Dessie Farrell is to step down from his role as chief executive of the Gaelic Players' Association.

Farrell, who was a founding member of the GPA in 1995, will leave his post in December.

An All-Ireland winner with the Dublin footballers in 1995, Farrell was elected chairman of the GPA at the association’s first ever AGM in 2000.

He was later appointed the chief executive of the GPA in 2003, and helped lobby successfully for the introduction of goverment grants for inter-county players in 2007.

On the announcement of his decision to step down, Farrell said: “Throughout my life I feel extremely grateful to have been involved in gaelic games.

“ I have enjoyed a long career with my club Na Fianna, an underage and senior county career with Dublin football which has spanned three decades and have been involved in coaching of younger Dublin players at different age levels over the past decade.

“ I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work in a career so intrinsically linked to the sports I love. It has been a tremendous honour to have led the GPA and to have served our county players over the past decade and half.

“We are all extremely proud of what has been achieved in that time and I feel truly privileged to have witnessed the growth, development and success of the organisation in that period.”

Previous chairman of the GPA and fellow founding member Donal Óg Cusack said: “It was my pleasure and privilege to have known and worked with Dessie Farrell for so many years.

“We fought many battles side by side and his passion, his integrity, his loyalty and his sense of right made the lives of all inter-county players a little easier. I owe Dessie a great debt as do, the GPA, all inter county players and the GAA generally”.

The GPa have appointed a sub-committee led by current chairman Seamus Hickey to find Farrell’s replacement, with the recruitment process to start on October 9th.