Show us the money ?

[sligeach]

During last Saturday after a heavy amount of alcohol taken, partially to drown my sorrows i got chatting to an English lad living over here. Anyways, discussion turned to GAA and where does the money go.

Now before i start let me say i'm extremely proud of the amateur nature of the GAA and the fact the players don't get paid and play for pride. The english guy had his opinion that Ireland has a culture of "shame" or something like that, remember i was lucky to be standing at this stage.

Anyways its not his points i want to talk about because i didn't think they were relevant but instead ... where does the money go ?

In fairness i don't get to travel to HQ all that often but ....

50 yoyos for new jersey + 35 for ticket + 25 yoyos for train + 20 food and 100 drink (ok lets cut that down to 20 to make it average for most people).

Thats 150 yoyos for a day supporting sligo.

Now i also spend quite a bit of me own cash on gear and i'm sure adding up petrol and time taken off work for injuries etc and .. well ok its not a fortune but its still a good few quid.

Now look at the GAA, they're going to get 8 fecking million for letting the rugby and soccer lads in next year, how many more for the championship yearly taking + god knows how much from everything else. i.e > government grants, concerts, drink/food sold during games etc etc etc.

Now they put up ticket prices by a 10'r last sunday for the hurling.

Now i'm not saying players should get paid (although i'd probably agree with it in some form or another) thats not what i want to discuss. Its who DOES get the dosh from all this ?

The GAA is supposed to be "ours", its our association, an amateur one. Yet in September how many tickets are going to corporate wankers who have no interest in the game whatsoever, how many tickets go to high level GAA people to give to their mates, uncles, cousins etc ?

I know a lot of the money trickles down to the grassroots level but .. how much of it ?

Basically what i'm saying is the GAA are raking the cash in, its probably the greatest profit making business in this country when you consider the majority of their "workforce" work for free.

Are we all dopes ? Are the GAA top dogs living the high life ?

This country has to be one of the most corrupt if not the most corrupt in the world. How many dodgy builders/architects/politicans etc do we have and they get away with murder.

I find it hard to believe that all the cash the GAA takes in go where we believe it goes and where it should go.

Anyways ... time to sit back and take the abuse i'm in for

[Shamrock Shore]

 

FFS - all you have to do is get the accounts of the various GAA bodies to see where the "cash" goes.

The only scandal in my opinion is the 'expenses' paid to managers. Is Micko on a 6 figure sum from Wicklow? If so, is he paying tax?

Is he f**k!

[IolarCoisCuain]

I think you might be massaging the figures there a little Sligeach.

Fifty yo-yos for a jersey is a once-off expense, unless you buy a new one every game you go. If you do, stop - you're wasting your money.

The 25 yo-yos for the train went to CIE, or whatever they're calling themselves now. 25 seems cheap, actually - I'm told it's sixty to Cork and back. Nice. I tried to look it up just now on their website, but it seems I'm far too stupid to be able to operate the interface.

The twenty yo-yos you spent on food went to Ronald McDonald, of course, and the hundred bucks on booze went to Mr Quinn, Mr McGrath or Mr Tree, depending on your choice of venue.

So the GAA itself only soaked you for the cost of the ticket - which would be much higher if it weren't for corporate sponsorship. The corp sector isn't good, but it is a neccessary evil. At least corporate sponsorship doesn't promote competing codes, as the opening of the ground does. But Pandora's Box has been opened now, and we'll just have to live with the consequences.

[rosnarun]

I was at the same match
i got free tickets premium level €12 for dinner, which i only got because of the novelty premium level factor  about 8 quid for drinks (3 bottles of ballygowan  and another one of fagans own brand after the match)
tenner each for deisel between 4 and home for Tea a total of less than 30 euro(or 65 if i had to pay for the ticket) for a great days entertainment and no chance of mayo losing.
thats outstanding value either way for me

[Msgr. Horan]

for a great days entertainment and no chance of mayo losing.
thats outstanding value either way for me

Were you 100% confident about that, the shellshock factor hadnt worn off from last September for me and I was getting flashbacks. At half time in the Sligo match when they were "delayed" coming out I was convinced it was our lads who were going to come out instead of them to complete the trimming. I was sure I saw Ronan McGarrity coming outta the tunnel.