IPPN

Colleges GAA could be about to crumble under the weight of recent Department of Education cuts that have slashed the spending on substitute teachers across the board.

Schools in Munster, Leinster and Connacht have already fallen by the wayside for this year's competitions which are already under way.

But, by next September, provincial councils in all three provinces expect the attrition rate to be much higher, with sports teams the most likely sacrifice in preference to curricular activities that have also lost cover.

In Leinster, three schools, including the once-mighty St Finian's in Mullingar, will not be participating in any GAA competitions in 2009, according to the Leinster Council, because of the cuts announced by Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe.

Kells Community Schools and Tullow have also withdrawn.

In Connacht, Abbey Community College in Boyle and St Joseph's in Foxford have pulled out with immediate effect while, in Munster, Youghal's Pobalscoil na Trionaide have pulled their Gaelic games involvement.

Schools and provincial council officials in all three provinces fear, however, that this may just be the tip of the iceberg and that when the new school year recommences next September, servicing Gaelic games teams on an ongoing basis may have slipped further down the pecking order.

Even the €2.7m released by the Department before Christmas to ease the burden on schools has not averted the problem.

Leinster Council official Michael Reynolds says all school activities have been hit badly and the effects are only showing now.

"So far only three schools have pulled but we're lucky in that many competitions are up and running and well advanced and in that regard most, if not all, have given a commitment to finish out," he said.

"The GAA have a problem but when curricular activities like field trips in geography or drama trips are being affected then there is an obvious scale.

"It looks like sport is just going to suffer."

The Leinster Council have received letters from schools pledging to finish competitions but warning that if the current situation remains the outlook for the future is bleak.

Several schools have already indicated to Leinster that they will not be fielding teams in the coming school year.

In Munster, a recent colleges council meeting heard the same tale of woe, with even a teacher from St Brendan's in Killarney outlining that they may not be immune from the cuts. Like Leinster, most colleges are intent on finishing out what they have started but Munster have heard appeals from schools to return to competition on a straight knock out basis.

Connacht Council secretary, John Prenty, said the next few months would "tell the story" in the west but, at the moment, he said schools are just operating on a day-to-day basis.

"A match could be fixed for a particular day but that morning the school could have teachers out sick and their cover for football is gone.

"In that event, the game is cancelled but we can't wait forever for them.

"We'll see what happens," said Prenty.

"Our 'A' competition should be okay because that is predominantly played at weekends but we can't play all our games at weekends because of the availability of pitches, referees and the time factor with teachers," he added.

Interest in colleges Gaelic games has built up steadily over the last decade, giving the GAA a stronger base at secondary level than it has ever had.

Erosion

But the erosion, on the back of the cuts, is evident and getting progressively worse, something that may prompt some action from the association itself.

The former Meath footballer and current GAA columnist Colm O'Rourke, who is principal at St Patrick's Classical School in Navan, winners of three Hogan Cup titles this decade, says Gaelic games is really going to lose out over the next 12 months.

"The problem doesn't affect rugby as much because most rugby schools are fee-paying and they can provide cover.

"There is no doubt the effects of these cuts are disastrous,"he said.

"We'll be finishing all our commitments to competition but we'll be scaling back across a whole host of sports in September, including Gaelic games.

"Sport provides a great outlet for pupils and we shouldn't lose sight of that even if there are most important items on the curriculum affected by the cuts," said O'Rourke.

"In our schools, we had the facility for eight hours of cover last week but between activities and uncertified sickness we required 31. That's a big shortfall," he pointed out.

- COLM KEYS