Last week's statement by the Minister for Health, Micheal Martin TD, that he favoured the winding down of sports sponsorships by drinks companies is a time bomb for the GAA.

From the highly visible national sponsorship of the All-Ireland hurling championship to more locally-based arrangements, alcohol companies play an important commercial role in the association. The matter will not be decided for some time but already hurling sponsors Guinness are concerned.

"I wouldn't say I'm concerned that the matter is on the public agenda," said Pat Barry, the company's director of communications, "but I would be concerned that actions might be taken to influence sponsorship in sport.

"I don't believe that restrictions on the promotional activities of drinks companies will have a worthwhile effect. I don't believe that our involvement in hurling leads to people abusing alcohol or that it can be linked to binge drinking amongst teenagers.

"The problem is more deep-rooted than that. The sponsorship is about brand identity for individual brands. It's aimed at an older audience than the music events we're involved with (e.g. last year's Witnness festival) which are for 18-yearolds and up. The hurling is geared towards an older consumer. It's a way of showing we're interested in the same things that those customers are."

Whereas the GAA wouldn't be short of alternatives to a major national sponsorship like Guinness's, at the other end of the scale there aren't the same options. Des Quinn has just completed his five year term as chairman of the Leitrim county board and has frequently articulated the difficulties of the smaller GAA units. He acknowledges the importance of drinks-related sponsorships and support but admits to ambivalence on the issue.

"It has a major impact on the club scene but I do think that there is far too much drink associated with GAA activity. It's not just the GAA, I think other sports have the same culture of the session after a game. It has an awful effect on rural teams. Sunday morning games are nearly a thing of the past. You can't get fellas out of the bed after Saturday night.

"If drink sponsorship was stopped, it would have an impact. In many rural places everything is integrated into the pub scene. It's not just financial support but most fund raising events take place in pubs, most club lottos are sold in pubs and pubs in turn expect to get the custom of the sellers."

Quinn also feels that the financial shortfall would not necessarily be fatal. "I think in a lot of cases, pubs would continue to support their local clubs even if they weren't getting their name on the jersey. Anyway most pubs these days do food and could legitimately claim to be restaurants. But it would mean that clubs would have to innovative about fund raising."

Barry says evidence to support the Minister's aspiration is thin. "In Sweden there are very strict laws on the promotion of alcoholic drinks but there remains a high rate of alcoholism. Similarly in Eastern Europe where there were also strict regulations, the same thing applies."

He does accept that brewers like Guinness are in the firing line when reports like last week's - illustrating high levels of teenage drinking - are published.

"Our product gives a lot of enjoyment to a lot of people. Unfortunately a much smaller group abuses our product and there's no doubt that that causes us concern and we have always been willing to work with various groups to try and counter that problem of abuse. We are taking the current situation seriously and hope to engage in a worthwhile debate with any interested groups."