GAA:The Cork County Board have called a special meeting for tonight after attempts to broker a deal in the ongoing hurling dispute broke down in the early hours of this morning when GAA delegates attempted to find a resolution to the impasse.
President elect, Christy Cooney, was part of a GAA delegation involved in over 12 hours of talks which ended without “significant progress” being made. Cork native Cooney and GAA director general Pauric Duffy met with members of the striking 2008 panel and Gerald McCarthy and his management team in a Cork hotel but were unable to find a resolution.
While both sides involved in the dispute engaged in talks with the Croke Park officials, they refused to sit around the same table and discussions took place in separate rooms. And when they finally ended at around 2am this morning, Cooney admitted that little progress had been made.
“We consulted with everybody very openly, everybody gave us their time and were very gracious throughout this whole process,” Cooney told RTE Radio. “But sadly, we couldn’t come to a satisfactory conclusion and agreement.”
Quite where both sides go from here remains to be seen, with the players still unwilling to return under McCarthy’s stewardship and the manager steadfast in his refusal to bow to the player’s demands. The Cork County Board will meet again tonight.
“We have to go away and consider that now,” Cooney added, when asked what the next step would be. “We’ll go and look at the options that are there, if there are any options. And then, in due course, see if it’s worthwhile reengaging in the process . . . we tried to make progress but sadly weren’t able to do so.”
McCarthy’s ‘developmental’ panel are currently bottom of Division One of the National Hurling League after defeats at the hands of Dublin and Tipperary and the county face the prospect of an early exit from the championship if no agreement can be reached.
The GAA later released details of the proposed deal, which would have superseded the agreement drawn up under Kieran Mulvey, that was put to both sides yesterday.
Requiring “compromise and sacrifice from all parties involved”, under the terms of the deal the hurling panel would agree to make themselves available to McCarthy for the rest of the season but would have a say in the appointment of an additional coach and an additional selector.
A three-man committee, nominated by Croke Park, would also have been established to liaise with players and management at the end of the season with a view to aiding the selection process for 2010.
The GAA would undertake a detailed review of all aspects of hurling and football in the county and draw up a five-year plan “that will allow the county to maximize participation”.
“It is the hope of Croke Park that all parties will move beyond the divisions that have characterized the current disagreement,” it read, “and that they will work together in the great tradition of Cork hurling and football to restore Cork teams to their proud position within the GAA.”
GAA Statement in Full
GAA Press Release: February 19th, 2009
To: Cork County Board
Cork Hurling Panel of 2008/2009
Cork Management Team.
Re: Cork Hurling Impasse
Following our discussions with the relevant parties in the Cork hurling dispute, we have devoted lengthy consideration to the issues at the core of the disagreement in an attempt to identify a solution that will lead to a resolution acceptable to both sides.
We recognize that all parties concerned have strong views about what would constitute desirable solutions and outcomes. It is also the case that only significant compromise from all parties will lead to a resolution of the disagreement. It is in this context that we make the following proposals as a means both to break the deadlock and to support those who have the best interests of Cork GAA at heart:
1.All parties in the dispute – Cork County Board, the hurlers of Cork and the Cork Senior hurling team manager Gerald McCarthy and his backroom team – agree to work with each other in a spirit of cooperation for the current season. All hurlers will make themselves available for selection for the League and Championship once this document (i.e. containing these proposals) has been signed by all parties. As a core principle, it is accepted by all parties that players for a new 2009 panel will be selected uniquely on the basis of their hurling ability.
2.In recognition of this cooperation, the Senior hurling team manager will appoint an additional member to his coaching team and an additional selector to assist in the preparation of the team for the 2009 season. The people appointed to these roles will be acceptable to all parties.
3.A person designated by Croke Park will review best practice in other counties in the matter of panel preparation and player/management interaction, and will produce recommendations that will be implemented, where required, with regard to the Cork hurling panel prior to this year's Championship.
4.A review of all aspects of the relationships between, on the one hand, players at senior inter-county level in both hurling and football and, on the other, the management teams and the County Board will take place at the end of this year's playing season. This review will be carried out by an independent three-person committee nominated by Croke Park. This committee will consult with the outgoing panels, the teams' managements, the County Board and relevant others and will make a recommendation on the appointment of Senior Team Managers in hurling and football for the 2010 season. This recommendation will be forwarded to the Cork County Board for approval.
5.This committee will remain in place until the end of the 2011 season, at which point the arrangement will be reviewed with all parties concerned. This process, as outlined in points 4 and 5, will be overseen by the Ard Stiúrthóir GAA.
6.A strategic plan for the promotion of Gaelic Games within Cork, in alignment with the National Strategic Vision and Action Plan, will be completed by October 2009 following a consultative process with all stakeholders in Cork GAA. The process will include a comprehensive review of:
- games development strategies within the county (this will include the results of the recently completed NCTC report);
- infrastructure and facilities;
- communication structures;
- fixture planning and execution;
- strategies for addressing the challenge of urbanisation;
- the overall personnel requirements to manage the future of Cork GAA.
This review will lead to the formulation of a strategy that will allow the county to maximise participation and reach its potential over the next five years.
The review process outlined above will be facilitated by Croke Park.
7.This agreement will supersede the Agreement made in 2008 through the offices of Kieran Mulvey.
Conclusion
Croke Park is taking this step to provide assistance to all parties in order that an acceptable solution be found, and it presents this document in good faith. The proposals outlined demand compromise and sacrifice from all parties involved.
The individual points in this document constitute a single indivisible proposal and should be considered as such.
It is the hope of Croke Park that all parties will move beyond the divisions that have characterized the current disagreement and that they will work together in the great tradition of Cork hurling and football to restore Cork teams to their proud position within the GAA.
SIGNED:
On behalf of Cork Co Board
On behalf of 2008 Cork Hurling Panel
On behalf of Cork Hurling Management team
On behalf of GAA
