GAA dismayed by Club Players Assocation's withdrawal from Fixtures Task Force
Tuesday 19 November 2019 22:33, UK
The GAA has expressed its dismay at the decision of the Club Players Association to withdraw from the Fixture Task Force.
The membership of the committee was announced in June, which included representatives from various stakeholders within the association, including the CPA and GPA.
On Tuesday morning, the CPA released a statement, saying they have grown disillusioned with the process. With the publication for the Task Force's findings imminent, they elected to withdraw their representative Michael Higgins from the committee.
"We are disappointed that the Task Force will not deliver the proposed options that the membership deserves to debate and vote upon," said the association's CEO Micheál Briody in the statement.
"The CPA will not be an accomplice to the entrenchment of the status quo. We felt it was the best option for our membership to reveal the efforts that we made and explain the intricate workings of the Task Force. The membership has been inundated with rhetoric in 2019 of "Where We All Belong" at the same time as our Association is fast becoming an organisation who no longer prioritises the Association as a community based Gaelic games and culture organisation with the club and the club player at its core.
"Unfortunately, there is a clear and growing disconnect between the leadership of the GAA and their grassroots members."
"The reality is one of players voting with their feet and deciding that they do not all belong with their clubs and their teammates," he added. "The Task Force will report in due course and players, members, coaches and administrators can decide for themselves if the results and the proposals are the best that the GAA can come up with for the future of our games. We in the CPA strongly believe this not to be the case."
The GAA then hit back at the club players' body, expressing its dismay at the move.
"The GAA is surprised and disappointed at the decision of the CPA to withdraw its representative Michael Higgins from the Fixture Calendar Review Task Force particularly at such an advanced stage and given that the work of the Task Force is nearing its completion," read the statement.
"The group met for the first time on June 20 and consulted widely. It is understood that the Task Force analysed submissions, proposals and comments across a wide range of issues as outlined in their Terms of Reference.
"The Task Force was expected to develop proposals in a balanced way recognising and respecting the sometimes conflicting views and needs of the various stakeholders involved and the many individuals and groups that it consulted.
"It is understood that the CPA have been represented at all meetings of the Task Force and that they have fully engaged throughout.
"The work of the Task Force continues and will be completed later this month. At that stage, any proposals brought forward will be considered and decisions taken by the broader Association on the appropriate next steps."
