It was reported on Monday that the GAA will move to ensure the provision of insurance cover for all players who travel from Ireland to play for GAA clubs in the United States.
The news comes in the wake of the serious head injuries sustained by Fermanagh footballer Mark McGovern in a game in San Francisco in the summer. McGovern was left facing medical bills of over $1m, with his travel insurance not covering contact sports, and GAA officials have admitted that such a situation cannot be allowed to arise again.
"We will have to take responsibility here," GAA director general Paraic Duffy was quoted as saying by BBC Sport. "We can't let that happen again.
“What we hope to achieve is that in future any player going to play on a sanction in the States as Mark did will be covered by insurance from the GAA here.
"With medical costs being so high in the US, it is an issue that we just can't ignore.
"It took the Mark McGovern case to sadly draw our attention to this."
Meanwhile, McGovern has made a ‘remarkable’ recovery according to doctors. Having had to learn how to walk and talk again, the Ulsterman is out of hospital and is recovering in California, with his aim to build up his fitness enough to return home. Any future involvement in Gaelic Games, however, has sadly been ruled out.