GAA pay-per-view deal ‘a wrong move' - Penrose

Labour Party Deputies, Willie Penrose and Jack Wall, have strongly argued against a potential pay-per-view deal between the GAA and Sky Sports, stating that it will deny many supporters access to league and championship games.
“We are people who are strongly committed to the GAA, its ethos, and proud tradition right throughout the country. But we are now concerned about this recent development in relation to the pay-per-view deal between Sky and the Association.
“The GAA is part of the very fabric and DNA of Irish society, and it permeates all areas of the country. One of its great strengths is the volunteering and community ethos of the association, and in return, people enjoy participating in and being spectators at games. To date this has been facilitated by the transmission by RTE, and indeed TG4 and TV3, of league and championship games, and patrons have enjoyed that level of participation by viewing the exploits of their county and other competitive games.
“We appreciate the fact that the GAA has to make best use of, and explore, the commercial aspects of the association, and we have no doubt they are well motivated in doing so.
“Nevertheless, we feel that this is a step too far and that the consequences of any decision to engage with Sky, or any subscription sports channel, will certainly have unforeseen consequences, in particular, by denying people without pay-per-view access to games.
“This will especially affect elderly people and large families who can’t afford the subscription charge. While money is important, it should not be the be all and end all. Up to now, people could enjoy the games in the ambience of their own homes, and this may well end that practice, and instead drive people into pubs.   
“All in all, we are certainly deeply concerned about the proposal, and feel the GAA should think carefully before finalising such a fundamental change in the presentation of our game.”