Larry McCarthy outlines what an integrated GAA will look like:

Larry McCarthy outlines what an integrated GAA will look like:

In attendance during the media update on the integration process involving the Camogie Association, the GAA and LGFA, are, from left, Camogie Association Chief Executive Officer Sinead McNulty, Project Coordinator Aoibhe Dunne, Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael Larry McCarthy, Camogie Association President Hilda Breslin, Steering Committee Chairperson Mary McAleese, Uachtarán Cumann Peil Gael na mBan Mícheál Naughton, Ard Stiúrthóir of the GAA Tom Ryan, LGFA Chief Executive Officer Helen O’Rourke and Project Manager Mark Doran at Croke Park in Dublin.

By John Harrington

GAA President, Larry McCarthy, believes that the “female voice in Irish sport” will be amplified by the integration of the three Gaelic games associations.

McCarthy was speaking today at the announcement of the timeline towards integration that will see the process completed in 2027 when he outlined what a newly structured Gaelic Games Association will look like.

“The vision of this instituation is that we would be one Association for Gaelic games, one Association for Gaelic games for all, I think that will be tag-line ultimately,” said McCarthy.

“This is a steering group that make recommendations and they must be passed by the three Associations.

“It’ll take us time, it’ll take us space, and we need that. But we’re well capable of doing it and we’re well capable of doing it very, very well.

“By 2027 we will be a different looking organisation. The legal entity will be the GAA and we’ll be under that name but we’ll be a different Association in terms of the integration of the two other Associations.

“There should be no fear on anybody’s behalf for any of this at all. There will be parity of esteem and I would argue that the female voice in Irish sport will be amplified very, very well as a consequence of that.

“What will we look like in 2027? Well, we’ll have integration at each level of the organisation. So you’ll get it at national level, provincial level, county level, and it has started already obviously at club level with the One Club model which will now grow. The One Club will not be the same thing across all, but that is the basis of it.

“There will be one Congress ultimately and there will probably be three conventions which will deal with each of the sports individuallly. Because trying to get the four sports into one convention in terms of rooms, et cetera, would be extremely difficult.

“There will be one Uachtarán eventually elected at a Congress and there will probably be deputy Presidents as perhaps a roadmap or stop-gap to one President. But the entity at the end of the day will be the GAA. It will be one Association for Gaelic games, one Association for all with a much, much better organisation I would argue.”