No debate on Sky deal until 2019 despite concerns

THERE will no further debate at Congress on the GAA’s controversial deal with Sky Sports – or any other subscription television channel – until 2019 at the earliest.

Roscommon and Leitrim passed motions late last year calling on the GAA not to renew the deal for championship coverage, while Clare also opposed pay-per-view contracts at their convention.

However, none of the motions have made it onto the agenda for Congress in Croke Park on February 23/24.

That’s due to the heavy defeat suffered by a Dublin motion two years ago which called for all televised senior inter-county championship games to be available on free-to-air channels.

It was beaten on a 85-15 per cent vote, a majority which prevents it from being re-submitted until 2019.

Under GAA rules, a motion which fails to get one-third of the votes cannot be tabled for the next three years unless the Management Committee allows it “in exceptional circumstances”.

Management were fully behind the Sky deal – struck as part of the overall media rights package – so it’s most unlikely they will allow any further debate at Congress until 2019, which is two years before the latest arrangements expire.

The GAA completed a five-year media rights deal in late 2016, having previously run with threeyear terms. The latest package yielded €11.5 million last year, an increase of €1.3 million on 2016. SEE PAGES 50-51