Grants scheme backing a step forward

The GAA's Central Council has backed the Irish government grants scheme which will now be debated at Congress on April 11 and 12.
Personally I am delighted that the grants scheme will now go to the floor of Congress with the Central Council's support.
The scheme will cover 'additional expenses' incurred by our top players in preparation for the All-Ireland championships and the Tommy Murphy and Christy Ring Cups.
We are not exactly talking about princely sums with the maximum a GAA player can get under the scheme only 2,500 euros.
The grants scheme is a commonsense method of compensating our top players for the effort they put into training to play at the highest level, and the sums involved will not cover many of them for the work lost during the punishing training schedules demanded of them.
The GPA has welcomed the decision and reiterated its commitment "to the maintenance of the GAA’s amateur status and acknowledges that the schemes do not undermine that status".
I don't really care about the amateur status of the association as the GAA has been run as a professional organisation for many years now but I believe this solution goes some way to meeting players' demands for a reward for their sacrifices without compromising the whole structure of the association.
I hope the delegates will think this through and vote with their heads rather than their hearts come April.