Connacht counties put brakes on runaway spending

Connacht counties have finally heeded the provincial secretary’s many warnings, with spending by counties on their flagship teams falling by 9% last year on the record high of €4.93m in 2016.

In his report to last year’s Connacht convention, provincial secretary John Prenty accused counties of “living beyond their means”. Moreover, he warned of the implications facing the various boards if spending on inter-county teams was not drastically reined in.

The Connacht Council hierarchy sat down with county officers on several occasions in relation to the amount of money being poured into teams. “Are we mad?” asked Prenty, at the lack of progress made in curtailing team expenses.