Ongoing efforts to widen anti-Allianz debate within GAA stymied
The machinations and manoeuvrings aimed at preventing wider debate on the GAA’s links to Allianz are continuing.The matter even went to the Association’s Disputes Resolution Authority [DRA] at the weekend, the Irish News understands.An attempt was made at the weekend’s Management Committee [An Coiste Bainistiochta] meeting to switch mentions of sponsorship from the GAA Rule Book to its Codes.Had that been agreed it would have had the effect of allowing Central Council [Ard Chomhairle] to make the decision on continuing with Allianz (or not) rather than that going before Annual Congress.Some of the anti Allianz protestors who were present at Saturday's Down match with Clare at Pairc Esler. Included are Down All Ireland medal winners, Colm Murtagh, Ross Carr, Gregory McCartan and Colm McAlarney.
PICTURE: Pat O'Hare Although that might seem an effort to reduce the democratic oversight, as Central Council is a significantly smaller body than Congress, counter-intuitively it would at least allow further debate on the matter.That’s because the GAA’s Management Committee is expected to rule ‘out of order’ all of the motions passed by 10 counties opposing Allianz’s sponsorship of the National Football and Hurling Leagues.Therefore the subject would not be up for discussion at Annual Congress at the end of February.Central Council includes representatives from every county, and also some from other bodies under the GAA umbrella, including the schools, players, and overseas sectors.It might still back the decision to stick with Allianz, but at least there would be discussion.The Irish News understands that the motion to move sponsorship mentions from the Rule Book to Codes emanated from Tyrone.It did not even get onto the Clar [agenda] on Saturday, not even after DRA ruled in favour of those bringing that particular motion.As for the motions passed by 10 counties, including all of ‘the wee six’, plus Offaly, Leitrim, Roscommon, and Westmeath, it was agreed on Saturday that those will be discussed at the next meeting of Management Committee.Gaels Against Genicide staging a protest on the pitch at half time at Roger Casements GAA ground, Portglenone.
Picture: Seamus Loughran (seamus loughran) However, the GAA’s Rules Advisory Committee has already indicated to Management Committee that it should not allow any of the anti-Allianz motions to go to floor of Congress.There were various anti-Allianz protests over the weekend as the National Football and Hurling Leagues commenced.At half-time of Tyrone’s Division Two football match against Kildare the League sponsor’s two hoardings were removed by campaigners from around the perimeter of the Healy Park pitch.No Allianz branding boards were used for post-match player interviews, as was the case at other grounds, and no Allianz advertisement appeared in the match programme.Allianz were informed that their branding boards would not be used, including at Croke Park for the Meath-Derry and Dublin-Donegal double-header, in order not to put young men in an invidious position and had no objection to that change.‘Gaels against Genocide in Gaza’, one of the groups behind the ‘Drop Allianz’ campaign, organised several protests outside grounds, having issued a protest statement to the GAA at its Croke Park headquarters last Thursday.Somewhat curiously, Allianz resurrected a theme from 2024 (about drop-off of younger players) entitled ‘Stop the Drop’ at its 2026 Leagues launch, which took place online only rather than in Croke Park, apparently in response to that planned protest.
