The 2021
GAA Congress
The GAA Congress is the supreme legislative body of the Gaelic Athletic Association ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ), commonly known by its acronymic, the ''GAA''. The GAA is the international governing body of Gaelic games such as football and hurl ...
was held on 27 February. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, it took place virtually, a first in the history of the
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...
. The public could also watch it live.
The conference marked the formal transition of the
presidency
A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified by a ...
from
John Horan to
Larry McCarthy
Lawrence C. "Larry" McCarthy (born 1952) is an American political consultant and media advisor to Republican Party (GOP) campaigns. He is best known as a master of the attack ad, having produced the infamous Willie Horton TV spot during the 1988 ...
.
[ McCarthy, based with ]New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, became the first overseas president.[
All motions discussed at the conference passed, while a further ten were delayed with the intention of discussing them when delegates could gather in the same room. The motions passed were effective four weeks from the date of the 2021 Congress.
]
Congress motions
Several motions attracted media coverage on various grounds.
A motion on the "split-season" of competitions involving clubs and county teams passed without a vote due to the high volume of support, setting the All-Ireland finals at a date of mid-July from 2022 and allowing clubs to then play their competitions until the end of October. Four days later, the Club Players Association announced that it had voted to dissolve itself as it had achieved the objective it had been campaigning for since 2017.
A so-called "sin-bin" to counter cynical play was introduced for a trial period in hurling, though representatives from Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
and Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
opposed. The Gaelic Players Association
The Gaelic Players Association ( ga, Cumann na n-Imreoirí Gaelacha), or GPA, is the officially recognised player representative body for inter county Gaelic footballers and Hurling, hurlers in Ireland. The GPA's aim is to promote and protect all ...
had asked in advance that the motion not be discussed at all. 61% voted in favour of the motion. The rule, as passed, would be applied differently in hurling (with a yellow card
Yellow card may refer to:
* Yellow card (sport), shown in many sports after a rules infraction or, by analogy, a serious warning in other areas
* Yellowcard, an American alternative rock band
* Yellow Card Scheme, a United Kingdom initiative conce ...
issued to the offending player) than in football where a black card was already in force.
The concussion
A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...
substitute rule was made similar to the blood rule A blood rule is a rule used in many sports that generally states that an athlete that receives an open wound, is bleeding, or who has blood on them or their clothes, must immediately leave the playing area to receive medical attention. Though they ...
.[
Any effort to distract an opponent with the wave of a hurley or arm as he sets himself to take a puck-out or kick-out was made a foul.][
A player called up to his county team was required for the first time to have taken a special ]anti-doping
In competitive sports, doping is the use of banned Performance-enhancing substance, athletic performance-enhancing drugs by athletic competitors as a way of cheating in sports. The term ''doping'' is widely used by organizations that regulate sp ...
course within the previous year or he would be suspended for one game.[
Joint-]captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
s, which had crept into the game over the previous decade, were no longer permitted to both raise a trophy.
Teams participating in senior and intermediate championships at county level were set at a maximum of 16 by 2023.[ Delegates from ]Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
, Galway and Tyrone were among those to oppose this motion.[
For the first time, teams were permitted to field 13 players at the beginning of a game's second half without being obliged to ]forfeit
Forfeit or forfeiture may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Forfeit'', a 2007 thriller film starring Billy Burke
* "Forfeit", a song by Chevelle from ''Wonder What's Next''
* ''Forfeit/Fortune'', a 2008 album by Crooked Fingers
L ...
the match.
The maor foirne role was abolished.[ Delegates from ]Kilkenny
Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Kilken ...
and Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
had opposed the motion.[
The ]All-Ireland Junior Football Championship
The All-Ireland Junior Football Championship is a GAA competition involving four Junior Gaelic football inter-county teams.
Prior to a change in competition structure in 2021, the competition was previously for all Junior Gaelic football inte ...
was brought back.
The All-Ireland Under-20 Hurling Championship semi-finals were abolished. Instead, the winning teams from the Leinster Under-20 Hurling Championship
The Leinster GAA Hurling All-Ireland Under-20 Championship known simply as the Leinster Under-20 Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the hig ...
and the Munster Under-20 Hurling Championship
The Munster GAA Hurling Under-20 Championship, known simply as the Munster Under-20 Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-co ...
advanced to the final.[
Another motion passed to prevent hurlers from playing with both senior and under-20 county teams, as was already the case in football.][
Dates were set to conclude Post Primary School GAA competitions (17 March), the ]Sigerson Cup
The Sigerson Cup is the trophy for the premier Gaelic football championship among Higher Education institutions (Universities, Colleges and Institutes of Technology) in Ireland. It traditionally begins in mid January and ends in late February. ...
(by the seventh Sunday of the year) and the Fitzgibbon Cup
The Fitzgibbon Cup ( ga, Corn Mhic Giobúin) is the trophy for the premier hurling championship among higher education institutions (universities, colleges and institutes of technology) in Ireland.
The Fitzgibbon Cup competition is administered ...
(by the eighth Sunday of the year).[
]
References
External links
Live summary
carried on RTÉ.ie
RTÉ.ie is the brand name and home of Irish broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ)'s online activities, located at the URL https://www.rte.ie/. The site began publishing on 26 May 1996. According to RTÉ, it operates on an entirely com ...
{{Gaelic Athletic Association
GAA
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...
GAA Congress