There has been an increase in the number of inter-county players seeking GPA assistance. This has more than likely arisen from the recent Covid 19 pandemic.
As we reported earlier in the week there was a massive uptake in players getting assistance been it educational. life help or professional development with numbers going over 1,400. 629 players have contacted the GPA this year according to their report. 608 of these players are current players, with 21 former inter-county players. Neil McManus, current Antrim hurler said, “There has been a lot of negative stuff said and a rhetoric out there about the GPA for some time,”. “You’re not going to change peoples’ minds who think a certain way. But here’s the thing – there are inter-county players who are still with us today and that’s mainly down to the help they have received from the GPA. I don’t say that lightly”.
The GPA were also in the spotlight when they published the average salaries for it’s employees. The average salary was 65,000 euros. McManus also discussed the GPA and why it was viewed negatively by some individuals. He said,My own father is a dyed-in-the-wool GAA man and has held every possible position with Cushendall,”. The Cushendall man continued, “When Dad saw how the GPA helped me, it was then that he appreciated what they stand for”.
McManus stated that “everyone is entitled to their opinion” but he said that talk to people who are receiving GPA assistance to get the full story on what is going on.
