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Mary McAleese resigns as chair of the Steering Group on Integration, accusing the GAA of stalling efforts to merge the Gaelic games associations. The GAA proposes a 'pause' to re-evaluate the integration plan, citing concerns over the 2027 deadline and the significant financial implications of equalizing intercounty team costs.
As Mary McAleese steps down as SGI chair, the scale of the challenge facing the GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association comes into sharp focus GAA director general Tom Ryan said 'integration should be viewed as a process rather than a single organisational change or a fixed end date'.
Photograph: Tom O’Hanlon/InphoIt was going to take something remarkable for the dial to move from Croke Park hosting the most celebrated event in the history of Irish women’s sport to, just five days later, theeffectively took the legs out from under those within its corridors of power when she stood down as chair of the Steering Group on Integration on Tuesday. McAleese’s blistering comments on the GAA leadership had the potential to leave such a trail of destruction that GAA director general Tom Ryan and presidentThe Irish Times has seen the paper Ryan presented to the SGI on Monday in which he outlines the GAA’s request to “pause” the direction of travel.
Mary McAleese’s scathing criticism of GAA leadership is highly damaging In it, Ryan states: “As the process moves into the next phase, this may be an appropriate moment to pause, reflect and reframe what we mean by integration and what we ultimately want it to achieve.
“Integration does not necessarily mean treating every part of the association in the same way from the outset. The three associations come to integration from different starting points, with different structures, resources, capacities and challenges. Recognising those differences is important if integration is to deliver fair and sustainable outcomes.
“An equitable approach acknowledges that different supports, resources or approaches may be required in different areas to achieve a genuinely integrated association. ”Such noises have been emanating from the GAA for several months now, with a general acceptance within the association that the 2027 deadline for integration was simply not achievable.
However, with McAleese resolutely sticking to the deadline of April next year, it was clear the parties were heading for a showdown as October approached, at which point the three organisations were each expected to hold a special congress to vote through measures on integration. The latter part of the GAA’s correspondence to the SGI was enough to convince McAleese to resign as chair.
“Integration should be viewed as a process rather than a single organisational change or a fixed end date,” Ryan added. “We now need to build on the impressive work undertaken by the SGI to date and derive a clear, detailed and phased plan over the next five years to achieve it. ” So, what are the main stumbling blocks?
The three fs of finance, facilities and fixtures have previously been highlighted, but after the latest developments there are perhaps a couple more fs to be negotiated en route to integration. Without question this is the biggest issue. The GAA have, in particular, been using the example of intercounty team costs as a red flag when it comes to the equalisation of funding. The cost for preparing GAA intercounty teams in 2025 increased by €1 million to €45 million.
It is expected to rise again when the 2026 figures are tallied. The GAA have been struggling to contain the runaway train of intercounty costs and at congress in February, delegates supported the introduction of a high-performance licence that would police that spending. In terms of equality, the GAA have been using that €45-million figure as a blunt instrument, claiming integration would see costs rise to €90 million in order to bring in women’s intercounty teams.
“We just simply cannot sustain that,” said Burns. Facilities is a never-ending issue for clubs of every sport right across the country, so this is not a new challenge for the GAA, LGFA or Camogie Association.
However, with the ownership of club grounds under the auspices of the GAA, the majority do not have adequate resources for all. In an equal association, an upgrade/expansion of facilities would be required. Like many of the issues, this is not an insurmountable problem, but it is a complex one. As stand-alone organisations, the LGFA and Camogie Association have found it difficult to avoid fixture clashes, and it has often created bad feeling within certain counties.
Add the GAA to the mix and then you have three organisations vying for largely the same time slots at the same venues on the same days. In the name of equality, sacrifices would need to be made. With fear of the unknown also comes the politics of power – what will the organisational structure of the new association look like? What will the composition of its boards be?
How will authority be delegated? What will be the powers of congress? How long will the term of the president last? In a 60-40 split of a current board of say 20 individuals, 12 would remain on from the GAA side of the house, four would come from camogie and four from women’s football.
But that, in theory, would mean eight people currently on the boards would have to step aside. The concept of adopting a federal model has gained traction over recent months, and there are some in the GAA who believe this would be a more effective framework, facilitating a gradual integration.
However, the idea has been met with resistance from others. In a federation model, each organisation would maintain its independence while operating collectively within an overarching association. And crucially, it would see each organisation manage their own budgets.
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