Ulster's inter-county squad members have received the ideal Christmas present — their grant payments have been forwarded to their bank accounts.

This is the first occasion on which the payments, agreed following protracted negotiations involving the GAA, the GPA and the Irish Sports Council, have been made available to all county players.

There may be serious doubts about the future of the grants scheme but for now the county players will have extra cash in their pockets for the festive season.

The Republic’s government set aside some 3.5million euros initially to fund the scheme but the economic downtown could force a major re-think on the entire concept. The payments, which are officially labelled as out-of-pocket expenses, range between 1,20 0 euros and 2,400 euros depend

ing on the length of time each particular side stayed in this year’s championship.

Tyrone’s All-Ireland winning hero Sean Cavanagh is the new secretary of the GPA and while pleased that the payments have now been made, he shares the anxieties of his colleagues in relation to 2009.

“We will have to wait and see how things ago,” says accountant Cavanagh. “Obviously no one can predict how the economy will go.”

Among those who have carried the flag for the GPA in helping to have the grants scheme implemented is Sean Potts.

He said: “A lot of hard work went into securing these grants, particularly from the GPA’s per

spective, and it took a lot of hard work from the GAA, the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism and the Irish Sports Council to push the scheme over the line.

"The principle of this scheme is very important as it achieves parity of esteem of inter-county players along with the other elite amateur athletes, as well as pro

fessional sports people."

Potts said the GPA hoped any reduction in future grants would be in line with percentage cuts across the board by the Government.

"We would be hopeful that given the importance of this scheme for hurlers and footballers, and indeed the importance of the

games to the cultural and social fabric to Ireland, that the principle of this scheme would be upheld," he added.

"Along with all other sporting bodies, the GPA and the GAA are well aware of the current financial crisis, and along with other sporting bodies, we’re prepared to take a hit."