Emmet Moloney writes for the 'The Irish Farmers Journal' and is a former sports columnist with 'The Kerryman'.

While the majority of people on this island were concerned with rugby internationals and Ireland’s failure to qualify for the World Cup, the GAA was quietly getting things done. Emmet Moloney writes...

A lot of things happened in the GAA world these past couple of weeks that slipped under the radar due to the volume of column inches devoted to the soccer team and our marvelous rugby achievements.

First and foremost is the assimilation of the GPA into the mother ship that is the GAA organisation as a whole. This proposal just awaits the rubber stamp in Congress, despite Cork’s immediate throwing of the rattle out of the pram. Down Leeside, we saw Frank Murphy’s hand raised against the tide. HQ will get this piece of legislation through and well they should – it is a very good piece of business.
For their part, the GPA are merely guaranteeing their survival. What else could they do? Their funding is now secure and they really always wanted to be sitting at the top table. Their independence at that table will be on show now and again, but in five years there will be no us-against-them mentality. This can only work out well for both parties.

For the grassroots GAA member, this is something we should support wholeheartedly. Big Brother’s attitude towards the GPA only antagonised them into various actions like running an awards scheme beside the All-Stars, separate sponsorship deals and, of course, player agitation. Now they will be inside the tent and this will allow us to nip a few more potential trouble spots in the bud. And if they play it properly, the players’ body could come to have a strong voice within the organisation and that can’t hurt. Let’s hope that comes to pass.

Another piece of news slipped into the cycle was exactly how much we benefitted from having “foreign” sports played in Croke Park. The count is at €36m and we still have a few rugby matches to be played in the spring. The beauty of that money is that it trickles down throughout the county boards to clubs all over the country. My own club is hoping for one of the €25,000 grants available directly from this money (a cheque before Christmas would be grand lads, thanks).

Remember the controversy waged over allowing rugby and soccer into our hallowed ground? I recall a few die-hards stating (vociferously) that Croke Park today would mean Thurles, The Gaelic Grounds and Páirc Uí Chaoimh tomorrow. Of course, none of that happened. Although, if any organisation offered a couple of hundred thousand for a match at those grounds now, the local county board would bite their hands off. Things are tight now, lads, and, unfortunately, come next October, Croke Park shuts until March.

So many farms, businesses and families are under severe pressure nowadays and the GAA club and county boards are no different. While it hasn’t come to public notice yet, I have no doubt that some are close to insolvency.

It was madness to allow the refurbishment of Lansdowne Road and for that nearsighted approach (of Government, FAI, IRFU and GAA), we lose about €12m a year in much-needed funds.
Our GAA CEO Padraig Duffy suggested that central council now hold on to the decision regarding opening the ground again if the need arises after Lansdowne Road is opened. The horse has bolted but this makes sound sense – just in case.

What’s the just in case? Well, something could happen to Lansdowne Road. The ground is already allowing some tours to view the impressive work done, but we are still eight or nine months away. In this day and age, you never know.

And there is the carrot of a European soccer final, maybe a Champions League or a Europa League? Or a Rugby World Cup Final or a Heineken Cup Final? The Aviva Stadium (Lansdowne) will stage the 2011 Europa League Final, bringing much-needed revenue for the stadium owners. Something similar would be a nice pay day for the GAA. While a new Lansdowne Road might be ahead of us in the pecking order, Croke Park’s capacity dwarfs most stadia in Europe, along with its corporate and world-class facilities.

Could there be a weekend when the rugby and soccer crowds are double-booked at Lansdowne Road? That would be handy, wouldn’t it? Don’t rule that out either. The GAA will be quietly letting their FAI and IRFU cousins know that the field is available if they ever need it. We might even lower the price. It all makes sense.

And, of course, there is the one scenario that hasn’t been mentioned. As is well known, the FAI cannot sell their allocation of corporate seats in Lansdowne Road and, therefore, can’t come up with their financial side of the bargain. Could they pull out and stay in Croker instead?

Maybe impossible. There’s a lot of small print, but, after all, these are the people that asked for the football World Cup, organised years in advance, to be made into a 33-team tournament instead of the pre-planned 32. You couldn’t put anything past them!

But back to the GAA. Last week, the organisation held a coaching weekend and asked some very notable and successful speakers to address coaches and managers from around the country. Didn’t make it? The GAA and RTÉ had the foresight to stream it live on the RTÉ website and you can still watch it there. If you have any involvement in a GAA team, have a look at what the likes of Enda McNulty and Liam Sheedy have to say about team preparation. You will learn something.

That’s the GAA for you. In one or two fell swoops last week, the bigger picture was paraded for all to see. The GPA will be neutered, Croke Park will stay open, coaching and the running of teams will be actively encouraged into the 21st century model. Typical GAA, a lot of that good news was a well-kept secret. Some of you would be hearing it for the first time here.

God forbid you would see any of it on the GAA’s own pitiful website. Considering they get so many things right, you’d think communications would now be top of their priorities. On a Monday afternoon on the GAA’s website, you will never see the fixtures for the week ahead; they will be a week behind. The website still has the International Rules test series down for November, even though it was called off months ago. For an organisation this size, this is not close to being good enough. Two steps forward, one step back.

Keep up the great work lads, but overhaul that website!

To catch Emmet's latest column, get 'The Irish Farmers' Journal' every Thursday...