Pat Spillane calls for GAA player transfer system

Players from larger units could join smaller teams

Justin Kelly


Justin Kelly


Pat Spillane calls for GAA club and county transfer system

Pat Spillane calls for GAA club and county transfer system

Former Kerry footballer and RTE analyst, Pat Spillane, has suggested we "think outside the box" and introduce a possible player transfer system for clubs and counties. 

Spillane was writing in the Sunday World about the growing gap between large urban clubs and counties like Dublin, and their rural counterparts. 

He commented that these teams, including Dublin, have an advantage in terms of resources and the strain of travelling. He noted that some bigger clubs cannot accommodate the numbers while some rural clubs struggle for numbers.

He suggested the GAA think outside the box and open up a transfer system where players from bigger units can join smaller clubs and counties. 

"Take Dublin, for example, who at most will use 30 players during the championship. This leaves a hell of a lot of top-class footballers who don't ever get a chance to wear the county jersey," he wrote.

He said it could be worthwhile for weaker counties to access the pool of top quality players left behind. He outlined the merits of a similar system for clubs, warning that without change, an "unbridgeable chasm will open up."
