Tyrone All Ireland winning goalkeeper Niall Morgan was 12 years old when his county won their first All Ireland Football Championship. It lit a spark that meant it would become the ultimate sporting ambition to play for his county and try to do it all over again.
At the age of 20 the spark was tested when it came to a choice between playing semi professional football for Dungannon Swifts of going all in on Inter County Football.
History shows that it was burning brightly enough for him to choose Gaelic.
Speaking at this morning’s launch of the Gaelic Players Association Indecon Report into the costs borne by players he questioned whether his 20 year old self would make the same choice if asked in 2025.
“Getting paid to play as a student covered my rent and my food and I was able to work part time in a bookies as well,” he said.
“Rent now in Belfast has doubled versus what it was then and food costs have increased as well. When I started playing County I weighed 10 and a half stone. Steak for breakfast, lunch and dinner saw to that as it needed to but thankfully Mum and Dad were picking up the cost of that.”
“My question now is whether younger players coming through can afford to make the choice I made at the time. And if the answer is no then we are missing out on some of the best players that we might never know about in our sport.”
“Can we blame them for choosing a job, choosing a family, choosing to go to Australia.”
“I’m the player rep with our squad and I know there are players who are genuinely struggling with the cost of living, the cost of driving and the cost of life.”
“There are so many extra costs that come with being a county player from gym memberships and recovery to food and travel.”
“If I had to make the choice now I’d say that I would come back to Tyrone after I’d finished college, maybe, but that i couldn’t afford to give up the payment from my football club.”
Dublin Camogie player and Co Chair of the GPA expressed a similar experience.
“I’ve been playing for 13 years and up until recently never got a penny in expenses. In my case it was often older players carrying the burden of getting younger players to training. I couldn’t afford a car, fuel, insurance, all of those things.”
“Players have costs to meet but they are having to give up shifts rather than taking on extra ones when a bill is due like most other young people.”
Read more about the Indecon Report on Sport for Business here.
SPORT FOR BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE
The GAA could not exist if it was to be a professional sport. The sums would simply not add up. In many way that is what makes it so special as part of Irish identity and within its communities. Squaring the circle on how players foot the bill physically, emotionally and financially is at the heart of this debate today, and the search for a solution that works for all.
The player stories and the hard data in the report can make a case for a middle ground to be found in negotiations with the GAA and in the lobbying of government.
WHAT’S UP NEXT?
Negotiation between the GAA and the GPA will resume next week after a short break.
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The GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association as well as the Gaelic Players Association are among the 300+ organisations that are members of the Sport for Business community. Our Gaelic Games coverage is supported by our partnership with AIB
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