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Irish Times
14 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Mayo GAA finances Q&A: Why were the GAA's top officials in Westport?
Even by Mayo's standards, it was an eventful few days. As the county came to terms with their footballers' unexpected home defeat by Cavan on the first weekend of the All-Ireland series , word emerged on the Friday of last week that GAA president Jarlath Burns and director general Tom Ryan would be arriving in Westport's Knockranny House Hotel the following Monday to attend an extraordinary meeting of the Mayo county committee. Speculation was that they would be addressing financial issues, believed to centre on allegations that included a charge that Croke Park had not passed a reduction negotiated with the bank after it had assumed responsibility for loans taken out by Mayo. By then football manager Kevin McStay had suffered a medical episode at training last Saturday and it was announced just before Monday's meeting that he would be stepping back from his involvement with the team, leaving assistant and coach Stephen Rochford in charge of affairs for this weekend's critical group match against Tyrone in Omagh . How did we get here? The problem began with the redevelopment of MacHale Park in Castlebar, which was completed at a cost of €18 million and opened in 2009, not great timing in financial terms. READ MORE By 2014, Croke Park had loaned Mayo €5 million and taken over an additional, consolidated €5 million as part of a scheme to alleviate distressed loans to GAA units. Last Monday, the GAA's most senior officials were attending the meeting in Westport to deal, inter alia, with allegations that a debt 'haircut' of 50 per cent had not been passed on to the county. What happened? GAA director general (DG) Tom Ryan dealt with the matter of the loan – eventually – after the meeting had opened with condemnation of the intimidatory treatment suffered on social media by county officers and others in the GAA. Ryan, previously the association's director of finance, explained that the outstanding loan, confirmed at €7.8 million, was based on the original total of €10 million – two loans at €5 million each, the second, Loan B, of which had been taken over from Ulster Bank. He strenuously denied that Croke Park had failed to extend the whole reduction to Mayo, saying that it in fact represented 'one of the highest single-value discounts' obtained by any GAA unit. But what does that mean? Ryan outlined that a €1 million reduction on Loan B had been secured, in other words 20 per cent, as opposed to the alleged 50 per cent. The €1 million remains on the balance sheet but reduces as the rest of the loan is paid. Repayments have been brought down over the past 10 years from €46,000 per month to the current €25,000, now payable over 32 years at 1.9 per cent. The DG has a reputation for measured presentation and was very effective, for instance, when the GAA were before the Oireachtas committee on sport and media for its hearings on the 'future of sports broadcasting' and more specifically the GAAGO streaming service. Those present were largely convinced by what he had to say on the loan and the passing on of the discount. Everyone is happy, so? GAA president Jarlath Burns with GAA director general Tom Ryan. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho Although there was no counting of hands, there is believed to have been more or less unanimous support for the officers at a vote taken afterwards. Delegates, who were looking for dissent, report that they didn't see hands not raised and no objections were raised. There is a difference of opinion though between those who attended the meeting, who were impressed and persuaded by Ryan's presentation, and those who weren't present, some of whom felt unconvinced by what they heard back and viewed as vague details. As one said, the priority should have been to equip members with the tools to refute the rumours, which they felt hadn't been done. One delegate acknowledged that financial details can be hard for delegates. 'They come from clubs, which have a different approach. You fundraise – you build. You're not dealing with balance sheets. You're dealing with a set of accounts,' the delegate said. This isn't peculiar to Mayo but a fact of life in a voluntary organisation where there is a growing list of demands on the time of officers given the expanding governance requirement. To cope with this, counties are now required to have an audit and risk committee to advise the treasurer on governance matters and to report back at least annually to provincial and national equivalents. How did abusive social media activity become an issue? After this year's league final in which Kerry beat Mayo, Burns in his presentation speech expressed support for and solidarity with Mayo officers, who had been under fire because of these allegations. At Monday night's meeting, this online hostility was highlighted with examples shown to delegates in an unexpected presentation by county secretary Ronan Kirrane. County chairman Seamus Tuohy said: 'The nature of this campaign includes threatening and abusive emails targeted at individual members of the county board, social media posts making a raft of false accusations about officers of the county board as well as inaccurate and defamatory articles that were published online.' Burns added that the communications had 'gone way beyond' anything that could be 'considered acceptable.' Was the initial emphasis on the abuse of officers counterproductive? Even by Mayo's standards, it was an eventful few days. Photograph: Donall Farmer/Inpho For some outside the meeting it was unhelpful, generating too much smoke and giving the opportunity to depict it as deflection. For others in attendance, it was of sufficient scale and gravity to merit being raised. Not everyone would have been familiar with what had happened. 'It was shocking,' according to one of those present. What about the five players? A strange addendum to the presentation on abuse of officers came from Burns. 'I'll tell you one example of toxic activity,' he said. 'I received an email saying 'are you aware that there are five members of the Mayo senior football panel living in Dublin in an area where it is not laid out for residential use? I am reporting those five players to Dublin City Council .'' The players under threat left what is believed to have been a customised warehouse space but for some of those present, it was an odd line to take. After all, in this case the whistle-blowing appeared to be justified. 'If I were Mayo GAA, I'd be ashamed that our players were living in those conditions,' said one, 'and not drawing attention to it.' What now? Nobody is quite sure whether enough has been done to quell any disquiet but delegates and officers clearly want to move on. There have been recent suggestions that the county might commit €15 million to a centre of excellence, the lack of which former Mayo manager James Horan recently lamented on the Examiner football podcast. Presumably, with a legacy debt hanging around – albeit with flattened repayments – for another three decades, a major infrastructural project would have to be funded in advance.
Belfast Telegraph
3 days ago
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
This Championship format is the best we've ever had… so why are GAA chiefs getting rid of it?
Jarlath Burns has been the most proactive, positive and hands-on GAA president in recent years and has already overseen some massive changes to the organisation, most of which have been successful. Without going too heavy on the new rules, even the most defiant defender of the old game can't truthfully say that things aren't better than they were before the enhancements, and it isn't an exaggeration to say that this sort of Gaelic football is now on a par with hurling in terms of entertainment.
Belfast Telegraph
4 days ago
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
NI building firm hits milestone in £33.5m Croke Park hotel project
McAleer & Rushe, which is based in Cookstown, has carried out construction of the €40m (£33.5m) Maldron Hotel on behalf of frequent collaborator, Dalata Hotel Group. A topping-out ceremony has now marked its structural completion, with guests including GAA president Jarlath Burns as well as senior representatives of Dalata and McAleer & Rushe. The 200-bedroom, four-star hotel is due to open next year and will include a business centre with five meeting rooms, a gym and a full-service bar and restaurant. It's located next to Croke Park Stadium, which McAleer & Rushe said offered 'immediate access' to the GAA stadium, along with connectivity to Dublin Airport, major roads and public transport. Dalata Hotel Group, Ireland's largest hotel operator, will manage the hotel under its Maldron brand. To date, McAleer & Rushe has delivered more than 3,000 hotel bedrooms for Dalata across Ireland and Great Britain. The hotel will have environmentally-friendly features such as green roofs, air source heat pumps and EV charging points, and will feature a traditional red brick façade. Mr Burns said: 'Congratulations to all parties concerned in reaching this significant milestone in the project. "The views of Croke Park are spectacular and I have no doubt that the addition of this superb facility will be welcomed by visitors to the stadium and the area in general. "Partnering with Dalata, sponsors of the GAA Football U20 Football Championship, has been a positive experience and we look forward to the completion of the project.' Seamus McAleer, chairman of McAleer & Rushe, and its chief executive Eamonn Laverty, said: 'It was a pleasure to bring together key stakeholders to celebrate this important milestone and reflect on the collective effort that has brought this flagship development to life. "Nearly two decades after delivering the Croke Park Hotel for the GAA, we are proud to once again contribute our expertise to a project of such significance, while strengthening our successful partnership with both the GAA and our long-standing client, Dalata.' Behind-the-scenes look at filming for How to Train Your Dragon in Northern Ireland ahead of release Dermot Crowley, CEO of Dalata Hotel Group, added: 'Today's event represents a major milestone in delivering this landmark hotel, and I am delighted to be here to celebrate this moment alongside our partners and stakeholders, McAleer & Rushe and the GAA. "This achievement highlights the strength of our partnership with the GAA, a relationship founded on our shared values of commitment, excellence, and community spirit. "As title sponsors of the U20 All-Ireland Football Championship, we understand the importance of investing in the future, both in sport and in the communities we serve. "This hotel will further strengthen our presence in Dublin creating local jobs, supporting the economy, and welcoming more visitors to the city.'
Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Jarlath Burns: I ask anybody who is reporting back, just examine your conscience
It had already been a night full of startling revelations by the time GAA president Jarlath Burns addressed the room at a special meeting of the Mayo county board. The meeting was preceded by the announcement that Mayo football manager Kevin McStay is stepping back from his role for the immediate future to deal with personal health issues. The county's finances and allegations of an ongoing campaign of harassment and intimidation were discussed and displayed via a slideshow presentation. Delegates unanimously passed two special motions in Westport. The first was to unequivocally condemn the campaign of abuse. The second motion was a vote of confidence in the current officers. For Burns, the controversy touches every corner of the association. Topics included adult safeguarding, the historic financial operations of the association and its future direction. 'I came onto the Armagh executive in 2010. If you go back to 2010, I'm sure many of you were involved, there was no such thing as cashless,' he said. 'Audits, audit and risk were not terms we had in the GAA. So we decided that we had concerns about some aspects of our own operation and we carried out an audit. 'Whenever we got the results back, the person who did the audit for ourselves said that we are going to have to introduce a new word into the English language. It is called 'inauditable.' 35% of our operations were inauditable. Every county was like that. This county was like that. Every county was like that because at that stage, the GAA was growing at a rate that we were finding it very difficult for volunteers (to manage).' The GAA moved towards a new policy of cashless access to its fixtures during the Covid pandemic. Match tickets are also available to purchase through Centra/SuperValu stores. 'As a result of that, audit and risk, governance, control, all of that became very important,' continued Burns. 'That is one of the main reasons we went totally cashless. Since we have gone totally cashless, I would have to say in virtually every county audit and risk controls are outstanding. None more so than this county. Michelle McAleer is here today, audited every county, she would say this county came number one in terms of audit and risk, financial control and transparency. It is important to say that.' Gripes are still inevitable. Much of that, when it comes to fixtures or suspensions or team performance, is understandable. Burns believes the current campaign crosses the line. The board also confirmed they reported the issue to An Garda Síochána and intend to seek legal advice. The GAA president went on to address the delegates in the room. GAA secretary Ronan Kirrane had earlier given a presentation detailing a selection of the emails received. Kirrane also focused on the prospect that current delegates were providing information to the unnamed party: 'Maybe we should all look at ourselves and what we have done. Hopefully I am only speaking to one or two at the most, but if I am, and that is you when you look in the mirror, please leave.' This was a theme that Burns echoed as well. 'On Saturday evening, we had the DUP sports minister Gordon Lyons in the Athletic Grounds watching our game. 'He couldn't get over firstly the crowd, it was packed, secondly the atmosphere, thirdly the fact no one was segregated, the fourth thing he said was I'm looking around at half-time, it is all respectable people who go to these games. That is what the GAA is. We are respectable people. We are people of decency and kindness. ' I just ask anybody who is reporting back, in light of what Ronan has given a snapshot of here tonight, just examine your conscience. Just reflect. What is my role in this? What is my role if I am on the side of people who would be so vicious and nasty and bullying and intimidating and threatening?' Meanwhile, Connacht GAA CEO John Prenty hailed the breakdown of how Croke Park had acquired a €5m bank loan in 2015 relating to Mayo GAA. Director General Tom Ryan made a presentation about the terms of the agreement. 'That has been answered 100% by the Ard Stiúrthóir,' he said. 'Simple, precise language. I am amazed that at least two of the people who are keyboard warriors and are supposed to be highly educated, couldn't read the balance sheet of the Mayo county board for the last ten years. 'The second thing is we have been 100% in this room tonight behind our officers, the current officers and some of the previous officers who got a lot of dirty abuse as well, but I think we need to be careful where we go from here. We are dealing with people who think in different ways than GAA people. We want to make sure whatever advice we get, we don't bring down further abuse on our officers or members of our clubs.'
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Mayo GAA deny claims of financial mismanagement and reveal threats to county board members
Mayo GAA has denied claims of financial mismanagement while revealing An Garda Síochána have been informed of 'threatening and abusive' emails sent to county board officers. Monday night's special county board meeting in Westport was attended by GAA president Jarlath Burns and association director general Tom Ryan. During the meeting Burns condemned what he labelled as 'toxic activity' targeted towards Mayo County Board officers while delegates unanimously passed a motion condemning such abuse and also supported a motion of confidence in current county board officers. Mayo GAA released a statement afterwards saying the meeting had been called to 'address a very serious adult safety issue that is facing the Co Board, due to an ongoing campaign of harassment and intimidation that has been targeted at its officers over the past number of years.' READ MORE The statement continued: 'At the special meeting of more than 100 club delegates, Mayo Co Board outlined the nature of the threatening and abusive email correspondence that its officers continue to receive. Given the seriousness of the situation, a decision was taken to inform club delegates of the nature of the campaign against Mayo GAA, which constitutes an adult safety issue for all Co Board officers. 'The Co Board confirmed it has reported the matter to An Garda Síochána and that it intends to seek legal advice on the matter in the next week. 'Mayo GAA delegates unanimously passed two special motions, which were proposed from the floor. The first was a motion to unequivocally condemn the campaign of abuse and intimidation that is continues to be targeted at Mayo Co Board officers. 'The second motion was a unanimous vote of confidence in the current officers of Mayo Co Board to continue their work and seek to bring an end to this campaign.' The presence of both Burns and Ryan highlighted the seriousness of the situation. Burns said: 'Mayo is a proud county with incredible GAA pedigree. It's a county that is respected by the entire GAA family across the island of Ireland. But without unity there can be no progression. 'The GAA has a duty of care to the officers in every club and county, not only under adult safeguarding policies, but also to promote and value the selfless work of the volunteers that make our Association what it is. 'I've been very concerned about the threats, intimidation and toxic activity that has been directed against the officers of Mayo Co Board, which is bound to have a negative impact on all aspects of the administration of Mayo GAA. It's now time for this to stop.' Financial issues were also discussed during the gathering, including the board's explanation on details of the repayment rate for Mayo GAA in relation to a €5 million loan taken on by Croke Park in 2015. Mayo GAA stated the meeting had also been called to address 'a series of false allegations and inaccurate claims that have been published online and on social platforms over recent weeks relating to the financial management of Mayo GAA, and the wider GAA organisation.' Ryan made a presentation to the meeting, outlining how Croke Park had acquired the €5 million bank loan relating to Mayo GAA. Mayo GAA added: 'Under the terms of the agreement, the GAA secured a €1 million reduction in the capital value of Mayo GAA's loan, extended the repayment schedule to 29 years and reduced the loan interest rate from 3.2% to 1.9%. 'This arrangement helped reduce Mayo GAA's monthly loan repayments from more than €46,000 per month down to €34,000 per month – a change that resulted in a cash saving of €150,000 per annum for Mayo GAA. This renegotiated loan arrangement greatly improved the Co Boards cashflows, and helped direct more funding towards the preparation of County Teams each year. 'Tom Ryan outlined to club delegates how the loan arrangement has been reorganised further in recent years, with the loan term extended out to 32 years and repayments reduced further to €25,000 per month. In total, the new loan arrangement has saved Mayo GAA over €100,000 in loan repayments to date. 'The figures outlining these reductions in loan repayments and the amortisation of the loan has been fully disclosed in the accounts of Mayo GAA for the past several years.' The meeting took place just hours after Kevin McStay stepped away from managing the Mayo senior football team indefinitely due to health reasons.
