Increased attendances offset fall in revenue, insists Cooney

AS SPORTING organisations across the country this morning lay down the gauntlet to the Government over plans to cut sports funding, GAA President Christy Cooney last night insisted the increase in attendances the association enjoyed this year offset the decrease in revenue.

“There’s a press conference where the various sporting organisations are getting together to outline the value of sport and to basically outline why there should be not cut in funding for sporting organisations in our country. The chief executives of the various organisations are going to deal with that, with Paraic Duffy from our organisation. That will explain everything. “But, from a GAA point of view, we are happy with the year that has gone by. We adapted to the conditions, by not reducing our top-level prices, but by putting packages together.

“Of course, our revenues are going to be down this year but our ambition is to get our crowds up and get people going to our games. We put competitive packages together to get people to our games and it was wonderful to see so many families involved.

“It was tremendous for us this year that our crowds were up. We made a special effort to develop packages in the various provinces, to really attract families to our games. We put on quality games and when we had no real serious disciplinary issues, people want to come and see our games. I also believe crowds are up in the counties as well this year. The most important thing to happen this year was we’d quality games and quality All-Ireland finals. All in all, our standards have been superb this year. I think we’re on the up and up, and there’s nothing stopping us from going better.”

Cooney also expressed optimism for the future of the much-maligned interprovincial championships which begins this weekend with footballsemi-final clashes. The tie between Munster and Connacht is set to take place on Saturday night under floodlights in the Gaelic Grounds.

“There is a special attraction about games under lights which we’ve seen over the last few years. Hopefully we’ll have crowds this weekend.

“The provincial councils are making a big effort to get people to games, particularly young people. There’s a lot of work being done in schools to attract young people to go to the interprovincial matches. Then we’ve a special occasion in London on the 7th and 8th of November. On the Saturday, we’ve unveiling a headstone to one of our founders in London and then that night we’ve a special 125th celebratory dinner with 600 people going to that in Ruislip. Then we’ve the interprovincial football final in London and I think London deserves that for the great contribution it has made to Gaelic Games over the years.”

Cooney was speaking last night in Nemo Rangers GAA Club in Cork at the Munster launch of The GAA: A People’s History, and revealed that he believes the policy of holding several launches will boost the book’s success.

“We’ve had the national launch and this is the Munster launch. We’ll be having a launch in Connacht, a launch in Newry and a launch in Britain on weekend of interprovincials which is part of the 125 celebrations.

“It’s a special book. We want to get it out to people. It represents a very historic period in Irish life. About the people of the country and the contribution they’ve made to the GAA, not just about the games.”