Convention: plenty of debate on finances
December 11, 2018
Gate receipts for the senior football final between Dunboyne and Summerhill were €48,525.
Finance generated plenty of debate at last night's county convention after treasurer Jim Mullery reported a deficit for the year of €105,402 compared to a surplus of €408,249 for the previous year.
Total income was down from €1,973,040 in 2017 to €1,766,806 for this year, ending October 31st. Total expenditure was up significantly to €1,872,208 compared to €1,564,791 for 2017.
The biggest increase was in administration expenses with the planning/feasability study concerning Pairc Tailteann costing €453,051 compared to €130,108 which was paid out in 2017.
General administration expenses more than doubled to €112,478, however postage and telephone expenses dropped by €6,000. There were also bad debts of €7,575 compared to €1,945 for the previous year.
Gate receipts dipped to €458,426 compared to €481,644 in 2017. Jim Mullery said that some of this was due to no matches being played in Pairc Tailteann during the month of May while the attendance at the
county final was also down.
Dunshaughlin delegate Paddy Ward expressed disappointment with the fall off in attendances and said this was a big concern. "We need state of the art football, not state of the art stadium," Ward said.
Fundraising activities were down significantly from €329,093 to €83,771. Chairman Peter O'Halloran explained that they had a very successful fundraiser in New York in 2017 but said they couldn't go
back to America every year. He also said that there was no corporate golf classic in 2018.
A fundraising trip to London resulted in a loss of €14,000 but the chairman said it was to develop a network for future years and he had no doubt that fundraisers to London in the future would make money.
Sponsorship of county teams came in at €260,000. County team expenses were €687,649, up from €658,487 in 2017. The biggest increase here was in travelling and catering expenses, €393,444 compared to €351,321 in 2017. However medical and physiotherapy expenses were reduced by €27,000.
Gate receipts for the senior football final between Dunboyne and Summerhill were €48,525. For the senior hurling final between Kiltale and Trim gate receipts were €26,515.
Kilskyre delegate Tom Gilsenan outlined his concerns over a lack of resources for coaching young players due to the funding requirement for the proposed development of Pairc Tailteann. Gilsenan said the Pairc Tailteann development would suck the energy out of coaching and games and also complained about a lack of funding towards the development of hurling in the county.
This was refuted by both vice-chairman John Kavanagh and assistant-treasurer Francis Flynn. Kavanagh said that the county now had 20 coaches and that investment was being made in coaching and games.
Peter O'Halloran pointed out that €220,000 was spent on hurling this year.
Mullinalaghta's heroics in last Sunday's Leinster Club SFC final won praise at last night's county convention.
Secretary Mairead Delaney said she couldn't let the occasion pass without a mention for the Longford team that shocked Kilmacud Crokes in the Leinster final.
"Their victory has given great hope to every small club in the country. It is a wonderful achievement for a club with such a small population," the secretary said.
Her comments were met with warm applause from delegates.
