Coyne seeks ‘cutbacks across the board’ as Westmeath in red

[Centre Half]

Coyne seeks ‘cutbacks across the board’ as Westmeath in red
By Jackie Cahill

Westmeath officials are counting the cost of a difficult year as independent auditors reported a deficit of almost €250,000 for 2011.
A deficit of €248,712 was incurred, with annual accounts revealing €80,000 owed by a former team sponsor been written off.

The figure was included in last year’s accounts but registered auditors BDM Financial and Accounting Limited have admitted "it is not considered likely that this sponsorship will be received and it has been written off this year".

A loan to the county hurling board in excess of €60,000 has also been written off while Lake County top brass were hit with a bill of over €33,000 for medals, which is not an annual expense.

Taking the write offs and medal amounts into account, Westmeath county board treasurer Denis Coyne points to a ‘net’ loss of €78,000, which he admits is a worrying figure.

"We wouldn’t want to be losing anything next year.

"Cutbacks are needed all over the board," he said.

"Funding from Leinster will be cut by 10% next year and we’re also facing a cut in Central Council funding. We’ll have to take all of that into consideration and be very prudent in our dealings."

Coyne explained the county board has decided to write off the figure of €80,000 owed by former sponsor, which the Irish Examiner understands to be the Hilamar Hotel in Kinnegad, due to the fact he has just one more year to run as treasurer.

"I don’t want to leave the burden on the treasurer next year."

Spending on the preparation of Westmeath’s various inter-county teams has fallen for a second successive year.

In 2010, expenditure dropped by e150,000 from the whopping figure of €413,618 reported in 2009.

And the spending on Lake County’s teams is down again this year, from €264,654 in 2010 to €252,843.

"We’ve reduced capital spending and spending on county teams but how much more can you do? We can’t keep cutting all of the time but players and everybody are aware that it is a tough time in the economy."

One of the more worrying aspects to emerge from Westmeath is that gate receipts from local hurling and football matches is down by some €87,000.

The Westmeath hurling board reported a slight net profit of €3,673 for the year, while the full county board accounts show a drop in income of €147,436 this year, down to €420,410 from the 2010 figure of €567,846.

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Wednesday, December 07, 2011

[Centre Half]

Cost cutting nets Kingdom 125k profit
By Tony Leen

Kerry GAA officials managed to turn over a profit of almost €125,000 this year despite the economic meltdown and the cost of an All-Ireland football final.
Accounts for next week’s annual Convention show a surplus for 2010 — an "excellent achievement in the difficult economic climate we operate in," say officials after the Board trimmed back on cost elements for teams.

The senior team trip to New York this week, though not factored into the accounts, will also be a slimmed down affair, with partners not included, and the number of days reduced to seven.

Accounts show that spending on inter county teams dropped from €812,000 in 2010 to €771,000 this year. The €42,000 drop was achieved by reducing the cost of travel, cheaper accommodation and meal rates.

The report also explains: "Physiotherapy and medical expense has been reduced due to more diligent management of the system. We thank all the team managements and liaison officers for their efforts in managing and controlling this important area of expenditure."

Income was boosted by associate sponsorship agreements with The Malton Hotel in Killarney, Lucozade Sport, Kerry Sports Travel and extra benefit from existing sponsors by reaching the All Ireland Football Final.

Pre All-Ireland final golf classics in Killarney and Dublin bagged a whopping profit of €90,000. Wages and Salaries have increased by €22,000 due to the full time secretary Peter Twiss having a full year cost versus nine months in 2010, plus the additional costs in the administration of match tickets through the All Ireland Final. Legal fees of €53,000 were incurred from the High Court injunction Firies v O’Sullivan case.

In his report to Convention Mr Twiss points to the increase in the number of teams from within clubs depending on their minor players to field teams. "This has implications for player burnout and fixture planning which needs to be addressed. Player burnout has been highlighted in recent years but no clear policy has been developed to help relieve the pressure. It is my view that one of two paths need to be chosen. One is reduce the amount of games or two, confine the good minor players to certain competitions."

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Wednesday, December 07, 2011