Integration the latest example of GAA's evolution

Between the split season, the new football rules and integration of the three organisations which oversee Gaelic games, the GAA is evolving at a pace that few would have expected decades and generations ago.

The split season has been with us for a while, and we have been experiencing the new football rules since the Allianz League started five weeks ago, so those two movements - if you want to call them that - are tangible and real.

The quietest of all the new developments is integration. It is happening, even though we haven't seen it yet, but by all accounts, we will.

The magic number is 2027 when the destination will be reached and integration will become a reality.

It is a massive leap of faith by the Camogie Association and the Ladies Gaelic Football Association.

If everything goes according to plan, they will no longer exist as independent bodies but will all come under the umbrella of the Gaelic Athletic Association.

Both associations have done incredible work for their respective sports, but there is, in most quarters, a genuine feeling that this is the right move for both.

Complexities in the integration process

In February 2024, the Steering Committee on Integration announced the vision for integration as "one association for Gaelic games by 2027".

Working groups were established to consider practical implications and actions and the commencement of projects, which will ensure the implementation of integration along with ongoing engagement with the Government to provide updates on the process.

The working groups over the last 13 months have focused on areas such as communications, facilities, finance, fixtures, games development, HR, membership and match officials, to name just a few.

Even listing these out here gives a