Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Let’s get real change at last.. make Jarlath President
A REALLY strong incoming President might just be the shot in the arm the association needs.
He could be what director general Tom Ryan is waiting for – substantial help provided with conviction and real direction.
l listened with interest as all five presidential candidates were interviewed on RTE Radio 1 last Sunday afternoon.
In recent times, I haven’t given the race much thought because a lot of GAA Presidents have been yes men who made little or no difference.
Their reigns passed by with little conviction and no real intent to change the status quo.
Listening to the interview with Jarlath Burns, that may be all about to change.
It jumped out of the radio at me – he stood out head and shoulders above anybody else with his absolute clarity on his priorities.
His passion, his genuine intent and conviction enthralled me.
Unlike some of the other presidential candidates – whom are decent Gaels, I’m sure – he answered the questions he was asked straight up and to the point.
His honesty on managers being paid, on less expenditure on county teams and on player exploitation was a breath of fresh air as previous Presidents have skirted around these issues.
But it was his strong stance on protecting the association’s amateur status that really gripped me most. This Armagh man means business.
l believe that Burns will fight as if his life depends on it to stop that status being killed off by a thousand cuts, a process that is already underway.
Burns’ real concern for the club player and the abuse of the county player is high on his agenda.
He doesn’t feel that the county game is the ‘problem child’, but he does oppose “the ridiculous escalation of county training that makes the game accessible to all but a few.”
Burns will do all in his power to confirm what Niall Moyna has proved, that county players can do with 40 percent less training for the amount of games they play.
And Burns called out the GPA when he declared: “We should be saying back to them, ‘what are you going to do about this?’
Burns’ 10 year Rural & Urban strategic plan is most interesting, in particular on forming new clubs in new highly populated areas. It’s something that is badly needed for future growth.
He feels very strongly that the GAA needs to deliver its message much better and his belief that we need to have a greater presence at the heart of government tells me this is a man of proper ambition, clarity on his vision and total conviction of his beliefs of where the association needs to improve.
If he is elected, this time we may get a GAA President who actually makes real significant change – and in the areas that matter most.
Jarlath Burns: He stood out head and shoulders above anyone else. His passion, genuine intent and conviction enthralled me