Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

First, I would put on the record that I am a sports fan. My young lad is involved with Longford rugby club. I support Longford town and I am involved in my own club. I have been a lifelong GAA member and am a former member of the Ard Chomhairle in Croke Park. I just wanted to put that on the record.

I recognise all the good work that has been done by every organisation present in communities throughout the country. I will go to Ms O'Connor first. Her proposal for something like "Sports Stadium" is a fantastic idea. That is something that should be looked at. She also spoke about the 20x20 campaign. That needs to be reinvigorated. It worked but we still have a little bit further to go so I would like to see some work done on that. The Government funding proposal with regard to what happened in Australia is a good idea too. It is important to get all those other minority sports and get a bit of exposure for them.

I am personally fully in favour of GAAGO. I think it is value for money and I think it is the future. A higher number of games are able to be watched and there are fewer games that cost money for people. It is €79 for a season pass for GAAGO whereas if someone purchased Sky Sports the previous season to watch fewer games they would have paid €480. That is the reality. Those are the facts.

A comment was made about the organisation of the games. I am speaking from experience. The competitions control committee, CCC, which is a separate committee, is the organisation that makes the fixtures and then you work around it. I have had queries about this weekend and the Tailteann Cup being fixed with the Dublin game but there are reasons around why that has happened and stuff like that. We try to accommodate all the counties if at all possible. The biggest issue we have is probably with broadband. That is what is causing most of the trouble but that is being worked on and will be delivered. Luckily enough we have the broadband contract in place.

GAA is a 32-county sport and more. It includes Lancashire and Warwickshire when it comes to hurling. It includes London, New York and our diaspora. It is not just about a select few counties at the higher echelons of the game. That is what caused all the commotion the last time, particularly when the Cork-Tipperary game was so tight. It was a great game. I was watching it. The GAA is about all counties and it is incumbent on the GAA to put on Longford or Antrim, and that is what it is doing. The weekend of that Cork-Tipperary game, the hurling game above in Antrim was being shown. They are entitled to have their game shown. Deputy Fitzpatrick is involved heavily with Louth football. It is important that every county has its day and gets the opportunity. I got to watch games I could not go to with Longford playing in the Tailteann Cup on GAAGO.

I was always a firm supporter of a secondary competition. We have condensed our season. I ask the witnesses to expand on that for people here who might not understand how we have condensed our season. It is to allow our club players to play in July and August and have the Tailteann Cup to allow the perceived or so-called weaker counties an opportunity to win an all-Ireland title in Croke Park. Look at Westmeath's victory last year and the joy that brought them. I wish the best of luck to Senator Cassells this weekend with Meath playing. Mr. Ryan might expand on how the thing has changed over the last number of years and why we have so many games on.