John Horan: Galway get €20k ‘top-up’ to ease hurling frustrations
The Tribesmen have been included in Leinster since 2009 but have yet to play a Championship game in their own county in that period.
Galway indicated back in June that they may seek Croke Park’s intervention on the issue after a number of failed attempts to strike up “home and away” arrangements with Leinster counties for Championship games.
“We’re either full members of the Leinster championship or we’re not,” said Galway county board chairman Noel Treacy at the time, indicating they would be revisiting the issue.
Speaking at yesterday’s launch of the 2016 AIB Leinster club championships, Horan said it appears that Leinster counties aren’t keen on travelling as far as Salthill, ‘nearly the width of Galway’, to play a game.
And he revealed the “story that is not told” is that Galway have been receiving a cash injection in recent seasons to offset revenue they may have received from a home game in the championship.
“There is consideration given to them,” said Horan. “It’s not just a case that we are not going to Galway (for games) and it’s a case of ‘there you are’. They have been looked after.
“They got €20,000 for the last couple of years, which other Leinster counties wouldn’t have. They have been looked after financially. They get their travel expenses as well. There is a 20 grand top up they’ve been given. That is the story that is not told.”
Horan revealed his belief that Leinster counties may be agreeable to a championship game against Galway in Ballinasloe in the future.
“I think if Galway had Ballinasloe in shape (teams may play there), I think going as far as Salthill is partially the problem, it’s just the distance,” he said. “You’re going nearly the width of Galway to it.”
Another frustration for Galway is Leinster counties have shown no interest in welcoming the westerners’ underage teams into the province, something Horan doesn’t see changing in the short-term.
“We have discussed that every year and there is no change,” he said.
Meanwhile, a decision on whether to take Dublin out of Croke Park for their football championship opener for the second season running will be taken on November 16. Dublin played their first championship game outside of Croke Park in a decade last June when they took on and overcame Laois at Nowlan Park. The back-to-back All-Ireland champions have been drawn against the winners of Wexford/Carlow next summer and a home game for Wexford or Carlow, or another neutral venue like Nowlan Park, hasn’t been ruled out.
“I think a lot of people felt it was fair to get them (Dublin) out, it didn’t change the result in any way,” said Horan.
“Nobody in Dublin had any issue with it at any stage. But I think it was a success. It’s still on the table and it may happen again.
“If you look at the returns from the game in Nowlan Park, 11,000 people were in seats that night but there were spare places on the terrace. “So seating is in big demand and the season tickets that Dublin supporters have is a big thing. Dublin have over 3,000 season tickets and then if you think about it, by the time the players and sponsors and whoever else are catered for, how many will you have left to actually seat people? So the reason for Nowlan Park was seats. That was the reason it was picked. There was no other reason.”
Horan welcomed reports that Dublin GAA are back in talks about purchasing the Spawell complex which they attempted to buy from NAMA last year but were outbid on. Dublin have identified the site as ideal for a 25,000 capacity stadium, something Horan previously stated is required in the area. “That would solve the problem if they can get back in,” said Horan of Dublin’s Spawell link. “I was glad to see John Costello saying there is hope Dublin will get back into Spawell. They’re in negotiations with the investors (who bought the complex) to get the site back that they felt they lost out on.”
