Offaly Senior Football Team - Championship 2023

[Superhans75]

Look you have to keep your best players but you have to let the young live there life
So here is a crazy but practical idea .
Make the tailteann cup games over 24 up age wise .
It makes sense but we have to try something because
We need 2024 to a year we get out of this rut .

[jimbob17]

It's an amateur sport, no contracts are signed. They can come and go as they please.

Fair enough if that's your view but I'd have very alternative view for good reasons. If I am over a county senior team and have invested in a player over a year or two in terms of fitness development etc and they are in receipt of up to 200 or 300 euro weekly (which plenty of Offaly players get) through expenses, and in addition, a weekly nutrition allowance and a couple of grand through the GPA grant scheme on top, should I not have a say on whether a player should be allowed leave a county panel in middle of championship to pick up 8 or 10 grand or more to play in another country?

I think currently inter county players are very well looked after and rightly so given commitment etc involved. But that should work two ways. If they are willing to take their GPA grant money and take the money to cover their travel from Nov through to May, they should be willing to commit to Co panel for full duration of championship.

Without naming code or county (not Offaly by the way), I know of one senior county player who only plays inter-county (a squad panelist with not much ambition of making 1st 15) so his expenses cover his rent for college and keep diesel in his car. I'd be very surprised if he was only one.

All I am saying is that if they want the good deal from Nov - May when in college, then a county who has invested hugely in them should have first dibs on them through June and July until they are out of championship. As such, I think inter county players shouldn't be allowed international transfers or sanctions until such time as their county team is out of the championship.

Any others agree or disagree?

[Superhans75]

Totally agree Jimbob are not Limerick and Dublin university teams by proxy.
Gaa has become more of what you can sell yourself worth for than ability
Look at the Media circus our own included are feeding from the trough.

[private joker]

Its not my view, its a fact that you cannot keep a player in or forbid a player from leaving a county squad.

[GreatDayForTheParish]

Its not my view, its a fact that you cannot keep a player in or forbid a player from leaving a county squad.

No you can’t. But that’s not the point the poster is making. Read their post carefully.

They are instead suggesting that there be a ban on transfers to the US until the player’s intercounty team is knocked out of the Taitleann Cup.

Any player can of course decide to leave a panel whenever they want. It’s an amateur sport and no legal contract has been signed. But if they leave, it won’t be so they can play abroad.

For what it’s worth, I would be broadly in favour of such a rule. Players leaving a panel for the US in the mid season just has such a demoralising, destabilising effect.

[jimbob17]

Its not my view, its a fact that you cannot keep a player in or forbid a player from leaving a county squad.

It's a fact because it is allowed. If you change the rules, that changes. If a fella wants to drop off county panel, fine, can still do that; but a rule should be put in place so they can not be allowed to transfer to club outside Ireland until their respective Co team is out of All Ireland championship in that given year. There is a mini GAA industry out there with some top inter county players commanding up to 25k and 30k USD out there.

Bare in mind a player travelling from Dublin to Kilcormac to train will receive approx 100km x 2 x 0.75 euro, which is 150 euro for a training session. Would be similar to Galway or Limerick where others are in college. It is a significant amount of money and commitment from GAA. That excludes a GPA grant of approx 2k a year and another 20 euro a week in nutrition allowance, on top of being fed after every training session. Its a serious investment by the GAA to be fair. There are Offaly players who claimed significant expenses from last November and then just skipped off to the states for significant sums of money during summer to play football while their team is still in championship. Is this fair on the Co boards and managers that invested so heavily on them, and often at other players expense? They then have to call up others to back up panel, most of whom don't have the necessary work done.

If they want to go to USA, go, but if they were on a county panel here, they shouldn't be allowed play over there for big or any money until county team who invested largely in them here are out their All Ireland Championship. The only reason they get payment out there is because they are county players here and because of investment in them on this side of the water.

I don't think they should be allowed come and go as they please and certainly don't think they should have best of both worlds.

[frankthetank]

Its not my view, its a fact that you cannot keep a player in or forbid a player from leaving a county squad.

It's a fact because it is allowed. If you change the rules, that changes. If a fella wants to drop off county panel, fine, can still do that; but a rule should be put in place so they can not be allowed to transfer to club outside Ireland until their respective Co team is out of All Ireland championship in that given year. There is a mini GAA industry out there with some top inter county players commanding up to 25k and 30k USD out there.

Bare in mind a player travelling from Dublin to Kilcormac to train will receive approx 100km x 2 x 0.75 euro, which is 150 euro for a training session. Would be similar to Galway or Limerick where others are in college. It is a significant amount of money and commitment from GAA. That excludes a GPA grant of approx 2k a year and another 20 euro a week in nutrition allowance, on top of being fed after every training session. Its a serious investment by the GAA to be fair. There are Offaly players who claimed significant expenses from last November and then just skipped off to the states for significant sums of money during summer to play football while their team is still in championship. Is this fair on the Co boards and managers that invested so heavily on them, and often at other players expense? They then have to call up others to back up panel, most of whom don't have the necessary work done.

If they want to go to USA, go, but if they were on a county panel here, they shouldn't be allowed play over there for big or any money until county team who invested largely in them here are out their All Ireland Championship. The only reason they get payment out there is because they are county players here and because of investment in them on this side of the water.

I don't think they should be allowed come and go as they please and certainly don't think they should have best of both worlds.

Excellent points well made.

I would be in full agreement.

Just to clarify the figures, inter county expenses for travelling for players are €0.70 per mile or for the first 7,000 miles. Or €1.12 per km for the first 11,200km in new money. So that example of a player you gave travelling from Dublin would actually receive €224 for attending that session. That’s a substantial amount of money to attend a training session.

[Superhans75]

224 euro for a training session is 85 percent of an old age pension.
Food for thought.

[ah lethimoutwithit]

November to June
November December January February March April May Total
€ per km €1.12 €1,254.40 €1,254.40 €1,254.40 €1,254.40 €1,254.40 €1,254.40 €1,254.40 €8,780.80
Avg Km return per session (conservative) 80
Number of sessions per month 14
GPA Grant (Approx)€2,000 €285.71 €285.71 €285.71 €285.71 €285.71 €285.71 €285.71 €2,000.00
Nutrition allowance per week (approx)€50 €200.00 €200.00 €200.00 €200.00 €200.00 €200.00 €200.00 €1,400.00
Gear allowance/cost (annually) €1,000 €142.86 €142.86 €142.86 €142.86 €142.86 €142.86 €142.86 €1,000.00
50% contribution from GPA to Masters in some cases (annually) €6,000

Total €1,882.97 €1,882.97 €1,882.97 €1,882.97 €1,882.97 €1,882.97 €1,882.97 €13,180.80

Just a spreadsheet gone wrong attempt (total at 80km return journey on average, at 14 sessions per month, Nov to May plus GPA grant nutrition and gear are estimates), comes in over €13k, tax free. Net investment not counting food. And don't be under any illusions that the 80km return is well below the norm. At these frequencies for training, and 200km return, the cost for mileage alone is close to €22k per annum!

[Superhans75]

My cousin plays for chesterfield in the national League
Salary 38k
You have to pay tax out of that .
Do Gaa players get Vat back on there fuel ?

[Anonymous1]

I agree that inter county players shouldn’t be allowed to flee to the US while their county’s season is still in progress not least when those same players have used their status as county players to secure University grants.

However, I will also say that the characterisation on here that the expenses county players receive is akin to winning the lotto is nonsense. The rate is 70c per mile up to a maximum of 7,000 miles so €4,900, each mile thereafter is claimed at a reduced 40% rate. Also, the grant they receive is €1,200 not €2,000. The majority of players don’t claim anywhere near 7,000 miles and those who do deserve every cent imo. Covering their expenses is the least we should expect given the commitment needed nowadays to be a county player. Some who long for a return to the dark ages won’t be pleased until playing for your county causes a player to be out of pocket…

[jimbob17]

Some of the figures on here are well over exaggerated to be fair and I was wrong on my nos earlier.

The mileage is 70c per mile and not 75c per km.

So taking into account any place in Dublin being approx 80 miles from Kilcormac, it would mean 80 x 2 x 0.7 = 112 euro per training session.

There are a lot of players living within the county too that claim very little mileage.

The nutrition allowance is 20 euro weekly, but some teams manage that in different ways. Some counties provide takeaway meals for non training days while some would give players bags of meat they can cook themselves, while some might do mix of both or give the players the money. On top, they get well fed after training and matches which is only right and proper.

The grants depend on how far a team progresses and range from approx 1k for teams knocked out very early to 2.5k for teams that go to All Ireland finals.

I wouldnt begrudge any player getting help through GAA re education and I think it's a great idea. Players dont see monetary value here but could save maybe 50% or more of a course fee of 5000 euro.

The main point is they get treated very well and for the investment in them, they should not be allowed leave a county squad to go and play for more money in the USA while their county team is still in the championship ie team should be out of Sam Maguire or Tailteann Cup before sanction can be received to play in the USA.

[ah lethimoutwithit]

This corrections change what I put in there to around 6k for the 6 mth period.

I for one don't expect that the players dont get some reward, but I do believe that if you sign up for the season then you sign up for the season...full stop. At the end of the day it is the good will of the people that enables a lot of the investment that goes into the players.

I have a relation who got into his course because of his intercounty background, players with company vehicles who are also claiming mileage, we know that the pathway to play abroad opens up because of the intercounty players background.

There are a number of things to be looked at around this area, and I guess players won't be happy, but whatI am looking for are sustinable models for the future. There is scope for creativity around this (allow a certain number of trips, ie "right of passage", one and another one at a later point with agreement of the county manager or board ), I don't know exactly the answer but it is too open to abuse at the moment.

I just think that there needs to be greater transparency in relation to the costs being incurred and that it is tightened up on to ensure that it is fair, and that the pot is spent in the best way possible. For example re the funding of 50% of a masters by the GPA, why not fund the masters with interst free loan that is paid back over a time, and enable the fund to be spread farther and wider. There are plenty of county players struggling to pay fees and live in college never mind get to masters level with no or very limited help.

Prominent former Mayo player was on the Late Late taking about how he was no good in school, never applied himself to school or college but is now (thanks to the GPA) doing a masters in Strategy and Business mgt and any number of courses....Jaysus me blood boiled watching it and subsequently RTE couldn't wait to get him onto the Sunday game. Help yes, but this should be repaid once they are getting a decent wage or at least a chunk should be paid back.

[Superhans75]

I keep saying this Dublin football
And Limerick hurlers are the new Oxford and
Cambridge of so called Amateur sport
It's become such an industry but we are producing
More dross than talent.
Looking forward to 2024 league ( I know is July but hopefully we get a decent manager who can bang certain people's head together and deflate some
( Way too many) egos .
Have a good weekend and don't get fin Rot !

[jimbob17]

Just on that. Saw recent social media post from Bernard Brogan re where he was forced to share portion of money received from any corporate arrangements with panel at large through putting portion into pot to be shared with all panelists. Not sure how it is now but it was said that being involved in Dublin Footballers in Gavins time was worth over 25k per annum to each player through what was coming in from corporate gigs.

Most of the Dublin senior players now have a sponsored car also.

Not sure re Limerick but I'd assume there are significant benefits to being involved. McManus money is a help but in fairness to both teams, they are as good as has ever been with exceptional managers in Kiely and Gavin driving them on.