22 March 2006 Discrimination in GPA Grants Issue Share this Article 0 0 0 Shares! 0 Shares! THERE has been a new twist in the ongoing GPA grants saga after the Ladies Football Association said that any funding exclusively for male GAA players would be discrimination against women. Speaking at the TG4 ONeills Ladies Football All Stars tour in Singapore yesterday, Ladies Football President Geraldine Giles said she believed both men and women would have to be treated equally on the grants issue. The subject of equality between the two genders throws yet another question into the debate over grants for footballers and hurlers. The GPA have called an Emergency General Meeting for April 1st where they will vote on what their next step will be. They have not ruled out the possibility of going on strike in their search for government and Irish Sports Council grants for GAA players. The Ladies Football Association have no official links with the GPA at the moment and its not something which looks on the cards either. However, the Ladies Football Association are closely monitoring developments on the GPAs search for government and Irish Sports Council backed grants for GAA players. Giles believes that, should the grants initiative ever get the go ahead, it would need to have ladies footballers, camogie players and other female amateur sports athletes incorporated because if not then it would be discrimination. It would be seen to be that if the grants were solely for men. If it ever happened then I dont see a situation whereby grants could be given just to men and not women, she said. This is not just about ladies footballers either, but rather all amateur female athletes in Ireland. The most immediate concern for the Ladies Football Association is the implementation of their coaching and strategic plans. We are more interested in our development work at the moment, which is placing a big emphasis on newly appointed tutors promoting the game to juveniles. The All Stars visited yet more schools in Singapore yesterday where they coached local children in the skills of Gaelic Football. Share this Article 0 0