Dr Mary McAleese resigns from Gaelic Games Integration Committee | OTB Reacts

0:00This is a free off the ball podcast. For access to the best in sporting analysis from the lakes of Brain O Driscoll, Andy Don, Kevin Kilban, Deon Fanning, Tommy Waj, Darren O'Sullivan and last more, becoming off the ball in number today. Join in the obsession. Subscribe now at offtheball.com for a flat join. The off the ball rugby roachow is coming to your province. Join some of the biggest stars from Lenscher, Monster, Ulster and Connucked as we travel around the country to preview the 2026-27 rugby season. Don't miss your chance to be there. Get your tickets now at offtheball.com for slash events. The news round is brought to you by a Viagra Connect 50-mg film-coated tablets. It contains so-then a film. For adult men with erectile dysfunction, maximum dosage, 150mg type of predict, ball is read the label. I online at viagraconnect.ai, subject to suitability, following pharmacist's consultation.

1:04The news round on off the ball. This is News Talk. Good evening, you're very welcome along to choose anites off the ball. It's Owen here with you until it's 10 o'clock tonight. Coming up, we're going to be speaking to Ross Enemite, Katie Taylor's coach. We've also got a football show later on featuring Owen Doyle here in studio for a tour of the Champions League on our televisions. We might be bringing you a slight tangent, maybe a slight bit of a slight tangent, but events might just get in the way of that, which I'll explain in just a moment. We have in studio for tonight's News Drowned Eve Conway. Hello, Eve. We've got Owen Doyle here as well. Good evening, Owen. Our number is 0879-18180. If you want to get in touch with us tonight and events today, they involve Dr. Mary McElise because she has stepped down as chairperson of the Integration Committee overseeing the amalgamation of the GIA, the LGFA, and the Kamogi Association. The GIA have essentially pushed out the boat in this. They've told the steering group that she was heading up that it couldn't really commit to the timeline for integration.

2:04McElise, she'd been working in the role since 2022, and they had set next year as the year when integration would be achieved. The GIA, I've got cold feet on that. They have decided that that's no longer achievable. There was due to be a special congress next month, three special congresses, in fact, where one association would be created. You'd have the Kamogi Association and the LGFA folding into the GIA. But yesterday, the GIA asked for more time. They asked for time to reflect on the process. Not just an unsubstantial amount of time. It wasn't just going to be another three years. They were looking for up to five years, according to reporting today. Now, the GIA told a steering group that the reason for wishing to reconsider the approach is down to focusing on equity rather than equality. So equity rather than equality is the North Star for the GIA. It seems, according to reports, and that they need time to reconsider that. So we will be talking to Tom Parsons at a GPA this hour on this story.

3:07But Mary McElise, she released a statement first of all this evening. And it goes like this, Dr. Mary McElise has resigned with immediate effect as independent chair of the steering group on integration following a significant change in the GIA's position on the agreed pathway and timeline for integrating the GIA, Kamogi Association and LGFA. The three associations had collectively committed to achieving integration by 2027 and had agreed to hold special congresses in October 2026 to enable the creation of one membership of one association from April 27 and implementing transitional arrangements towards full integration. However, on Monday 7 September, the GIA informed the SGI, that's the integration group, that it could no longer commit to a definitive timeline for integration and wished to reconsider the approach with a greater focus on equity rather than equality. Dr. McElise said this change creates significant uncertainty around the previously agreed and publicly announced roadmap. With that roadmap now effectively blocked and no alternative pathway offered,

4:07she said she was unable to continue in her role as independent chair. Ms. McElise reaffirms her strong support for the integration of all GALA Games, describing it as the overwhelmingly expressed will of the memberships of all three associations and an opportunity for an exciting new chapter for GALA Games. Now, shortly after the release of that statement, Mary McElise appeared on Radio 1 and delivered a blistering assessment of the GIA. So here's what she had to say first of all and asked by Marie Crow, why she believes the GIA are no longer invested fully in the integration project. I know her I suspect because I did meet the management committee, a body quite frankly that was less than impressive, and very disappointing to me as a long-term GIA supporter to meet her body so lacking in vision for the future of the GIA, but in their view, finances, which incidentally we have taken great trouble to meet their concerns and to have answers for their concerns

5:09that were more than credible and more than workable. But I also suspect in back of it, and I hate to say this, but I suspect when I see them saying that they have problems with equality, I suspect that there are people who are not entirely happy about the idea of including women in decision making at the top level of GALA sports. Yeah, extremely strong stuff there. And in case you were under any sense of illusion around who's actually on the management committee, it is all the big hitters on the GIA. The body that you refer us to as less than impressive and lacking in vision, that is a body that Charlotte Burns sits on, that Tom Ryan sits on, and it's much bigger than just the two of them, but this is very much the top brass of the GIA that she is talking about. Here's another clip from that same interview, and here she is describing what she believes to be the GIA's betrayal of those who have tired of the work towards integration. It seems now the GIA, no matter, has decided that it is not going to go ahead with the agreement that it signed up to

6:14and was a very, very important part of constructing. And that I think is what I find really most distressing. Almost, it feels like a betrayal of the women in our sporting cultures. And not just the women, but the men who support them, the one clubs, that that grinds well, that has been so strong in arguing for the integration of GIA games, seeing it as a wonderful, wonderful dynamic future. Okay, to speak about this, first of all, we have Tommy Runeer, GIA, who was on the golf beat until around an hour and a half ago. Tommy, good evening. Alan Eve. Alan, how are things? Very well. So this, it felt, had been sort of lurking in the background for a number of months at this stage. I don't think many people would be surprised to have heard that the GIA found that 2027 would no longer be achievable. But I guess when you listen to Mary McElise there and the commitments that had been made, the promises that had been made,

7:18she has done an astonishing thing in terms of taking a flame thrower to the GIA essentially and accusing them of betraying the women in our sporting cultures. That interview at Marie Kroll was Blackbuster and talk about stepping away and leaving a couple of grenades in your wake. When Mary McElise was appointed to this role, it was very exciting because integration made no mistake about it. Like this is a seismic task that the associations are trying to take on here. It always felt like when I've been covering it over the last couple of years that there was a disparity between just how bullish and how dogmatic Dr. McElise seemed with the 2027 date, as opposed to what the feeling was in the ground at the time. I'm in a club here in Crattlo that are implementing the one club model. It's happening across the board in different clubs and different counties, but it's happening at a different pace.

8:20And I think ultimately a little bit of this boils down to attention between the vision of integration that Dr. Mary McElise had and held for the three associations. First is the vision of integration that possibly the G.A. held itself. And I don't know whether that got lost over the last couple of years or whether Mary McElise was told she'd have the power or maybe the teeth to be able to do something that she hasn't quite been able to do. You listen to her and that and she speak about the fact that she had expected that there will be three special congresses this October. The LGFA, the Camogue Association and the G.A. will review to methods and things being put into place ahead of next April, where a one G.A. and membership model will come into place. That will necessarily mean the full integration will come into place in April 2027, but that the wheels will be put in motion for integration at a pace that is far beyond what we've seen so far.

9:25That's what she expected, but I have not heard any whisper of special congress happening on the beat on the ground in the last couple of weeks and months that has been dead in the water as far as I have been concerned as the G.A. the games correspondent for the last couple of months. So that tension it constantly existed and it's a shame because you could tell how ambitious and energetic she was. But whenever you did try and talk to her, you did get a chance to interview Mary Macaillies about it. You could sense that there were frustrations bubbling away in the background. I just bring it back to 2024 once she went in and front of the iraqtis. We got a statement there recently from the minister for sports that they expect the G.A. to be in with the minister of Patrick Adonov in tomorrow for a conversation about this. He has heard from Mary Macaillies already. He's heard their concerns and that integration is still a priority for the government. So we'll see what comes to that tomorrow and we'll see what the G.A. have to say when the do get on to us. But if I just bring it back on, that iraqtis meeting in 2024, Mary Macaillies is opening a dress. Good afternoon and thank you for this opportunity to update your committee and gather your support for the most historic 21st century development in G.A.

10:38which is the planned integration of the Komogia Association, the G.A. and the Ladies G.A. Football Association, a little later on in that statement in that address that she had given. She did say something that I think is worth remembering as well. We are a recommending body, the SGI, the steering group of integration. Our role is to deliver a proposed pathway towards one association for G.A. Games, which we hope and indeed believe after a broad and deep consultation will be widely supported. And enthusiastically implemented by all stakeholders in the most transformative project undertaken by all three associations since they were formed. A recommending body and it feels like somewhere along the line those recommendations have got lost. And we've been led to this moment here where the head of the association, the head of the steering group here has decided to step away. Yeah, so it's really interesting what you said there. So to clarify, full integration was not expected by 2022 after this Congress.

11:40It was only the infrastructure for integration to happen, but that was what needed to be assured in by next year. So why was that no longer possible? Like is the very definition of integration and what that looks like now actually up for grabs here. Is that the discussion we need to have because the changing from equality to equity feels like a pretty significant suggestion here from the Macaillys side of things. There was a lot of very strong statements from Mary Macaillys and I'm really looking forward to hear what the responses from the G.A. themselves, the manner in which she called out how the management committee have handled integration over the last little while. They have pushed it forward and I wonder what they'll have to say in response. I'm not sure what has changed here. I just wonder has the frustrations of dealing with this and trying to make it progress at the speed that Macaillys expected at the progress set has just blown up and she just ran out of road here in terms of her own ability to stay with it because the sense on the ground on was that it wasn't going to happen in 2027.

12:51And that this is going to take time to merge tree associations. There's a lot to weed true here when it comes to this. Yeah, like so like what so like the facilities seem to be the big thing that get brought up quite a bit when it comes to integration. Was there not a world in which the new body could have been formed you subsume the two other organizations in the LGFA and the Komogie Association under the G.A. umbrella and then you start to roll out a plan to tackle issues such as facilities as I've mentioned and the myriad other things that we knew were going to be on achievable by 2027. But you could start getting towards a place where those things were being solved from 2027 once integration was a starting point. I think people have seen integration as the end point of this. I don't think Macaillys ever saw that such I think it was the beginning of something next year. Yeah, as I said already on I think elements of this has started to happen already and I think before you even get to the facility situation you got to look at the fact that you've got to integrate clubs you've got to integrate county boards you've got to integrate provincial councils you've got to integrate as you said the tree heads of the associations themselves.

13:59But I think in terms of the manner in which all of our gala games organizations are structured you probably have to start at the bottom. So integration could be on an overall level could be a good way the way but clubs have been able to do so already but it's just a matter of trying to do it on a nationwide scale. How quickly can that be put into place? There's a lot of moving parts in integration like it's a huge challenge. So I'm not quite sure what has actually changed this practice. It's such a powerful interview that she gave and so strong. But I think we're just going to have to wait and hear what the other side have to say. Tommy is the most detail on basically the not so much the infrastructure but how things will be delivered on the decision makers because kind of listening to our comments in the interview there. She's kind of to me it seems like she's kind of questioning that the J.O.A. don't give away any power at all. I'm not sure that's having to bring in agenda quota for example within decision makers at the top when they are integrate which in reality before you integrate anything the people that are making the decisions has to be something that's kind of laid out first.

15:11Yeah, it's a good point to you raise the one and I'll be honest with you specifics have been sparse whenever the topic of integration has come up whenever there's been an announcement done it publicly now there has been road chills taking place behind the scenes where they've gone around the country and tried to gather support and getting the motion. But reading between the lines of what Mary McLean said earlier this evening it seems that possibly there was a reluctance from the top to maybe concede certain things like if you think of it if this is going to happen if integration is going to happen a lot of roles in the current structure of the G.A. are probably going to be gone to be able to consume the relevant roles in the G.A. The L.G.A. or the Camo Association to be able to bring all three of them together so I don't know how big this new association could be. To me it would feel like some roles have become quite redundant very quickly.

16:12Okay, Tommy, thank you very much for that we're going to be chatting to Tom Parsons a little bit later on Tommy appreciate if that's Tommy Rene Arquela games correspondent just as a point of information on that when you go through the management committee of the G.A. There are nine women sitting on that committee and it's I think it's 19 member committee so close to half of it when you talk about gender quotas are actually women and I mean Maclees in the interview alluded to people at the top of the G.A. Not being happy with women being involved in decision making at the top of the G.A. The fact that a matter is that the most powerful committee in the G.A. has a very good gender representation. So that's that's an interesting one like how you square that circle and what does that say what questions need to be asked about that and Tom Parsons and the G.A. They have released a statement which we'll go through after the break we will be speaking to him as well but they've asked five separate questions they've released sort of five different topics that they want clarity on what has changed since the agreed road map and April 2027 time and were established how is the decision to move away from that road map reached and through our governance process why was such a significant change not raised with the G.A.

17:17When we met with senior G.A. leadership within the past week that's an interesting one for what definitive pathway and timeline for integration will now replace the agreed road map and how will the overwhelming mandate provided by players G.A. Congress and the wider membership be respected in determining the next steps we will get into some of that with Tom Parsons at around half past seven this evening we're going to take a quick break if come a little bring you the news round give you an update on all the champions leagues. The news round is brought to you by a Viagra Connect 50 milligram film coated tablets contains so then a film for adult men with erectile dysfunction maximum dosage 150 milligrams of it per day all is read the label. I online at Viagra Connect dot A subject to suitability following pharmacist consultation. The off the ball rugby road show is coming to your province join some of the biggest stars from Lenscher monster ulster and Connuck as we travel around the country to preview the 2026 27 rugby season don't miss your chance to be there get your tickets now at off the ball calm for slash events.

18:23This is a free off the ball podcast for access to the best in sporting analysis from the lakes of brain o'er school and you don't Kevin Killman beyond fanning Tommy was there no solid in the last more becoming off the ball member today.