Connacht GAA cutbacks after removal of pre-season games

The Connacht Council of the GAA is reducing ground rent payable to counties for the 2025 provincial senior football championship.

The council says the decision has been taken in response to severe funding challenges faced following the Ard Comhairle (Central Council) decision to remove one of the provinces main sources of funding, namely the FBD sponsored Connacht Football and Hurling Leagues.

In recent years, the FBD leagues have taken place at the University of Galway Connacht GAA Air Dome.

But at the October meeting of the Connacht GAA, the council accepted a recommendation from the provincial management committee to reduce ground rent payable to counties from 10% to 5% for the senior football championship 2025.

A statement said:" Projected income for the province is expected to decline by nearly €150,000 due to losses in gate receipts, streaming, and sponsorship. The removal of these competitions in 2025 is anticipated to have a particularly negative impact, especially as teams, match officials, and supporters could have greatly benefited from experiencing new rules before the National League begins."

The statement added that delegates from all counties raised concerns during the meeting regarding the loss of revenue and the necessity of these competitions.

"They pointed out that managers would likely seek additional challenge matches, placing increased demands on players in terms of both playtime and travel. The delegates highlighted the missed opportunities provided by the FBD Connacht League and expressed a strong desire to explore alternative solutions for balancing the budget."

The council statement also pointed out that the Connacht Hurling League provided significant opportunities for all its counties, further highlighted by the participation of New York, London, and Longford alongside the five Connacht counties. New York, in particular, has greatly benefited from participation in the hurling leagues.

Watch the Interprovincial Series on RTÉ News Channel and RTÉ Player from 5.30pm and RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 7.15pm on Saturday

Click here to read article