Tipp’s high price of success

Tipperary chairman Seán Nugent has revealed the county board are spending almost €25,000 a week on preparing their six inter-county teams.

Admitting the board are in “a very difficult” financial position, Nugent disclosed the startling figure as the county enjoy an unprecedented amount of success in both hurling and football.

He has also called on the Munster Council and Croke Park to provide more funding to counties whose teams reach provincial and All-Ireland finals.

The intermediate team became Tipperary’s latest hurling team to claim a Munster title with the U21s attempting to complete the clean sweep of provincial honours against Clare next month.

While the minor footballers have won a second successive Munster crown, Peter Creedon’s seniors are tomorrow one step away from reaching a first All-Ireland quarter-final.

Nugent confirmed the board will shortly unveil two fundraising schemes in the coming week to assist relieving the costs of inter-county preparations.

However, he readily acknowledges the involvement of the six teams late into their respective competitions has put a considerable strain on county board finances.

“In terms of finance, yes it’s definitely very difficult,” said Nugent. “We’ve been lucky in Tipp over the last number of years to have had good sponsors.

“We’d have Enfer for nine years and they were very helpful financially to us. Now we have a very good Skoda sponsorship.

“Having said all that, competing in the amount of grades we’ve been has put serious costs on the county.

“We were looking at figures there recently and we would estimate we’re spending something very near €25,000 a week on team training costs, which is huge.”

Tipperary have been attempting to curb the cost of their inter-county team preparations for some time now.

Last year, they succeeded in reducing their overheads by €61,516 from 2011 but they still totalled more than €1 million for the fourth year in a row, while their accounts showed a deficit of €220,000.

Nugent believes provincial councils and central sources should provide more funding to counties whose teams are successful.

“I would be of the opinion myself that the provincial councils and Croke Park have been very good to us in regards to coaching and development grants and that sort of thing, but the finance that goes into preparing teams is a major concern at the moment.

“I would say provincial councils will have to look at providing more funding from gate receipts, not just Tipperary but all counties.

“I’m talking especially about counties that reach provincial and All-Ireland finals because they are the counties where expenditure will be very high.

“To reach the standards other counties are reaching at the moment and to keep up those standards, we’re going to have to get money somewhere and it has to be look at by those bodies in terms of funding the counties a bit more.”

As Nugent reveals, the county board will shortly announce two major fundraising initiatives to help them towards meeting the costs of their teams’ successes.

“Tipperary people are great supporters and generous enough to put their hands in their pockets.

“The Friends of Tipperary football had a sponsored cycle there last Saturday and people shelled out something in the region of €25,000 and that’s great credit to them. There’s great support out there. Our experience last Saturday would show that the support is out there. It’s just a case of tapping into that support and we’ll be coming forward in the next week or so with two major fundraising ventures in the county to help to cover ongoing costs.

“One of the ventures will be to ask €100 from a thousand people, Tipperary people, both in and outside the county.

“The other will be in the nature of a draw in a forecast competition. We’ll be getting that show on the road shortly.

“In recent weeks, so many people around the county have asked me how are we going to fund the costs associated with the teams’ success. I’ve been saying, ‘We’ll be calling to your door’.”

Nugent is nonetheless delighted with their achievements so far.

“It’s hugely enjoyable in a period of success like we are having at the moment. Just to say, we’re keeping our feet very much on the ground.

“In all the grades we are involved in, we’re very conscious that when you’ve a lot of irons in the fire at the one time that you can come undone along the way.

“The cheers we are getting at the moment could turn to tears very quickly. While it’s wonderful to win a provincial crown in any grade, it’s All-Irelands that are really remembered.”