WITH 32 matches down for decision this weekend throughout the so-called pre-season competitions, several managers will get an early indication on whether their team is up for the task this year – and several county boards will get an early indication of whether they’re getting value for money.

Payments to managers – the issue rarely goes away – is among a number of important items due to be discussed by Central Council this Saturday.

But unlike, say, the final agreement with the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) – which is expected to be approved – there won’t be any decision on the issue of payment to managers, and whether it’s time, once and for all, to address illegal reimbursement.

It’s just over two months since a discussion document on payments to managers, drawn up by GAA director general Páraic Duffy, was circulated for the initial consideration of the the GAA Management Committee and Central Council.

It is a widely shared conviction that the rules on amateur status are being flouted regularly, especially when it comes to payments to managers, and Duffy has set out on a sort of personal crusade to end any such practice – or at least bring it all above board.

Although Duffy’s discussion document has been with members of the management committee since November, the exact details have yet to be revealed. It was discussed by Coiste Bainistí (Management Committee), which met last weekend, which is a little unusual as normally they meet the same weekend as Central Council.

But even if Central Council takes that discussion further on Saturday, there won’t be any immediate hard action: “It only ever was a discussion document to begin with,” said GAA press officer Alan Milton, “and his (Duffy’s) own opinions on the issue, with the idea of generating debate. So it could be sometime yet before there is any wider application.”

Indeed, the wider debate initiated by Duffy may have a critical role in evaluating the future of amateurism, as the lengthy report involved consultation across a wide cross-section of the GAA. The last time amateurism was addressed on such a scale was in the 1997 report of the Amateur Status Committee, which proposed that players be allowed earn money from promotion and endorsement activities.

In the meantime, what is certain to be approved on Saturday is the final and long-term agreement between the GAA and the GPA – one year on from the interim agreement, signed at the end of 2009. “This is the final draft, and is expected to be approved, subject to any issues that may need clarification,” explained Milton.

It is expected the agreement will be a five-year deal involving some €8 million in funding from the GAA to the GPA, rubber-stamping the GPA as the sole and official players’ representative body. Over the past year, during the interim agreement, the GPA announced a range of new player welfare services, including business start-up advice and employment resources.

Funding for the interim agreement was originally set at €1.1 million for the running of such welfare services, and €250,000 for the administration of the GPA, which has a full-time staff of six.

The GPA have since estimated it took some €2.2 million to fund their operations and administration over the year, which means Central Council must approve a considerable increase in funding, possibly committing as much as €8 million to the GPA over the next five years.