The GAA is to launch a new streaming service to replace GAAGo. In his address to the weekend’s annual congress in Donegal, association president Jarlath Burns confirmed the establishment of GAA+, which will broadcast its first live matches on the opening weekend of this year’s championship.
The new service is owned by the GAA, as opposed to the GAAGo, which was a joint venture with RTÉ and has proved controversial.
“Late last year we made the decision to retain the rights for media packages 5 and 6, previously shown domestically by GAAGo, before exploring what we would do with them.
“Today, I am pleased to confirm the next phase in our ‘over the top’/‘direct to fan’ streaming offering with the announcement of our fully GAA-owned and operated service called GAA+.”
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Speaking later, Burns said the association was grateful to RTÉ for the partnership in GAAGo, which was established in 2014, initially as a streaming service for overseas audiences, and which, in 2023, acquired live rights in the domestic market.
“They are still our main broadcast partner, and we really value that ... but now we are ready to do this ourselves ... but we couldn’t have got to where we were without the help of RTÉ.”
Congress also approved a new format for the football championship, a sixth format between planned and Covid-enforced changes since 2017. It re-introduces a knock-out pathway from provincial championship into the All-Ireland stages in both the Sam Maguire and Tailteann Cups.
This replaces the round-robin format that has been in place for the past two years. The change had been well flagged and didn’t attract any pivotal opposition. It was endorsed by 93 per cent of the delegates.
A motion that had attracted publicity was number one on the clár, from former Tipperary hurler Conor O’Donovan and his club Nenagh Éire Óg. It proposed modifying the handpass in hurling by not allowing it to be made with the hand holding the ball.
“The sport of hurling has become more possession-based,” O’Donovan told delegates, “primarily through its range of handpassing skills. The type of handpass that is most used by players is where the ball is offloaded directly from the same hand that is holding it.
“However, in doing so, players are a lot more frequently engaging in the act of throwing the ball, which is seldom penalised by referees.”
Opposition came from the hurling development committee, whose chair, Terry Reilly, said that the game “would be slowed down” and that a skill “would be significantly affected”. He urged that referees be allowed to police the situation under the current rule.
Delegates voted it down 67-33 per cent.
Other personality-led motions came from former Dublin All Star Noel McCaffrey and Wexford’s 1996 All-Ireland winning manager Liam Griffin.
The first was McCaffrey’s proposal that players should be obliged to have played four club league matches before representing their county. There was much commending the spirit of the motion but taking issue with the substance, which was opposed as impractical by London, Cork and Galway.
An amendment – that matches from the previous year could count – had come too late for inclusion and Burns suggested that the motion be withdrawn and re-submitted in amended form next year.
McCaffrey agreed, albeit with a couple of reservations.
Griffin’s suggestion that all clubs have juvenile hurling teams from under-7 to under-10 was also withdrawn, in this case so that it could be taken up and further considered by the hurling development committee.
A proposal, motion 22, that an additional suspension should apply to anyone insisting on a hearing for more serious infractions when “the hearing had no prospect of success” or “the hearing request was an abuse of process” was eventually passed by 81 per cent to 19.
There was push-back against the idea but a persuasive intervention by the association’s president, based on the importance of players accepting punishment for infractions rather than constantly seeking to get off at committee, got it back on track.
Motion 18 was overwhelmingly passed, 96-4 per cent. It proposed the implementation of a code of conduct for adult safeguarding.
How main motions fared
Motion 1: Conor O’Donovan’s proposal to prohibit the use of the hand holding the ball to handpass or palm it away. (Nenagh Éire Óg, Tipperary). Rejected 67-33 per cent
Motion 3: A proposal to add provincial finals to All-Ireland finals as exempt from winner-on-the-day protocols. As a reaction to last year’s hurling All-Ireland going to extra time, it also stipulated that All-Ireland finals go straight to a replay if level after normal time. (Central Council/CCCC). Withdrawn
Motion 7: This proposed to abandon the five-year rule for tabling motions on playing rules and allow them in any given year. (Cloonacool, Sligo). Supported 58-42 but failed to reach 60 per cent
Motion 10: To further dismantle the old prohibitions on other sports by allowing clubs to make their ancillary facilities available to other sports and community-based groups. (Danesfort, Kilkenny). Supported 53-47 but failed to reach 60 per cent
Motion 12: Noel McCaffrey’s redefinition of eligibility for intercounty championship which would have required a player to have played a minimum of four league games with their club in that calendar year. (Clontarf, Dublin). Withdrawn
Motion 13: From Wexford’s All-Ireland winning manager Liam Griffin, this would have obliged every club to field at least one hurling team at under-7, under-8, under-9 and/or under-10. (St Mary’s Rosslare, Wexford). Withdrawn
Motion 14: That Europe be permitted to compete in the Tier 5 Lory Meagher Cup in 2026. (Maastricht GAA, Europe). Accepted 95-5
Motion 17: To govern the calling of special congresses and restore the power of Central Council to determine the number of delegates entitled to attend. This is to reverse a recent decision that stipulated there should be full delegations at a special congress. (Connacht, Leinster and Munster provincial councils). Rejected 28-72
Motion 19: Proposal to discontinue the All-Ireland group stages and introduce in 2026 a series of knock-out and qualifier rounds after the provincial championships as the format for All-Ireland SFC and Tailteann Cup. (Central Council/CCCC). Accepted 93-7
Motion 21: Grant permission for the council or committee in charge to consider additional suspensions or penalties in excess of the minimum permitted under rule should the gravity of the case deem it appropriate. (Central Council/CCCC/CHC/CAC). Accepted 97-3
Motion 38: That the GAA should maintain a neutral stance in any non-GAA campaign/movement subject to a new ‘advocacy policy’, to be adopted by Central Council. (Central Council). Accepted 95-5
Motion 39: To bring Official Guide policy on playing gear and equipment in line with EU law by removing the wording “Shall be of Irish manufacture”. Instead, the regulation would state: “shall be manufactured by a GAA licensed kit manufacturer”. Also applicable to replica playing gear. (Central Council). Withdrawn
