Excellent piece by @KieranShannon7. The argument for equity in funding is irrefutable. The argument for the I/C player grant, men or women, is certainly not. Yesterday was less a serious addressing of funding issues in women's sport than a doubling down on a bad policy. https://twitter.com/gcooney93/status/1392024848906563584

The funding €2.4m announced yesterday for a small cohort of inter-county players compares with €60,000 spent on the entire state-funded and targeted 'women in sport' programme for LGFA and Camogie in 2020. https://www.sportireland.ie/women-in-sport/women-in-sport-funding

It compares against the €1.43m spent across the entire ‘women in sport in sport’ programme - across all sporting orgs - in 2020 and against the €971k that was spread across 49 NGBs and local sports partnerships for women in sport in each of the yrs 2017, 2018 and 2019.

The funding of Inter-county players travel expenses really should be borne by their own governing body. A full integration of LGFA and Camogie Association with the GAA should make this manageable and sustainable burden.

Finally, when introduced first for men, the grants scheme had no public policy purpose beyond the promotion of role model-dom. There are surely better uses of public money and more pressing sporting needs.