Dubs €2m price of success

Dublin GAA chairman Andy Kettle has confirmed the county board’s spending on intercounty teams will hit close to the €2m mark again this year.

The high cost of success saw Dublin spend over €1.7m two years ago, when the Sky Blues won the All-Ireland SFC title for the first time since 1995.

And even though Dublin did not contest the football decider in 2012, and crashed out of the hurling championship early, preparing intercounty teams still cost over €1.6m last season.

Dublin enjoyed incredible success this year as the footballers claimed the Sam Maguire for the second time in three seasons, while the hurlers stormed to a first Leinster senior championship success since 1961.

And that suggests Dublin are looking at a massive outlay in line with their spectacular success in 2013.

Dublin’s money-men are currently totting up the figures ahead of convention and Kettle said: “I’d say we’ll certainly match what we spent last year. It’s become a fact of life. You try to cut it back but there are professional people involved and that is their job, as distinct from the likes of people like myself, for whom it’s a labour of love.

“We do it on a voluntary basis but there are people employed now in full-time positions. And to keep everything at the upper level, you need the best people with you.”

To alleviate the financial strain, Dublin chiefs are in the market for a new shirt sponsor to replace Vodafone.

And Kettle hopes to reveal a high-profile backer in the coming weeks. He said: “Everybody knows we’re in the market for a new sponsor. We have it reasonably well narrowed down. There are one or two interested parties and we hope to have an announcement before the end of October.

“Again, it’s a known fact that the sponsorship market has shrunk considerably since we were there before. Marquee brands are finding it difficult to get the same money they had. We hope to have a sponsor but whether we’ll get as much as we got is down to debate.”

Meanwhile, Kettle has also warned the success of their senior hurlers and footballers must not come at a price.

He expressed disappointment at the performances of the county’s minor and U21 teams in both grades – and accepted that the Dublin conveyor belt “might have missed a gear or two this year.”