The GPA are growing on me The background music was more elevator than rock and roll but the volume has increased dramatically recently. The Gaelic Players Association (GPA) is suddenly big into heavy metal and the gloves are certainly off. As I write, this promises to be a seminal time in the on-off relationship between the players association and GAA HQ. Seconds out for the final round? The grapevine warned of dissension in the ranks, EGMs and video links, pay for play and Grant Schemes, attend meetings or we will tog the ultimate weapon-STRIKE ACTION! I have covered the birth and growth of the GPA in the past and while I remain a little sceptical about their operation and motives, you have to agree they are the agenda setters in this wide-ranging field of 'Player Welfare'. Indeed you would be forgiven for thinking the GAA just cover their ears, shut their eyes and hope this bloody nuisance will go away. That, judging by the new Opel sponsorship rolled out in the last week of March, just isn't going to happen. But first, scroll back to the actions of the GPA and consider for a moment their problem as they canvass for the hearts and minds of the wider GAA public. They are hardly a sensitive executive-witness the following selections that appear to really want to hammer home their up and at you approach: - GAA announce deal with IRFU/FAI and GPA plough in looking for a slice of the financial action - GPA go into bed with Opel (remember their symbiotic relationship with all things soccer in this country) and launch the sweet deal from Jurys Croke Park Hotel (just across the road from HQ) - The players now take on the long established All Stars Scheme having made a mess of it when under the Power Screen umbrella - Hard cash is now a primary incentive for a player to make the Team of The Year Allied to that I have a major problem with their membership. I guess they should have at least 2,000 members (30 panels of 30 players for hurling and football) yet the GPA continue to quote 1,400 as their total membership - 30% of the playing population remain outside and some of the most high profile players in the country are included here. Gooch Cooper, a firm believer in the power of Lucozade Sport, and probably the highest profile player this century, is deemed an enemy of Club Energise and cannot bring the association into disrepute. We never see a breakdown for each county, in each code. For instance, how many Mayo hurlers are members of the GPA? Are Meath footballers fully signed up? And if not, will their county suffer as a result when it comes to voting for the Team of The Year? They have a very functional website, but interestingly their membership link outlines very basic ideals if an individual wishes to become a member. Can a club player become a member? And yet if you surf through their site for any length of time one must be impressed by the long list of additions to the general cause of a players' welfare. Now, in case you think county boards and Croke Park play host to the majority of pro-active people on this island of ours, allow me to deal with their record pre GPA: - Mileage rates stuck somewhere around 4d (for the benefit of my young readers, that's old pence) - Free tickets for a big game that players put on? Get up the yard - Any chance of a holiday? Sound, but ye must raise the money yourselves - Automatic issue of boots or playing kit? Ye will break the bank with thinking like that Having played during the old politburo days, I know only too well the lack of respect the GAA had for players. I should add that in the majority of cases it was a two way street! Back then, we did not even have a year long fixture programme and you planned matters only when you exited championships. No backdoor system and a league split in two and an off-season that lasted for about five days. Happy days. It's fair to say the last remaining fence is financial compensation in lieu of time-payment for time spent at the sport or compensation for time lost at work as a result of training and games. This was always likely to be the Jesus Nut, that single issue on which a collision is likely. And if it is apparent to those of us with a passing interest in the subject, how come officials at national level allowed matters to progress dangerously close to the edge? I can't be sure why it is so, but if you mention the GPA in what I loosely call 'GAA Circles', there is not an immediate rush to hail and embrace it as the panacea to all the players' ills. Worryingly from the player's perspective, the GPA is often viewed as a sinister type outfit, willing only to look after the DJs and such elite players, the Dubs, Kilkenny and Armagh. Which is certainly a little unfair, for the majority of their proposals are stepped in accordance with results/achievements and certainly the Grant System as recently advocated, has this hallmark. Day by day I am buying into the ideals and workings of the GPA. I agree with most of their suggestions and assume pay for play (in the full professional sense) is not on the agenda. The rest we can live with but in order to convince us of their bone fides, the GPA should as a matter of urgency: - List the number of members county by county, in each code - Clarify if a club player can become a member - Put meat on the bones of the Grant Scheme It is clear at this stage that the GPA is here for the long haul-any association that can attract €3 million from a corporate sponsor has a strong foundation. Thus it makes sense that the GAA embrace them fully and in a spirit of progress. We are all agreed that players remain the key party in this wonderful family-without them there can be no sunshine. 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