It's about time the GAA had a Congress. It’s been almost five months since the last, a 'special’ one to introduce the new trial playing rules of Gaelic football.
Though it’s arguable how special a second installment is any more - the association has been in such a whirlwind of change in recent times that that was the fifth in six years – this is the regular, annual chance to take the highlighter and red pen to the rulebook.
Donegal Town is the venue, following on from Newry last year, which pleasingly makes the delegates Donegal democrats.
It’s a more interesting Congress schedule than is often the case, with some big changes on the table.
If you really want to, you can read all 40 motions in detail here, but we will endeavour to explain the standout proposals below.
Playing motions
Motion 1
We’re in the ‘year ending in 5’ when clubs can propose playing rule changes but the only one on the clár is to reform the hurling handpass.
The new rule would state that players can no longer handpass using the same hand they are holding the sliotar with. So they would have to a) release the ball and strike it with the hurl, b) release and strike it with the other hand, without dropping the hurl or c) bounce the ball off the hurl and strike it with the original hand. At least we think so. The precise wording says it would be a foul to "handpass the ball, from the same hand that is holding the ball, or without it being released and struck with a definite striking action of a hand", so c) might need to be clarified.
This change has been championed by former Tipperary defender Conor O’Donovan of the Éire Óg club in Nenagh and follows trials in the college Freshers’ leagues in late 2023.
They were held in response to a 40% increase in the number of handpasses in inter-county hurling between 2019 and 2023 and a perceived difficulty in judging fouls in real time.
"The other stat is that 95% of handpasses are retained by a team so hurling is very much a possession game. I know we change but hurling was never meant to be a game all about possession."
The college trials showed a huge preference for stick-passing over ‘other-hand’ passing (8:1), which would improve the contest for possession, especially given the general inability or unwillingness to enforce the four-step rule.
But whether delegates are willing to approve such a radical, permanent change to the game based off those trials is another thing. The new Gaelic football rules were backed by Central Council, and made more palatable by designating them as a one-year experiment.
No such caveats apply here. If this change is voted in, it will be implemented 28 days later unless Central Council opt to bring it forward or defer, the latter seeming likelier than bringing it in for the final round of the Allianz Hurling League.
Motion 7
The Cloonacool club in Sligo want to remove the stipulation that clubs can only propose changes to the playing rules in years divisible by five.
Motion 12
This motion from Clontarf GAA, championed by Noel McCaffrey, stipulates that to play adult inter-county championship, a player must have appeared for four club league games in the same year, barring injury or other exceptional circumstances.
It seeks to change the practice that under the split-season format, and even before, most inter-county players skip the club leagues.
The motion also prioritises the redraw to the calendar that this would necessitate. As an example, three out of the four rounds of this season’s Dublin club Division 1 league that take place before the county’s Leinster championship opener on 13 April are weekends that the Dubs are also in Allianz Football League action. McCaffrey has suggested a season of four blocks, alternating club and inter-county action.
Competition structure motions
Motion 19
This year will be the third of an All-Ireland SFC group stage where three of four teams progress to the knockout stages. What is the name of an American quiz show and the abstract concept felt to be lacking under this system?
Rather than revert to 2/4 progressing, as applied under the Super 8s format, Central Council is proposing to get rid of groups altogether for 2026. The new system would retain the provincial championships, with three subsequent rounds of games played before the Sam Maguire quarter-finals, as opposed to the current four.
Round 1: The eight provincial finalists are at home against the Tailteann Cup winners/seven next highest-ranked league sides.
Round 2A: The eight winners from round 1 play each other. Round 2B: The eight losers play each other. Draws will decide home advantage and avoid repeat pairings of provincial finals.
Round 3: The four losers from 2A play the four winners from 2B (draws for home advantage, avoiding provincial final or round 1 repeat pairings) for a place in the quarter-finals against the winners of round 2A.
So a county that wins its first two games goes directly to a quarter-final but a county that loses will have to play a third match to get there.
The Tailteann Cup would follow a similar structure, though with one round 2A winner drawn to play an additional preliminary quarter-final against New York.
The motion specifies home advantage in the quarter-finals for the Tailteann Cup 2A winners, the Sam Maguire teams will presumably all be at Croke Park.
Motion 3
All inter-county, provincial club and third-level knockout games will be ‘winner on the day’ except inter-county provincial and All-Ireland finals, where that will only apply after a replay.
Provincial finals would go to extra-time before a replay, but All-Ireland finals would only have extra-time in the replay. Last year’s hurling final between Clare and Cork went to extra-time before The Banner won by a point.
That would require teams beaten in a hurling provincial final replay to play on three consecutive weekends, unless the semi-finals and final are pushed back.
It would also only apply to football provincial finals if the above motion scrapping the group phase gets through.
Motions 14, 20
Maastricht GAA are proposing that a ‘Europe’ team be allowed to participate in the 2026 Lory Meagher Cup, hurling’s fifth-tier championship. New York will play in this year’s competition, and Central Council are proposing that they take on the team finishing second in the round-robin stage in a semi-final, the winners going on to meet the table toppers.
Others
Motion 10
This motion from Danesfort in Kilkenny proposes that GAA clubs can permit other sports and community groups to use their facilities.
It has been 19 years since congress voted (227-97) to open Croke Park to "events other than those controlled by the association". In practice, only the ‘garrison games’ had been banned - the provisions of Rule 42 were happily ignored for lucrative exhibitions of American sports – before the Ireland rugby and Republic of Ireland soccer teams played historic internationals at GAA HQ in 2007.
Initially introduced on a temporary basis while Aviva Stadium was being built, Congress subsequently granted Central Council the right to make Croker available on a case-by-case basis and this was extended to county grounds after the GAA was shamed into allowing the Liam Miller testimonial at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in 2018. This motion would extend that right to all clubs, allowing them to earn income from renting their facilities to other local teams and groups.
Motion 13
A proposal from former Wexford hurling manager and current Congress delegate Liam Griffin, via St Mary’s Rosslare, that would mandate every club to field at least one hurling team under the Go Games model at Under 7, 8, 9 and/or 10 age grades.
Exceptions would be made for football-only clubs or any that "can demonstrate it does not have the numbers to comply". A similar motion received 34.6% support (still well short of the lower, 50% required for new rules) two years ago but Griffin is hopeful of swaying more support this time around.
Motion 15
Provides for a once-off lowering of the 48-week minimum suspension for category VI offences (Acting by deed, word or gesture in a racist, sectarian or anti-inclusion/diversity nature towards an opponent or match official) to 24 weeks and four games for adult players or 12 weeks/two games (Under 18s) if players complete an education/training course that would be provided by the association. Proposed by Buffers Alley in Wexford.
Motions 21/22
A motion from the CCCC proposing that committees be empowered to enforce additional suspensions for category III (striking/kicking or attempting to strike, spitting, pulling on a faceguard, contributing to a melee, minor physical interference with an opposing team official) or category IV (causing injury through striking/kicking or other reckless behaviour, assaulting an opposing team official, abusive language towards a match official. The minimum penalties for these offences are one and two-match suspensions, respectively,
Another motion proposes an additional one-match/four-week suspension for hearings (appeals) deemed to have had no prospect of success or been an abuse of process.
Motion 36
Proposes that clubs with annual income in excess of €250/£250k will have to have their accounts audited. This was previously decided by the club’s executive committee.
It also states that club accounts should be kept on file and made available to tax authorities.
Motion 37
Would redefine the quorums required at club general meetings from 15% of members to 20-75 members, depending on the membership of the club.
Motion 38
A proposed addition to the rule (1.9) that the association is non-party political: "The Association shall also maintain a neutral stance in any non-GAA campaign/movement subject to an ‘Advocacy Policy’ which shall be adopted by Central Council which may be amended from time to time".
Motion 39
Replaces the stipulation that all replica jerseys, clothing and bags used on matchdays must be of ‘Irish manufacture’ with one saying they should be made by a ‘GAA licensed manufacturer’.
