Of the 29 chairmen polled . . . officials from Cork, Kerry, Wexford and Fermanagh were all abroad and unavailable for comment . . . only Roscommon's Michael McGuire puts his head above the parapet. Yet the fact that even one supports the abandonment of the association's long-cherished amateur status says something of the changing times, with a number of others admitting to the creeping professionalism that already exists, particularly at inter-county level.

And this wasn't the only significant finding in a poll that addressed five key issues.

The most pressing issue facing the association? Just under 50 per cent cite the club v county tug-of-war and the need to provide a meaningful schedule of games for club players. Finance is another critical aspect, and Enda McEvoy's accompanying article illustrates just why, with 550,000 now the average spend on county teams.

As a follow-on from that, 55 per cent support the idea of limiting inter-county training sessions.

Significantly, despite the overriding concern that a move towards semi-professionalism or professionalism would do untold damage to the volunteer ethos of the association, three quarters of the chairmen believe the GPA had a worthwhile role to play in terms of player welfare.

But back to the question of whether semi-professionalism or professionalism should be introduced. Here, the general consensus is epitomised by the comments of Tyrone chairman Pat Darcy who believes, "We must hold on to our amateur status . . .

the GAA is where it is because of it." Offaly chairman Ollie Daly's takes up the theme. "I'd be totally against.

It's an amateur sport and the people on the grassroots need to be recognised for the work they do. Take the guy who collects the young players on a Saturday morning, he's giving up his time for nothing.

That volunteer ethos can't be undermined. We couldn't afford it anyway. Counties would be bankrupt within 12 months."

Eddie Byrne of Carlow expresses his fear that such a move would have dire consequences in terms of player movement: "I don't think it's a runner because small counties would be just swallowed upf wiped out. Any decent player in a smaller county would be gobbled up. Players would be moving counties and you couldn't blame them."

As the only chairman to break ranks, Michael McGuire clearly feels that the association has already travelled a distance along the road to professionalism. "It would be a sea change for the association but it's creeping that way anyway. And if professionalism was introduced it would have to be across the board. You couldn't have players and management getting paid and then county board officers on a voluntary basis.

Counties are already getting officials to work full-time or part-time to handle the workload.

"I would see professionalism as a good thing for the GAA, along the lines of how rugby has gone in this country. I don't think it would destroy the ethos. Clubs are finding it very difficult to get volunteers anyway. People are being paid at club level, whether it's managers or members of the back-up team."

After initially canvassing for a 127 weekly allowance, the GPA have focused on trying to secure an annual grant of between 1,000 and 2,500 each for inter-county hurlers and footballers, paid for by the Irish Exchequer. But McGuire believes such measures might only cloud the issue. "If you go at all, you have to go the whole way . . . a half-baked measure wouldn't work."

And what of Eddie Byrne's concerns? "Nobody wants to see smaller counties decimated or devalued so the movement of players would have to be addressed. You don't want it to go like Arsenal and Chelsea in soccer . . .

that would kill our game.

Rugby seem to have come up with a system that works at national, inter-provincial and club level."

But Brendan Dempsey of Meath counters that claim.

"It would be the death-knell for the association. Take junior rugby as an example.

Rugby is doing well at interprovincial level and on the national stage but you go to junior clubs and they're dead, they're gone, because any player with talent will be taken by another club and paid. I played junior rugby myself and I can see what's going on."

When it comes to the question of the most pressing issue facing the association, 48 per cent feel that the club player needs to be better catered for.

Westmeath chairman Seamus Whelan points to "the crisis that is there for club players during the summer months and the conflict between county teams and the club players involved. There is a need to have it legislated for, that club players are guaranteed football and hurling during the summer months. There would have to be a penalty for counties that don't abide by it, and the punishment would have to be drastic." His suggestion?

"Not to let counties continue to compete in the provincial or All Ireland championship. It's when counties are going well that there is pressure on to put games on hold. It has to be legislated for, otherwise it won't work."

John Costigan describes how Tipperary had 20 championships to play last year from senior to junior B in hurling and football. "Only as a result of very diligent effort did we get the last of them finished on New Year's eve." A junior B hurling final as it happens.

Twenty four per cent subscribe to Dick Miller's view of the most pressing issue.

"Finance, finance" he says.

"Take ourselves in Laois, promoting two codes on an equal footing, a county with a population of roughly 55,000, one with no industry base . . . where do you get the finance?"

Roscommon's financial difficulties have been well documented and, McGuire, who replaced Stephen Banahan as chairman last year feels that it is a major challenge to meet rising costs. "We introduced a number of fairly stringent measures but it's a real headache trying to raise money and balance the books."

Other issues highlighted were semi-professionalism, player welfare, while Charlie O'Donnell (Donegal) picked the player drop-off from ages 17 to 21, and John Connolly (Monaghan) the competition from other sports.

One way to curb intercounty expenses is to limit the number of training sessions, and 55 per cent support the idea in principle. The Tyrone model of limited collective sessions is currently in vogue and as chairman Pat Darcy says "it just gives players more time with their clubs, which is what clubs need". Chiefly on the basis that it simply couldn't be policed, 45 per cent disagreed with the idea.

With player welfare such a topical issue, the GPA will be enthused at least by the fact that 76 per cent believe they have a worthwhile role to play.

"There are dinosaurs in some counties who'd like to pretend that the GPA doesn't or shouldn't exist or represent players' views, " says Antrim's John McSparran.

And as London chairman Larry O'Leary intones: "If we don't have the players, we don't have an association.

From my dealings with players, they are not money-grabbers, they just want to play and be looked after properly."