Revealed: Players survey highlights concerns over fixture calendar

A Club Players' survey shows that 74% of club players are opposed to the retention of the Status Quo option put forward by the Fixtures Review Taskforce and 80% don’t feel they belong to the GAA to the extent that is reflected in the recent marketing campaign by the Association.

The CPA's most recent members’ survey returns more data based evidence that radical change is needed very soon in the GAA.

It found that: 

·         74.71% do not prefer the variation of the status quo put forward by the Fixtures Taskforce Review

·         79.96% do not ‘feel they belong’ and feel a significant disconnect between grass roots club players and the wider association

·         Only 9.4% of respondents are aware of the Task Force Report being discussed at their own club so far

·         77.12% will support the adoption of a militant strategy by the CPA Executive.

CPA Chairman Micheál Briody said: “Recent evidence of Donegal withdrawing from the McKenna Cup, Third Level games clashing with under 20 and inter county (games) just further proves the necessity for Central Council and Congress to adopt radical change in regard to redressing the Master Fixtures Schedule. It is unacceptable to the wider membership of the Association to continue to promote and develop the elite end of our games to the detriment of club, schools and third level competitions.”

"The footprint of intercounty training and competitions is encroaching too much on other factions of the Association and the President and Director General need to lead the Association into this new decade with radical strategic change not further damaging incremental change.”

He continued: "The CPA has worked within the organisation to try and effect change but the final outputs of the Task Force were disappointing as there were so many better options not considered because some vested stakeholders were unwilling to compromise. We are in the course of contacting major sponsors of the GAA and asking them to support what is right for everyone not just the few. It is the people in the clubs of the country that are the customers of these large sponsors and we are expecting them to bring influence to the corridors of power in Croke Park."