Annual Congress 2025: The Motions Explained:
By Cian O’Connell
The GAA’s Annual Congress takes place on Friday and Saturday in Donegal.
A total of 40 motions will be debated and voted on by delegates on Saturday.
The motions have been submitted by Units – County Committees and Convention and Provincial Councils, and Ard Chomhairle, on its own behalf and from sub committees.
At the bottom of this article, you can view and download the motions as they will appear before the delegates.
You can also download some useful documents to read alongside examining the motions – GAA Official Guide Parts 1 & 2, Ard Stiúrthóir Tom Ryan’s Annual Report, and the GAA’s Financial Report.
Below is a simplified guide to the motions to be dealt with this weekend.
MOTION 1: This motion from the Nenagh Éire Óg club regarding The Playing Rules of Hurling proposes that won’t be able to handpass the sliotar, from the same hand that is holding the sliotar. You will have to handpass from the other hand.
MOTION 2: The proposal is to allow counties to permit a greater number of substitutions in U18 and under grades in non-Championship competitions.
MOTION 3: This proposal has been submitted by CCCC/Central Council. At present knockout games are determined by Winner on the Day, and Central Council defines in competition regulation what Winner on the Day is actually going to look like. Included in the rule is an exception to Winner on the Day, and the only exception is the two All-Ireland Senior Finals which currently go to a replay after extra-time. This motion will extend those exceptions. If approved, Provincial Finals will not be Winner on the Day, but will go to a replay after extra-time, and drawn All-Ireland Finals will go to a replay after 70 minutes.
MOTION 4: This motion is to do with membership. Currently three categories exist – full membership, youth membership (10-18), and child membership (U9). This proposal from Killyclogher redefines membership with a fourth tier – full members, youth members over 16 with a vote, youth members from 12 to 16 who won’t have a vote, and child membership redefined as U12.
MOTION 5: This motion is about County Officers. The proposal from Westmeath introduces a new position as Health & Wellbeing Officer, which will be an appointed position.
MOTION 6: This motion is about County Hearings Committees. The rule sets out the jurisdiction of the Hearings Committee as all disciplinary matters in the county with the exception of objections which go to CCCC. The proposal is to introduce a second exception where for reasons of impartiality the Management Committee can direct a hearing to go to the provincial unit. There will be two exceptions. The current one being objections and a newly established one, where in the view of the Management Committee, there is an issue around impartiality. The proposal is from Abbeylara.
MOTION 7: This motion is to do with the powers of Congress. It specifies where playing motions can only be tabled every five years. The proposal dispenses with that restriction, allowing rules proposals to be permissible at any stage.
MOTION 8: This proposal from Muckalee is that there will be an additional power for Development CCC to enforce the scheduling of inter-county competitions and blitzes to be finished before Week Two in August for hurling and Week Three in August for football.
MOTION 9: This proposal is to do with the powers of Games Development Committee. This motion from the Boherlahan Dualla club proposes that the powers be extended to promoting the playing rules.
MOTION 10: This motion from the Danesfort club is about the Use of Association Property. Central Council can permit central, provincial or county property to be used for other purposes. This proposal permits that exception to be applied for club property where clubs can make available their ancillary club facilities for use by organisations in the community. It is extending the exception that applies to Association property to be permitted to be used for other purposes.
MOTION 11: This motion is about inter-county transfers. At the moment, the position is that the county the player is leaving is entitled to lodge an objection, and can then make a submission to participate in any hearings on the theme. This proposal is to extend the entitlements to an inter-county transfer so the club that a player is leaving and the county that the player is joining can also make a submission and participate in any hearings.
MOTION 12: This motion is to do with playing restrictions. The rule defines the eligibility of a player to play for a county. The proposal from Clontarf adds a new and further stipulation, that, in order to play inter-county championship, a player must have played in four club league games in the same calendar year. The four games can be a mix of the two codes.
MOTION 13: This motion proposal from St Mary’s, Rosslare is seeking to make it mandatory for every club to field hurling teams from U7 up to U10. The only exceptions would be if a football club can show that their players are catered for by another hurling club or if you don’t have sufficient numbers.
MOTION 14: This motion is to do with the rule that defines what counties participate in the Lory Meagher Cup. The proposal from Maastricht is that from 2026 Europe would play in the Lory Meagher Cup.
MOTION 15: This motion is about suspensions for Category VI infractions. A Category VI infraction is a racist word or action towards an opponent or match official. Currently, there is a provision whereby suspensions for those infractions can be reduced when the player completes an appropriate training course. The motion from Buffers Alley requires Central Council to prescribe what that training course should be and to provide that training course.
MOTION 16: This proposal from Abbeylara is to add a new clause, if an appellant refuses to take the dates offered to him or fails to attend without due cause, then the original penalty stands.
MOTION 17: This motion proposes that there would be an entitlement for Central Council to determine the representation at any Special Congress. That used to be the situation a number of years ago, but recently it has been a full representation at Congresses. The proposal is that Central Council can determine what a representation will be at a Special Congress.
MOTION 18: The motion is about Adult Safeguarding. The proposed rule establishes that the Association recognises it has a responsibility for the wellbeing of adults involved.
MOTION 19: This motion is to do with the structure of the All-Ireland SFC and Tailteann Cup. The proposal is that the 2026 All-Ireland SFC would comprise 16 teams, the eight provincial finalists and the highest ranked Allianz League finishers, and 2025 Tailteann Cup winners.
Round 1
Eight provincial finalists v eight highest ranked teams
Round 2A
Winners of Round One (eight teams)
Round 2B
Losers of Round 1 (eight teams)
Round 3
Losers of Round 2A v Winners of Round 2B
Quarter-Finals
Round 2A winners v Round 3 Winners
There would be no round robin element. The proposal also includes that the Tailteann Cup adopts a similar structure. New York will enter in Round 2A against a Round One winner.
MOTION 20: The proposal is to change the Lory Meagher Cup to include New York to play in the competition. The second placed team in the round robin section would play a semi-final against New York in Ireland. If New York end up being promoted, no team would be relegated from the Nickey Rackard to replace them. Whatever upper tier New York end up in, then that would have an extra team in it with the same format applied. New York would play a semi-final against the second placed team. In any year that New York fails to reach a final, they would be involved in a relegation play-off against the bottom round robin team.
MOTION 21: This motion is giving the committee in charge the absolute discretion to decide if it is appropriate to impose additional match bans or other suspensions.
MOTION 22: This motion is proposing to give the discretion to the committee to impose an additional suspension where a hearing has no prospect of success or where a hearing request was an abuse of the process.
MOTION 23: This motion is replacing the term Public Relations Officer with Communications Officer.
MOTION 24: This motion is proposing adding the Digital Communications Lead as an appointment of the County Committee.
MOTION 25: This motion is in relation to the powers of a County Committee. The intention of the motion is to reduce to the number of deviation requests, giving County Committees the power to amend regulations.
MOTION 26: The objective of this motion is to confirm what is generally accepted and applied by County Committees where CCC have plenary powers to decide objections and counter objections. Appeals in these cases they go to the Provincial Hearings Committee. The rule states this out in clearer terms.
MOTION 27: This motion addresses the anomalies discovered with the introduction of codes in the interest of consistency. Before motions to change a code were done in March, this is proposing they will be carried out in January. It is also proposing they become operative four weeks from the date of Annual Congress.
MOTION 28: This motion relates to the appointment of Central Committees and Central Council sub committees. It arises from a report that examined Central Council structures and procedures, received and approved by Central Council.
MOTION 29: This motion is to do with Higher Education Deviations. On an annual basis educational institutions apply for deviation in terms of timelines and fixtures to do with disciplinary matters in competitions. This is to give them autonomy to do this themselves, within rule.
MOTION 30: This motion reverses the order of A and B to emphasise the provision of deviation from rule. In the case of application from units in Ireland, it may only be given in exceptional circumstances in the interest of the promotion of hurling and football. It also gives more autonomy to overseas units to include deviations in their bye laws. The purpose is to reduce dramatically the number of requests for deviation going to Central Council.
MOTION 31: This motion is to do with the penalty for breach of age grades for the person in charge of a team. The motion proposes the concept only applies to U16 games. From minor grades upwards the chairperson and secretary are responsible for breaches of the rule.
MOTION 32: This motion relates to a member of a unit from outside of the jurisdiction committing the infraction or breach of rule. In that case, the committee in charge can charge the defending party with an infraction. If a hearing is requested, the hearing is to be heard by the Provincial or Central Hearings Committee, as appropriate. The purpose of this motion is to clarify that procedure.
MOTION 33: This motion is to do with objections. The purpose is to set out the grounds on which an objection can be upheld.
MOTION 34: The motion deals with appeals and provides that an U18 is signed by the parent or guardian.
MOTION 35: This motion proposes that Code 16.1 be brought back into the Official Guide and all disciplinary procedures are together.
MOTION 36: This proposal redresses a requirement of Revenue. The non adoption of this would have implications in relation to sports tax exemption. It is worded to cover both political jurisdictions.
MOTION 37: This motion is about clubs who had difficulties reaching quotas of the scale, both in small clubs who were unable to get the 15 or 20 of the quotas and in larger clubs, who had difficulty in getting their quota. It is to bring in a tiered system of quotas for AGMs.
MOTION 38: This motion is that the Association shall maintain a neutral stance on any non GAA campaign movement, subject to an advocacy policy.
MOTION 39: This motion is a simple change to Playing Gear and Equipment must be from a GAA Licensed Kit Manufacturer.
MOTION 40: This proposes to change the membership year from January 1 to December 31 to April 1 to March 31. This is brought by Central Council on the advice of the Insurance Work Group.