The current system sees a handful of county teams play just two championship games in any one season. I also feel that if the GAA goes professional the inter county player would no longer be able to play for his club due to the sheer demand being put on the players. The GAA would effectively split into two, the professional inter county players and the amateur club players.
The majority of County players are virtually professional in every aspect bar actually being a professional athlete. To date, no County player has received money from the organisation based on performance. However, a lot of the top County players may receive money on sponsorship deals and various other things such as media obligations before big matches. Recently in the Under 21s All Ireland Hurling Final, some players received a couple of hundred euro to wear a specific brands helmet. Likewise, players such as Diarmuid Connolly, Philly McMahon, Cillian O’Connor and Aidan O’Shea will all have received money before the All-Ireland final for all the media work they done.