Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cork's heroic victory over Limerick last weekend will go down in history as one of the most exciting games of the modern time but thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people were not able to watch it, including diehard GAA people and hurling people who love the game. So far, not one of Cork's hurling championship matches have been on television. The games against Clare and Waterford were also crackers but people did not get an opportunity to see them. This decision by the GAA and by RTÉ is a disgrace and flies in the face of all the volunteers who have given their time and commitment to the association. It costs €12 to watch a match which, for people on limited incomes or budgets, for young people whose parents might not be interested and for other people who are struggling to pay their bills, is a lot. A lot people cannot afford this. There were three Cork hurling games and the Cork versus Kerry football match so people in Cork would have had to pay €48 to watch them all.

In today's edition of The Echo, the elderly rights campaigner, Mr. Paddy O'Brien, condemned the GAA for what it is doing to older people and to volunteers who have given their lives to the association. I spoke to a former Cork hurler in Blackpool on Saturday. This man has limited mobility and is on crutches. He played in an All-Ireland with Cork in 1984 and he has senior all-Ireland medals with his club, Glen Rovers. He was going to a pub to watch the match. This is a man who has graced Croke Park. He was going to the pub because he could not watch the game on television. Money was not the issue for him. The issue was that he does not have a computer or a smartphone to watch it so his friends had to bring him out. I spoke to another man on the northside who played hurling all his life. He listened to the game on 103 FM. I thank and commend 103 FM for providing proper public service broadcasting, unlike RTÉ. If it were not for 103 FM, people in Cork would not have been able to listen to live coverage of the match.

Last year, 1 million people watched the all-Ireland hurling final. That is the level of love for hurling in this country. Instead of fostering the game, as the GAA, especially, and also RTÉ, the public sector broadcaster, should be doing, they are putting it behind a paywall to make money. The question is whether the GAA is more worried about making money or promoting hurling.

The number of GAA players is decreasing. In 2019, 22,514 club teams were signed up to the association. Between October 2021 and September 2022, that number fell to 20,994, which was a decrease of 1,520 teams. It is no wonder clubs are not fielding teams. Last weekend, the under-15s hurling féile took place in Cork. It is the most prestigious underage hurling competition on the island. I know of two clubs that did not field teams last weekend because players were playing other codes. Instead of the GAA promoting hurling and getting more young people to play the game, it is putting matches behind a paywall for money. It is a scandal.

I love the GAA. I am a lifelong member and my family is steeped in the association. I love hurling and I love the GAA. It is an unbelievably good sporting organisation. However, too many people in Croke Park are living in a bubble. GAA members are not professionals. We are volunteers. We are based in the parish and the community. That is what the GAA should represent; not big business, not big money but the love of hurling.

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