Connacht cutbacks: Removal of pre-season GAA tournaments will hit each county where it hurts

At a provincial Council meeting this week, the management committee’s recommendation to half the rent payable to each county in the province for use of venues for Championship games was endorsed. 

CRUNCH: Galway's Cillian Ó Curraoin and Leitrim's Donal Casey in the 2024 Connacht FBD League semi-final in Bekan. The decision to remove the pre-season tournament from the GAA schedule has consequences. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

THE GAA's Connacht Council has been forced to reduce rent payments to counties for the 2025 SFC as a result of fresh funding difficulties, namely the GAA’s decision to axe the FBD Connacht League.

At this month’s provincial council meeting, the management committee’s recommendation to half the rent payable for use of venues in the competition was endorsed.

In a statement Friday, Connacht GAA explained that they estimate they will lose close to €150,000 in revenue associated with the staging of the pre-season competition. Last month, Central Council chose to suspend the January provincial competitions for 2025 on the grounds of player welfare.

Say Connacht GAA chiefs: “During the October meeting of the Connacht GAA, the council accepted a recommendation from the provincial management committee to reduce ground rent payable to counties from 10% to 5% for the senior football championship 2025.

“This decision comes in response to severe funding challenges faced by Connacht following the Ard Comhairle (Central Council) decision to remove one of the provinces main sources of funding, namely the FBD sponsored Connacht Football and Hurling Leagues. In recent years, the competition has taken place at the University of Galway Connacht GAA AirDome.

“Projected income for the province is expected to decline by nearly €150,000 due to losses in gate receipts, streaming, and sponsorship. The removal of these competitions in 2025 is anticipated to have a particularly negative impact, especially as teams, match officials, and supporters could have greatly benefited from experiencing new rules before the National League begins.” 

Connacht added that each county at the council gathering either spoke about the money lost or the inconvenience caused by shelving the competition.

“Delegates from all counties raised concerns during the meeting regarding the loss of revenue and the necessity of these competitions. They pointed out that managers would likely seek additional challenge matches, placing increased demands on players in terms of both playtime and travel.

“The delegates highlighted the missed opportunities provided by the FBD Connacht League and expressed a strong desire to explore alternative solutions for balancing the budget.”