Player injury scheme shortfalls highlighted
Wednesday March 10 2010
IT WAS ushered in as an injury scheme to safeguard the interests of players, but now it could turn into one of the most important issues facing club and county for some considerable period.
Because of the demands on the injury scheme which is costing ¤1m per year to service on a national level, the time now seems to have arrived where club and county will need to make separate financial provisions to guard against the high cost of player injuries.
Anyone who thinks the current format is working will need to think again based upon the startling background involving two club and inter-county players.
Darren Foran (St. Mary's, Rosslare) and Oulart-The Ballagh's Stephen Doyle, are two high-profile players whose situation was recently discussed at a meeting of the County G.A.A. Management committee.
The injuries for both players were of such severity that Foran's playing career, particularly at inter-county level, is over, while Doyle will not be seen in club colours until August at the earliest, that's if his second operation is one hundred per cent successful. Foran has already undergone operations on both hips, while Doyle will have his second hip operated on in the coming weeks.
The financial implications are quite severe for players, club and county, given that the injury scheme only covers up to ¤4,500 per claim. Given that the respective operations cost ¤13,000 each, the question now is who covers the outstanding balance.
County Chairman, Ger Doyle, said they are applying the principle that each operation is separate. While the injury scheme assessors are assessing the two hip operations on each player as a single claim, leaving a total payout of just ¤9,000, this would leave a shortfall of ¤17,000 for both club and county.
'We are talking to the insurance assessors at the moment. I'm confident that they will bring each claim up to ¤9,000, ¤18,000 in total, but it would still leave an ¤8,000 shortfall,' he said.
At a meeting of the County Management committee, Coiste na nÓg Chairman, Diarmuid Devereux, suggested starting up a fund to cover such situations and appointing three trustees to monitor each case. He suggested they should have a reserve and keep it topped up, while County Treasurer, Andrew Nolan, suggested the setting aside of a percentage of gates to make up such a fund.
Given the significance and importance of the situation, the County Management committee are to consider the situation.
- BRENDAN FURLONG
