Players deserve a bigger share
of GAA revenues
 By David
Thorpe
Kerry County Board Chairman Sean Walsh has called for players and County
Boards to be given a greater share of GAA revenues.
He said: “County Boards all over the country are near breaking point
when it comes to the cost of preparing teams.
“In Kerry we had a e700,000 (£500,000) shortfall between the
money we received from sponsors and gate receipts and the cost of preparing
the football team.
“Such a situation can’t be maintained every year and its the
same throughout the country.”
Mr Walsh added that the contribution made towards the players’ holiday
fund was another area which has to be looked at.
He said: “At the end of a long season, the least an inter-county
player deserves is a good holiday. We got £50,000 from the GAA towards
the cost of the trip but that left a lot of money which had to raised
in other ways. The players had to help raise the money themselves which
is not ideal.”
The Kerry football panel departed immediately after Christmas, spent New
Year’s Eve in Singapore and are currently on a three-city tour of
Australia before returning later this month.
The All-Ireland winning Kilkenny hurlers embarked on a similar trip
at about the same time as the Kerry lads seeing in the New Year in Singapore
before travelling to New Zealand.
The total cost of the trip is believed to have been in excess of £200,000
leaving a significant shortfall to be raised by players and officials.
Even much lower profile counties as Longford — who enjoyed something
of a breakthrough year in 2006 — have been rewarded with lavish
holidays. The Midlanders spent two weeks in the Mexican resort of Cancun.
While Mr Walsh is a firm believer that the players deserve their breaks
he thinks that a greater percentage of the cost of these trips should
be met by Croke Park.
Mr Walsh’s comments are likely to spark a debate in GAA circles
about the future distribution of the GAA’s massive revenues.
The comments made by the Kerryman who is considered to be a safe pair
of hands in GAA terms has surprised many in the game.
As a result of the financial pressures in various counties supporters
clubs are springing up across Ireland with the aim of generating additional
revenue.
|
