News:The GAA authorities now believe that the intercounty players' awards scheme will be debated at next April's annual congress. Seán Moranreports

Although the scheme itself is likely to be approved in its final format by Central Council before congress, it is increasingly accepted the matter will feature on the clár in Sligo.

There is no requirement for approval of the scheme from congress, as it doesn't involve a rule change but those opposed to the awards, agreed last November between the GAA, the Gaelic Players Association and the Government, claim that they are an infringement of Rule 11 of the Official Guide, governing amateur status.

It would be open to opponents of the scheme to propose motions calling for a roll-back of the awards or specifically amending Rule 11 to rule them out.

In the past few days both the association's president, Nickey Brennan, and PRO, Danny Lynch, have been at pains to deny that any such motions would be unwelcome to the GAA's national officials.

Amplifying remarks made to the Ireland edition of the Mail on Sunday, Brennan said that whereas a number of counties are believed to be considering motions on the matter, he couldn't really comment on them until they are formulated and forwarded to Croke Park - but that he favoured the matter getting an airing.

"Obviously I haven't seen what's being proposed and can't comment on that but once a motion is fairly clear I believe it should be fought on its merits," he said yesterday.

The president, however, emphasised the matter had been properly dealt with by Central Council and that he would not favour the referral of every contentious issue to congress and the implicit erosion of the governing body's reserved powers.

"In fairness this was an issue that had to be dealt with by Central Council and which Central Council had the authority to deal with but having said that, I am well aware that some counties and units within the association have concerns about this.

"If those concerns reach the floor of congress and there are decisions to be made then let them be made.

"But at the same time we have to protect the integrity of Central Council because although I appreciate the concerns people have, what will be the next issue that elements of the grassroots decide Central Council shouldn't have the authority to determine?

"Central Council have a very good track record of guiding the association and it's also a representative body of all the counties."

This openness to having the awards scheme aired at congress reflects two strands in Croke Park thinking: one, annoyance that the handling of the issue has been depicted as undemocratic and, more tellingly, confidence that arguments in opposition to the scheme would be defeated on the floor of congress in Sligo.

Charges that the process has unfairly excluded grassroots members, as the decision wasn't taken by congress are refuted by the fact that the decision isn't deemed to require a rule change.

The latter sentiment was buttressed in recent weeks by reactions around the country to a presentation on the awards that took place as an addendum to the briefing process on the recommendations of the Burnout Committee report.

To date no significant hostility to the awards has been encountered although there was no open-floor discussion at the meetings.

Further uncertainty on the matter arose briefly last week when it was reported that a challenge to the awards - that had been taken to the Disputes Resolution Authority - had been declined on the grounds that the GAA's legal representatives had maintained the scheme had yet to be conclusively accepted.

It was, however, clarified by Croke Park that this ambiguity related to the final format of the awards, the precise sums of money per individual and the new means of distribution, and not the substance of the scheme.

Once the detail is finalised the matter can go back to the DRA, which will then take its own decision on whether or not to accept it for hearing.

Dublin County Board was due last night to discuss the awards scheme at its very busy, first meeting of the year. The matter had been raised under "any other business" at last month's annual convention but further discussion was deferred until the next county board meeting.

Last night's deliberations weren't expected to lead to a motion of opposition for congress although if the sentiment expressed was sufficiently negative it would be open to the county executive to frame a motion of its own for congress.

But in the light of the November decision of Central Council to approve the awards in principle that is considered unlikely.

• Two competitive home games for Wicklow's footballers and hurlers have been refixed for next Sunday at 2pm. The O'Byrne Shield and Kehoe Cup matches had to be called off last Sunday because heavy rain made pitches unplayable.

Wicklow's footballers take on DIT in the O'Byrne Shield at Baltinglass on Sunday, while the hurlers face Carlow IT in the Kehoe Cup competition at Bray.