€837,813: The rising cost of running Longford GAA inter-county squads

While the business is on a much smaller scale in Longford, the team administration expenses in the county continue to rise with €837,813 the total figure for 2024, covering the senior, U-20, minor (U-17) and U-16 football and senior hurling squads this year.

The breakdown is as follows:

Player Mileage - €209,612

Team Manager & Selectors - €157,446

Backroom Team Personnel - €76,297

Meals/Catering/Nutrition -  €145,637

Travel & Accommodation - €35,624

Sportsgear & Equipment - €100,152

Medical - €65,328

Facility Hire - €36,773

Player Injury Fund - €6,460

Sundry Costs - €4,484

That is an increase of around €50,000 on last year’s total and the new Chairperson Derek Fahy from the Ballymore club in his acceptance speech stressed that ‘cost saving measures’ need to be explored.

“We are just about breaking even,” stated the Ballymahon native who is relishing the “great honour” of leading Longford GAA into the future. 

The income generated for the financial year up until the end of September surpassed the 2 million mark (€2,057,105), not including the very generous donation of 1 million from JP McManus with the money distributed among the clubs in the county which was a badly needed boost.

Club Longford continue to play a major role in keeping the cash flowing. The Longford GAA Supporters Club raised the fantastic sum of €104,000 from the Car Draw this year along with around €20,000 from the annual Golf Classic. 

Pitchside signs advertising at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park is another source of income generated by Club Longford - around €31,000 this year and more money to come.  

The outgoing Club Longford Chairperson Mark Connellan, a real driving force in the best interest of Longford GAA, stepped down after completing five years in the position and he is replaced by Derek ‘Sherpack’ Sheridan. 

The very valuable input from the annual Race Day at Punchestown fundraiser, steered by a hard working committee led by Cllr Martin Skelly, generated a profit of around €90,000 this year and continues to be a thoroughly enjoyable social event supported by a number of kind sponsors.   

On the expenditure side of things, including the depreciation figure of €141,000, Longford GAA reported a small deficit of €3,620 at the annual Convention staged in the perfect setting of the compact St Mary’s Parish Hall on the banks of the River Shannon in Lanesboro on Thursday night last.  

The expenditure (not including the JP McManus money) amounted to just over the 2 million mark (€2,060,725) 

While former Longford GAA CCC Chairperson Ciaran Walsh (St Mary’s Granard) was elected unopposed as the new Assistant Treasurer, there were no nominations for the onerous task of Treasurer at the Convention. 

Thus, the delegates will have to wait until the first County Board meeting in January in order to appoint a new finances controller. The outgoing officer Eugene Quaine had to step down after completing the maximum five year term in this post.