The GAA need to remember it's all about the players

Hats, flags or headbands. The chipper vans. The stewards. The pubs. The trains and the buses. The sponsors. The media. Can you tell me what they all have in common?

They all make and generate what can be substantial money when it comes to GAA games. And the list is a lot longer then that. And who ensures that they make it? The players. The 15 players that play on both teams and the respective panel members.

And what have all of them got in common?

Well, they are the only people who don't get paid. I often wonder if you brought people over from other parts of the world to an All-Ireland final day, and explained the following: that this match will generate millions of euro to many sectors, and them lads on the pitch are the people that make it happen, and they don’t get paid.

They would genuinely think you are mad.

And then you proceed to tell them, that not alone do they not get paid, but they actually have to fight tooth and nail to get a few expenses to cover their costs.

They wouldn’t believe you.

It's hard to believe what is going on at the minute in relation to player expenses. It baffles me, it really does.

I'm not going to go pointing fingers at who is right or who is wrong, or who said what. The reality is, it is a downright disgrace.

GAA, GPA, Colm O'Rourke, blah blah blah, the long and the short of it is, how in god's name do the players have to put up with this nonsense, in this day and age, to get their money?

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