Hurling & Camogie

GPA propose appointment of Chief Medical Officer for Gaelic Games

GPA chief executive officer Tom Parsons, centre, alongside GPA national executive committee co-chairperson Maria Kinsella and GPA head of finance and operations Ciarán Barr during a media briefing of the association's AGM and 2021 Annual Report Highlights at the Radisson Blu Hotel at Dublin Airport in Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
GPA chief executive officer Tom Parsons, centre, alongside GPA national executive committee co-chairperson Maria Kinsella and GPA head of finance and operations Ciarán Barr during a media briefing of the association's AGM and 2021 Annual Report GPA chief executive officer Tom Parsons, centre, alongside GPA national executive committee co-chairperson Maria Kinsella and GPA head of finance and operations Ciarán Barr during a media briefing of the association's AGM and 2021 Annual Report Highlights at the Radisson Blu Hotel at Dublin Airport in Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

A MOTION calling for the immediate creation of a Chief Medical Officer post within Gaelic games could be put forward by the Gaelic Players Association at the next Annual Congress.

Last weekend's AGM of the GPA supported the motion despite the fact that the GAA already has a functioning Medical, Scientific and Welfare Committee in place.

Former Antrim hurler Ciaran Barr, the GPA's head of finance and operations, said that the MSW committee is 'not enough' on its own and claimed that a gap exists in terms of data collected around the incidence of various types of injuries in the game.

Barr said that the appointment, which he feels would bring Gaelic games into line with other sporting organisations, is required as a matter of urgency while GPA chief Tom Parsons said he personally would like this motion to be brought forward by the players union to next spring's GAA Congress for debate.

Asked which of the six motions that were passed at the AGM would he like to present to a full GAA Congress in early 2023, Parsons pointed to the Chief Medical Officer request.

"If it was my personal decision, it would probably be the Chief Medical Officer motion across all codes," said Parsons.

"Again, that is something we'll consult with our National Executive Committee and the players about."

Former Allstar Barr explained why the position is so urgently required, arguing that the existing MSW committee on its own is not enough.

"No, it's not," said Barr. "And it's a committee so they're meeting and they're volunteers, they're meeting once a month, once every two months, it's not enough. Look at the amount of players that play Gaelic games, you've all got kids that are playing Gaelic games. There's like 300,000 or 400,000 members of the association. It (the MSW committee) is not enough. Having said that, the games are really, really safe comparatively. You always have to make sure you're making the comparative case too."

Barr argued that a Chief Medical Officer could ultimately make Gaelic games safer and more fun.

"And guess what, there'll be lots of consequences with that," he said. "The injuries will reduce. The cost of injury will reduce. Players will play longer, and so on and so on. I think it's a gap that needs to be filled and filled quite urgently."

Finance chief Barr also outlined a €770,000 surplus and, overall, 'a very healthy reserve balance' of around €2m.

Their plan is to distribute the €770,000 'sooner rather than later' to 'both the female players and the most vulnerable players'.