A motion from Kerry will go before next year’s GAA Annual Convention aimed at returning all live broadcast Championship matches to free-to-air television.

Croke Park took the decision two years ago to sell rights for live hurling and football games to Sky Sports, opening up the market to satellite broadcasters for the first time.

Sky have broadcast games from the past two Championships, including All-Ireland quarter-finals, but many GAA fans have hit out at the move.

"The decision to deal with Sky was taken when money was continuing to get a lot tighter for people."

On Monday night the Kerry County Board passed a motion calling on all games to be kept on free-to-air, non-subscription stations.

The motion, put forward by the Beale club and presented by Maurice Mannix reads: “At the conclusion of the current TV broadcast rights contract, that all televised games be available on free to air TV.”

That contract comes to an end following the conclusion of the 2016 season and the GAA will be under pressure from some quarters to freeze out Sky.

“The feeling is strong on the ground over this,” explained Kerry County Board Chairman Patrick O’Sullivan, who presided over Monday night’s convention.

“Not everyone is able to get to games and for those people, radio and television are their main way of staying in touch with what’s happening in the GAA.

“You have to see how people in some parts of the country look at this. On the western seaboard it’s very different to Dublin, where the economic upturn has been a lot faster.

"The decision to deal with Sky was taken when money was continuing to get a lot tighter for people."

Kerry GAA chiefs first suggested that they bring the matter up with Croke Park’s ruling Management Committee for discussion.

But such was the feeling among delegates, that a vote was taken and now the Beale motion will be discussed at Annual Congress in Carlow next February.

This delay is so long as it passes through the Rules Advisory Committee, the body that makes sure all motions are in order before they are put on the agenda.

Also at their convention, Kerry moved to modify their player-eligibility and transfer rules in an attempt to help rural clubs struggling with falling numbers.

Up to now individuals could play for the club in the parish where they lived, or where they worked. 

That has been changed and in future players will only be allowed to line out for the club in the parish they live in.

“The GAA started to use the parish rule back in 1955 and it hasn’t been changed in 60 years. A lot has happened in those 60 years,” said O’Sullivan.

“In the past there weren’t as many cars on the road, but now nearly everyone has a car.”

It is hoped that the rule change will prevent players from smaller, rural clubs joining bigger outfits in the urban areas where they work.