Top GAA stars paid to play – report

Not so amateur: a number of leading GAA players have admitted to receiving under-the-table payments, the Sunday Independent claims.

According to an investigation by the Sunday Independent, top players have  been on the receiving cash inducements and pay-to-play deals, flying in the face of the games' amateur status.

Players spoken to by the paper have confirmed that payments are made at both club and county level.

One prominent player told the paper that he became aware of deals on offer at a big club and so he "put feelers out" to see if they were interested in him. They were, a deal was made "in minutes" and a yearly five-figure sum was agreed.

Clubs can be creative in the way they make their payments. Rather than always giving a cash sum, they may instead receive cars, complimentary mobile phones or have part of their rent paid.

At this year's Congress, Christy Cooney described under-the-table payments to managers as "a cancer" afflicting the games.

But these new revelations, revelations that claim that the reach of financial inducements goes deeper than previously thought, will cause a much greater level of concern among the GAA hierarchy.

Some felt that the term "cancer" was extreme and that the subject of payment for top players should be considered - especially in the light of the current economic crisis and the effect that emigration is having on teams as players go overseas in search of work.

One of the players spoken to by the Indo admitted that if he hadn't been given cash by a wealthy supporter of his county team in return for him playing championship football, he would have had to emigrate in search of work.