Chairman confident Westmeath can recover lost income
Westmeath GAA County Committee Chairman, Frank Mescall, who has spent four years in the position, is adamant the county can turn a corner on the financial front in the year ahead.
It comes after the association recorded a considerable deficit for the past year as they press ahead with plans for the new centre of excellence. Addressing delegates at last Thursday night’s Westmeath GAA convention in the Mullingar Park Hotel, the chairman said a big collective drive from the 47 clubs could turn things around in the coming year. The county has recently launched a major fundraising initiative to help finance its new home.
In his penultimate address at the helm of Westmeath GAA, the chairman spoke of 2024 as a year of “the good, the bad and the ugly”
“I’m going to concentrate, I hope, just on the good,” he remarked. “I’m certainly not going to go near the ugly, though we did have ugly incidents during the year. There is no point in saying we didn’t, but we won’t dwell on it.”
A mixed season on the field brought some disappointment but plenty to build on. “Winning Division 3 in football is no mean feat,” said Frank. “Our hurlers performed well in the league but the Joe McDonagh Cup was not as successful.
“Underage, and probably minor level, is still a little cause for concern. Our U20s were in a group of death also, and both sides competed very well.
“Of our club champions, who went off to represent us in Leinster, three clubs came within a point of reaching a Leinster final. They were very unlucky. Who’s to say what would have happened if they got to the final? Our clubs represented us very well.”
Regarding the county finances and the question of a decline in income and Westmeath’s €67,000 deficit, the auditor’s report was not yet discussed by delegates but Frank said that he expected “plenty of discussion”.
“We have a deficit. I promised you that last year. I told you our expenses were going to rise,” he stated. “That happened but, I suppose, one thing we didn’t foresee happening was the fall (in gate receipts) nationally for league games, and the fall in our county for championship games. I don’t think anybody predicted that.
“The combination of both of these has weakened our financial position. Is it a cause for worry? Yes, but I wouldn’t stay awake all night over it. It is not a huge burden on us. We will make it up in the year ahead.”
The Ballynacargy man appealed to clubs to put their shoulders to the wheel on various fundraising initiatives in the coming years with a view to developing TEG Cusack Park, including the ‘Win A Home In Spain’ initiative.