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Testimonials for individuals - in the GAA?

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Replying To Damothedub:  "Im the words of another Cooper Johnny money would destroy the game . That's s fact . Don't know the ins and outs of this particular venture so will sit on the fence."
Did Jonny cooper really say money would ruin the game Damo?

If so it's hard to argue with him when you see the way things have gone.

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 24/09/2017 23:21:20    2050111

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Replying To WanPintWin:  "Only a portion is going to charity. The rest to Cooper himself.
Your point about Brolly getting paid to make his comments has nothing to do with it. This issue isn't about Brolly, and it's irrelevant who made the comment.
The issue is about Cooper charging a lot of money per head for a dinner, from which a lot of the proceeds will go into his own pocket.
He's well entitled to do it, but people can rightly argue it's not typical of the GAA ethos."
colm cooper sacrificed a lot for the gaa..have no issue with it..the man is retired and if he wants to make a few quid off what he achieved than so be it

alano12 (Dublin) - Posts: 2208 - 24/09/2017 23:21:57    2050112

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Replying To essmac:  "What do people think? For once, I agree with Joe; but I'm probably on the losing side of the argument. I only pose the question: how many All Ireland medals would Colm Cooper have won without his teammates? The people who trained him when he was a nipper? I'd be a lot happier if the proceeds were donated to Kerry GAA or his home club."
Agree with you essmac. Elitism slowly creeping ever forward..

It's brazen.

Laois76 (Laois) - Posts: 1270 - 25/09/2017 00:17:10    2050131

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Replying To KingdomBoy1:  "Did Jonny cooper really say money would ruin the game Damo?

If so it's hard to argue with him when you see the way things have gone."
He did, in an interview in Jeff and Kammy's journey to Croker. available on Youtube. Episode 7 I think

Sindar (Roscommon) - Posts: 348 - 25/09/2017 09:25:34    2050177

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Surprised this topic isn't attracting more comment. Gaa player retires and organises a €200,000-300,000 lump sum for himself. This is a serious blow to amateurism. It's akin to being paid €25,000 a year for a 10 year career.

If this becomes the norm. A lot of struggling gaa clubs trying to keep their weekly lotto going are going to cry foul. It's irrelevant which county the player is from by the way.

On this occasion i agree with Brolly. Like the bankers, corrupt politicians etc it's 'what's in it for me'. As those old football Bank of Ireland ads from the early 2000s used say.. 'ask not what your county can do for you but you can do for your county'.

Hard to imagine many of the greats of the recent past from many counties being so 'graceless'.

Laois76 (Laois) - Posts: 1270 - 25/09/2017 23:27:16    2050526

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Replying To alano12:  "colm cooper sacrificed a lot for the gaa..have no issue with it..the man is retired and if he wants to make a few quid off what he achieved than so be it"
But don't you think that "the few quid" undermines the entire amateur status of the game? And the money we're talking here can hardly be considered a "few quid" and certainly not in the realm of reasonable expenses which we know intercounty players (and many club players) get

Sindar (Roscommon) - Posts: 348 - 26/09/2017 10:26:30    2050563

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I think Cooper has permanently damaged his legacy by this.

FootblockREF (Monaghan) - Posts: 569 - 26/09/2017 10:40:19    2050570

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Replying To Laois76:  "Surprised this topic isn't attracting more comment. Gaa player retires and organises a €200,000-300,000 lump sum for himself. This is a serious blow to amateurism. It's akin to being paid €25,000 a year for a 10 year career.

If this becomes the norm. A lot of struggling gaa clubs trying to keep their weekly lotto going are going to cry foul. It's irrelevant which county the player is from by the way.

On this occasion i agree with Brolly. Like the bankers, corrupt politicians etc it's 'what's in it for me'. As those old football Bank of Ireland ads from the early 2000s used say.. 'ask not what your county can do for you but you can do for your county'.

Hard to imagine many of the greats of the recent past from many counties being so 'graceless'."
Testimonial games apply in soccer, when a player retired from the game, effectively his earning days ended. The testimonial game raised a sum of money for the player to set him up in his post playing life. In those days players were paid a modest wage compared to nowadays. They would not have a job to return to after their playing career.

Colm is employed with AIB, and does punditry on RTE. if he gets a fee for punditry fine.

This testimonial event undermines the amateur ethos, I think nearer the event, there might be a another look at the amount going to the charities.
Should the GAA have a policy on testimonials?

thelongridge (Offaly) - Posts: 1879 - 26/09/2017 11:12:03    2050586

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Replying To thelongridge:  "Testimonial games apply in soccer, when a player retired from the game, effectively his earning days ended. The testimonial game raised a sum of money for the player to set him up in his post playing life. In those days players were paid a modest wage compared to nowadays. They would not have a job to return to after their playing career.

Colm is employed with AIB, and does punditry on RTE. if he gets a fee for punditry fine.

This testimonial event undermines the amateur ethos, I think nearer the event, there might be a another look at the amount going to the charities.
Should the GAA have a policy on testimonials?"
The GAA has absolutely no authority to do anything on this.

Colm is a free man, as is any other retired player in the future who wish to profit from their profile.

Personally I see absolutely nothing wrong with this and I guarantee that 99% of you if you were in the same position would do exactly the same thing.

If you could make 200-300k for hoisting one dinner would you honestly not avail of it???

Wally (Tyrone) - Posts: 926 - 26/09/2017 12:04:51    2050605

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Replying To Sindar:  "But don't you think that "the few quid" undermines the entire amateur status of the game? And the money we're talking here can hardly be considered a "few quid" and certainly not in the realm of reasonable expenses which we know intercounty players (and many club players) get"
Cooper had a great career and all through that career due to his position he was in a position to make money from endorsements. He now has the ability to make money from punditry and I don't think anyone has issues with any of that. I don't think it undermines amateurism as such. For me the issue here is that this money is being raised for an individual rather than for the good of the wider GAA community. Why could this function not be for the benefit of Austin Stacks / Kerry GAA / Underage coaching or something like that? If these people are willing to stump up this money to attend a dinner with Colm Cooper then that money should be going to better causes that Coopers own enrichment.

Clubs and counties all over the country are struggling to raise finance. All fundraisers are hitting up the same sources and so are effectively competing against each other. Every penny that goes to something like this will make it harder for clubs & counties to raise the funds they need.

Reminds me of when Geezer was in charge of Kildare and was questioned about the cost of running the team. He argued that the players raised additional funds themselves through fund raisers so they could do what they liked with it. It never seemed to occur to him that those fundraises hitting up the people of Kildare for players funds are in effect in direct competition with club and county fundraisers.

himachechy (Donegal) - Posts: 293 - 26/09/2017 12:04:56    2050606

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Replying To KingdomBoy1:  "Lads what about the people who trained mark O'Connor Conor glass and the Hanleys ? Those guys took all the amateur coaches had to offer and went off to oz to play a professional sport.

At least the gooch stayed around to entertain us .

Saying that I don't know if I still agree with it , will this open the door for professionalism, I don't know time will tell I guess."
sorry open the door for professionalism . get real top level g a a is pro in all but name . this is the future like it or not

mickcunningham (Westmeath) - Posts: 1897 - 26/09/2017 12:23:42    2050616

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This is a strange one.

On the one hand, who'd turn down the chance to make that type of money? No one will be forced to go and pay up and some charities will benefit too. So all in all what's the problem with Cooper reaping the benefits of all his sacrifice and effort over the years?

The argument is that he has already benefited monetarily from all his hard work and sacrifice through a lot of endorsements during his career, he now has two supplementary jobs (column in the paper and Sunday Game gig) on top of his day job (which I'm sure his profile didn't harm him in getting) which he got on the back of his football career. He also has a book coming out soon which will make him another few bob.

So his column in the paper, Sunday Game gig, autobiography and those endorsements weren't enough for him. It looks kinda greedy in that sense especially when you consider the players he played with didn't get half the endorsements he got during their playing days and won't get a send off like this.

It certainly jars a little and sits a little uneasily. Nothing should take away from the supreme talent the man had but this leaves a little dent in his legacy for me.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13795 - 26/09/2017 12:24:02    2050617

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Replying To mickcunningham:  "sorry open the door for professionalism . get real top level g a a is pro in all but name . this is the future like it or not"
I can guarantee you the game is not professional in Kerry Mick, all our lads have jobs ( which they're lucky to have) and struggle to travel long distances for training with a lot of the boys working in cork and limerick.

Our captain this year is a bus driver .

Because of the long distances some of them have to travel they're half crippled by the time they get to training and gooch showed us all in an open night at Fitzgerald stadium a few years back the stretching they all had to do to losen up after the long journeys.

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 26/09/2017 12:54:29    2050630

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Replying To himachechy:  "Cooper had a great career and all through that career due to his position he was in a position to make money from endorsements. He now has the ability to make money from punditry and I don't think anyone has issues with any of that. I don't think it undermines amateurism as such. For me the issue here is that this money is being raised for an individual rather than for the good of the wider GAA community. Why could this function not be for the benefit of Austin Stacks / Kerry GAA / Underage coaching or something like that? If these people are willing to stump up this money to attend a dinner with Colm Cooper then that money should be going to better causes that Coopers own enrichment.

Clubs and counties all over the country are struggling to raise finance. All fundraisers are hitting up the same sources and so are effectively competing against each other. Every penny that goes to something like this will make it harder for clubs & counties to raise the funds they need.

Reminds me of when Geezer was in charge of Kildare and was questioned about the cost of running the team. He argued that the players raised additional funds themselves through fund raisers so they could do what they liked with it. It never seemed to occur to him that those fundraises hitting up the people of Kildare for players funds are in effect in direct competition with club and county fundraisers."
Those are some very good points.

I don't massively blame Cooper for doing what he's doing and it's good that football players can have ways to monetise their talent. This sort of dinner is a bad precedent though, it'd be sad for this to become the norm as it would undoubtedly hit clubs fund raising abilities.

When you look at the Sky TV deal and the GPA revenue sharing agreement the flow of the money in the association is being increasingly directed towards the top.

It's hard not to be a bit cynical about the charity angle of it also.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4505 - 26/09/2017 12:54:50    2050631

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I fail to see why this is different from players getting endorsements or being a panel member, what he is trading is his public image and likely experiences. I think a precedent was set a long time ago.

I think you have to adapt to change and i have no problem with their being something in it for players at the end of their days when they have contributed. You look at young David Cliffard, really the one thing that would draw him to the AFL would be the money he could make, if there are pathways there for players to make a comfortable life after their playing days or trade on their profile that may be a huge hook in keeping players of his calibre in Gaelic games.

Maybe the GAA needs to adapt to change, what if it prompted this by hosting testimonials in Croke park for say county players who played 50-70 championship games for their county with a three way split between the GAA, Chairty and the player.

Is this really any different from endorsments players all have or witing a book, not really for me.

TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4503 - 26/09/2017 12:57:40    2050632

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It is so wrong - on so many levels - pure greed. He is done so much for clubs around the country and then does this - forget about all the volunteers who helped mould him into the player he was

I'm disappointed, disgusted, and mad.

A bit like the baseball movie about the Boston red sox taking the bribes " Say it ain't so"

Reputation tarnished and sullied - Joe Brolly is 100% correct on this

overinthewest (Sligo) - Posts: 119 - 26/09/2017 13:05:15    2050640

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Would admit to being a bit torn on this. Clearly, most of the proceeds are going to be going to Colm himself, and on the face of it, a testimonial of this kind is something more in keeping with professional sport.

However, we shouldn't forget also that Colm Cooper made the GAA a lot of money in his 15 odd years of playing inter-county ball. How many bums did he put on seats in Croker or Killarney during that time?

I would also venture that it's getting to the point now where we have a multi-million euro industry in the GAA, in which it seems the only ones not being payed are those who produce the product, i.e. the players. Surely there's something wrong in that situation? It should be all or none IMO.

Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 26/09/2017 13:06:21    2050641

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Replying To Damothedub:  "Im the words of another Cooper Johnny money would destroy the game . That's s fact . Don't know the ins and outs of this particular venture so will sit on the fence."
Johnny could rephrase this "money HAS destroyed the game".

subzero (Meath) - Posts: 69 - 26/09/2017 14:19:08    2050664

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Replying To Gleebo:  "Would admit to being a bit torn on this. Clearly, most of the proceeds are going to be going to Colm himself, and on the face of it, a testimonial of this kind is something more in keeping with professional sport.

However, we shouldn't forget also that Colm Cooper made the GAA a lot of money in his 15 odd years of playing inter-county ball. How many bums did he put on seats in Croker or Killarney during that time?

I would also venture that it's getting to the point now where we have a multi-million euro industry in the GAA, in which it seems the only ones not being payed are those who produce the product, i.e. the players. Surely there's something wrong in that situation? It should be all or none IMO."
True Gleebo you would expect something more for the players in comparison to what other interests gain, but not this amount. Proper expenses and renumeration. It's too much. Too mé féin.

And Declan O'Sullivan, the O'Sés, Donaghy, Galvin, etc would have put the same number of bums on seats for Kerry. Why should he be any more special than other players. There were a good 10 or 12 who were almost or as good as him.

Laois76 (Laois) - Posts: 1270 - 26/09/2017 14:29:37    2050671

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I'm sure there's a lot of fellas that have played as long and given as much commitment as Colm Cooper to their club and county who would have been in more need of the few bob and got shag all. It's not the biggest crime in the world for a player to make some killing after all the years of service but will every county footballer and hurler that retires now get the same benefit , I doubt it.
Seems like a decent fella but if anything I think this will have people looking at him in a slightly different light.

catch22 (USA) - Posts: 2148 - 26/09/2017 14:39:48    2050677

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