GPA and GAA put the boot in after signing deal with Sports Direct

Croke Park has given the GPA its full backing to a sponsorship deal with online sports retailer Sports Direct in the UK, the company headed by Newcastle United supremo Mike Ashley.

By Declan Whooley

The GAA has given its backing to the online deal which will allow players source cheaper boots as part of the player welfare and development programme.

The move will come as a huge blow to sports gear retailers right around the country and the decision comes after months of negotiations between the GPA and Sports Direct.

The Irish Independent reports that the website gaelicboots.com is effectively an online gateway to allow Gaelic players, including youngsters, to buy heavily discounted boots from Sports Direct who can undercut sports shops here because they don't have the overheads of large numbers of staff, rates and rents.

“Gaelicboots.com was launched specifically as a medium for players who purchase their boots online, offering them a wider range of boots at competitive prices,” GAA spokesperson Alan Milton told the paper.

The move will cause a lot of unrest among sports gear retailers in this country, but Milton insists that it is just another option for the players, and that all other GAA gear and equipment must be of Irish manufacture.

“It is a matter for each player and unit to decide whether they wish to purchase their boots, playing gear or equipment online or from retailers,” he added.

While things aren’t looking too good for Newcastle United at the moment in the Premier League, Sports Direct are thriving in the UK. Ashley is the deputy chairman and majority shareholder in the company and they recently reported a 21 per cent rise in sales in the quarter to February 20, with gross profits up 23 per cent to £245m.