“We’re pretty much there,” declared the chairperson of the independent steering committee on the integration of the three bodies.

McAleese later explained the intention is for a roadmap for integration to be in place by February but there’s a way to go between devising best-laid plans and executing them. Although integration was wholeheartedly endorsed by the three bodies, it’s only now as officials get into the weeds of what it actually requires and means that there are misgivings.

Never mind the end goal, finding consensus on the various deadlines and incremental objectives has not yet been achieved. At a recent meeting of GAA county chairpersons, some felt there was pressure from on high to agree a roadmap ahead of the stated February date not to mention thinly-veiled threats from the Gaelic Players Association about a withdrawal of services if a charter for female inter-county players isn’t forthcoming.

Those at the coalface of GAA and LGFA administration feel a full merger of the three organisations is a long way off for a variety of sticking points. Among them are the following:

FACILITIES: Integration sceptics in the two sister sports bodies will privately tell you what they truly want out of it is guaranteed access to better pitches. A regular difficulty for even the country’s best female teams, there will expectations that this process provides them with as much access to training facilities as the men’s groups. This week, Kerry have outlined plans to develop a pitch at their centre of excellence in Currans to be used exclusively by female football teams. It’s an approach that should be applauded but not all counties never mind clubs have the means to show such initiative.

FINANCE: The GAA being one big family makes for a pretty picture but without money for an expansion of facilities it will not succeed. Before he finished up as Tipperary secretary last year, Tim Floyd wrote of how the demand to train in Thurles’ Dr Morris Park which they share with the county’s main female teams was reaching excessive levels. “Despite having three floodlit pitches plus a double-sided Astroturf hurling wall, this is putting a strain on the facility as we already have our own six inter-county hurling and football teams plus academy and development squads. The greatest pressure comes during the winter months with the limited availability of floodlit facilities and overuse during this period can cause long-term damage to the surface.” 

Minister for Sport Thomas Byrne has spoken about future sports capital projects being dependent on equal access for male and female teams but there has been little encouragement about additional support for such ecumenical endeavours.

FIXTURES: At the aforementioned chairpersons meeting, it was suggested that the LGFA and CA should combine first before merging with the GAA. Given the difficulties female dual players have had because of ladies football and camogie game clashes, it would seem sensible for the two to get on the same page about their fixture programmes before they can synchronise their schedules with the GAA. The CA has closer ties to the GAA now that its commercial affairs are run by it but integration would run smoother if two became one.

FAIRNESS: McAleese’s claim on 'The Late, Late Show' that “the men and the women’s (Gaelic games), there’ll be no difference” raised a few eyebrows in the GAA. The female codes simply must be the biggest winners in integrating, but at Congress last year World GAA chairman and former GAA trustee Niall Erskine spoke of the need for “proportionality of equality”. There is a strong school of thought that as the GAA are bringing more to the table and will continue to do so in terms of gate receipts and commercial sponsorship that they should not lose out to fund the LGFA and CA. The runaway train of male inter-county team expenditure has to stop but it seems unlikely any requirement that women be bankrolled the same will slam the brakes on it.

FRATERNITY: Last December, Floyd also wrote about the contrast in how clubs are formed in the GAA and the female codes. “Difficulties have been overcome like accommodating cross parish interests where many camogie and LGFA clubs are made up of players from different parishes.” How can their rulebooks be absorbed into the Official Guide, which will have to happen?