Seattle-GAA News
Special Congress
The adoption of new membership procedures at October's Special Congress will hopefully lead to a fairer allocation of tickets for future All-Ireland finals. Starting in 2005, to be a GAA member, each person must individually complete an application form, which must be approved by his/her club, county and by the GAA's Central Council in Dublin.
Each individual will be assigned a GAA membership number, which will remain his/her GAA membership number for the rest of their lives even if they change clubs. Once the GAA establishes the “true” membership of the Association, the All-Ireland ticket allocation system will be linked directly to the club membership numbers rather than to the number of clubs that are registered in a county as it is today.
Once granted, membership of the association will be for life even if the annual membership fee is not paid, unless the member resigns in writing, or is expelled in accordance with the rules. However, the annual membership fee must be paid to retain voting rights, etc. Clubs will also be asked not to list themselves as football or hurling clubs but rather as GAA clubs.
This would mean doing away with the GFC (Gaelic Football Club) designation that many clubs have after their name. Congress also encourages all GAA clubs to set up camogie and ladies football sections with a view to full integration of the various associations by the end of 2007. At present, the Ladies Gaelic Football Association and the Camogie Association are separate organizations and are not formally part of the GAA.
Disciplinary Appeals
A new appeals system, designed to reduce the number of court actions taken by GAA players over disciplinary issues, is planned to be in place before next year's championships. An arbitration tribunal will be established, allowing GAA members the opportunity to take their grievances to a higher level within the GAA if they believe they have been treated unfairly under the existing rules. Final details of how the new system will operate will go before the next Congress for formal ratification. The next annual GAA Congress will be in Croke Park on April 15-16.
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