Everyone knows Gaelic football is an amateur Sport. Does everyone know Professional athletes can play this amateur sport? I am going to discuss why I think Professional athletes should not be allowed play in GAA. Is it really fair for an amateur to come up against a professional? I’m sure most GAA fans around the country have heard of the very talented Zach Tuohy who plays Professional Australian Rules Football in Australia. He also comes back to his home GAA club Portlaoise to play the later rounds of Championship (Semi-finals/Finals) in off season. Tuohy is a very proud Portlaoise club man but should he be allowed help his club win an amateur competition? In my view I think he shouldn’t be allowed to play an amateur sport as he’s a professional athlete. Would it be fair for Cristiano Ronaldo to play for his home club where he was brought up in for off season? I wouldn’t think so and there isn’t much difference in this case as Australian Rules sport to Gaelic Football. Professional and amateur athletes have a few things in common, such as some shared skills and passion for their sport. The differences between Professional and amateur athletes are:
Over the last few years the debate has risen about whether the GAA should turn professional or remain amateur; many people believe that if the GAA were to turn professional we are then abandoning our original roots and the reasons why the organisation was created. Many of the debates all circle back to a county vs club argument. In my opinion if the GAA was to go professional the current system would have to change.
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. The G.A.A. as we know it has rapidly transformed into a huge commercial entity since the turn of the millennium. In contrast to when it was first established in 1884, the G.A.A. has grown into one of the finest and most unique sporting organisations in the world today. The players of today’s game are far stronger, fitter, and better conditioned than ever before. The demands placed on inter-county players are comparable to those of professional sportspeople, and in many respects, the vast majority of inter-county players are now training at an elite level.
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