John Prenty: Counties are living beyond their means

Connacht Council secretary John Prenty has accused counties of “living beyond their means”, saying steps must be taken to rein in spending on inter-county teams.

The cost of running teams in the five counties of Connacht rose from €3.7m in 2015 to €4.9m last year, an increase of 32%. Mayo (€1,632,488), Galway (€1,362,093) and Roscommon (€1,074,000) each topped the €1m mark, with Prenty, in his report to convention, questioning if counties were “mad” to be throwing such amounts of money at their flagship teams.

“All of our counties have challenges around facilities and finance. As per usual, each county’s accounts highlight a number of concerns. Almost all counties are living beyond their means and face an almost monthly challenge to keep all of their creditors satisfied,” the secretary noted.