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Clare GAA secretary Pat Fitzgerald with chairman Joe Cooney (right). Photograph by John Kelly.

Clare GAA Post Close To €500,000 Deficit in 2020 Accounts


Derrick Lynch

Clare GAA’s accounts to be presented at next week’s annual Convention have revealed a deficit for the year of close to €500,000.

It marks a turnaround of almost €750,000 with a €250,000 surplus being announced at the 2019 Convention.

In his report, accounts auditor Anthony Fitzpatrick, called for a root and branch review of the boards finances in order to maximise its cash inflows and minimise costs.

He also warned that the very survival of the board is at stake and suggested that creditors need to be made aware of the situation. He felt the audit committee must take the lead in that process which he described as “essential and critical”.

Mr Fitzpatrick also stated that the “audit committee and team managements must be commended for working closely and effectively in coordinating their efforts to measure income and control costs in a very demanding and challenging climate”.

A total loss for the year of €478,359 in the accounts also includes an “exceptional item”, which is the sale of part of the land purchased to develop the Centre of Excellence at Caherlohan. That figure details a loss of €195,575 on the sale which is part of the overall deficit figure. The land in question is understood to be adjacent to the site currently being used for the Centre of Excellence and was part of the initial overall purchase.

The profit and loss deficit for the year comes in at €282,784, with a drop in income of nearly €1.5 million from the 2019 figures. Last year saw an income of just over €2.2 million, with this year’s total standing at just €799,785.

The total expenditure also dropped but still surpassed the €1 million mark with a total of €1,082,596, compared to last year’s total of €2,009,993.

With much of the National League having been completed prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, and the intercounty season having restarted in the autumn, it meant that team expenses were still incurred to the tune of €519,332. That was a reduction on the 2019 figure which saw €862,258 paid out for county teams. In recent weeks, the GAA have committed to covering the expenses incurred by players since the return to action. Over €20,000 was also paid out for training facilities, with a similar cost being incurred in 2019.

Some of the more significant cost saving measures saw the bill for referees expenses drop from €68,042 in 2019 to €16,205 this year, while the total cost of upgrading and maintenance of grounds went fell by €45,000 to €135,109.

The biggest drop in income was realised in gate receipts with that figure dropping from just over €600,000 12 months ago to nearly €70,000 this year. Over €173,000 of the 2019 income was as a result of gate receipts from the senior county finals, with those games being played behind closed doors this year meaning there was income for the board from the two flagship games.

The lack of supporters at games also had an impact on the money raised from the sale of programmes and the yearbook, with that figure dropping from over €68,000 in 2019 to just €472 this year.

Fundraising was also an issue once more, with no income realised in 2020, while just over €12,000 was raised last year. There was also a huge drop in the amount raised from summer camp and coaching, with that figure declining from €515,440 last year to €165,841 in 2020, a drop of 73%.

A similar margin was lost from National League shares which dropped by almost €100,000 while income from Central Council and Munster Council also dropped by a combined total of alnost €380,000. This figure did however include an income of over €80,000 from Government funding, while an additional €101,453 was obtained through Revenue Covid Schemes.

The streaming of club championship games also helped to add to the boards coffers, with an income of over €39,000 detailed in the accounts. In his report to delegates, secretary of Clare GAA Pat Fitzgerald outlined that €15,000 had been invested in the equipment for the project this year.

In his analysis of the accounts, Mr Fitzpatrick warned that increasing team costs and limited fundraising sources and initiatives have to be addressed. He outlined that those fears he expressed last year had been realised in “spectacular fashion”, and outlined that it is a very “troubling trend”. He said the key question going forward is how to keep the board in “operational mode if Covid-19 continues”, and said the board would have to “go to well to keep finances in order” for the coming year, which he felt was not a sustainable strategy.

He concluded his report by stating that “there is hope”. He referenced predictions by leading economists that there would be a return to the “roaring 20’s over the next decade, as occured after the 1919 pandemic”.

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