GAA REFEREE DEVELOPMENT PLAN:THE GAA announced a new strategic plan for the improvement of refereeing standards in football and hurling yesterday, the most notable aspect being the decommissioning of inter-county referees once they reach 50.
This would see 20 per cent of the top officials in the country, from both codes, being put out to pasture come January 1st, 2011, with GAA president Christy Cooney confirming there would be “no dispensation” for any individual.
The new age rule only applies at senior inter-county level, but up to 10 well-known figures will be culled. They can continue to referee at club and underage games.
Widely considered the best referee in Gaelic football, Pat McEnaney, a brother of Monaghan manager Séamus, will be forced to down whistle after next season, but he was adamant yesterday he supported the new initiative to bring young officials through at a faster rate.
“I totally agree with it. Actually, about seven or eight years ago I would have proposed a motion for the Ulster delegates that we should retire at 48.
“Listen, it might not suit me right now, but overall it is the correct decision.
“It is a cut-off point for referees. There are too many referees over 50 clogging up the system and we are not getting our young referees through quick enough. We need more assessors, we need more tutors,” said McEnaney.
“That’s not something that interests me at the moment, but I think we might get better people at assessor level by rolling out the over 50s. And we’ll get younger referees through the system quicker.”
The problem with refereeing – and the GAA did outline an impressive new process of recruitment, assessment and training at all levels right down to underage – comes back to a lack of respect with an immediate fear that the loss of the old guard will put further pressure on young referees to maintain control of high stakes championship affairs.
“The player who plays inter-county level is a different kind of animal,” said McEnaney. “He has to have discipline.
“It is not that difficult to referee inter-county level when you are on top of your game. It gets a little more passionate in the club championship when there are some unsavoury incidents. At that level there is less respect for the referee. But that’s what this day is all about. We need to keep driving that point.”
McEnaney ruled out recruiting former players as they reach the end of their inter-county careers: “It’s basically too late. You want fellas coming into the system at 21, 22 and you can work on them for four or five years and they are ready to go at 30, then you can get a good 14, 15 years out of them.”
