Funding and integration central to GAA's five-year strategic plan

The GAA will unveil its new five-year strategic plan in the coming weeks with particular focus likely to be paid to the areas of games development, funding, and integration.

Over 16,000 people contributed suggestions and feedback to the document with the new plan based around sustaining a community-based and volunteer led association, where as many as possible can participate in Gaelic games and culture for as long as possible.

Last weekend, a motion calling for the introduction of Under-19 inter-county championships on a trial basis for the next three years was defeated at the GAA's annual congress.

It proposed that an U-19 inter-county series would replace the U-17 and U-20 grades, but fell short of the 60% support mark required for it to be approved.

On the day three other motions aiming to change the inter-county minor grade from U-17 to U-18 were withdrawn.

But it’s likely the matter will be revisited at a Special Congress later this year.

A number of officials including the likes of John Tobin, Chairman of the National Coaching and Games committee and a member of the Burnout Review committee, contend that the player pathway process was never fully completed.

There is a feeling within the GAA that while the reduction in minor age from 18 to 17 alleviated some issues, the structure failed to address other serious matters.

It is felt that, in its present format, the U-17 competition continues to impose adult practices and standards on teenage minds and bodies.

It has been advocated by some that the competition should address the needs of the teenager.

Tobin and others would welcome a developmental U-17 competition with a tiered structure, allowing many teams of equal ability to compete against one another, culminating in