Player's meetings: Volunteer ethos versus financial pragmatism. Keith Duggan looks at the complex clash of views that has led to today's muscle flexing by the GPA

Regardless of the outcome of today's gathering of the tribes in Portlaoise and Belfast, this has been an important week in the evolution of the Gaelic Players Association.

The failure of the GAA to meet their representatives and Minister for Sport John O'Donoghue to discuss the issue of sports grants has, according to GPA statements, heightened the anger and disillusionment of many elite players.

The attendances in both venues - the meetings will be linked via satellite - will provide a timely, high-profile demonstration of player power.

The meetings hold the possibility of the GPA deciding upon some sort of protest, with the option to strike the ultimate doomsday scenario.

Few expect that situation to materialise, although after several angry denunciations of the GAA's casual attitude toward what the GPA regard as a burning issue, the players' group would seem almost obliged to make some sort of stand.

However, the very calling of an egm smack in the middle of a competitive league season weekend highlights that as a body, elite GAA players feel aggrieved and are prepared to put up rather than shut up. They have argued, with some justification, that player welfare has progressed at snail's pace.

Although it is fashionable to pay lip service to the heroic and spartan commitment an intercounty player makes, it could be argued that few people truly understand the frightening demands on time and energy. The vast majority of GAA people hear players complain of nearing breaking point. But deep down, many secretly wonder, "How tough can it be?"

"I suppose the old Irish attitude of 'sure it can't be as bad as in my day' still prevails," concedes Jarlath Burns, the former Armagh captain.

"And on the face of it, you could argue that the old league system, when counties were back into league fare in the autumn, made for a longer season. The funny thing is the change has been total. In my day, we begged the county board to give us gym membership in the Carrickdale hotel and we were laughed out the door. Gym membership is a given now.

"The idea of training gear would have been fantastic just a few years ago. In all the years I played county football, I had one trip away, to Lanzarote, after 1999. Now, I think most county teams would head off at least once a season. Mileage is better. The system has improved a lot. But look, it has to be acknowledged that the work ethic and the training regime many players follow bears no resemblance to what went on 15 years ago. Three nights training, two nights in the gym and a game on Sunday is a fairly common schedule.

"AND THE OLD argument that a player can just walk away if he gets tired of it isn't really fair. I can see how players get locked into a county. Players that are established find it hard to just walk away. There's a sense of obligation to keep contributing to the team for as long as you can. And with that comes a fear that the feckers might go and win something the very year you quit. It is a complicated thing."

Burns was chairman of the Players Committee, the GAA body set up to examine and improve the welfare of its stars. Given its existence conflicted with that of the GPA, it was a thankless task and although it did push some improvements through, most players were drawn to the autonomy of the GPA.

Burns is broadly sympathetic to the ideal of improving playing conditions for the stars of Gaelic games but is dubious about the timing of today's egm. He also believes the GPA need to work harder on communicating their message if they are to win the hearts and minds of the GAA community at large.

While nobody questions the commitment of players - and their on-field appeal has been evident in the phenomenal gate receipts of the last five years - volunteerism is central to the GAA ethos. Burns is a teacher and "an ordinary GAA person" with his club in Silverbridge. Last Sunday morning, he trained under-10s and then went to Crossmaglen to watch Armagh play Laois; oMonday night he was in Dundalk with a Scór na nÓg team; on Tuesday night he trained under-10s; on Wednesday night he attended a coaches' meeting; on Thursday he was at a Silverbridge committee meeting; he attended a coaches' first-aid course last night and trained the under-10s this morning.

That weekly schedule, he argues, is typical of the time hundreds of unheralded GAA people put in. And it explains why he feels the GPA should be measured and considered in drawing attention to the unbearable pressure placed on the stars.

However, the thing is, stars are stars. Gaelic games fill stadiums now. And that means more money for the association. About that equation there is no argument.

"The cake has gotten bigger," agreed GAA president Seán Kelly this week, "and the players deserve to be rewarded for that. The trick is how to facilitate that without breaching the amateur ethos."

Kelly was in Killarney, standing in line to renew his car tax, when he fielded the phone call. Kelly has been generally appeasing in his attitude to the GPA but is unapologetic in his view the issue of sports grants must remain shelved until Nickey Brennan assumes office.

"It would have been the easiest thing in the world for me to go along to that meeting. But whatever was decided would have gone on for consideration by Central Council. And it didn't seem sensible that I should begin negotiating on an issue which will be settled during Nickey's term as president."

Kelly said he would be "amazed" if a decision to strike was the outcome of today's egm: "I think it is more about flexing muscle and maybe seeing what kind of turnout the meetings get and to give players an opportunity of talking things out and to show their support for what Dessie (Farrell) is trying to do."

ASKED ABOUT HIS perception of how the wider GAA community regarded the GPA, the president said that while nobody begrudged players benefiting from their skill and dedication, there had been a reluctance to embrace the GPA.

The players' body has been adamant the issue of "pay for play" is not on its agenda.

"Broadly speaking, people want what is best for the players. But I do think fear still exists among many GAA members, and as long as the suspicion exists, they will be reluctant to give it their full support," Kelly said. "And I think that it is something the GPA is going to have to dispel."

It is understandable how the confusion over their aims might infuriate those working at the coalface of the GPA. The very point of the sports grants was that players might get some allowance for the time and money lost over their playing careers, rather than being about mere financial opportunism. A recent survey for the GPA demonstrated that over a typical playing career an intercounty man stood to lose substantial amounts of money.

"You probably do lose out but you don't really think about that at the time," said Brendan Devenney, the flamboyant Donegal forward who recently stepped off the intercounty carousel after an eight-year career that included a scintillating performance for Ireland in the International Rules series of 2003. A talented soccer player, Devenney signed with Finn Harps when he was 18 but his focus switched to Gaelic football after he won a county medal with St Eunan's a year later.

"Like, I turned down soccer contracts worth around £60,000 in total over the years I played with the county. And maybe there were a few expenses for petrol and things like that. But it is small money at the time.

"When it comes to playing for the county, money doesn't really come into it. It was an honour to get playing for Donegal. And I always enjoyed the craic and the training. I would say that is the attitude most players have. I suppose there are a lot of reasons why I decided against going back this year.

"WORK COMMITMENTS played a large part. And I would say that the Gaelic football has got a lot more tactical. There isn't as much room for a player to express himself.

"Training has changed considerably since I started in 1997. Like, then the idea of tackle bags would have been outlandish.

"The emphasis is very serious and very professional now and even though amateurism is such a big part of the association, maybe it is sometimes forgotten the players are just that."

The thing is, even though Devenney has removed himself from the demands of intercounty fare, he is still training with his club three evenings a week. The club scene has mirrored the trends and ferocity of intercounty training, a fact that may have repercussions down the line.

"It has to be remembered that county players are also club players," said Seán Kelly, "and the club championship has grown hugely in popularity in recent years, and will continue to do so. It seems natural the welfare of club players will also become an issue down the road. Because the GAA is a democratic organisation and the welfare of all players should matter equally."

The midweek announcement by the GPA of a lucrative sponsorship of an independent All-Star scheme with 2,500 for each winner provided further proof of the energy and determination of the association. In the eyes of many players, they continue to act and make deals on their behalf while the GAA prevaricates and makes vague promises.

The GPA's belief is attempts at dialogue have been constantly rebuffed. Today's egm is the end result of those frustrations. It is down to the players to decide what happens next and, for today at least, they will have the floor and an attentive audience.

Players' commitment: How has it changed?

Donal Cusack

Cork hurler

For most GAA players today, the abiding feeling is you cannot simply turn off the fact of being a county player like a light switch. It is an honour and it is also an obligation. The training programme that all counties embark on now is rigorous.

In effect, it means training five nights a week, sometimes with the team, sometimes on your own. That is obviously physically demanding. Diet has become a major factor and socialising is fairly limited. For any player to walk into a bar on the weekend of a championship game is more or less regarded as a crime now.

When we won the All-Ireland last year, most of us had about a week before we began turning our thoughts to the club championship. And across the country, most county teams resume training earlier and earlier each season. What it means is the mindset is professional.

And it does affect families because in order to play at a serious level, you do have to be single-minded and selfish in a way. The expectation is that the county comes first all the time.

And that is not a situation that players alone created. It is often suggested that playing Gaelic games at county level is a hobby. Well, if so, it is the only hobby where people are drug tested. And there are very few hobbies where spectators pay money to come and watch every week.

And the GAA cannot call it a hobby on one level and a product on the other. And there has been a failure to recognise this.

Liam Austin

Down footballer 1976-1992

From the beginning, we trained two nights a week but over the years it became obvious that guys were supplementing that with personal training. After we won the All-Ireland in 1991, we discovered by accident that we were all training five nights a week.

By the end of the 1970s, players were starting to look after themselves. There were very few smokers and although a few guys liked a good drink, they wouldn't last too long. After training we got a pint of milk and biscuits when I started off but over time, we ate hot meals. The season started in early September for most teams and winter training was grim, very repetitive endurance work in dark, wet fields. We only turned to ball work around April or so.

The gym was not the feature it is today but some players did lift weights. I think the big difference between then and now is that every minute is accounted for today and the intensity which players train at is ferocious. In Down, we did place a premium on fitness. If you believed you could outlast your opponent that was half the battle. I know that mental fortitude is a huge thing in today's game and I think that is partly the reason why so many county teams are so strict about food and alcohol. It is about committing to a credo.

I know when I retired I was astonished by how much time I had on my hands. There is a selfishness to being a county player, disappearing night after night. It wasn't really fair on my family when I think back on it. But I was playing for Down since the age of 17 and knew nothing else. I don't know if I could give that kind of commitment again. I would certainly empathise with the players of today because I know it is not getting any easier.