But we don't mean a 'Kerry' response in the sense of that delightful practice of the denizens of the Kingdom of Kerry in always answering one question with another. Ah no. An Fear Rua has in mind another 'Kerry' altogether... a man called Kerry Packer. Kerry is one of Australia's richest men and also one of the world's biggest professional gamblers. Older readers of AFR will remember him as the man who first promoted 'compromise rules' series between Ireland and Australia. Though he now denies it, Kerry was recently reported as having lost IR£20 million in a single night's gambling in Las Vegas. His Nevada experience seems to have amounted to a 'crap' game in more senses than one.
AFR was reminded of Kerry's sad experience when he heard of Croke Park's announcement of a £250,000 endorsement and sponsorship deal for inter-county players. It really seemed like a case of: 'I'll see your Fifty... and I'll raise you Two-Fifty!...' Initially, up to ten leading companies will subscribe £25,000 each into the fund. It will be shared in accordance with the existing regulations on sponsorship: 50% to the individual player, 30% to his county panel, 10% to the injured players' fund and 10% to his county board. Though Croke Park has appealed to county boards to forego their 10% in favour of the player. The programme will be run - with the costs borne by headquarters - by a top Dublin PR company, Murray Consultants. (They're the same boyos, by the way, who were involved in a celebrated court action a few years ago where it emerged that up a million quid in profits had been salted away tax-free in a bank in Panama. Could this mean that any players sponsored under the new scheme will be required to wear a Panama hat, maybe with their county colours as a head band?).
AFR's view is that the official Croke Park deal is far superior to the one negotiated by Dónal O'Neill and the GPA. Not only is there far more money involved, but also it is structured in a clever way that allows it to grow smoothly and flexibly. In other words, more and more sponsors can be added seamlessly to a growing pool and others can be replaced quickly if they drop out. This seems better than the GPA approach which appears to be one of negotiating piecemeal with individual companies. Indeed, if the demand for places in the programme rises above ten, which seems likely, the GAA could raise even more money for the players by offering to fill any additional sponsorship slots by tender or even by auction. The GAA is to be complimented too for not forcing players to choose between their scheme and the GPA's. Clearly, that helped DJ Carey to finally 'come out' as one of the 'Marlborough Ten', since the Marlborough deal alone could not be considered adequate recompense for DJ.
The other good part of the official scheme is that it plays to the team ethos by ensuring that a star player's colleagues on the panel - who in some measure have helped him to stardom - share in the benefit. The Bould DJ Carey Himself has commented that he personally would have no problem even giving half his earnings to the rest of the Kilkenny panel on a 50/50 basis. A fundamental flaw in the GPA approach is that only the individual player benefited. Taken to its logical conclusion, that could mean that a greedy player would shop around for a transfer to a county which had better championship prospects than his own.
It looks like the GAA's sponsorship scheme will work out at about £1,000 a day gross for players, with £500 going directly to the player. After that, the player still has to pay tax at either 26% or 44%, leaving them with very little in their hand for a day's work. OK, it's more than players get today, but as this scheme throttles into full gear, some players could find quite heavy demands on their time and - quite frankly - £300 or £400 a day into their hand will not be enough recompense.
In announcing their scheme, the GAA have taken a major, positive step into the future. An Fear Rua believes it is now time for them to take one more radical step. They must immediately begin an effective political lobby to have players' earnings from sponsorship, endorsements and advertising exempted from income tax. The idea is not as farfetched as it may sound. From the Camelot court days of 'Charvet' J Haughey back in 1969, the earnings of recognised writers' and artists' have been fully exempt from tax. The State has even gone further and given many of them a tax-free payment of about £8,000 annually as members of the cultural body Aosdána. Who will argue that DJ Carey is not an artist? Who will claim that Michael Donnellan is not poetry in motion? Players of that ilk contribute every bit as much to the national well being, and should be cherished every bit as much as, say, John McGahern or Edna O'Brien. And AFR is sure neither John nor Edna would object.
The amount of tax foregone by the State would be peanuts, but would mean a lot in the hands of the individual players. Now is the time to do it, when the State coffers are awash in billions of pounds in surplus tax revenues and a measly £100,000 would not even be noticed. Sure, Kerry Packer would lose that amount in about five minutes at a Las Vegas gambling table. Or as 'Charvet' J Haughey himself once contemptuously remarked to a parsimonious Department of Finance official: 'You'd lose that amount in a tot...'
Who is Minister for Finance? None other than Champagne Charlie Himself, Kildare's Number One Official Supporter, the man who has already given £20 million away to Croke Park in Budget grants. If An tArdStiúrthóir Himself, Liam Ó Maoilmhichíl, could screw that much out of Charlie McCreevy, getting a few hundred thousand in tax relief for players would be easier than getting the Mayo forwards to take their scores when they get the chances. On second thoughts... Never mind!
Right now, Charlie is in the throes of preparing this year's Budget and will be open to receiving budgetary submissions. And we could appeal to An Maor and his colleagues to ensure that the Minister is never seated in Croke Park until he coughs up with the funds required. And can you imagine the frantic response of Fianna Fáil TD's especially - facing a General Election in the next six months - to a countrywide lobby by county boards and clubs? The GAA could leave the farmers, the publicans and the teachers in the ha'penny place when it comes to mounting an effective lobby. Would you vote for a politician who would refuse to give tax relief on his few quid from sponsorship to the likes of DJ Carey or Trevor Giles?
It's only a month since the GPA announced their sponsorship scheme and we have come along way even in that short time. There is now £300,000 on the table for players that wasn't there before. While that decent man, Seán McCague, might protest that the GAA's scheme was on the way anyway, full credit must be given to Dónal O'Neill, the GPA and the 'Marlborough Ten' for being the catalysts in accelerating the addressing of the players' needs.
But, in AFR's view, the battle between the GPA and the GAA is now over. The GPA will not be able to match the GAA's scheme. Large corporate sponsors will always prefer the 'safety' of being part of an 'official' scheme. The GAA have won. Hands down.
Now it is time for the GPA - like Kerry Packer - to fold their hand and quietly leave the table...<