grants, they say they are monitoring it week by week, and the level of protests will increse accordingly. They are pulling stunts for Munster hurling and Leinster football finals. Its going to happen, because there is no money for them, thats a FACT.
I’d be in favour of a players association but it needs real leadership and a serious charter that doesn’t fuck around about their objectives. Their mission statement as it is could mean just about anything. I’m all for player welfare but I’d fight professionalism to the death.
This is their ‘Official Recognition Plan’ as per the website.
Funding through the GPA to provide a proper career development programme for players including:
Dessie’s interview: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid28221052001?bclid=28124506001&bctid=28310930001
I love this one - “Regular Sponsor Offers”.
I think the GPA is a bit of a joke of an organisation, and essentially its for the upper echelons of inter county players, so I’d prefer if they changed their name accordingly, cos they mean fuck all to the average club player, or indeed the likes of a Westmeath inter county hurler.
HOWEVER, the GAA have handled this exceptionally badly and their feigned surprise and indignation at the threatened withdrawal of GPA players from interviews at the weekend doesn’t cut it. The constant excuse of the Uachtaran not being able to meet because he’s settling into the job is getting a bit long in the tooth as well. Have any of the prospective candidates for GAA President in the last 10 years never heard of or considered the GPA? There seems to be this complete reluctance to talk to them.
Player grants are the main issue, but the GAA could work with the GPA to find a solution. These kind of threats from the GPA are borne out of frustration with the association.
They won’t ever strike though. If the GPA pushed the nuclear button and an all over inter county strike ensued, it would be the end of the GPA. They don’t have (contrary to what they say) enough members, and certainly not enough active members. The GAA will always outlast them. Cork is a classic example, from what I can see (outside of Cork) there is nothing but negativity towards Cork hurlers at present.
4 things need to happen here:
50 squids? Surprised its not more.
Do the GPA take a percentage of what players earn from these “Regular Sponsor Offers”?
Laois went on strike last Saturday at around 7-15.
It’s not even so much the grants, it’s their demand for 5% of all the GAA’s revenue received from gate receipts and TV rights that’s causing all this. All it has ever been about for the GPA is money, but I think with the weakening economic circumstances around the country and a big return of members to volunteer-ism at club level I could see support for the GPA waining even further amongst the grass roots.
Let them go on strike, every fucking one of them, I’m sick of the cunts.
A lot of inter county players have serious notions above their stations, they will think that it is impossible for the games to go on without them, but they can and will. one area that could be sticky for the GAA is new managers coming through who would formerly have been GPA members and who would most likely support any strike action taken by the players.
I’d like to see them try to hold the GAA to ransom over this. Lets see what support is out there for them.
If they do this, they are over, finished.
[quote=“myboyblue”]I’d like to see them try to hold the GAA to ransom over this. Lets see what support is out there for them.
If they do this, they are over, finished.[/QUOTE]
I get an urge to punch the television everytime that stupid cunt Farrell comes on it.
Realistically, how can the likes of Roscommon, Leitrim, Laois, Westmeath, Derry, Louth, Offaly, Wexford players all go on strike after the abject performances they have put in so far this year? Seriously?!
Yeah my reading of it is that it’s about the 5% of revenue thing and “official recognition” by the GAA.
Two pathetic issues really. There’s no way in the world they’ll get 5% of the GAA’s revenue and there’s no reason they should.
The official recognition thing is shite as well. You can’t just setup an organisation and threaten to call a strike because the GAA don’t see you as an integral part of their organisation.
Agreed on what others have said on Farrell - he’s an idiot and he’s holding back progress for player welfare if anything. The one thing the GAA won’t want to do after the Cork hurlers is to be seen to buckle under the threat of strike action. And what little support the Cork hurlers had outside Cork will dwarf the support the general public will give to people who are striking over something as intangible as official recognition.
Dessie Farrell and Donal Og Cusack, you could hardly ask for worse front men for a players organisation. If it was someone decent like Jimmy Barry Murphy and the Bomber Liston fronting them, the GAA would find it harder to tell them to fuck off.
Farrell isn’t the gpa, it’s important to remember that it’s been supported by men a lot more respectable than him. In one way people need to appreciate that they’re always going to be talking about money because they need money to deliver on their mandate. Players train at a level now that is incomparable to the past and while then volunteer ethos should be protected, you’d have to admit that inter-county players are preparing at a level beyond traditional notions of amateurism. So while you can blow on about elitism if you like, you’d have to be fairly out of touch not to recognise that these lads are already operating on an elite level.
Dessie is the GPA to alot of people, if he left and someone with a less whiny voice was in charge there’d be alot more goodwill towards them. But then I’d say Dessie would be straight down the dole office if he was no longer a full time GPA administrator.