McShea's Say: The GAA's 'To Do List' for 2025

Now that the two All-Ireland finals are out of the way, it is time to have a look at the major issues facing the GAA and hope optimistically that the new president will make his presence felt in the corridors of power.  

Last week’s football final was one of the poorest finals of the last 20 years (Armagh will have no problem with that) and it is my fervent hope that the rules review committee, now in situ, will have a number of their proposals implemented and not swept under the carpet.  

Put simply Gaelic football has regressed, and at times degenerated as a spectacle. In the modern game success is often the preserve of teams who adhere more to a negative, spoiling, and macho ethos, than to the skills and principles that can make the game such an engaging code when played well.  

While it is wonderful to see the spectacular advancement of hurling as evidenced by this year’s epic final between Clare and Cork, it must be admitted that the resolution of problems of football is the GAA’s single most pressing issue at this time.  

Tinkering with the rules over the years has failed to eradicate the major blemishes of what is essentially an evolving game. But setting up the latest rules review committee is hopefully a clear admission that a major problem clearly exists and that Gaelic football in its present guise is in serious need of immediate help.  

The rules of Gaelic football and their interpretation are a perennial headache for the GAA, but the game has been in trouble for a long time. The three great skills of football - catching, kicking, and scoring long-range points - went missing many years ago and the hope must be that Jim Gavin and his team charged with restoring football to the spectacle that it once was will deliver on their objective. 

Casement Park 

Antrim GAA members have shown wonderful patience because of the unavailability of their county ground for over a decade.  

While the proposed development of the new Casement Park was a political issue from day one, with the suggested cost of the development allegedly rising from an original figure of €70 million to €300 million, no doubt a resolution to the many issues will figure high on Jarleth Burns ‘To Do List’, and with the creative Ulster CEO Brian McEvoy by his side, both men will see a positive outcome in the very near future.  

In a country where any major project seems to be ill-conceived, poorly costed, behind schedule, and disappointing when completed, the reconstruction of Croke Park represents an almost unique achievement in modern Ireland. Casement Park, on a smaller scale, will I hope, when completed, also be a source of pride to the Gaels of Ulster.  

September Sundays 

The decision to move the All-Ireland finals from September to July and the rationale behind this is very difficult to understand.  

In creating a valley period of five months without one county match is, I believe, an opportunity for other sporting bodies to capitalise on this extended off-season, and with the new season seeing our county players play for two to three weeks in-a-row is not a positive development.  

When finals were played in September the sporting public were still discussing the outcome by Christmas, and if player welfare was one of the issues, it has not had a positive effect.  

In fact, the interest in club football has undoubtedly diminished, and the standard of club football has not remotely improved because of this split decision.  

The All-Ireland series in its present guise, which could see a team lose three games and still win the All-Ireland, is flawed in the extreme, and the structure is badly in need of reform very quickly. So now that Burn’s honeymoon is over, he has many real issues to contend with. 

LGFA All-Ireland finals 

The ladies from Fermanagh and Leitrim deserve congratulations for their wonderful achievement in bringing home their two All-Ireland titles over the weekend.  

In beating Louth, Fermanagh had the game's best player in Eimear Symth who hit 1-9 of her sides 1-11, while Ailbhe Clancy, with 2-3, was Leitrim’s star performer. But the common denominator that both sides shared was top-class team performances in two most enjoyable finals.