LONGFORD’S REFEREE COORDINATOR warned today that the integrity of the entire GAA could be at stake if a row over payments to match officials is not resolved.
A meeting of the county’s referees voted overwhelmingly to go on strike last night in protest over new proposals which could see them receive less than €20 for refereeing a club game.
The move to standardise payments comes following discussions between the GAA and Revenue Commissioners. One of the proposals being considered would see match officials paid a flat rate of €13.71 for subsistence plus 50 cents a mile in travel expenses, considerably less than the €40 which many receive at present.
Speaking to RTÉ Morning Ireland this morning, referee coordinator Joe O’Brien said that the small size of Longford county would leave officials even more out of pocket than some of their colleagues around the country.
“It’s a very, very small county and most of the referees are centrally-based,” O’Brien said.
In the case of quite a few of the referees, they wouldn’t even reach the €20 mark in Longford for it, and that would be half of what they were getting. They were getting €40 for the last couple of years.
The new proposals could tempt match officials to exaggerate mileage by claiming that they had travelled extra distance to collect an umpire before the game, O’Brien added.
“I have a huge issue with that because it brings the integrity of a referee into question and that’s not a road that I would like to see the referees having to go down or going down.
“You couldn’t have that because if you go further down the line, [what happens] if there’s an objection to a guy or an appeal against a guy being sent off?
This is what I’m saying about the integrity of it, the whole thing falls down. The whole structure of the GAA will fall down around it unfortunately.
Referees in Wexford also voted to strike after discussing the new guidelines on Sunday evening, the Irish Independent reports. But following a meeting with county chairman Darren Devereaux, they agreed to postpone the action until the proposals are clarified.
And they wonder why there’s a shortage of referees. #GAA
Disgrace. 40euro is the perfect ammount. Petrol, tolls and gear all cost money. Not to mention the abuse refs get or the fact that matchs can’t be held without them. Fair play lads go on strike if need be!
Disgraceful act by The GAA, there making how much every year and this an Amateur org Ya right, managers players now refs, and the only people making money are the top brass.
As a hater of referees even I have sympathy for them on this. They are the only ones that should be getting any renumeration within the gaa world.
My 14 year old son gets paid €20 per match for reffing under age matches. Should he now register with Revenue. If adult refs will now be paid so little,what pittance will the kids get?
An amateur game is an amateur game. Once you start paying more than genuine reimbursements you are on a slippery slope.
If a referee is allowed to profit than why not the players who give up far more time and bring in the paying public. If the players are paid then why not the coaching, medical and support staff. They get the players onto the field fit and skilled in order to attract even more sales. Then of course …… well it goes on and on until you have a fully professional game.
Coaches, players and all associated with a team do it for love of their club. They take pride in doing their best above anything else. Money soils all this. Well it should. Refs should be attracted by money and not a hitleresque need for power and authority. Without impartial refs the club scene would be finished off cause the slavish devotion to the county set up has it half killed already.
Peter,the problem is getting people to ref in the first place. It’s a fairly thankless task at the best of times.
Ah but Peter, what’s in it for the ref? He/she may love the game but if they get dogs abuse every game why would they even bother doing the job unless there was a few meagre quid in it for them? I sure as hell wouldn’t do the job, even for €100 a game tbh.
EM, you’ve hit the nail on the head. If the GAA valued their refs they would have clamped down on the abuse years ago. Comparisons between sports are not helpful, but, prior to professionalism, Rugby referees only got travel expenses and took part for the love of the game. Because they were not abused on the pitch, they were quite appy to talk about the match in the bar afterwards and to discuss particular descisions. All over a friendly pint.