Westmeath GAA’s County Convention, which took place in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Athlone last Sunday, was largely dominated by discussions on the financial challenges facing the county.
With the cost of county teams reaching €823,327 for 2018 (up from €750,517 the previous year), club delegates queried where the money is really being spent and there were calls for a breakdown on how much resources are available for the development of underage players. County Board Treasurer, James Savage explained that there will be clear budgets laid down for all underage county teams going forward.
Liam Maher of St Brigid’s felt the cost of county teams is excessive, with €82,523 spent on team administration alone (up from €82,016 in 2017) and a further €134,587 dished out for back-up staff (up approximately €4,500 on last year’s figure).
“It’s a lot of money, yes, and an increase from last year,” noted the treasurer.
This included an increase of over €35,000 on medical expenses alone, none of which can be recouped by Westmeath GAA through the players injury scheme. The bill relates to hospital/medical charges, physiotherapy bills and scans, it was learned, with the general cost of scans being approximately €250 and in once case €400.
Liam Maher felt underage players are being over-trained and that there is too much emphasis on what he believed is body building. He felt excessive training is leading to injuries and thereby driving up costs.
A new term, doubtful debts, made a appearance on the accounts and was queried by Tommy Glennon of Tyrrellspass, who wondered if it is “dead money”. Mr Savage explained that it allows for monies that may not be collected. It also allows for something unforeseen which could crop up when the accounts are finalised. The County Board is endeavouring to gather all that is due, but debtors stood at €269,030 for the year, down from €286,330 in 2017.
Gate receipts increased again, up to €279,858 in 2018 from the previous year’s figure of €274,871 and Mr Savage welcomed the improvement. “It’s good to see that gate receipts have held their own,” he remarked.
However, there was a clear message that more income will have to be generated if clubs want added resources for the underage development squads. There are commitments in place through the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) which determine what Westmeath must spend on their senior county teams, club delegates learned.
County Board Chairman, Billy Foley said in his address that Westmeath need to target having a surplus of €100,000 going forward if they are to adequately finance all county squads. (See full story inside).
