With a €700,000 deficit, Kildare teams set to feel the pinch

Kildare GAA will be looking to cut its expenditure by €300,000 next year as its cash deficit now exceeds €700,000.

The clubs are also considering a proposal from Central Council that a new committee be given exclusive power to make decisions regarding the county’s finances.

Despite the application of a number of stringent budgetary cuts, most severely in the preparation of its seven county teams, Kildare built up a cash deficit of €140,000 from January to the end of July.

This is a stark figure, given that the expenditure of county teams was reduced from €750,000 to €525,000, with €270,109 of that being spent on the senior footballers and just over €100,000 on the senior hurlers. The minor and U21s in both codes, along with the junior footballers complete the figure, with the U21 hurlers competing in the All-Ireland ‘B’ final on Saturday.

With a four-year deficit of around €570,000 from 2008-2011, Kildare now has a cumulative deficit of €710,000. There is some good news though, with the expected receipt of €190,000 in revenue before the end of the year. With the level of expenditure certain to be reduced due to the conclusion of all inter-county activity by the weekend, the board is looking at a break-even year.

While that would represent an improvement on recent years, it is not being viewed as any cause for optimism however.

The board’s auditor, Brendan Waters warned at last year’s annual convention that a “standstill” situation was not sufficient for Kildare, and repeated that message at a recent meeting with the chairmen and secretaries of the clubs.

To that end, the board is committed to reducing its expenditure for 2013 to €1m. The board has reduced costs by more than €300,000 on last year and a similar cut will be expected in 2013.

It is clear that revenue will need to be generated too and while the GAA shop is believed to be doing well – there are no figures available as it is not yet trading for a full year – other fundraising avenues will have to be pursued, including sponsorship.

Meanwhile, a finance committee has been established to micro-manage the finances on a weekly basis. Comprising local GAA figures with significant professional experience in this area, the committee is reporting to the board on a consistent basis. A convention will need to be held though, to vote on the proposal by Croke Park that the committee be given executive powers to make decisions on Kildare’s finances, without having to debate the issues or consult with the clubs.