The GAA has commenced work on a new strategic plan which is due to be finalised and published this autumn. It will outline the direction that the Association should take over the next five years running to 2026.

A steering group led by new President Larry McCarthy has begun an extensive programme of research that will engage with every level of the Association.

Director General Tom Ryan is one of nine additional members on the Group along with Elish Kelly of the ESRI who has been a partner in terms of evidence-based research with the GAA over the past number of years.

She is the only woman on the ten-person group which may not present an ideal optic given the fact that closer cooperation and coming together with the Ladies garlic Football Association and the Camogie Association will be a significant and high profile part of what will be on the agenda during the period of the plan.

Shane Flanagan, the GAA’s Director of Coaching and Games Development, former Dublin Football and Hurling boss Pat Gilroy, and Head of People and Change at KPMG, Conor McCarthy are also among the high powered group.

An opportunity for public consultation and for GAA members to have input into shaping the GAA’s focus from 2021 until late 2026 will happen during the summer.

There has been some commentary on the fact that a five-year strategy is too short for an organisation the size and reach of the GAA but strategic plans work best when there is a degree of real-time thinking and action to them.

Optimum

This is the optimum time to implement meaningful change while at the same time keeping a close eye on what the longer term will look like.

“Upon taking office I spoke of the opportunity for recalibration and rebuilding that is taking place as a result of our gradual emergence from the harrowing Pandemic,” said President Larry McCarthy.

“The GAA has already been in a period of intense reflection on matters as diverse as the shape of our season, the formation of competitions and playing rules and the development of young players.”

“We want to ensure that the GAA is perfectly placed in the post-Pandemic world to be the sort of vibrant, supportive and relevant Association that we all want it to be.”

“The proposed strategic plan covering up to 2026 will enable us to put the GAA on that road and every unit of the Association will have an opportunity to have their voice heard. I’d encourage all of our volunteers, members and players to take this opportunity to play a part in shaping our future together.”

Phase One of the plan has commenced and seeks to establish the key issues that face the Association. Phase Two will involve a public survey, tailored for club members, but which will be made available to everyone to contribute.

“The purpose of the plan is to allow us to answer some fundamental questions about ourselves,” added Director General Tom Ryan.

“Answering these questions will involve us looking at our core purpose, our goals and objectives, our structures, our collective roles and responsibilities, and how we get things done.”

It will be a big task but one that is important in setting out what the Association stands for and how it will develop.

There will be a mountain of work for the committee to get through, as well as GAA executives. It is also something that all clubs and members should take a keen interest in. We certainly will be.

 

The GAA are among more than 30 National Governing Bodies of Sport and more than 250+ members of the Sport for Business network of sporting and business organisations working together across a number of key areas.

 

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