Waterford GAA secretary Timmy O’Keeffe was upbeat about the county’s financial situation after the board incurred a small loss of €2,798 in their 2013 accounts. In 2012, the Déise coffers took a hit of €212,271 and the deficit stood at €120,430 in 2011. These latest figures are contained in the report for convention which will take place on December 16 in Dungarvan.
O’Keeffe wrote positively in his report about the progress made over the last twelve months. “I am pleased to report that the finances of the Board are in a much healthier state in 2013 as compared to 2012 and 2011. The accounts show a turnaround from a loss of over two hundred thousand euro (€212,271) in 2012 to more or less a break even situation in 2013.” He thanked the efforts of county treasurer Joe Cleary in this regard. “Full credit must go to the County Treasurer and the executive for this turnaround. Strict cost control, better fundraising and improved gate receipts all contributed.”
Despite these inroads, O’Keeffe still estimates that the board owes in the region of €540,000. “As of October 31, the net indebtedness of the Board was approximately €540,000, down from approximately €600,000 at the same time in 2012. This shows that we are going in the right direction but there is still a long way to go.”
The Clashmore club man warned that this only marks the beginning of a long road to recovery. “Much more work needs to be done,” he stated firmly. “Strict cost controls will have to be maintained and fundraising efforts will have to be redoubled. The major fundraising effort for 2014 will be centred around the Punchestown Races on May 3 but the Golf Classic, the WLR FM Pub Quiz and the Night at the Dogs will need to be successful too.”
Income for the year settled at €1,248,099 which marked a significant increase on the 2012 figure of €1,087,395. They made gains of €73,701 from fundraising activities. Gate receipts swelled by €32,189.
Expenditure fell slightly from €1,299,666 to €1,250,897. Spending on inter county teams dropped from €534,715 in 2012 to €498,356 in the year gone by. The senior hurlers cost €196,821 while the footballers set the board back €115,438. The All Ireland minor hurling champions spent €52,899.
He also acknowledged the part that the clubs played in easing the strain. “The contribution of the clubs through the Club Levy is a vital part in paying down this debt and while I understand the difficult times that each club find themselves in at the moment, it is vital that every club contributes their share.”
Elsewhere in the report, O’Keeffe applauded the efforts of Seán Power’s September winners. “On the playing fields, 2013 will be remembered as the year that Waterford underage hurling really took off. In a wonderful atmosphere, Waterford and Galway served up a fantastic game of hurling. The game had everything; thrills, spills, great scores and most of all, the right result for Waterford. It’s a day that all Waterford supporters will savour for a long time to come. The home coming on Monday night in Waterford and Dungarvan were very special occasions.”
He also expressed his concern about the results of the under 21 and minor footballers at provincial level. “I wrote in last year’s report that an alarming gap has opened up between Waterford and the other five counties in Munster at underage football level and the situation has not improved much in the past year.”
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