GAA DIRECTOR GENERAL Paraic Duffy says the Croke Park hierarchy were determined to tackle ‘head-on’ the problem of access to Gaelic games broadcasts abroad when they began TV deal negotiations.
Sky Sports were awarded television rights for the first time in an historic deal for the Association recently.
“At the first meeting we had convened to set in motion the negotiations for the broadcast rights, Liam and I set down the objectives we hoped to achieve,” Duffy said.
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“At the top of the list was the need to make our games accessible to Irish people living abroad. This issue of accessibility of our games on live TV has been, over the years, by far the single biggest issue raised with us when we spoke with our members outside Ireland.
“In planning our negotiations of these new contracts, the GAA felt that it had an obligation to Irish people living abroad to respond to their appeals on this issue. If for no other reason than the fact that many of them, while living at home, had contributed to the GAA and were now continuing that work in GAA clubs abroad.
“There are now 393 affiliated GAA clubs overseas, double the number of just a decade ago, spread across the world in Britain, America, continental Europe and Australia, in the Middle East and Asia. This is, in part, a reflection of the popularity of the GAA and in part a reflection of the sheer size of the Irish family abroad. This expanding Irish family was the new reality facing the GAA as it approached negotiations for new broadcast contracts.
“There are few, if any, people in this room today who have not had experience of the sorrow that emigration brings. The most painful separation is that caused by departing family and friends but there is also separation from one’s culture. I think it is fair to say that the GAA for many Irish people are an important part of the daily Irish cultural experience.
“It is this cultural yearning that we in Croke Park have been made aware of and with increasing intensity over recent years. So when Liam and I sat down to negotiate new contracts, we knew we had to address this issue head on. This then was the priority issue in our approach to the TV rights negotiations.”
Though the diaspora was top of the Croke Park priority list, Duffy also said there was other considerations in making the decision.
“[T]here were two other important objectives that we wished to achieve,” he said. “First we wanted to make sure that our games continued to be widely available to our domestic Irish audience. Our home base of members and supporters constitute our single most important audience.
“And second we needed, as any responsible organisation must do, to protect the important part of our revenue generated by broadcast rights. ”
Paraic Duffy: Making games accessible to Irish abroad our main priority in Sky Sports deal
GAA DIRECTOR GENERAL Paraic Duffy says the Croke Park hierarchy were determined to tackle ‘head-on’ the problem of access to Gaelic games broadcasts abroad when they began TV deal negotiations.
Sky Sports were awarded television rights for the first time in an historic deal for the Association recently.
Today, Duffy and GAA president Liam O’Neill were before an Oireachtas committee to explain their motivations.
“At the first meeting we had convened to set in motion the negotiations for the broadcast rights, Liam and I set down the objectives we hoped to achieve,” Duffy said.
“At the top of the list was the need to make our games accessible to Irish people living abroad. This issue of accessibility of our games on live TV has been, over the years, by far the single biggest issue raised with us when we spoke with our members outside Ireland.
“In planning our negotiations of these new contracts, the GAA felt that it had an obligation to Irish people living abroad to respond to their appeals on this issue. If for no other reason than the fact that many of them, while living at home, had contributed to the GAA and were now continuing that work in GAA clubs abroad.
“There are now 393 affiliated GAA clubs overseas, double the number of just a decade ago, spread across the world in Britain, America, continental Europe and Australia, in the Middle East and Asia. This is, in part, a reflection of the popularity of the GAA and in part a reflection of the sheer size of the Irish family abroad. This expanding Irish family was the new reality facing the GAA as it approached negotiations for new broadcast contracts.
“There are few, if any, people in this room today who have not had experience of the sorrow that emigration brings. The most painful separation is that caused by departing family and friends but there is also separation from one’s culture. I think it is fair to say that the GAA for many Irish people are an important part of the daily Irish cultural experience.
Though the diaspora was top of the Croke Park priority list, Duffy also said there was other considerations in making the decision.
“[T]here were two other important objectives that we wished to achieve,” he said. “First we wanted to make sure that our games continued to be widely available to our domestic Irish audience. Our home base of members and supporters constitute our single most important audience.
“And second we needed, as any responsible organisation must do, to protect the important part of our revenue generated by broadcast rights. ”
Listen to more of the opening remarks here:
GavanReillyTodayFM / SoundCloud
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