A very trying year on the financial front was recalled at last Thursday’s County Convention, with Westmeath County Board Treasurer James Savage quick to acknowledge the great support received from government, which helped Westmeath GAA return a surplus of just under €10,000 (€9,800).
“What looked a very stark year at the start considerably improved by the end of the year, with a lot of the supports coming from the Government,” he said, referring to almost €280,000 which was received through Covid funding. Westmeath GAA suffered losses of around €500,000 in terms of income, but managed to reduce their expenditure by a similar figure.
Expenses of county teams stood at €521,000 for 2020 as opposed to €860,000 the previous year, while the total expenditure was €880,000 as opposed to €1,322,000 in 2019. Mr Savage said that at one stage earlier in 2020, Westmeath GAA were fearing a projected loss of around €250,000, so to come in on the plus side is, he said, brilliant.
However, with 2021 just around the corner, there is no room for complacency and it promises to be another hugely difficult year. “As this pandemic keeps going it’s going to present its own challenges going forward,” the treasurer cautioned.
With grants from provincial and Central Council down by over €200,000 and gate receipts decimated (falling from €283,000 in 2019 to €83,000 this year), it was a truly horrendous year on the financial front.
There were tributes to those referees who decided to forego their expenses for the year in recognition of the financial problems Covid-19 caused. With no supporters allowed into games for the most part, Westmeath GAA struggled badly to raise money. However, the success of Iarmhí TV, which turned in a profit of around €30,000, was noted.
The club debt has also reduced considerably in Westmeath, down from €118,000 in 2019 to around €45,000 this year. Over the space of the last four years, it has decreased by over €200,000.
Mr Savage thanked the cooperation of the clubs in reducing the debt, noting that Westmeath GAA would be in a much worse situation had this money not been recouped. New County Board Chairman, Frank Mescall was a pivotal figure in this area, leading a committee that included Mr Savage.
Sponsorship stood at €141,00 and the treasurer noted that it was also a very difficult year for Westmeath GAA’s sponsors, who really remained very loyal in the circumstances. “They stayed on board and honoured all their commitments,” he said, thanking Renault and TEG in particular.
Mr Savage thanked Head Of Operations Patrick Doherty and Eileen Fallon (Administrator) for their efforts in the past year and wished Billy Foley well on his retirement. Mr Foley acknowledged the contribution James Savage for a long number of years now.
FUNDING FOR CLUBS
Caulry’s Ger O’Kelly Lynch wondered if the Covid funding would come down to clubs, but Patrick Doherty, Head Of Operations, explained that clubs will receive support in terms of a reduction in insurance costs for 2021. It will be one sixth of what it was in 2020, he advised.
“Clubs will be getting more detail on that and they have to apply to Central Council for it,” he said. Central Council Delegate Tom Hunt confirmed this.
EXPENSES DECREASE
BY 30%
Aiden McGuire of The Downs queried the figure of €78,000 for management teams, noting that most of the other expenses were down by 30%. However, James Savage said a lot of those expenses would have been generated prior March, but after that, when inter county activity resumed, the expenses were well down. Billy Foley, outgoing chairman, confirmed this also.
Players travel for the past year stood at €117,000 as opposed to €145,000 in 2019, while catering was €103,00, down from €162,000 the previous season. Playing equipment stood at €69,000, a decrease of €18,000, while back-up staff accounted for €58,000 (down from €106,000 in 2019).
In all, preparing county teams is still the biggest challenge Westmeath GAA faces and with the bill still amounting to half a million in a year in which Covid-19 played havoc, the new administration will be under pressure to deliver the same level of resources in the coming season.
Income totalled €896,000, considerably down on the previous year’s figure (€1,300,000). There was a huge drop in the Central Council subvention, obviously due to Covid-19, which fell to €80,000 from €185,000 in 2019. It was still one of Westmeath’s GAA’s biggest levels of income.
The main Club Iarmhí Patrons Draw for the €100 tickets was not held in 2020, but raised over €87,000 for the County Board in 2019 and it is hoped to run the draw in the early part of 2021. Club Iarmhí did raise an impressive €25,000 in their new structured €20 draw for the year and this was only concluded last week, so it will provide a welcome boost for next year.
Sponsorship of €141,000 was collected, up from €131,000 the previous year, which is remarkable given the fact that Covid-19 shut down the country for long periods of 2020.
Westmeath GAA reported assets of €580,000, while their liabilities stood at €325,000. Cash at bank and in hand stands at €268,000, up from €170,000 the previous year and they certainly coped well with the massive threat posed by Covid-19, albeit with the vital government funding provided.
