Kettle expects "conflicting views"
January 24, 2012
Andy Kettle.
Counties have been asked to complete internal discussions on the matter of these payments by February 24th and the chairman of Dublin County Board reckons that - while he is personally opposed to the payments - there will be strong arguments on either side:
"There will be conflicting views," he says in the Times. "I come from one camp. I'm against it. I come from the voluntary ethos. I think it is a unique part of our Association. It carries down to the parish, it carries down to the jersey, down to playing with your own friends.
"I come from a small club in north county Dublin. We were lucky to win a Dublin intermediate title a couple of years ago which led on to an All-Ireland series. The buzz that it created in the area and the pride it created in the parish is something unique. I don't think it happens at junior level or ground level in any other sport.
"I would fear that payments to managers would be another reason why the Association moves towards semi-professionalism. That's something I would not like to see in my lifetime.
"I feel very strongly that if we as an organisation lost that love for the game, the Association would not be the Association that it is today. But right now I don't really have a gut feeling as to which way this might ultimately go." Tweet
