DRA gives green light to grants

Mark Conway is one of the most vocal anti-grants campaigners

The GAA's Disputes Resolution Authority has ruled that the player grants scheme is not in breach of Rule 11 which governs the sport's amateur status.

Anti-grants group,'Of One Belief' had challenged the scheme at a marathon meeting of the DRA last Friday.

The DRA sidestepped the issue of whether the scheme is a "good idea".

"We are solely concerned with one question - whether the scheme generates a breach of Rule 11. Our answer to is that it does not," said a statement.

"Contrary to what is said on behalf of the claimants, we may not assume that Central Council will use the schemes in a manner that achieves a contravention of Rule 11.

"If it were the case that the DRA was excluded from a supervisory role, so that a breach of Rule 11 could go unremedied, that submission might be very persuasive indeed, but that vista does not arise," the statement read.

Sunday Sportsound wants your views on player grants

Predictably, Mark Conway of the Of One Belief organisation was disappointed with the ruling.

"We didn't put all of this effort in for nothing," Conway said last night.

"My reading of the judgement is that they are telling us that we have an honourable defeat here."

In its ruling, the DRA commended the 'Of One Belief' group for their consistent and concerted argument.

Just because they disagree with us, that doesn't change our view Mark Conway

"Although unsuccessful in the result, it is clear from the two sets of arbitration proceedings that the claimants cannot be said to have failed in their endeavours.

"They have applied their resources in successive bona fide attempts to ensure that no inroads have been made on the amateur ethos, one of the most precious principles of the association.

"In these and the earlier arbitration proceedings, they have tested every aspect of what was prepared by Central Council.

"While the bona fides of Central Council to ensure compliance with Rule 11 is not in doubt, the devil's advocate role of the Claimants cannot but have assisted in the multilateral effort that produced the finely-crafted document we have examined in the context of this arbitration."

Despite this setback Conway and his colleagues are committed to stay campaigning on the issue right until Friday night with the focus now switching to the grants motions before GAA Congress in Sligo.

"We thought we were right before we went to the DRA and that's why we went there. Just because they disagree with us, that doesn't change our view."

Meanwhile a decision on the costs of the case has yet to be determined.

With the GAA having made a number of changes to the original grants document, the expectation is that Congress will back the scheme this weekend although a number of Ulster counties have come out against the redrafted proposals.