Mr. John Devaney:

I thank the committee. I am a member of the Bredagh club in County Down and I chair the GAA in the county. I have also recently been appointed chair of the national GAA referees development committee. I am also a member of the central referees appointments committee.

The primary responsibility of the referees development committee I chair is the selection of referees for intercounty games and for the development, training, and welfare of match officials. While our core remit focuses on the games at intercounty level, we will also develop guidelines and best practice for refereeing across the association. Our committee comprises personnel with considerable experience and interest in the field, including former intercounty referees who have officiated at the highest level, administrators within clubs and counties across the four provinces and beyond and others who have an insight or interest in this area.

A key priority for us will be to engage as three organisations in developing a specific plan for refereeing and to bring about a model that works for all codes. The steering group on integration established working groups in late 2023, as previously highlighted here. Within the plans for 2024, there will be the establishment of a working group specifically focused on referring. This working group will bring together representatives from each of the organisations in a formal way to develop this specific plan. For me, there are many reasons why amalgamation should and will happen. To all intents and purposes, we look the same, we do the same and we are the same. Children and young people joining our games for the first time see no distinguishable administrative and structural differences. That is how it should be for all of us as we look forward.

There are significant challenges in achieving an integrated structure that will maximise our potential in the growth in, and retention of, the numbers of referees to officiate across all codes. A referee's job is a tough one and there are high expectations from players, coaches and spectators. The most recent GAA strategic plan, which has a clear eye on integration, highlights the priority of maximising participation, including for referees. It sets the challenge of allocating the resources needed to grow the pool of referees, overhaul the culture of respect towards them and improve officiating standards. It aims to achieve this by consolidating and co-ordinating all learning programmes under the umbrella of one training unit to ensure quality learning experiences for referees.

Referees will need to be recruited and retained in higher numbers. What we want to achieve is a place where they will be able to officiate to the higher standards, arising from an increased investment in training and development, and experience significantly higher levels of respect from players, managers, supporters and followers. The most significant related challenge will be around the arrangement and management of fixtures. That in itself is also related to facilities and finance. To many officials at club, county, provincial and national levels, there are simply not enough days in the week at present for our games and competitions, but none of these challenges are insurmountable. We know that integration will require change, goodwill and an intention to work together for the good of all. Go raibh maith agat.