Latest news with #SteeringGrouponIntegration
Irish Daily Mirror
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Daily Mirror
Group led by Mary McAleese gives update on 2027 Gaelic games integration target
The Steering Group on Integration (SGI) says it remains committed to its target of bringing the three Gaelic games governing bodies together by 2027. The SGI, which is led by former President of Ireland Mary McAleese, has issued an update on where the process is at, with a Central Fixtures Oversight Committee established last month while a separate working group, chaired by former Munster chairman Ger Ryan, is charged with producing a new structure for county boards and provincial councils in the new integrated model. In a statement, the establishment of the fixtures oversight committee was described as a 'significant step towards full integration of Camogie, GAA and LGFA and a fixtures programme for all'. 'The purpose of this group is to take a wide-angle view of fixtures across the three associations with a long-term vision for fixtures in one association,' the statement read. 'There is also a requirement for a high-level vision towards integrated fixtures which would see the development of a protocol around the provision of facilities across all codes, in one association.' The other working group led by Ryan, who has been touted as a candidate in next February's GAA presidential election, is 'committed to delivering on the task at hand before the end of 2025'. With many clubs already operating off a 'one club model', it is hoped to update this template by the end of the year also. The stated aim of the SGI has been to have all three organisations successfully integrated by 2027, which some feel is an overly ambitious target given the complexities involved, but it has doubled down on this target, saying that 'the goal is to have one single membership for all' by then and that 'there is a clear commitment to deliver an Integrated Association for all by 2027'. Commenting on the process at this stage in its development, President McAleese urged 'all stakeholders to do everything they can to make an integrated mindset a reality'. She said: 'From the beginning of the integration process the Steering Group has engaged with and listened intently to the fullest range of the many stakeholders in Gaelic games and culture, from players through to government, and every cohort between. 'We have welcomed their views and they have greatly assisted in our comprehensive planning which is moving us steadily towards an integrated organisation bearing the name GAA and benefitting from the collaborative approach and experience of the three organisations. 'I urge all stakeholders to do everything they can to make an integrated mindset a reality in their sphere of influence. It is our future and making it happen is the responsibility of all."
Irish Daily Mirror
15-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Group led by Mary McAleese told that 'finances shouldn't be the focus'
The Steering Group on Integration (SGI) has been accused of 'missing a trick' by not engaging with the GPA. The SGI, which is headed up by former President of Ireland Mary McAleese, is charged with bringing the GAA, LGFA and CA under one umbrella and has set a target of 2027 for the merger to be completed. The GPA says efforts to engage in the process have effectively been rebuffed, with chief executive Tom Parsons saying they were 'at a bit of a wit's end' after a letter to the SGI requesting a meeting was apparently met with a response that 'it's not an appropriate time'. Former Tyrone footballer Gemma Begley, the GPA's equality, diversity and inclusion manager, pointed to how the players' body went through its own merger with its female wing in 2020. She said: 'We went through a really positive integration process. Our finances didn't double overnight. We went from 2,200 members to 4,000 members and we realigned things internally. 'We completely streamlined, leaned things out and now we look after all our members equally and made it work.' She added: 'Finances shouldn't be the focus. If there's a will there's a way and it's the right thing to do and let's all get on the pitch together and make it happen and make it a massive success. That's our approach to it but we're just not being afforded the opportunity.' Parsons said that the SGI sidelining the GPA is 'not a tenable position'. 'If the integration committee does all this work over three years and we get to 2027 and players then see that, well, it's the same old governance structures that doesn't carry the player's voice through, then that's just not going to serve Gaelic games well,' said the former Mayo footballer. 'So they're missing a trick with not engaging with a big stakeholder, which is a collective voice of players who are also a collective voice of club players.'
