Inter-county spend in Munster well up on pre-pandemic figures

Figures released in recent weeks show the six counties spent a combined total of €8.77m preparing their flagship teams during the past year, a jump of €837k on the 2019 total

Thu, 29 Dec, 2022 - 07:24

Eoghan Cormican

The money ploughed into inter-county teams by the six Munster counties in 2022 is way above pre-pandemic spending.

Figures released in recent weeks show the six counties spent a combined total of €8.77m preparing their flagship teams during the past year, a jump of €837,000 - or 11% - on the 2019 total of €7.94m.

The €8.77m total for 2022 represents a €3.3m increase on the combined 2021 spend, which also incorporated money spent during the final six weeks of the 2020 inter-county season given that year’s county board accounts did not include expenditure beyond October 31.

Despite this record spend across the province for the first full inter-county season since 2019, which included Limerick breaking the €2m mark and Clare surpassing the €1m mark for the first time ever, all six counties recorded end of year surpluses.

Cork and Tipperary are the two Munster counties whose 2022 team expenses came in below their 2019 equivalent. Mind you, the difference is minimal in Cork’s case as their 2019 spend of €1,627,483 is only marginally higher than this year’s €1,614,766.

It is no surprise that Tipperary’s €1.36m bill is well down on the €1,776,975 total from 2019. The Premier senior hurlers were finished as early as May 22 this year, whereas in 2019 the county’s senior and U20 hurlers both achieved All-Ireland glory.

Limerick, as mentioned, were the biggest spenders this year. The All-Ireland hurling champions forked out €2,297,886 on all their county teams.

This €2.3m bottom line is an increase of almost €1m from last year’s figure of €1,321,258 and €818k more than was forked out in 2019.

Treaty hurling selector Donal O’Grady recently told the Irish Examiner they aren’t operating with a blank chequebook despite their record €2.3m spend.

O’Grady also said the record sums of money being pumped into all county teams will have to be looked at if the spending graph continues to rise and rise.

“It's something that will probably have to be looked at down the line if it spirals out of control,” he remarked.

“Are we doing anything that other teams aren't, as far as financially? I would say we're doing the exact same. Obviously we're at the latter end of the Championship, which obviously has its own costs. And my understanding is that the team trip was in that [€2.3m figure], as well.

“But there's no, how would I say, blank chequebook thrown at the senior hurling team. Everything is done for a reason and I suppose it's hard to know what other counties are doing.” All-Ireland football champions Kerry came in third on the Munster spending list, behind Limerick and Cork, their team expenditure coming in at €1.445m. The senior footballers account for close to €850,000 of that figure.

Kerry’s 2022 costs are only marginally higher than in 2019 when two All-Ireland senior football final appearances shoved team spend up to €1.38m.

In Clare, their run to the All-Ireland hurling semi-final and football quarter-final saw team preparation costs reach €1,097,282.

This surpassing of the €1m mark - a first for Clare GAA - represented a 27% increase on their 2019 spend. Despite this record total, the county board managed an end of year operating profit of €614k.

Waterford, not for the first time, were Munster’s most modest spenders. Their team bill for 2022 was €962,570, a hike of 19% on three years ago. More than half of Waterford’s spend - €506,083 - went to the senior hurlers.

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