Blow for 'new home' as Westmeath GAA face €70,000 deficit

As Westmeath clubs prepare to convene for this year’s County Convention on Thursday, arguably one of the most striking and concerning lines from the financial report of the past year is the decline of over €120,000 in gate receipts.

In another blow, the streaming income was down from €46,000 last year to €40,000 in 2024. This, perhaps indicates supporters showing their disapproval of the modern game, which current Westmeath GAA County Committee Secretary Brendan Shaw feels is offering poor value for paying patrons. He is hoping that the new rules, to be introduced next year, will bring improvement.

“Football has for a long time been a very dull and mechanical game, and I firmly believe these rule changes will invigorate the game and make it more of a spectacle for our patrons. It will also make the game more exciting for the players, and this is to be welcomed,” he notes ahead of this week’s Westmeath County Convention.

At the same time as football is failing to win popular support, Westmeath GAA paid over €1.2m in team administration costs for their county sides, a figure which showed an increase on the previous year.

The Westmeath senior football management and backroom team accounted for just under €144,000 of the cost, while the senior hurling management and backroom team accounted for approximately €128,000.

Westmeath GAA Head of Operations Patrick Doherty suggests the county may need to take a look at the championship format and introduce greater jeopardy in order to generate interest among supporters. There are five rounds of the football championship under the current format and teams could afford to lose two or three games, depending on the how the group pans out.

Mr Doherty outlined how the organisation is operating with a deficit of €70,000 overall this year, despite the major fundraiser in October 2023, which raised around €160,000.

Acknowledging the work of Club Iarmhí, which raised around €30,000, Mr Doherty said the organisation is facing a major financial challenge and urged all 47 clubs to continue their fundraising efforts, particularly as plans are in place for 'a new home' (Centre of Excellence), set to cost approximately €15m.

An initial fundraiser is aimed at raising €1m for the project.

“The first, and very significant, hurdle will be finance. To that end, we recently launched the monster fundraiser – Win a Home in Spain – and we hope that the clubs will embrace this draw with all your gusto (as you usually do) to support our county’s future players in all codes,” notes Mr Doherty.

It is acknowledged that 2024 was historic in the context of Westmeath GAA securing 49 acres near Mullingar for their new home, which is to be developed over a number of years. Clubs will meet on Thursday to discuss the year and crunch the numbers, and the one thing they will be keen to avoid going forward is a levy. There was again solid support from the GAA nationally and other sporting bodies: Income from associated bodies includes a grant of €313,000 for coaching from Central Council and a further €192,000 of central funding, without which Westmeath GAA would be facing a real crisis. Central Council also provided almost €94,000 for team expenses this year.

Sport Ireland funding was €142,000 last year, but in 2024 it was down to €2,468. Sponsorships have brought in €254,000, a slight decrease on the 2023 figure. Cash in hand and at the bank stands at €316,000 this year, down from €643,000 last year. Westmeath GAA spent almost €47,000 on repairs to TEG Cusack Park this year and work is ongoing on further enhancement at the stadium ahead of the new season. Elsewhere, there is just one change to the executive for 2025, with Joe Daly (Tyrrellspass) replacing Tom Hunt (Mullingar Shamrocks), whose five-year term as Central Council Delegate is up.

Westmeath GAA endured a difficult year on the administrative front, and current chairman Frank Mescall is facing into the final year of his tenure.