Dublin CEO John Costello: GAA failing to recognise unique challenges in the capital

Dublin GAA chief executive John Costello has criticised the new national coaching and development funding template.

Last year, the GAA through a subgroup of the Central Games Development Committee compiled a new formula to "serve the needs, culture, and ethos of the organisation with the aims of increasing participation, maximising performance and growing and sustaining the work of volunteers".

The new mechanism came on the back of an in-depth analysis of games development funding after a number of counties called for what they described as a more equitable system of distribution.

Since then, because of additional qualifying criteria required from counties and other factors, Dublin GAA’s annual coaching fund has been reduced by €447,978.

"Our funding from Central Council and the additional €1.1m annual spend from Dublin County Board resources and €21,600 per club, has always targeted young people, especially primary schoolchildren, where coaching, fun and involvement can have a huge impact," Costello writes in his report to Dublin’s annual convention.

"I am, therefore, surprised and disappointed to be honest, that the new GAA model for funding for coaching and games development is based on registered male players from the age of 4 to 37-years-of-age.

"This is a worrying shift in association policy that funding is now being targeted at the older age groups. At a recent meeting attended by the GAA Director of Coaching and Games Development and the Árd Stiúrthóir, we were informed that the Games Promotion Officers should be working at this age cohort.

"Without wishing to sound glib, does anyone think that investing in coaching for any 30-something is the best way of spending finances? Will our Games Promotion Officer’s be expected