GAELIC GAMES/Joint Oireachtas Committee meeting: GAA President Seán Kelly was subject to some friendly fire yesterday when he was called before the Joint Oireachtas Committee of Arts, Sports and Tourism to discuss the volunteer aspect of the GAA.

As expected, several more topical issues were raised by the committee including the potential opening of Croke Park, something that now seems not to attract pressure from the government or anywhere else outside the organisation.

Also, the recent problems of player litigation and abuse of referees were both brought up as issues that must be addressed.

However, Kelly rejected the idea put forward by former All-Ireland winning Kerry captain, Fine Fail TD Jim Glennon, that the GAA could use the international court of arbitration for sport in Lausanne to stop players contesting bans by rushing off to the High Court.

Instead, he felt it should be dealt with in-house. "Refereeing and litigation are two big worries at this time," said Kelly.

"Recommendations to congress are expected and some form of appeals commission is to be set in place. We have lawyers working on it around the clock. In this country there is a cultural condemnation of people in authority."

Kelly and Deenihan - the Fine Gael shadow minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism - also failed to agree on the issue of integrating women's football and camogie fully under the remit of the GAA, with Kelly feeling the women's codes would suffer as a result.

"They should be autonomous and this is a mutually held view by both us and these associations. Amalgamation at club level is possible, as is fixture collusion and having some games on the undercard of major men's matches, but they must have autonomy in organising their affairs at national level.

"If we took over completely they would lose their importance as they would not be our main focus. They need to be able to raise their own separate sponsorship and television deals."

To integrate either association would require changing rules four and five of the GAA, something Kelly did not completely disregard as he expects the issue to be on the clár at next year's Congress.

On the main topic of the session, volunteerism, the GAA was unanimously complimented as being a beacon in the amateur ranks.

Here, Kelly stressed caution, saying any move towards professionalism would be a killer blow to volunteerism in the organisation.

"Our amateur status is essential. If we were to go professional we would lose the volunteer effect overnight," said Kelly.

"Players would no longer identify with their clubs, they would identify with their pockets. Just look at Colm Cooper; after he won the All-Ireland he went back down to play with his club in Kerry."

The comparison to the current plight of the club game in rugby was sighted as a potential side-effect with Glennon, a former manager of Leinster rugby, backing this up with reference to the turmoil in Irish rugby after the onset of professionalism in 1995.

Regarding the suggestion of tax breaks for inter-county players, Kelly contested that players are better looked after than is the general impression.

"Players are more of a problem in the media. Players are well looked after. Most are happy with their lot, they get no financial reward. Once you draw that line then where do you draw the line after it?"

He felt the new five-year rule - preventing anyone holding a position at board level for any longer period - as vital in attracting vibrant young people into grass-roots level and eventually the county board hierarchy.

Also, the drive of the GAA in urban areas is to increase, with a particular focus starting in Dublin next month.

Questions were asked by most of the 13-strong committee, but no one even remotely rustled the feathers of the GAA president.

Kelly was asked to send someone back with regular updates of the vast array of events covered.