GAA unfazed by scaling back of replays windfall, claims finance chief Tom Ryan

GAA director of finance Tom Ryan is not perturbed by the prospect of losing the potential for money-spinning replays outside of All-Ireland and provincial finals.

Last year’s All-Ireland semi-final replay between Dublin and Mayo earned the GAA approximately €1m.

However, the GAA will later this month put forward a motion to Congress calling for the facility of extra-time in all championship games except deciders.

The proposal is an attempt by GAA director general Páraic Duffy to alleviate some of the impact of the inter-county scene on club fixtures.

Duffy originally suggested all drawn championship games be decided by extra-time but omitted the All-Ireland and provincial finals on receipt of feedback.

Ryan said the GAA’s finances are not contingent on bonuses such as replays. “The main objective is not financial, so as long as it delivers things in the other spheres, in terms of the games programme, in terms of availability of players for club matches and freeing up weekends and so on — that’s the bigger picture,” Ryan said.

“But speaking from a very parochial point of view, clearly we have a programme of things that we need to fund at the start of the year. We don’t budget ever for replays anyway, we don’t plan for them.

“So to the extent that when they arise they do represent a little bit of a bonus, they allow us to maybe move into areas that we wouldn’t have foreseen or help to facilitate other projects. That’s all it’s going to mean.

“The motion as it’s constructed is going to leave All-Ireland senior championship (final) replays in the mix anyway.”

Revealing a “solid and sound” financial report yesterday, Ryan said he had no concerns about gate receipts’ decreasing percentage of total GAA revenue.

Commercial revenue constituted 33% last year compared to the 48% made up by gate receipts. Gate receipts dropped across the board by 9.2% partly due to the lack of an All-Ireland hurling final replay as there was between 2012 and ’14.

“You can say it’s historically low,” said Ryan, “but that’s as a proportion measured against the commercial side. So as the commercial gets stronger and stronger, I suppose the fact the proportion generated from gate receipts diminishes slightly is not necessarily a negative.

“I think the fact that the commercial side of things is becoming stronger means that you are insulated a little bit from the fluctuation you have from gate receipts. You can actually plan for the year ahead — 33% of our revenues for 2016 are by and large contracted for in advance so it allows the luxury of being able to plan and being able to budget with a little bit more certainly.”

At last year’s Congress, Duffy spoke about the impact the number of televised games was having on attendances although there was a bump in the 2015 football championship figures thanks in no small part to the All-Ireland semi-final replay. Ahead of Congress’ February 27 vote concerning Dublin’s motion to make all televised championship games available to free-to-air TV, GAA stadium and commercial director Peter McKenna chose not to comment.

“As executives, our jobs are to execute policy. When something of that importance is in front of Congress, I think my contribution wouldn’t be helpful.”