No red flags in Offaly GAA accounts but some talking points emerge

By Kevin Egan

Like many things in modern life, the annual GAA Convention in many counties has become a lot more sanitized and controlled in recent years, and a lot more focused on financial aspects too. In the case of the Offaly GAA Convention last Tuesday night, that lack of spark and confrontation came from the absence of any real bones of contention.

Any year where one of your flagship county teams wins an All-Ireland title is a good year. Any year when that happens and still you record a surplus in your accounts at the end of the season, something Offaly managed after winning the All-Ireland U20 hurling crown, is particularly impressive.

Outgoing treasurer Dervill Dolan presented a set of accounts that show a surplus of income over expenditure of €86,005 for the year up to the end of September, though the numbers on both sides of the ledger will be significantly higher than they were in 2023, with income going up from €1,959,306 to €2,280,879, while expenditure rises from €1,797,814 up to €2,194,874.

Across the board, income and expenditure levels are rising sharply in similar situations across Ireland. Donegal and Wexford both recorded a similar surplus to Offaly off turnover in the €3 million vicinity, while Galway’s numbers were sensational, with €733,000 excess income over expenditure on turnover in the €6 million region.

It’s an age-old issue, but all of this begs the question as to how sustainable is the current inter-county GAA model. It’s notable that the counties retaining the most profit, by some distance, are the ones with the largest population and base from which they can draw commercial income.

Mayo may yet prove to be the exception. The news from the west that their 2024 Convention had to be postponed, at a time when the Revenue Commissioners are examining the county’s finances, is eye-catching, but other figures that are out there, including Kerry’s operating profit of over half a million and Limerick’s of just under €600,000, are clear indicators as to which counties are the winners in this new financial reality, where bigger is better.

That creates quite the conundrum for counties like Offaly. Sponsors of the Faithful County, most notably Glenisk but many others as well, have been incredibly generous and have played a huge role in the revival of the county’s fortunes. But those sponsors have also benefited from a time when Offaly teams have enjoyed huge visibility.

And while the example set by our government in the budget last October is that you should throw money around at nothing in particular when the going is good, most people who are familiar with how household budgets work would say that being ready for a rainy day is wise. Also, attempting to keep pace with financial behemoths such as Limerick and Galway is not realistic either.

Yet it’s not immediately apparent where Offaly GAA could cut back, were significant headwinds to emerge. Instead, it could be argued that now is the time to keep the pressure on Croke Park to change the funding model, particularly with regard to aspects such as mileage, to try and level the playing field between the wealthy counties and the smaller ones.