THERE ARE 64 motions on the agenda in Croke Park tomorrow as delegates gather to debate at the 2014 GAA Congress.
Here’s seven of them that are worth keeping an eye on.
Motion 1 - This seeks to ensure that only students that are eligible for a J1 visa will be allowed to play GAA in games by the North American County Board of the New York Board.
Motion 3 – This motion is calling for a public time clock to be used at Croke Park and all grounds used to the provincial and All-Ireland senior hurling and football championship games. The new system is being trialled this weekend for the first time at the Sigerson Cup.
Motion 32 - If this is passed, it will means players will have to wear a jersey with their original number on it in a scenario where they have to change their jersey because of a blood injury.
Motion 35 - The match ban system that is currently in place at inter-county level could come into operation across the board at different levels of the GAA.
Motion 50 - The Burren club in Down are bringing forward a motion seeking to modify the ‘home and away’ rules when it comes to venues for qualifier games. Generally the first county drawn out gets home advantage.
But they are seeking to make changes that will see – (a) if the two teams have met previously in provincial tie, the winner of that game gets home advantage, (b.) if a county didn’t have home advantage in the first round of previous year’s qualifiers, they get home advantage this year in the qualifiers and (c.) if the neither county had home advantage in the qualifiers the previous year, they will toss on this occasion.
Motion 53 - Inter-county panels will be increased to 30 at all levels. Currently it is 26 for senior while minor and U21 are both 24. This is being drafted by Limerick’s Blackrock.
Motion 54 - If this is passed, it will ensure that referees and linesmen must be from outside the provinces of the counties competing in all senior inter-county games and all All-Ireland series games at other championship grades. This is proposed by Kildare’s Straffan.
If the clock does come in, it won’t be stopped for subs. Surely this has to be looked at again. If not the end of games will be a farce. Imagine your team is a point down. Five minutes left and the opposition make two or three subs with players strolling off. Next thing you know the final whistle blows.
J1 visa motion is harsh, If players are talented enough to earn money in summer playing some GAA in USA more power to them…
Limerick man here , let Nash free’s remain. It’s no different to a player pulling on a bouncing sliotar 10 yards out will this be banned too ? If a player isn’t trying to seek an advantage then he should be. Its a mans game folks.
Looks like I posted too soon !!! Ridiculous decision by Council
The Nash shuffle can be countered by getting the lines man to place his flag at the point of the infringement and the ball must be struck on or before it. There is now a visual reference for the ref ( as opposed to a tuft of grass).
This can also be used for football as well.