2007-2008 Cork players strike
Encyclopedia
During the 2007-2008 Cork players strike Gaelic football
ers and hurlers
in County Cork
, Ireland
refused to play for the Cork County board
. The cause of the strike was the issue of deciding who should pick the senior teams' selectors. The players believed the manager
should pick the selectors. However, the county board picked the selectors. With the appointment of Teddy Holland
as manager, the players also refused to play under his tutorship since he accepted the job during their time of strike.
The strike drew comment from the Taoiseach
, Bertie Ahern
, and was the first time in the history of the Gaelic Athletic Association
that a strike caused inter county
fixtures not to be played.
The strike was the second strike
by Cork players in five years. It began on December 10, 2007 and ended on February 18, 2008 – 97 days after the first threat of strike action – and was declared over on February 15, 2008. However Holland was not fired until February 18. Kieran Mulvey, chairman of the Labour Relations Commission, acted as arbitrator between the players and county board.
and the county was forced to give a walkover
to Limerick IT
.
Later in the month (January 23), Teddy Holland issued a press statement announcing he would not resign. More than 100 club delegates voted unanimously in support of Holland at a county board meeting held on January 30. Three days earlier (January 27), in a bid to resolve their issues, the players and the county board had held 18 hours of talks, chaired by Kieran Mulvey, which ended in stalemate. Mulvey had been asked to chair the talks by Nickey Brennan
, the President of the Gaelic Athletic Association
.
In the week leading up to the National Football League
game against Meath
, the Cork county board were unable to guarantee a team would be available to play the game. Consequently, on January 30 the game was postponed. The Taoiseach
, Bertie Ahern
, called on both sides to resolve the dispute on February 5 and further talks between Kieran Mulvey and Paraic Duffy
, the Director General of the GAA, were held.
On February 7 the players refused a solution offered by the county board and it looked likely that Cork would be removed from both the National Hurling League
and National Football League and be relegated for the following season. It was claimed that under GAA rules that if a team was unable to take part in two league games that they should be disqualified from the league. A second football match was to be played on February 16 while the second hurling game was due on February 17.
On February 8, the Cork players reacted negatively to what they thought was an attempt by the county board to split the footballers and hurlers when a press release claimed the players would accept Holland as manager. The following day Roy Keane
compared the 2002 strike to the Saipan incident and warned about players becoming too powerful. A poll showed that 56 percent of fans supported the strike and 70 percent believed the actions of the board damaged Cork's chance of winning All-Ireland championships that year.
The Cork county board, on February 12, voted 96-13 in favour of entering binding arbitration with the players in a bid to save the teams being disqualified from the leagues and Nickey Brennan called for the dispute to end, "however it is achieved." On February 14, the players met with Mulvey and agreed to accept the arbitration
in an attempt to end the strike, then in its 95th day.
football and Cork-versus-Waterford
hurling games that were due to take place were to be called off.
The county board called an emergency meeting to discuss the recommendations of the arbitration and especially the recommendation from Mulvey that Holland should resign. By 16 February, uncertainty had emerged over the status of the strike. While the county board and Holland met to discuss the issues, an expected vote by the county board to remove Holland was never called. Holland meanwhile issued a statement that didn't indicate if he had stepped down and stated that he was neutral saying: I am my own man and I am proud to be a Cork football man. Holland said the claim that six people had refused the job before him was false and there was no threat of strike when he took the job. However, a statement in support of the strike had been issued by the Gaelic Players Association on the 13th of November 2007, a week before Holland took the job.
On the 17th of February it was clear Holland had not resigned or been fired by the county board and that the strike continued. The county board issued a statement saying that they would meet on Monday 18 February to end the strike. The strike officially ended on 18 February – 97 days after the first threat of strike – when, as expected, the county board voted 89-19 to fire Teddy Holland and his selectors, who refused to step down.
and Derek Kavanagh
. Conor Counihan
was appointed Cork's new football manager
with the right to name his own selectors. On 20 February, Seán Óg Ó hAilpín
said that, had the strike carried on beyond the 18 February, he and others would have resigned from inter-county hurling and football. Cork Under 21 footballer, Sean Cahalane, claimed that the Under 21 panel would not have played in place of the seniors if they had been asked by the county board.
On 19 February, the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) decided not to remove Cork from the football and hurling leagues, but instead awarded the points from the missed games to their opponents and fined the county board €
400 for each game missed. Kilkenny
county board offered to play their hurling match with Cork and the Cork county board requested CCCC approve the game. However the CCCC had already awarded Kilkenny the point and would not allow the game to take place. It emerged that Cork couldn't have been removed from the leagues as there was no such rule.
Cork went on too win their first football and hurling matches after the strike, beating Dublin's hurlers 2-16 to 3-18 and Roscommon
's footballers 0-15 to 1-14 However, the decision to award the teams that Cork did not play victory points had a knock-on effect for other teams in both leagues. Roscommon
and Wexford
both lodged unsuccessful appeals against the decision. Wexford's case was taken to the Disputes Resolution Authority but was rejected.
ended, the Cork and Waterford
hurling teams both finished on level points. The CCCC ruled that the teams had to play each other in a play-off and that scoring difference could not be used to separate the teams. (The play off was to determine which team entered the semi-final and which entered the quarter final.)
However, both Dublin
and Wexford
also finished on level points and, having both played Cork, the CCCC ruled the team's standings at the end of the league could be used and thus scoring difference would apply, thus relegating Wexford This lead Wexford's chairman to accuse the GAA and the CCCC of "making the rules up as they go along"
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
ers and hurlers
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
in County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
refused to play for the Cork County board
GAA county
A Gaelic Athletic Association county is a geographic region within the Gaelic Athletic Association , controlled by a county board and originally based on the counties of Ireland as they were in 1884. While the counties of Ireland have changed since the foundation of that date, the GAA counties have...
. The cause of the strike was the issue of deciding who should pick the senior teams' selectors. The players believed the manager
Manager (Gaelic games)
In Gaelic games, a manager or coach is an individual involved in the direction and instruction of the on-field operations of a team. Managing, or coaching, entails the application of sport tactics and strategies during the game itself, and usually entails substitution of players and other such...
should pick the selectors. However, the county board picked the selectors. With the appointment of Teddy Holland
Teddy Holland
Teddy Holland is an Irish retired Gaelic football manager and former player. He played football with his local clubs Ballinascarthy and St. Finbarr's and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1969 until 1970...
as manager, the players also refused to play under his tutorship since he accepted the job during their time of strike.
The strike drew comment from the Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
, Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
, and was the first time in the history of the Gaelic Athletic Association
History of the Gaelic Athletic Association
The history of the Gaelic Athletic Association is much shorter than the history of Gaelic games themselves. Hurling and caid were recorded in early Irish history and they pre-date recorded history...
that a strike caused inter county
GAA county
A Gaelic Athletic Association county is a geographic region within the Gaelic Athletic Association , controlled by a county board and originally based on the counties of Ireland as they were in 1884. While the counties of Ireland have changed since the foundation of that date, the GAA counties have...
fixtures not to be played.
The strike was the second strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
by Cork players in five years. It began on December 10, 2007 and ended on February 18, 2008 – 97 days after the first threat of strike action – and was declared over on February 15, 2008. However Holland was not fired until February 18. Kieran Mulvey, chairman of the Labour Relations Commission, acted as arbitrator between the players and county board.
Strike build-up
- October 16: Cork clubs vote to change how selectors are picked. This is confirmed by a second vote on October 20.
- November 8: Billy MorganBilly Morgan (Gaelic footballer)Billy Morgan is a former Irish Gaelic footballer. In a career that spanned three decades from the early 1960s to the early 1980s he played football at club level with University College Cork and Nemo Rangers, at inter-county level with Cork and at inter-provincial level with Munster...
resigns as manager because he is no longer allowed to choose selectors for his team. - November 13: The players issue their first threat of strike action and are supported in doing so by the Gaelic Players AssociationGaelic Players AssociationThe Gaelic Players Association The GPA was formed in 1999 when former IMG employee Donal O'Neill and a number of high profile inter-county players including Tyrone's Fergal Logan and Peter Canavan, Derry's Fergal McCusker and Dublin's Dessie Farrell were instrumental in the birth of the organisation...
. - November 16: The players write to their clubs highlighting their objections to the board's decision and state that they are seeking to resolve the issue of appointing a new manager.
- November 21: Teddy HollandTeddy HollandTeddy Holland is an Irish retired Gaelic football manager and former player. He played football with his local clubs Ballinascarthy and St. Finbarr's and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1969 until 1970...
is appointed as team manager along with selectors Teddy McCarthyTeddy McCarthyTeddy McCarthy is a retired Irish dual player. He played hurling with his local club Sarsfield's and with the Cork senior inter-county team from 1986 until 1996. McCarthy also played Gaelic football with his local club Glanmire and with the Cork senior inter-county team from 1987 until 1995...
, Liam Hodnett, Diarmuid O'Donovan and Mick O'Loughlin. - November 23: The footballers meet with Holland to inform him that their dispute is with the means of choosing selectors and not with his appointment.
- November 24: The football and hurling panels plan to discuss the appointment of Teddy Holland and to threaten possible strike action.
- December 3: Cork players' spokesman, Donal Óg CusackDónal Óg CusackDonal Óg Cusack is a well-known Irish hurler and Ireland's first openly gay elite sportsman. He plays hurling at club level with Cloyne and has been a member of the Cork senior inter-county team since 1999....
, gives notice of the players intention to strike. - December 9: Former Cork hurling captain, Mark LandersMark LandersMark Landers is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Killeagh and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1998 until 2002....
, requests that the GAAGaelic Athletic AssociationThe Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
intervene to help resolve the dispute but the GAA declare their neutrality. - December 12: The footballers take a team holiday (largely paid for and organised by themselves).
Events of the strike
On the 10th of December, the players officially went on strike. The county board and the players held the first of a series of meetings to try resolve the strike ten days later. On the 9th of January, the hurlers confirmed they would not play in the Waterford Crystal CupWaterford Crystal Cup
The Waterford Crystal Cup is an annual hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 2006 for the top inter-county teams and third-level universities and institutes of technology teams in the province of Munster in Ireland.The series of games are...
and the county was forced to give a walkover
Walkover
In British English, a walkover or W.O. is the awarding of a victory to a contestant because there are no other contestants, or because the other contestants have been disqualified or have forfeited. The term can apply in sport, but can also apply to elections...
to Limerick IT
Limerick Institute of Technology
Limerick Institute of Technology is an institution of higher education in Limerick, Ireland and is one of 13 institutes that are members of the Institutes of Technology Ireland . The Institute has four campuses in Limerick City, one in both Thurles and Clonmel in County Tipperary and a regional...
.
Later in the month (January 23), Teddy Holland issued a press statement announcing he would not resign. More than 100 club delegates voted unanimously in support of Holland at a county board meeting held on January 30. Three days earlier (January 27), in a bid to resolve their issues, the players and the county board had held 18 hours of talks, chaired by Kieran Mulvey, which ended in stalemate. Mulvey had been asked to chair the talks by Nickey Brennan
Nickey Brennan
Nickey Brennan is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Conahy Shamrocks and with the Kilkenny senior inter-county team in the 1970s...
, the President of the Gaelic Athletic Association
Presidents of the Gaelic Athletic Association
The role of President of Gaelic Athletic Association has existed since the foundation of the GAA . The current president of the GAA is Christy Cooney. The role of President involves representing the GAA in Ireland and across the world...
.
In the week leading up to the National Football League
National Football League (Ireland)
The National Football League is a Gaelic football tournament held annually between the county teams of Ireland, under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The prize for the winning team is the New Ireland Cup, presented by the New Ireland Assurance Company...
game against Meath
Meath GAA
The Meath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Meath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Meath, as well as for Meath inter-county teams.- Pre-1960s :...
, the Cork county board were unable to guarantee a team would be available to play the game. Consequently, on January 30 the game was postponed. The Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
, Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
, called on both sides to resolve the dispute on February 5 and further talks between Kieran Mulvey and Paraic Duffy
Paraic Duffy
Paraic Duffy is the 18th Director General of the Gaelic Athletic Association and a former chairman of the Monaghan county board. He replaced Liam Mulvihill in November 2007. Paraic is currently employed as the GAA's player welfare officer but will take up his position as Director General on...
, the Director General of the GAA, were held.
On February 7 the players refused a solution offered by the county board and it looked likely that Cork would be removed from both the National Hurling League
National Hurling League
The National Hurling League is an annual hurling competition between the county teams of Ireland. Contested by 35 teams , it operates on a system of promotion and relegation between four different divisions, with Division One...
and National Football League and be relegated for the following season. It was claimed that under GAA rules that if a team was unable to take part in two league games that they should be disqualified from the league. A second football match was to be played on February 16 while the second hurling game was due on February 17.
On February 8, the Cork players reacted negatively to what they thought was an attempt by the county board to split the footballers and hurlers when a press release claimed the players would accept Holland as manager. The following day Roy Keane
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
compared the 2002 strike to the Saipan incident and warned about players becoming too powerful. A poll showed that 56 percent of fans supported the strike and 70 percent believed the actions of the board damaged Cork's chance of winning All-Ireland championships that year.
The Cork county board, on February 12, voted 96-13 in favour of entering binding arbitration with the players in a bid to save the teams being disqualified from the leagues and Nickey Brennan called for the dispute to end, "however it is achieved." On February 14, the players met with Mulvey and agreed to accept the arbitration
Arbitration
Arbitration, a form of alternative dispute resolution , is a legal technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts, where the parties to a dispute refer it to one or more persons , by whose decision they agree to be bound...
in an attempt to end the strike, then in its 95th day.
Outcome of the arbitration
The outcome of arbitration on the 15th of February was as follows:- Teddy Holland and his selectors were to resign from their positions.
- The Cork players committed not to engage in future strikes.
- A new management committee would be made up of five county board members and two players.
- The new management would be able to pick their own selectors.
Last days of the strike
Many newspapers declared the strike over on the 15th of February after the players accepted the outcome of the arbitration and also declared that Teddy Holland had resigned. However, the GAA confirmed that the Cork-versus-DublinDublin GAA
Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...
football and Cork-versus-Waterford
Waterford GAA
The Waterford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Waterford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for all levels of Gaelic games in County Waterford. The County Board is also responsible for the Waterford inter-county teams. The county...
hurling games that were due to take place were to be called off.
The county board called an emergency meeting to discuss the recommendations of the arbitration and especially the recommendation from Mulvey that Holland should resign. By 16 February, uncertainty had emerged over the status of the strike. While the county board and Holland met to discuss the issues, an expected vote by the county board to remove Holland was never called. Holland meanwhile issued a statement that didn't indicate if he had stepped down and stated that he was neutral saying: I am my own man and I am proud to be a Cork football man. Holland said the claim that six people had refused the job before him was false and there was no threat of strike when he took the job. However, a statement in support of the strike had been issued by the Gaelic Players Association on the 13th of November 2007, a week before Holland took the job.
On the 17th of February it was clear Holland had not resigned or been fired by the county board and that the strike continued. The county board issued a statement saying that they would meet on Monday 18 February to end the strike. The strike officially ended on 18 February – 97 days after the first threat of strike – when, as expected, the county board voted 89-19 to fire Teddy Holland and his selectors, who refused to step down.
Aftermath of the strike
The seven-man panel appointed to help find the next manager began its search as soon as Holland had been removed, and included players Nicholas MurphyNicholas Murphy
Nicholas Murphy is an Irish sportsperson. He plays Gaelic football with his local club Carrigaline and has been a member of the Cork senior inter-county team since 1998.-Club:...
and Derek Kavanagh
Derek Kavanagh
Derek Kavanagh is an Irish sportsperson. He plays Gaelic football with his local club Nemo Rangers and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 2003 until 2010.-Biography:...
. Conor Counihan
Conor Counihan
Conor Counihan is an Irish Gaelic football manager and former player. He is the current manager of the Cork senior football team....
was appointed Cork's new football manager
Manager (Gaelic games)
In Gaelic games, a manager or coach is an individual involved in the direction and instruction of the on-field operations of a team. Managing, or coaching, entails the application of sport tactics and strategies during the game itself, and usually entails substitution of players and other such...
with the right to name his own selectors. On 20 February, Seán Óg Ó hAilpín
Seán Óg Ó hAilpín
Seán Óg Ó hAilpín is an iconic Irish-Fijian sportsperson. A former dual player, he currently plays hurling with his local club Na Piarsaigh and is a member of the Cork senior inter-county team. Ó hAilpín captained Cork to the All-Ireland title in 2005...
said that, had the strike carried on beyond the 18 February, he and others would have resigned from inter-county hurling and football. Cork Under 21 footballer, Sean Cahalane, claimed that the Under 21 panel would not have played in place of the seniors if they had been asked by the county board.
On 19 February, the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) decided not to remove Cork from the football and hurling leagues, but instead awarded the points from the missed games to their opponents and fined the county board €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
400 for each game missed. Kilkenny
Kilkenny GAA
The Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...
county board offered to play their hurling match with Cork and the Cork county board requested CCCC approve the game. However the CCCC had already awarded Kilkenny the point and would not allow the game to take place. It emerged that Cork couldn't have been removed from the leagues as there was no such rule.
Cork went on too win their first football and hurling matches after the strike, beating Dublin's hurlers 2-16 to 3-18 and Roscommon
Roscommon GAA
For more details of Roscommon GAA see Roscommon Senior Club Football Championship or Roscommon Senior Club Hurling Championship.The Roscommon County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Roscommon GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games...
's footballers 0-15 to 1-14 However, the decision to award the teams that Cork did not play victory points had a knock-on effect for other teams in both leagues. Roscommon
Roscommon GAA
For more details of Roscommon GAA see Roscommon Senior Club Football Championship or Roscommon Senior Club Hurling Championship.The Roscommon County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Roscommon GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games...
and Wexford
Wexford GAA
The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wexford. The county board is also responsible for the Wexford inter-county teams.-History:Hurling has been played in...
both lodged unsuccessful appeals against the decision. Wexford's case was taken to the Disputes Resolution Authority but was rejected.
Hurling league controversy
When the National Hurling League 2008National Hurling League 2008
The 2008 National Hurling League was a hurling competition contested by 34 GAA county hurling teams, 33 from Ireland , and London from England.-Format:...
ended, the Cork and Waterford
Waterford GAA
The Waterford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Waterford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for all levels of Gaelic games in County Waterford. The County Board is also responsible for the Waterford inter-county teams. The county...
hurling teams both finished on level points. The CCCC ruled that the teams had to play each other in a play-off and that scoring difference could not be used to separate the teams. (The play off was to determine which team entered the semi-final and which entered the quarter final.)
However, both Dublin
Dublin GAA
Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...
and Wexford
Wexford GAA
The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wexford. The county board is also responsible for the Wexford inter-county teams.-History:Hurling has been played in...
also finished on level points and, having both played Cork, the CCCC ruled the team's standings at the end of the league could be used and thus scoring difference would apply, thus relegating Wexford This lead Wexford's chairman to accuse the GAA and the CCCC of "making the rules up as they go along"