Mayo to disband supporters clubs as cash troubles hit home

MAYO GAA chiefs are set to disband supporters clubs at home and abroad as part of the new financial plan they presented to a Croke Park committee last Thursday, in an effort to alleviate the pressure on the cash-strapped county.

Club Mayo in Mayo, Dublin and London will all be discontinued as part of the plan with the newly-established Cáirde Mhaigheo instead expected to organise fundraising in a centralised manner.

The meeting was the first Mayo board officials have had with Croke Park chiefs, since their November meeting when the Mayo officers were requested to give clubs a full indication of the scale of debt surrounding MacHale Park in Castlebar. That figure was revealed to be €11.6m, comprised of capital loans to Ulster Bank and Croke Park, and a figure of more than €1.6m outstanding to contractors for the €18m redevelopment at the Castlebar venue. The development is, as yet, unfinished.

The GAA’s National Finance Management Committee instructed Mayo to come back to them with a financial plan on how they were going to manage that debt and that presentation was given last Thursday in Ballyhaunis. As part of that presentation, the three supporters clubs are listed as having fundraised €47,986 while the projected income from Cáirde Mhaigheo for 2012 is €150,000.

But the proposal to disband the supporters clubs has generated controversy with Noel Howley, chairman of the influential Club Mayo in Dublin, insisting that they will continue to remain in operation and that there are other sporting organisations in Mayo who they could forge links with.

“Should the county board decide, for whatever reason, to disband us, that will be fine. We will dissociate ourselves if that’s what they want. That’s their call but we will be continuing to raise funds and you know something, there are many sporting organisations in Mayo that just may want us to help them, that is if Mayo County Board want to disband us.”

The financial plan, which has been distributed to clubs in the county, includes five-year income and expenditure and cash flow projections, along with an account history of Mayo GAA for the past five years. It sets forward a number of areas where the board hope to increase income.

Other figures of note from the financial projections include sponsorship figures which were at €240,200 in 2011 and are expected to have grown to €270,000 by 2016. With regard to Cáirde Mhaigheo, Mayo GAA anticipate an income of €150,000 in 2012, increasing to a sizeable €275,000 by 2016. The central tenet of this fundraising initiative is, at present, the €200 season ticket.

Whilst no money was made from advertising signs for MacHale Park in 2011, Mayo GAA are aiming to fundraise €40,000 in 2012 and growing that figure to €60,000 in 2016.

There appears little in the way of cost-cutting apparent. The most significant cost — county team training — shows a gradual increase. At €532,439 for 2011, it is projected at €550,000 for 2012 and €600,000 by 2016. Club delegates are expected to be briefed on the latest discussions early in the New Year.