Shocking call not to let players wear the Dillon Quirke Foundation jersey last Sunday

When the Tipperary hurlers took to the field last Sunday they were wearing bibs highlighting the Dillon Quirke Foundation.
The hope all spring had been that the GAA would see sense and allow the hurlers of Tipperary and Limerick the opportunity to highlight the Foundation by wearing county jerseys bearing the Foundation logo for the match.

A summer’s day, bumper audience and a new jersey that could make the world a better place. The hope was to raise awareness and sell the jerseys to raise funds for the Foundation, whose aim is to screen boys and girls across the country for heart conditions, but the GAA changed the rules surrounding this in March to deny charities this exposure, and as a result the players wore the logo on their pre-match bibs instead of on their jerseys.

On RTÉ television Anthony Daly described the decision by the GAA as “baffling” while Joe Canning said it was “a horrendous decision that they can’t support this” and viewers around the world echoed his sentiments.

Liam Cahill and John Kiely both spoke to Tipperary Live at The Dillon Quirke GAA Grounds in Clonoulty recently and both hoped that the work of the Foundation would be highlighted on the field Dillon died upon last August.

The closest they got was when Limerick captain Declan Hannon presented a “Dillon Quirke Foundation” Limerick jersey to the opposing captain, Noel McGrath.

The GAA officials that made the call on jerseys let down a lot of grassroots members by shutting the door on community organisations and charities. Remember these are the volunteers that cut grass, clean dressing rooms, build gyms and play the games.

It isn’t just one charity that will suffer as a result but many the length and breadth of the country. The decision was a faceless one via email and it has caused considerable hurt and anger in Clonoulty/Rossmore and in villages across Ireland.

B&T Sports, a Tipperary company, designed official Dillon Quirke Foundation jerseys which sold out last week in Thurles, but they didn’t bear the GAA logo and while this jersey will go on sale again, it currently doesn’t have the distribution methods or mass market that an official association jersey “as seen on TV” would have.

An embarrassing situation for the GAA and a let down for the Dillon Quirke Foundation that could have been avoided.