CPA chairman Micheál Briody has called on the new GAA director-general to undertake a “root and branch review of the decision making process” as one of their first acts.
Current director-general Páraic Duffy will step down in March after 10 years in the job, with no indication yet as to who his replacement will be.
The club players’ body has put forward eight motions through clubs and counties that they hope will make it to the floor of next year’s Annual Congress, which is the GAA’s chief decision-making body.
One of the motions claims that despite Congress being labelled as a democratic body, “the much heralded notion that ‘clubs have the power’ does not hold much water.”
They are calling for the list of motions for Annual Congress to be sent to clubs who will, within seven days, shall inform their county committee of their ballot vote for each motion.
On the basis of one club, one vote and a simple majority, each county’s delegates to Congress would then vote in accordance with how they have been mandated.
A further motion also calls for accountability to be placed on Congress delegates by making the vote of each delegate publicly available.
There has long been suspicion that some delegates have voted by their personal preference, at times against the mandate they have been given by clubs or county executive.
“During our discussions with GAA management, when we were invited to meet the CCCC, and in comments and feedback from County board officials we have been told that the CPA should pursue change through individual clubs using the GAA’s democratic processes,” said Briody.
“To do this we have drafted eight motions that we made available to clubs and county boards to take forward. We look forward to seeing how they progress and the debate they generate.
“In truth how many club members understand the GAA democratic process, or would be comfortable taking it upon themselves to bring forward their ideas in a motion with confidence it can go all the way? It is the GAA’s version of the Log Cabin to the White House and sounds great. But is it?
“It may be that one of the first actions of the new GAA Director General in 2018 should be to do a root and branch review of the decision making process in our Association to ensure transparency and accountability. That appointment in itself comes at a critical time for the GAA.
“The motions we have made available to clubs and county boards relate to a variety of procedural matters, for example one relates to full voter transparency and accountability at Annual Congress.
“It is not helpful to the GAA as an association that there is innuendo out there that officials are influenced to vote contrary to their mandated position. This motion will put that malicious rumour to bed.”
Another key motion proposed by the CPA would see clubs given the right to appeal against fixtures made by their respective Competitions Control Committee.
At present, clubs have no right of appeal against a fixture set down by a county CCC and are often left with a choice between playing under duress or forfeiting games.
In their reasoning behind the move, the body says: “There have been a number of high profile incidences in recent years where wholly unreasonable fixtures have been made by county CCCs for one reason or another and the clubs involved have been left with no avenue of appeal. This is grossly unfair and contrary to any reasonable notion of natural justice.”
Outline of CPA motions
- That the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals be complete by no later than the second Sunday in July
- That the All-Ireland SHC quarter-finals, and Tier 2, 3 and 4 competitions, be complete by no later than the second Sunday in July
- A mandatory closed period for all inter-county training and games of four consecutive weekends between April 1 and May 20 each year
- GAA to operate Central Control Structure that oversees master plan for entire inter-county and club fixture programmes which will apply to all counties. Every player to have available on January 1 each year a plan of fixtures that includes specific dates for championship games
- Counties to vote on each motion at Congress as mandated by clubs, who would inform county committee of their ballot vote on each motion within seven days of receiving list of motions
- Each club to have players representative at county convention; each county to have a voting players’ rep at Congress
- Delegates’ votes at Congress to be recorded and displayed publicly
- Remove the ban on clubs appealing fixtures to facilitate “fairness” for clubs
