GPA - new CEO

Prop Joe

Paul Flynn appoints himself as CEO of GPA with a salary in excess of €150,000

As an executive member of the GPA,Flynn was one of the executive who decided to use Flynn's employers to find Dermot Earley's replacement

Flynn's employers were then paid a finders fee when Flynn secured the job

Great Country

Bonniedog

What purpose does the GPA even serve these days? All their main issues have been sorted and there seems to be no conflict between them and Croke Park any more. Always suspected it was really a cover for big names to get themselves advertising work through an agency. Which was clearly the intention of one of its, non playing, instigators. Flynn himself has been on a number of advertising ventures.

howiya

Prop Joe wrote: »

Paul Flynn appoints himself as CEO of GPA with a salary in excess of €150,000

As an executive member of the GPA,Flynn was one of the executive who decided to use Flynn's employers to find Dermot Earley's replacement

Flynn's employers were then paid a finders fee when Flynn secured the job

Great Country

That stinks if true. Never been a fan of the GPA though

Django99

GPA has an income of around €6m a year looking at their annual report. Remuneration isn't broken down per person as far as i can see but 150k for CEO would suggest the other directors and executives salaries could maybe amount to a total of 1m or so. Seems a fairly high percentage for what is essentially a not for profit organisation. The breakdown of where their money goes is difficult to find.

They have a big emphasis on player support for things like mental health and addictions which is good. Other than that i find it hard to see what their purpose really is.

Django99

Actually just has another look there at the website it seems they say all the officers, directors and executives are volunteers. Either way the whole structure is difficult to understand and most of their activities are quite vague.

Bonniedog

Django99 wrote: »

GPA has an income of around €6m a year looking at their annual report. Remuneration isn't broken down per person as far as i can see but 150k for CEO would suggest the other directors and executives salaries could maybe amount to a total of 1m or so. Seems a fairly high percentage for what is essentially a not for profit organisation. The breakdown of where their money goes is difficult to find.

They have a big emphasis on player support for things like mental health and addictions which is good. Other than that i find it hard to see what their purpose really is.

They have modelled themselves on the NGO/"Charity" sector which for the most part is, as we have seen in cases of CRC and others, a massive scam, bordering on fraud.

Not accusing GPA of fraud but all these things are top heavy with "administrative costs" with very little filtering down to where it is supposed to go.

paul0103

From their website:

This year the annual donation made by the GAA was €1.875 million; this funding is provided to operate and administer the Player Development Programme.

Django99 wrote: »

Actually just has another look there at the website it seems they say all the officers, directors and executives are volunteers. Either way the whole structure is difficult to understand and most of their activities are quite vague.

Indeed, and it's about time the GAA demanded that they are more transparent. I pay €150 membership to the GAA every year with my club. If some of this is going towards the €1.875 million donation, then the GAA should be demanding that all salaries, funding, payments etc. by the GPA be made public to every GAA member.

Bonniedog

Americans used to call such organizations "company unions."

If their main concerns - whatever they were, I forget - have been resolved and GAA is now happy to bankroll them, then really I fail to see what their reason for being is.


The inspiration for GPA was an aspiring agent, and I suspect that is really what it is all about. The EGPA - Elite Gaelic Players Association. I have nothing against people like Gooch and Henry and Bernard and others making a few bob through ads, but not sure it should be supported financially through the rest of our subs, as in post above.

Prop Joe

I just can't see how the last 2 CEO's were members of the GPA executive,That's fair enough but to go out a hire a recruitment agency and pay them the guts of €15,000 to hire another member of the GPA executive is a disgrace.

If they are employing from within,Which they have done so in the past,Why the need for Flynn's company to be given 15k to "recommend" him for the job?

paul0103

Prop Joe wrote: »

I just can't see how the last 2 CEO's were members of the GPA executive,That's fair enough but to go out a hire a recruitment agency and pay them the guts of €15,000 to hire another member of the GPA executive is a disgrace.

If they are employing from within,Which they have done so in the past,Why the need for Flynn's company to be given 15k to "recommend" him for the job?

Do you have any source on these figures/hiring process?

Another thing, (and I admit I could be completely wrong on this) I do find it hard to believe that a person in a CEO position that commands a €150k salary can also have the time or energy to commit to being an intercounty footballer. Aren't the GPA leading us to believe that the demands on intercounty footballers are higher than they ever were ever?

The Premier Man

I would be as against the GPA as the next guy, as it just seems to be a handy number for the top brass to claim expenses etc. On your membership only about E2 of each membership in a gaa club goes to croke Park. The rest is withheld in the club, hence the differing fees in different clubs. This is different for ladies football (not sure about Camogie) when 90% of the fee goes straight to the governing body

ProudDUB

The recruitment company in question, also did the hiring for Padraigh Duffy's replacement. Perhaps they have some sort of deal in place, with the GAA for its hiring/recruitment needs. If they do, there is likely to be some sort of cross pollination with GAA players themselves and their various partner companies. It's par for the course, what with former or current players "working" for the GAA or Eir or Littlewoods or Supervalu or whoever. Is there a conflict of interest with one of Lincoln Recruitments own people then applying for a job within the GAA? Probably. But I don't see anything massively underhand going on, if the recruitment company already had the GAA contract before Paul Flynn decided to apply for the the GPA gig.

PARlance

Surprised Kimmage hasn't jumped on this one already. There's plenty of meat on this bone if he wants to get stuck in.

Stoner

PARlance wrote:

Surprised Kimmage hasn't jumped on this one already. There's plenty of meat on this bone if he wants to get stuck in.

Can't see it TBH. He's on a roll with the kids now, and he loves the drug stories.

It would be a good story for someone alright. It might be too boring for him

ProudDUB

He'd be much better served dedicating time to what a massive waste of space the GPA now is. Their addiction/mental health counciling services may be top notch, but that is not what they were set up to provide. Their lack of enagement in the core issues facing players today (player burnout, fixture schedule chaos, over controling intercounty manager, the outragous demands made on players these days etc etc) is practically non existant. That is what they should be dedicating their time and energies on, for the most part. They aren't and, the CPA having to set up their own organization, is a damming inditement of the GPA'S ineffectiveness overall. I'm a massive Paul Flynn fan, but the amount of money spent on GPA salaries is ridiculous, considering their lack of overall engagment in the serious issues facing the playing of the sport they were set up to oversee.

GeordieRebel

PARlance wrote: »

Surprised Kimmage hasn't jumped on this one already. There's plenty of meat on this bone if he wants to get stuck in.

Is there a link or anything to show any of this is actually true?

PARlance

GeordieRebel wrote: »

Is there a link or anything to show any of this is actually true?

To show what is true?

There doesn't necessarily need to be a crime to make a good story. How it's governed, use of funds, executive & director remunerations, selection processes etc etc can all lead to questions being asked / a good story.

GeordieRebel

PARlance wrote: »

To show what is true?

There doesn't necessarily need to be a crime to make a good story. How it's governed, use of funds, executive & director remunerations, selection processes etc etc can all lead to questions being asked / a good story.

The OP's premise of the thread - "Paul Flynn appoints himself as CEO of GPA with a salary in excess of €150,000"

PARlance

GeordieRebel wrote: »

The OP's premise of the thread - "Paul Flynn appoints himself as CEO of GPA with a salary in excess of €150,000"

You would have to ask the OP, but I don't doubt it one the Salary. The average salary is €80,000 and that includes executive directors (i.e not full time employees who would be bringing that average down).

Their annual report gives details but not exact details. €150,000+ for CEO would seem a very safe assumption.

As for Flynn appointing himself. I don't think OP meant literally but it is quite "cosy" to say the least.

OldMrBrennan83

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Bonniedog

Patww79 wrote: »

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Wouldn't you be if you were getting 150k a year

I know people who work in other "charity"/Non governmental organisations, and it is like winning the lotto. Do fk all and get top dollar, courtesy of the taxpayer and eijits who give them their account details. I worked in sector for a while and the average take out of every £ raised that went to the actual people it was supposed to was at the most 20%. Far lower in some.

CRC was raising millions and only a few thousand was going to the clinic which had done brilliant work easing people with various issues back into employment and the community. My contempt for them knows no bounds. Drug dealers are more honest in many ways.


Not, as I stress again that I am accusing GPA of scamming but that's the way much of this country works. If you have friends in court you will never be short a bob.