Gaelic Games News: Intercounty players are in line to receive grants of €2,000 a year under a scheme initiated by the Gaelic Players Association (GPA).

All members of senior county panels would be eligible for the funding, which would be administered and regulated by the Irish Sports Council.

At the GPA's agm last weekend, chief executive Dessie Farrell announced that he had secured agreement in principle from all interested parties: the GAA, the Ministers for Finance and Sports as well as their departmental officials.

Elaborating yesterday, he outlined where the initiative now stands.

"The Sports Council has been tasked with investigating the proposal and its logistics and we have discussed it with the stakeholders and all are very much in agreement.

"Two weeks ago we met with Croke Park to find out how they felt about it and thankfully they were in favour.

"What needs to happen now is that it goes to central council for their approval."

Far from running the risk of being seen as incipient professionalism, Farrell believes that the grants would act as a safety valve within the ranks of players.

"If anything this might appease some of the more militant players, who are calling for professionalism and semi-professionalism, within the rules."

The idea of grants for players represents a shift for the GPA away from a previous detailed proposal that intercounty players be eligible for tax credits.

According to Farrell although there is no deadline on consideration of the scheme, the new proposal is more feasible.

"There's no time frame," he said. "We presented a submission two years ago about the possibility of getting a tax credit for players. We talked about the viability of the scheme but it was problematic and even if it was accepted in principle it would require legislation.

"We put plan B on the table because of these difficulties, which it was obvious were influencing Charlie McCreevy when he was Minister for Finance.

"Brian Cowan (McCreevy's successor) has been very sympathetic to the position of players and amenable to the idea of grants and that's now our preferred option."

This proposal is the latest of three ideas for the remuneration of players. Firstly there was the 127 per week, during the championship season, compensation for lost career opportunities followed by the tax credit. The new idea, however, has a better chance of succeeding.

"The ballpark figure is 2,000 per annum per individual," according to Farrell. "The cost to the exchequer we have calculated on the basis of 30 to a panel at 4 million a year. But that cost hasn't been a problem so far in our discussions."

As well as overcoming the reservations of the Department of Finance about the suitability of tax relief in an amateur - and therefore incomeless - sport the grants proposal addresses another anomaly of the tax credits in that it would apply to all players rather than just those in the 26 counties of the Republic of Ireland.

On a practical basis the Irish Sports Council would act as gatekeepers for the scheme, just as they would have for the tax credits proposal - which the GPA had suggested be extended to other elite amateur sportspeople - and ensure that potential beneficiaries are vetted and monitored.

"The Sports Council will vet it. Within the council the proposals have got a ringing endorsement and members are very much in favour of the concept.

"There will be a register of players drawn up every year within a county and with a cut-off point that we'd envisage being made in the early summer before the championship begins and after managers have had a chance to settle on their selection."

Last month's Congress restored the 30-man panel to the rulebook and calculations have been based on that.

Replacements for players who drop off panels after the registration will not be eligible for the grant.

Farrell defended the extension of the scheme to all hurling panels, including those who don't contest the McCarthy Cup.

"We see it as important because we have been accused of being elitist in the past and the introduction of the new Ring and Rackard Cups will put more of a structure on their season."

Unlike the tax credit proposal the grants would not apply across the board to other sports.

Farrell continued: "The basis on which we have argued for this and which provides ring fencing is that Gaelic games are cultural and heritage assets. This has been accepted.

"The two ministers involved have a very good understanding of the challenges facing intercounty players but we thought that their officials would be more sticky about it.

"In fact they were very open about it when we pointed out the sacrifices made by players in terms of day-to-day expenditure and the impact on their career. We also asked the social contribution to be taken into account.

"There is a very interesting component in this, a sort of social contract between the GPA and the Government. This would involve support from the GPA and players for campaigns on public health and education."